Signs and their meanings

A lot of the time we can't read the signs that we see, so we've had to imagine what they've meant. Here are some of our best guesses from Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan...


No punching cats


Warning! Electric deer


Warning! Drunk cats.


Smelly dog farts ahead


Umbrella golfing prohibited


Hypnotising babies prohibited.


Danger! Falling footballs and anteaters


Warning! Your car roof may explode


Use of magnetic super powers prohibited!


No grumpy women

Vending machine haircut

The Japanese are awfully fond of using vending machines. I got my haircut paying with a vending machine and with a guarantee of taking only ten minutes. At the end of the haircut, the guy vacumn cleaned my head. I think I will wait a while before I try that again...

Osaka - little city with big ideas

Osaka is a lovely city. We went up in what they claimed to be the biggest ferris wheel in the world. At the top it was the same as a thirty or forty story building. The view was great. Nic wasn't so happy about the heights and this is the result of me swinging the cabin a little...





Osaka was on a roll when it came to biggest things and so we went to the aquarium which had the biggest tank in the world into which they plopped a couple of whale sharks and manta rays. It was a real treat to see these creatures live and seemingly happy in such a great aquarium...

Japanese Restaurants

Eating at some of the cheaper restaurants in Japan isn't quite the shoes-off tatami experience that most people think of. It is, however; something more fun and interesting.

You can go to cheap ramen restaurants where instead of ordering from a menu, or talking to any humans for that matter, you simply put money into a vending machine, choose the food you want, and then give the food tickets to the waitress. She will shout out the order to the cook, and within minutes delicious food is at your table.

In another restaurant we ordered the food from the waitress, human-style, and she typed it into a small PDA. The chef started cooking the food and we saw our bill automatically print out without the waitress even leaving the table. Getting the bill before even getting the food is a whole new level of Japanese efficiency.

Did I make a mistake?

This is my fiance...

Geisha Hunting

One of the dreams Nic has is to spot a live Geisha in Japan. This is partly the reason we are going via the Asia route back to NZ.

We got to Kyoto, dropped our bags off at the Ryokan and headed off in search of Geisha. It would have been just as appropriate to don a deer stalker hat and a couple of scope rifles with the way we tracked down our prey.

The poor geishas didn't have a chance. After combing the streets for a couple of hours, I spotted some Geishas having tea through a window. I had to boost Nic up to peek through the bamboo windows.

The trap set, we sat and waited; they had to come out sometime! Finally with a flash of white painted skin three geisha made a run for it. Too late, Nic had her finger on the trigger and bagged herself a live geisha snap.

Not content with one, we followed the frightened things down the street taking our tourist's worth.

Staying in the Ryokans

The traditional Japanese Ryokans tend to be the best hotels for our oily rag budget. This isn't such a bad thing as we get to play Geishas and Shoguns with tea ceremonies and tatami mats...

Nara

Nara, a lovely little town just outside of Kyoto and chock full of Japanese temples. One of the drawcards of Nara is that wild deer wander the streets and parks. We each had a go at feeding them. A little insistent, one of the deer decided to butt and nip at Nic. This resulted in a lot of squealing and the deer crackers being thrown everywhere with Nic sprinting halfway up the road.



Nic staring down her nemesis...





There were school trips out visiting Nara too. Little people, aged five to eight, would come up to us holding their English practice books and ask us in small groups if they could ask a few questions. After asking our names and introducing themselves in a very formal way, the children would ask our preference of sushi or tempura. At the end of their practise they would shyly tell us they have a gift for us and then hand over some origami shuriken. Possibly one of the sweetest experiences we've had on the trip...





Nara is a very beautiful part of Japan...















Walking through Nara you notice red buckets next to each house. All of the houses are made of wood, packed next to each other like matches. So this is a fairly simple practice in case of fire - and a nice stop for thirsty cats. I liked the simplicity of it all. Bullet trains and fire buckets - Japan is an enigma.

Tokyo to Nara - bullet speed

We caught a bullet train down to Nara. Gliding along at 200 miles an hour, these trains make you feel as if you are in a jet-plane skimming just above the ground.







Japan being the way it is, the conductor enters the carriage, bows to everyone and introduces himself. On the way out again, he will also turn and bow to everyone. He doesn't just do it the once, he will do it every single time he enters the carriage.

It took all of two hours to get the equivalent of London to Newcastle. If anything went this fast in the UK or NZ, people would be too afraid to get on it.

Japan rocks!

High-class Pussy

We went to Nekobukuro which is like a penthouse for cats. For a small fee you can go in and play with the pampered feline tenants. Nicci loves cats. I imagine I might like cats with some barbeque sauce, however; some of these furry things were actually quite cute...

Tokyo - Fashioning its own style

Tokyo sure tries harder than most countries with its styling. Most people are impecabbly dressed, although occasionally an eyebrow lifts at the attempts...

Tokyo - Open Kimono

A little longer in Tokyo and it starts to reveal itself to you. Below the bland shopping and plastic veneer a real personality starts to emerge. This city really starts to grow on you...