Out after 10 Years (2): Roaming around Tokyo

The second day of the trip was not so good but there were some progresses. It's 06:05 here and I returned to the hotel last night around 04:30 as I was so tired. The nigh before the flight I didn't have a good sleep and then this big time zone difference ha affected me significantly. I tried to find a tourist office to ask a few questions and also familiarize myself with the area but that led to hours of walking cluelessly! I think I wasted some 2 hours! Found no office of such! The Google Maps on the phone was not helpful or I don't know how to set it up on the phone.
Then after a short rest in the hotel, I headed to the city center where Tokyo Station is located. Downtown Tokyo, at least the limited area that I visited is similar to any Western main city: Men and women in professional attire, cabs, tall buildings, expensive shops, bars, restaurants and cafes, nice gardens, only enjoyed and maintained by Japanese people and a few foreigners. 
I then headed to Imperial Palace although I knew it was closed, just to see the area. Many businesses that tourist intend to visit are closed on Monday. So don't waste your time going there. Beside it would be somewhere very crowded as usually main tourist spots are, all, these days. The outside walls of Imperial Palace where the Emperor and his family lives are impressive. The capital was transferred from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869 and so did the royal family. I hope I can visit the palace before I leave Japan. 

Then I got on subways, for the first time, and headed to a shrine called Yasukuni-Jinja. Japan has lots of temples and shrine which are frequently visited by the Japanese to pay respect and pray and visitors just to see. This shrine which has a museum adjacent to it is open to visit to the public at no charge. I was too tired to go to the museum but the museum is about the people who sacrificed their lives for their country, probably some of the WWII who are greatly admired and respected in Japan. I might go there if I get a chance. After that I just headed back to the hotel, got something to eat and couldn't even sit at the table! 

The good thing is now I have a much better idea of how to use the Tokyo transit system. 

(Photo: Yasukuni Shrine's side door. That is why there is no person in front of it and make it a good picture! Japanese slowly approach the main gate, claps their hands, bow and pray and then when leaving pay their respect as well. There are a few guard in the area but none are armed as far as I remember. I think there would be no need for that. Westerners believe this place holds and admire the Japanese who committed war crime. I believe the Westerners always forget what they do or pretend what they have done and blame others. If this shrine promotes war crime then every Vietnam War memorial and American cemetery for the military does the same! Right?)

Out after 10 Years (1): Tiring and Stressful Start

I'm writing from a tiny, little room in Tokyo and I'm dead tired! I'm too tired to write but at the same time too tired to go out to do anything. I should just shower, have a quick look at tomorrow's plan and go to bed. This is the beginning of my first out of the continent trip after 10 years. 
I couldn't sleep well last night and I wanted to call the cab company and change the pick up time from 05:30 to 04:45 but didn't and that was one of the reasons that I didn't have a good sleep. The woke up early and reached the airport by paying $50 to a taxi. The entire check-in, boarding and flight was very smooth, to Vancouver (which in fact is in Richmond!). Then I had to wait nearly 04:30 to get on the next flight to Narita. I was lucky that I bumped to a Filipino-Chinese (husband-wife) couple who were great people and helped me not feel so awful. 

The flight to Narita was so long and there was this gorilla next to me that made the, 09:30-hour flight even more miserable! Air Canada's service was good and because of that I'm not paying anything for food today but the length of the flight was unbearable, specially for me who had not flown even half of that much in the past 10 years! Air Canada's entertainment system was really good. Movies, news, shows, you name it but my seat was not so good! There was enough room leg but I had an isle seat and both the stewards and stewardesses were passing by continuously and although nothing happened, I was a little bit annoyed!
That said, when we reached at Narita almost on time, or perhaps even a bit earlier than the scheduled time, It took 65 minutes to pass the passport check and custom! I have to add that the Japanese people who were working there were all superb and did their best to get the line moving.

