Saturday, December 11, 2004

Konichiwa! I'm back! Hokkaido was super. Snow everywhere - hanging from trees, blanketing sidewalks, falling on my hair. Hell Valley was red and yellow and brown and black; the snow would start to fall, but melt into droplets of rain right before it reaches the ground. Took stunning pictures, but very few are left because Somebody (rather dimwitted, somewhat of a moron actually) accidentally deleted all the photos in the digital camera on day3.

Speaking of morons, don't go on tour with CTC ever. You've been forewarned. (Osaka, not so super, their fault.)

There was an earthquake that night at Hakodate, a very small one, floor trembled, table shook, stuff fell over is all. I went to the hot spring public baths twice. On my second try, I went to the outdoor pool. It was snowing and I had my body submerged in the bubbling hot water and my head out in the wind and snow. It was fun in such a ridiculous way. The sight of a roomful of wobbly bits takes some getting used to though.

Otaru was such a quaint little place. I absolutely adored everything there but obviously couldn't afford any of those lovely, useless trinkets. The Japanese are really such a peculiar breed; they take such pains to wrap up all your purchases in pretty paper, and they ensure your toilet trips are enjoyable by equipping all the toilet bowls with butt wash-and-blowdry-ers. And they smile all the freaking time! (At least the girls do, I think the men are all standoffish and chauvinistic and don't look half as good as they're so hyped up to do.) It just makes everything seem so surreal, like you're in some Hallmark card or something.


-- tee @ 4:14 pm |