Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

I'm no stranger to Japan. I go there for work usually at least once a month. It has never been my favorite place, that's Spain (more about that in another post),  but I also didn't dislike it either. I was just neutral about it. Till about 4 months ago as I spent Christmas Eve in Osaka. I'm not sure what caused the changed for me. Maybe it was getting out more and doing something while I was there. Maybe it was the awesome food. Maybe it was meeting more Japanese people. Maybe it was learning a few words of Japanese. Whatever it was, Japan has really grew on me and I'm quickly on my way to LOVING it there!
1. The people of Japan are amazing. They are so polite, so sweet, so kind and so happy. Even when you know they are talking about you, they just look so genuine with this cute smile on their face.
Take for example what happened after the tsunami in northern Japan. Did you hear stories about looters running a muck? People hoarding food and water while others desperately tried to get some? No, because that isn't their style. The people shared what they had with others. They waited patiently in line for a small rice ball each day. They took care of each other. How many times have you seen that in people across the world when tragedy strikes?
2. The Japanese know how to eat! How many overweight Japanese people have you met? Not sumo wrestelers of course. They are few and far between because their diet is healthy and yummy. Rice and fish sure; can you say sushi? Yummy! But also chicken, beef and pork, lots of veggies and noodles. Gyoza, miso soup, tempora and takoyaki. I have yet to eat a bad meal there.
3. Their language is beautiful. I only know a few words: cream or sugar? Tea? Coffee? Chicken or beef? 1,2,3,4 but what I know is so pretty. And people are so appreciative that you are trying to speak some Japanese! I've never felt so appreciated in my travels, when it comes to language barriers, than when I'm in Japan.
4. Culture! Japanese culture is a wonderful blend of old and new. While sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for my coworkers I observed a great mesh of old world culture meeting new world style. One minute you have a young lady walking by in her high heels and stylish dress and another you have gentelmen deeply bowing at each other as they depart from their meeting. You see business men in their suits and ties next to the young, trendy youth sporting the local styles from Tokoy's fashion week. Everywhere you look its old meets new. Don't be surprised to find a Louis Vuitton next to a old world 6th century temple.
I could go on and on about the amazing things in Japan. But I'll stop here. I can't give it all away, what would there be left for YOU to discover there?
良い週末を 

Yoi shūmatsu o!

Check Out Your Own Backyard

What do you do after you've sat around on call for 6 days? What do you do when you can't stray to far from home? Explore your own backyard! I don't mean literally the space outside your back door, but rather your local community. How many places are there within a 30 min drive of your home that you have never been to? How many little shops, parks, cafe, restaurants, historical sites and the like have you always thought, 'One day I'll check that out'? Well put down your remote and head outside! You can find so much to do and see close to home. For example after my wild Cosmic Bingo adventure Thursday night I was looking for something to take the edge off. I ended up driving 25 miles south to Olympia, WA, the state capital. Yes, its a little bit of a continuation of my grandma-ish week, but I was pleasantly surprised. I learned that if you didn't die of dysentery or drown while fording the river, you may have ended up in Olympia as it was on of the ending points on the Oregon Trail. It is where the state congress meets, the governor lives and its the turn off point to get out to Forks, WA. If you know about Forks, WA then you will appreciate knowing that. Olympia has a pretty water front where you can take a stroll, a jog or a picnic. To continue the adventure, the downtown area boasts many cute shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. Take for example Burial Grounds, a coffee shop in the heart of downtown. I was walking around and of course it was drizzeling rain, and I was in need of a cup of tea to warm up. Across the street I saw and heard a guy playing a banjo. He was good and I noticed he was in front of a coffee shop named Burial Grounds. I thought that was pretty clever and decided to check it out. Once inside I was treated to zombie inspired food and drinks. Try the burial burrito with an ice cold corpse to drink. Or go for the hot Brenda's Brains espresso. Either way it was a treat visiting this clever and electic cafe. Oh, and I enjoyed a voodoo tea latte.
My next stop took me to Archibald Sisters, a novelty store and bath shop. Think Urban Outfitters, minus the clothes, meets Lush/Bath and Body Works. I had to leave to go feed the parking meter and come back there were so many cool, quirky things to look at. I mean who doesn't need a 1950's style tin to hold your drug money? or a collection of clever 1950's style lady's magnets? And of course, the always fun prank, gummy bacon. Well, you can find all this and more at Archibald Sister's.
All in all my afternoon trip, just 30 mins down the road turned out to be a great way to spend the afternoon. I plan to return on a Saturday with some friends to visit the farmers market, take advantage of all day $3 happy hour maragritas at the Mexican place and roam the streets a little more.
Try it in your own 'backyard', you may be surprised by what you find.

Granny's Got Game

So apparently there is no need to travel across the globe to find adventure. In the little community of Fife, WA, a small spot between Tacoma and Federal Way, lives a place called BJ's Bingo. Now, if you are like me you think of bingo as an older person activity. Little old ladies with blue hair, cute old men with canes balanced on the table, gently shouting out "Bingo." Well then, you'd be wrong too. This isn't your grandma's bingo. At least not on Thursday nights. First off it starts at 11pm, when most grannies have long retired for the evening. 2nd, its Cosmic Bingo. That's right, black lights and glow sticks. And 3rd, the music is so loud you spend half the night yelling 'What?" to you neighbor and the other half singing along with Kesha, Guns N Roses and 50 Cent. I don't think most grandmothers would be up for this. But from the moment you step inside you are faced with fun little games to play while waiting for the bingo to start where you may win a few extra $$ for next weeks game. Add together the people watching and the fact that they encourage you to dance on the tables in between games and you have yourself a pretty fun, awesome night, right in the heart of the Puget Sound. And winning the first game with a $125 pot doesn't hurt either!

Belarus, an unknown country.

On my last trip to Honolulu, as a traveler, I was lucky to meet a very cool person from Belarus. This was the first time for me to meet someone from that area of the world and I very much enjoyed getting to know him and learning some about Belarus.

Belarus has been an independent country since 1991 and been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. He is considered the last remaining dictator in Europe. Freedom of speech and press is restricted by the government. Surrounded by  Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland Belarus is a country of flatness, much like Minnesota in the US. It is covered by forests and lakes.
Minsk is the capital of Belarus. Fans of the T.V. show Friends may recognize this as the city that Phoebe's love interest, David, played by Hank Azaria, went to study Physics. I believe that is how I first learned of Minsk.
If the people of Belarus are anything like my friend in Honolulu, it is full of warm, friendly people who are suffering from an oppressing government. And this week they are hurting. On Monday, April 11, a bomb ripped through the main metro station, Oktyabrskaya, in Minsk, killing 12 people and injuring more than 200.
Why? No one knows, but the people of Belarus need our support. Learn more about this country here:

BBC News
CIA Fact Book

A yummy, healthy breakfast

Looking for a quick, healthy breakfast? Try this!

2 Kashi 7 Grain Waffles

1 Tablespoon Natural (no suger added) Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Natural (no sugar added) Applesauce

Sprinkle of cinnamon.

315 Calories

13 g fat

8 g protein

110% of daily vitamin C

10% daily iron

And its yummy!