Canadian Rockies

I then bought a SIM Card, a transit pass and a ticket but was lucky that I ran to a Chinese man who happened to be working here in Tokyo and was at the airport to pick up his family who had come for a visit! Google Maps was not as helpful as I had thought and I was nervous and a little bit disoriented so when the man said that I needed the issued ticket to get out of the first line and get on the second line, I kind of panicked and thought I had lost it but it was in my wallet! You need to return the ticket you had used to get on a train, in combination with the card for the next ticket or you would be in trouble.

I'm going to sleep and will write, hopefully, tomorrow.

(Photo, top: This hotel room is very small)

Affects of Economy on Entertainment Industry

Disclaimer: This post discusses Adult Entertainment Industry. If you think you would be offended by this, please ignore this post.

I like to go for a massage of and on. If I get a good masseuse, it's very relaxing. I have not had a chance to get a good one for a long time though. I have tried different ones but only a few have been good. Without revealing their identities, as it's always been my policy on this blog for more than 20 years, I will write a little bit about a few of them:  

1) There was this beautiful Caucasian woman in a big house in a quiet and nice neighbourhood. Nothing fancy, but okay. I went there a few times. I don't know if I've written about her or not but her first service was good as she was trying to keep you as her customer. Then the service started to decline. She was just hanging around without doing anything and I didn't dare saying anything! She charged $150 an hour! I think it was the second or third time, which was close to or in Covid-19 era that she started saying nonsense such as " You're sexy!" I know she was trying to make me come back but I don't know why! Then one day she gave me a hand(!) and when I asked her if she would want to have sex, she said she would charge $300! I, of course, didn't pay that much but went more time. It think it was the last time that she was mad at vaccination and said she would not accept anyone who is vaccinated. It was also the time that I asked her whether she would go to the client's places. She said she might. I would like to visit her once again, to see what's been going on with her.

2) The ugly trucker: When you're stupid, your eyes are closed and you mind is shut! I used to go this ugly woman's dingy apartment for massage. Her massage was good but she was very annoying. Load music and disturbing voice. I will never go there again!

3) There was this tall and young woman. Pretty. In a rundown house in the ghetto! She was good at what she said and the price was reasonable. She would even issue a receipt for insurance but she puffed and huffed all the time and her kid or kids were making noise on the top floor. One day we got into a sort of discussion/argument over transgender people and she got angry and upset. I haven't been to the place since and if will not go again unless I can't find a good place. 

I was going through a few places that I knew they would provide the service, last week but they were all closed. I also called a couple of them and didn't receive any response. I think this bad economy has taken a tool of the people. The once who need that services, perhaps, have resorted to self gratification! 

Calgary Greed Line

A very good news was out  last week and greedy people were upset that they would soon lose their commissions and free expensive meals in 5-star restaurants and resorts! Greed Line project was cancelled. Could you think of anything more satisfactory than this? To me it was better than Corona-virus restrictions coming to end! 

Yes. The greedy municipal people of the City of Calgary wanted to spend more than $2 Billion over a city transit system just because, as they claimed, some people in the south had to spend up to an hour and a half to get to the city center and so do people in north! So freaking what?! Do you have any idea what 2 Billion dollar could do? that is a 2 with 9 zeros in front of it. Some might think of use that much money to start manufacturing facilities, assembly lines, businesses of that nature but in the country that people barely want to work, it might not sound very wise! 

They said 1000 people will soon lose their job. So freaking what, again?! People lose their lives as a result of unpredictable events. Let those 1000 people face the challenge of job hunting, again. I'm sure that with the knowledge, experience and confidence they have gained, it would not be so hard for them to find a new job, soon. 

You have to think to yourself that if an authority shows signs of anger and frustration, it's not because of the people, it certainly is because of the losses they will suffer soon, financially. There's no doubt about that.

(Photo: This, probably, is what the people who insisted on this project, had imagined for themselves!)

Organic Food (3)

 

This is a very short post. I was at a Real Canadian Superasshole a few days ago to buy Tamarind for a friend whom has tried, like and said it was good for her and also bought a couple of other things. The place was packed but a lady was nice enough to let me pay before her with a full cart. 

