March 25, 2015

Free Talk: On Vacation...

Well, it is only up to this point that I can write summaries since I’ll be very busy tomorrow in preparation for the early Easter vacation trip with the family to Tokyo. ^^ Hehe, I was busy Monday cramming to check how much the transportation expenses and learned that we do not have enough money since I have not even included the food expenses..^^; Hehe, obviously underestimating one of the most expensive cities in the world. No wonder my brother-in-law is surprised when we mentioned that we only going to bring that much yen. ^^;;

The flight is early in the morning so I won’t be online on Friday. Lol, probably won't get enough sleep on Thursday night. We’ll come back on April 4th in the afternoon.

Depending on whether I’m not too tired = irony of vacation, and there is an easy chapter to do like Akatsuki no Yona, I might be able to write something on that day. ^^

So, until then...

40 comments:

  1. Have fun! Have a safe trip! Happy early Easter to you and your family! <3 Tika

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  2. Well happy holidays and good luck to you all. I hope you'll have a good time and plenty of fun. You have money issues, huh? but don't worry about it, most of people do. You can always trick your stomach by fantasizing that you are eating your favorite dishes ... a joke :p . I am looking forward to hearing from you when you get back from Japan ^^. Ciao ^^

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    1. Thank you, RoseFleur ^-^

      Lol..actually, in Japan..the food looks so aesthetically delicious that I would want to eat..maybe, the price will suppress the appetite =P

      =)

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    2. Welcome back Kat,
      It seems from other comments that you had plenty of good time. hahaha Well yeah I understand but in that case it should be considered a work of art not food. Hence, perhaps some people should pose beside the said item and ask a passerby to take a few snapshots in order to commemorate the event or better yet pay the owner/ the restaurant for a sniff or two :p (it is legitimate business and an additional source of income for the owner!)

      So did you have the chance to go to Harajuku? And sorry for the weird question but there are many reasons behind it: were there people from other races/ ethnicities on board of your flight - and I don't mean westerners or Europeans)?

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    3. Thank you, RoseFleur ^-^

      Ah...I just tend to take pictures of their 'fake food display' outside of some restaurants. =P We tend to choose the food that way..oh this restaurant looks delicious..and the price is somewhat affordable. Of course, the other way is if there is a queue outside...it must be somewhat cheap and delicious.

      I only managed to go to part of Harajuku..the Omotesando part. Not, the place where there are supposedly a lot of cosplayers among others, Takeshita Dori. We went there on Sunday but unfortunately it is raining so wasn't able to go to that other part. =( Contrary to what I see on the maps, places aren't that near and well, we got kids with us so they cannot walk for a long time. Oh well..maybe next time?

      In my flight, it is mostly people from our country and Japanese. On the way there, there are around three dark-colored people though I do not know of their race.



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    4. Oh yeah the idea is tempting though I am not into food because I gain weight easily so I'll look the other way round.

      Ah, too bad ... though surprisingly a week or more before you announced you were going to Japan, some people were actually in Japan and said that they wanted to go to Harajuku but it was raining (I thought that the weather would get better after a week lol)
      Yeah, hopefully you'll get to visit that place soon (I would like to go too someday :p )

      Well about my last question it comes from reading other travelers's reviews about Asian countries. I read a bunch from Americans, Afro-Americans and other British, Canadian, Brazilian and Indian folk. Afro-Americans and both the Brazilian (I think) and the Indian guys talked about racial issues etc.

      One thing lead to the other and before I knew it I was reading about Japan's problems with illegal immigration from African countries and black market workforce. At the end of my research, I felt that it would be difficult for dark-skinned people to travel to Japan, China, South Korea or Thailand even (which is supposed to be the worst with an openly racist society and profound aversion towards Black people), even if the said person let's say is rich, or is an a business trip, or a huge anime - manga fan.

      Even in comedy films such as "Jumping the Broom" (2011), the question is raised:
      Pam Taylor (played by Loretta Devine) says: "Talking about sending him to China. Do they even let black folk in China?"
      [Yes they do but it is a joke related to the above-mentioned background].

      That is why I dropped the question at you (well three persons is a good indicator. I was expecting none (?!) :D ) . Anyway, I think that a person shouldn't be intimidated by what he reads online, just have faith in God and himself and plunge!

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    5. Ya..the weather is quite erratic. It is raining one day, then sunny on the next day, then cloudy. It is a bit hard to schedule things. Anyway, hopefully, indeed, someday..for both of us ^^

      I see..actually, I only know that Japan tend to be 'racist' though I didn't know if it is towards a certain race. When I was in Tokyo, the only dark-skinned people I saw, iirc, were two people shouting in the streets for what seems to be for solicitation or donation. They are talking in Japanese so I don't know what it is about. The other one I read about is they are in Roppongi, trying to get people to go into bars where they spike your drink.

