Japan

OSAKA:
Decided to try my hand at the Japanese subway system. I was ensured by Jonathan that the one in Tokyo was very comprehensive, so if he can handle that - I could handle Osaka. There I was... dumbfounded. Their subway system is not based on a flat fare; if you are traveling to midtown in might be $2 but to get to harlem it might be $2.75. Now what about Nagatacho-mitsuke? I pressed "Call Attendant" and looked around furtively wondering where the attendant was and how this person would know I was in distress. All of a sudden, the poster to my left swings open and a face pops through the secret window "SHIMASEN!?" "Holy God!" I exclaimed as I jumped out of my skin and backwards three feet. Who knew? Be warned - there are people behind the ticket booths!

KYOTO:
Noriko is a friend of Cindy and David's and she lives in Kyoto teaching at Art Literacy at the university there. On her suggestion, we went to a huge outdoor flea market in the middle of one of Kyoto's many temples. We got there at 8:30am to beat the crowds, and thank God we did because only a few hours later, any way you wanted to walk, you were swimming upstream. You could find everything there - from plastic hello kitty masks, to swords, to ancient porno jewelry boxes. And the FOOD! I tried what I like to call Octopus Balls - they look like donut holes but have octopus stuffed inside, red bean pancakes, and bbq mochi on a stick. After that, Steven, his brother Aaron, and I went to two more temples before we were templed-out.

TOKYO:
Our two shows were at the Shibuya Ox, a wonderful club venue with a small balcony and a deep ground level. The audiences were fantastic - excited and attentive. What I found most odd about the Asian audiences across the board was how controlled their enthusiasm is. When they clap, they clap strongly and systematically. After a song they hoot and holler and then IMMEDIATELY fall silent. Its really quiet bizarre how a room of hundreds of people collectively create an uproar one minute and then the next, you could hear a pin drop. For the first time in the past four or five months, no one has yelled for Free Bird in between songs.

SYDNEY:
We just arrived safe and sound. It was a long 10 hour flight, but well worth it. The sun is shining, the Sydney Opera House is to my right and the Sydney Harbor bridge is just north of that. In a few hours, the whole lot of us will be taking the ferry over to Manly Beach for some sun and some sea.