I noticed this empty isle on my way to the cashier: Organic food. You see people who buy all sorts of trash and fill their carts but barely even step in this section of the store. Some don't believe in these items and some prefer to pay the same amount and get more products for the money they pay. Organic food is very expensive and I've written about it but how do the businesses survive in this economy is beyond my understanding.

(Photo: Organic packaged products isle in a Superasshole in Calgary)

The Fate of Restaurant Business

I don't eat at McDonald's. I don't think someone at my age should but people do and I think it's how their body is accustomed to. I used to and it was one I was doing physical hard labour. Happily I haven't done that for a long time so the food it's not appealing and all I ate was their breakfast sandwiches.

Nevertheless I stopped at a McDonald's on my way home yesterday I got a medium Orange Juice and ask for a cup of water. The juice costed $2.4, and they gave me water in a tiny, little, small-size cup! And the place was packed! With the economy not doing so well and unemployment on the rise, despite the fast that Bank of Canada reduce borrowing cost, where do average people go to spend their times on weekend? Where is better than McDonald's?! Cheapest place to eat and yet you pay $2.4 for a fake medium-size orange juice! 

There's something else you can do and many do it: You can keep your used cup and go to another location and steal sugary beverages! I saw a tall Canadian guy 17 or 18 did that. I'm sure this can easily be elevated as it technically is theft and there're cameras in the lobby but I think McDonald's make enough money to let a few losers like that steal Coke and Sprite every day! 

(Photo: My expensive medium orange juice. I think if you ordered  using the app, it would be cheaper)

Nearly $135,000 after Four Years

I don't know how accurate these talks are about housing shortage and high rents but the place I bought  4 years ago does not seem to have much increase in its value, only $135,000. This is the difference between what my loan contact says and the most recent municipality assessment. I need to get the hell of this neighbourhood regardless of the job I'm going to be doing. It has become too irritating because of some asshole, disgusting neighbours. Beside I need to have a nice yard and bigger garage. I may keep my old Toyota, at least for awhile when I'm buying my new car which most likely would be an E. V.. 
I'm going north and I'm hoping I can get something for leas than $350,000 which matches my needs and with low interest rate, meaning using my current rate or the new one which will be introduced by Bank of Canada, this week. In the second case, It will be easier for moving but will be more costly because I will keep both the houses and then sell this one and use the difference on my new car although I have all the cash for that now but I'm moving toward the plan slowly and carefully. 

(Photo: AMPA's concept E. V. called Arrow. I don't know why they call it that name. It reminds me of the failed jet project. Let me know if you don't know about it and I will write it here or you can find it in the web. This, however, is not something that I'm buying!)

How a Loser's Life Turns Out

I had a flight booked to Las Vegas this past Sat. at 08:00. I even had paid for my seats, going and returning. My plan was to go to Tonopah to do the hike that we tried nearly two years ago and failed miserably! I was not ready for the trip, generally. So I set my clock for 05:55, woke up, had something and head out. By the time I reached the airport, parked and went to the gate, it was almost 07:10 and I was told that the checking had been closed! I went back home! Wasted at least $600, if not more. I had booked the ticket in May!

Then I told myself I had to do something positive with my time at least this Sun. So I headed to work. I reached there at around 09:00 and after a few minutes of work I realized that our network where I needed to access my files was done! The filthy disgusting, nasty incompetent stupid Latino in charge of the network, computers and everything related had messed up! Imagine a company which is so pathetic to use a Latino as his computer and network system person! I spent a few hours and returned home with disgust and disappointment. Wasted the rest of the day. 

Then I told myself, at least I will use the best of Mon. So I set the clock for 04:30 to head south for a hike. Woke up and couldn't convince myself to get out! Ate something and went back to the bed until 07:30 or so! 

(Photo: I stayed in Conrad the last time I was in Las Vegas. A nice and clean place)