      I actually didn't know that China has that issue. ^^; Maybe it is more on being 'uneasy' with dark skinned people since they are different? You see, in Asian countries including ours, they tend to want to be white-skinned and dark skinned is 'not liked/preferred'. People here are brown-skinned but a lot of women would want to use all sorts of medicine and lotions to become white skinned. It is actually somewhat amusing since Whites would want to have brown tan skin =P

      That's right ^^ Like we were going to Paris, everyone are saying that just because of being Chinese/foreigners, people there would want to steal from you. I guess because of how we dressed and not carrying any branded shopping bags, we are pretty much left alone aside from being vigilant, preparing some hard to open bags and of course, God's protection ^^

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    6. Oh yeah, change in weather is always troublesome.

      Well indeed Kat, some people tend to describe the Japanese as having some sort of a “superiority complex” towards people from other Asian countries (and maybe beyond?). It seems that they are very proud of their “uniqueness” as a “homogenous” society.

      About China, well the said reviews came mostly from African and Afro-Americans travelers (in my immediate background, I am originally Egyptian, “racism” isn't an issue at all [he average person in my country has a wheatish skin with diversity ranging from pale white to light brown, brown and dark brown], and right now most Asian countries, especially China, represent to us a model or a source of inspiration in our efforts to leap into the future).

      However I become aware of this "racism" issue because I live abroad and I have met some really bigot and aggressive people.
      That is why I take this element into consideration when preparing my future projects just like you've done when you went to Paris. I am pretty sure though that if I plan well and carefully I won't face any issues.

      Finally, thank you Kat … you've always been kind and open in sharing your thoughts and experience ^^

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    7. That's right ^^

      Maybe especially during ww2...I think the Chinese in China also have that kind of 'superiority complex' these days.

      I see. Well, I think it is also by chance and depending on what place you'll go. I mean, if it is a 'tourist place', people tend to be friendly with people of other races. It also depends on how open they are with other races and their impression of other races based on media and other stuff. Honestly, there are too many factors to it. Nevertheless, I think most Japanese are 'nice people' and tend to mind their own business.

      You're welcome and no problem at all ^^ Glad to be of help ^^

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  3. Fun! Vacation in Japan :). Happy early Easter and enjoy your family and time away! Thanks for all the great translations lately. Just discovered the author of Black Bird is doing a manga called Seirou Opera, and it looks like there is an excellent murder mystery to it so far. Historical. Going to be scouring the internet to find more of it until our beloved Kat returns. Hehe.
    ~J Lynn

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    1. Thank you, J Lynn ^-^

      Thanks for reading them ^-^

      Oh, she has a new series.

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  4. Have a safe trip, Kat!

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  5. Vacation is good for you! Like a reward for writing summaries for us :)
    Have fun and be safe kat! :D

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  6. Ramen only cost 500 yen. Hahaha

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    1. Hehe..is that so...I read it is around 500-1000 yen. ^^;

      The shortest train ride already costs 170 yen.

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  7. Have a nice trip ^^
    Happy early Easter Kat, and say hello to your family too, hope you and them having so much fun in your holiday :)
    Good luck!

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    1. Thank you, Viska ^-^

      Happy Easter to you, too ^^

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    2. Welcome back my beloved Kat :)
      How's your vacation? Are you having fun? ^^

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    3. Thank you, Viska ^-^

      It was good and tiring...legs are still aching from all the walking ^^

      Yup.

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    4. Next time come to Hong Kong ^^
      So we can have fun together hehe :D

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    5. Ah, been to HK many times before ^^ It is my 'poor man's Japan/Tokyo. =P

      =)


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    6. Haha really? Next time you come to HK lets have fun ^^
      I want to go to Tokyo too :)

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    7. Sure ^^

      Hehe..and I want to go back =P

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  8. Have a great vacation be safe THANKS FOR EVERTHING!!!!!!

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  9. Have a safe trip and a fun Holliday!I know what you mean, Tokyo is ridiculously expensive and believe me, i live in one of the most expensive European cities, but Tokyo is really great.

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  10. How exciting! Have a great time!! :D

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  11. Have a safe trip and enjoy your time in Tokyo !
    I'm going to Japan this summer too, I'm excited !

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    1. Thank you, Hellayne ^-^

      Hope you have a great time, too ^^

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  12. Have a safe trip and enjoy your time in tokyo , we are waiting for you to come safely .

    ~ reemy

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