This time it really is Sayonara......

Running underground

Has anyone ever picked their nose so much that they get scabs on the inside of their nostrils?  Me neither - that would be wrong.  And repulsive.  However, I have told by an inside source that it's the direct result of too much central heating.  And an over active pointer finger I guess.

Pugs in sweaters and jeans

Shopping for nerd glasses

I was sick of being intermittantly freezing and then boiling hot once I stepped a toenail indoors.  Talk about over-compensation for the outdoorsy elements.  But, it was off to Tokyo......again, and it was positively balmy there.  What can I really offer here though;  Meiji shrine viewing, dogs in outfits, final cramming of sushi.  All the usual.  I didn't find any cherry blossom flavoured Kit Kats though - even though I visited a hundred 7/11s looking for my little pink friends.  Saw the real thing though.  I really think I must be heavily influenced by Japanese aesthetics nowadays.  The first time I was in Japan I got swept along with all the seasonal rejoicing freaks into the sakura fever, and went viewing those beloved spring time blossoms.  Unmoved.  Seen it all before in my local Tasmanian neighbourhood.  Couldn't understand the obsession.  But these days, I can't get enough.  I pulled a muscle in my neck spotting them as our bus rolled through the city.

We did see a different type of "Kit" - the actual original from Knight Rider

I would have been more impressed if they had The Hoff on board to sit in it

We did however manage to pull off a champion luggage scam, and one I would like to share with all of you.  We had a lot of luggage.  Mainly due to snow equipment for 4 people, plus jackets and pants, snowboots - you get the picture.  Seeing as we were headed for sunnier shores, the question remained.   What the hell do we do with our stuff?  I for one, was unwilling to take a snowboard through Brazil and then onto the Caribbean - although most of the Caribbean population would have never seen one before, so I could have set up an exhibit.....used it for wakeboarding perhaps?  I didn't think of that.

Seeing the Tokyo sights....there's only so much appreciation you can have for a shrine

Sending ski equipment home via the postal service is an expensive solution.  Hundreds and hundreds of dollars to save inconvenience.  Was it worth it?  We thought not.  Thus we decided to go the option that we have often gone in Thailand.  Leave some stuff at a hotel, move on with lighter bags and then come back and pick them up 2 weeks later.  Only this time, we weren't returning to Tokyo until 3 months later.  Would the hotel be prepared to store giant snowboard bags and one broken suitcase for 3 months.  No chance.  And it wasn't like we could get a storage unit in Tokyo.  I have done that before, and it required a Japanese guarantor and lots of form filling out.  Therefore, what do you do?  I'll tell you - you make a fake booking at your hotel for two weeks time, pretend you are sightseeing southern Japan, and then cancel your booking a few days after you leave.  As long as there isn't a cancellation fee, you are in the clear.  Then when you do come back, if necessary you can make up some bullshit about having to change your plans, repossess your shit and feel smug and sneaky.

Tokyo Strutting

We have even returned to a different hotel, and then asked the original hotel to taxi our gear over to the new hotel before.  Ouch.  However, why not save on the taxi fare and go and pick it up yourself.  Also a good plan.  So there you have it, how to be a shameless scammer, ruin it for everyone and take advantage of caring and considerate people.  Sometimes you have to make things easier for yourself.....And besides, it doesn't really hurt anyone.  So what - they have a couple of extra bags in a cupboard for a little longer than they anticipated.

Spring time strolling

God it was worth it though - pushing one suitcase each through the airport was exhilarating.  Those wheels were so smooth, I was so unencumbered by my belongings.  A weight had been lifted.  Literally about 30 kilos.  I was freeeeeeeeeeee.  And then I spotted my one true love -  cherry blossom Kit Kats, only this time they were encased in green tea flavoured chocolate.  As I've said before - Japanese tastes have infiltrated my natural instincts of revulsion and indifference.  Never was this more obvious than when we went out with our beloved chums on their last night in Japan a few weeks before.  We went to a traditional Japanese teppanyaki restaurant, which was less about the meat and more about random creatures from the sea.  One dish actually looked like half-pureed raw snails, one like white phlegm, and another like mauve plasticine.  It became obvious that Chalky and I had spent far too long in this country when we ate about 95% of everything, and them - about 10% or less.  I felt guilty for encouraging the goodbye "feast".  It's not often you spend $150 on 2 mouthfuls of beef, a slice of potato and a bean.

You gorgeous little green fuckers - please be around in July

The Kit Kat was great by the way.  I bought two and ate them both on the plane.  We had an overnight flight to New York to look forward to.  The flight was about 12 hours long and we arrived half an hour before we left.  That's always weird.  And makes for a hell of a jet-lagged week.  Who gives a shit - I was in New York City god dam it.  And you are going to be awake all night, it may as well be in the city that never sleeps.