You are reading a single comment by @pascalo and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@pascalo
When reading a map in Japan, North is not always on top. Instead it's from where you're standing. So better check for the arrow that indicates North to not get Completely screwed up with directions.
Also, should you happen to go into a Ryokan to do Onsen, make sure that you check for the Kanji signs before you enter the bath rooms. It often occurs that they swap female and male rooms to give you a chance to see both. Problem is if you cannot read Kanji, and you walk in naked until someone turns around and then runs out of the room in panic because they never have seen a Gaijin naked.
If you wanna see something properly weird, go to a foreign cuisine restaurant there.
For example their approximation of Italian will make you grin. Spaghetti with natto is available in some places, but it will nearly always be like some disneyland version of italy.
The food is great though, if you eat fish that is. If you don't eat Fish, you're vegan or Vegetarian without some fishy tendencies, don't go there, it's gonna be hassle and some more hassle. Everything is based on Dashi.
Oh yeah, also be prepared to feel out of place and too dumb to follow any social code properly. Hell, if it's school children they might even just stand there and stare at you.
Melbourne - I don't like it that much, so my tip would be: Get out of there and drive down to Great Ocean Road.
Sydney - Make sure you go to the Botanical Gardens. They're my favourite place ever. Fruitbats, Ibises, Open air cinema ...
San Francisco - Eat some Mexican food for cheap. Also, the drive up to the Chabot Observatory in Oakland is great! Nice woods up there as well.