Kenji and Megumi's wedding

Alright I don't know if I can marry yet I get my results tomorrow, but I went to a wedding yesterday.
Actually this wedding is at the same place as I will marry Yuuri so in essence this was a kind of reconnaissance wedding.

Naturally I took my camera.

From Megumis wedding

We have what is almost a western wedding style with the classic white style. Beautiful.

From Megumis wedding

Check out the authenticity, alright so it's a bit 'Disney Land' but it's all about the show. I don't really care if the church was built in the 1600s by the pope or erected in the 1980s by Imagine(c). And I'll tell you what, the heating system works well in this modern building and you wont find that in your damp Gothic churches.

From Megumis wedding

This is the old 'chucking the petals' routine, I like that picture cause the petals are caught mid-flight and check out the guy with the pink phone, no it's not his girlfriends its his and that's Japan.
A nice shot of the couple though, Kenji and Megumi Kato.

They met at my welcome party when I came to Aeon, I remember sitting next to them and talking with Kenji. He was to become one of my students and Megumi is the Kids head teacher. They are two very lovely people and two of my favourite people at Aeon.

From Megumis wedding

After some photos we all bustle up to the party room where we enjoy lots of food and booze. This is where we also pay the lean 17,000Y/ $191 / £115 but this is the way of all weddings in Japan, indeed I hear in Tokyo the prices are much much higher.

From Megumis wedding

Here is a nice group of the current Aeon workforce with the lady on the left in the white jacket working at the Morioka branch and the rest of us stuck in the Arctic tundra Aomori.

From Megumis wedding

Japanese weddings always seem to include at least one costume change which gives the whole thing a little personality. I like it and I really like this outfit!

From Megumis wedding

Ah and who could forget, the flaming sword, a key part to any wedding where ever you are in the world. On this day of love Kenji unites the Japanese old love of samurai warriors with the modern Japanese love of smoking in public. Very beautifully done though.

No pictures of Yuuri I hear you cry? Well no she was working but she came to the second party in her brand new dress I bought for her. I chose a very western style which I think she needed time to get used to but here she is in her fluffy bear slippers...

From Megumis wedding

Finally a short video so sit back and enjoy.

Making Mochi

Meet Yuuri

Disney and Approval for marriage

Last weekend (2nd November 09) I went to Tokyo with Yuuri to visit Disney Sea. Disney in Japan is a lot like Disney in America. A lot of hype and a lot of waiting around.

I'm a bit cynical when it comes to Disney. I hate how all the advertisements show Disney as this magical place and usually depict a young family freely enjoying the park, and it looks like a dream. However they don't show the hoards of people clambering to get a look at plastic mountain or the never ending wait for a 2 minute ride.

Having said that Yuuri really enjoys Disney and it is a good day out. The rides are pretty good and I really liked the Tower of Terror. Yuuri always gets very scared when she goes on rides, her palms become sweaty and she becomes noticeably more nervous. She loves it though!

We were in the park for about 10hrs and we were so tired afterwards. Our hotel was nice but our key didn't work so our room got upgraded.

Please enjoy our pics of Disney

Disney

The main reason we came to Tokyo was to visit the British embassy to get our marriage ready for approval. When Americans do this I heard they must take blood tests but at the British embassy I only had to fill in a form and pay some money, Yuuri didn't have to be there. The form cost £63/Y9,700 and I have to wait until the 24th November 09 for approval.

My information goes on a public notice board for anyone to object against. We had a look at some of the current ones and we were among the youngest but there were some couples younger than us. Most seemed to be British men to Japanese women though.

A lot of people tell me western men often prefer Japanese women and that Japanese women like western men. I'm not so sure that's completely true as a man and knowing other men I'd say men like Italian women, French women, South American women, Asian women in fact I'd say men just like women and if something sounds unattainable and exotic then all the more appeal.

As for Japanese women preferring western men well I think that's just from exposure. If your only exposure to westerners is Hugh Grant, George Clooney, Brad Pitt etc then you're going to find them more appealing. I don't know any Japanese girls who fancy Gordon Brown.

From Embassy

From Embassy

Halong Bay

During my stay in Vietnam I booked a two day cruise along the beautiful Halong bay.

From Halong Cruise day one

Halong is about 3hrs drive from Hanoi but when we got there we were greeted with lovely looking vessel. We had a couple of New Zealanders on board and the rest were Europeans. I haven't spoken to many Europeans in a long time so that was refreshing in itself. There were only 5 of us too so it was peaceful.

We got our food served, which consisted on mainly seafood but I was used to this. We had plenty to eat and it was all very nicely presented. The boat had lots of areas to take pictures and sit and relax as well as stay out the sun which was very hot out there.

From Halong Cruise day one

My cabin was nice and big enough for two with air conditioning and a fan.



We set sail through the many rocks in Halong and stopped in a bay.

From Halong Cruise day one

Here we could climb the cliff and go inside the cave.



After we got back to the boat we set sail through the bay once again.



It was so quiet and peaceful you could just relax and enjoy it. We arrived at a floating village and got into some Kayaks and headed to a beach where we could swim and enjoy the warm water. I got talking to some Koreans and played games in the water with them.

We set sail in the kayaks and rowed into the middle of one of the mountains. The water was still and the mountains were huge and quiet. You could hear the water lapping and a few birds chattering.

We got back to the boat just as the sun was setting for some food and drinks.

The next day we sailed back to the port for our three hour drive back to Hanoi.

From Cruise day two

6 planes 7 days

I landed in Haneda from Aomori, from Haneda I got the bus to Narita airport, from there I flew to Seoul in Korea and finally got to my destination Hanoi in Vietnam.

It wasn't over though.

I was warned about the taxi drivers in Vietnam so I was being careful. I found a taxi and all was going well until his engine broke on the motorway and we had to get out and wait for another taxi. After about 10mins a second driver came and I continued my journey.

In Vietnam they use the dong currency but it is only available inside Vietnam, otherwise they accept American dollars as a universal currency. I only had dollars since I had just got off the plane but this didn't make the taxi driver happy and he insisted I go to his friends place to convert my money. I placed down a ten dollar note and said that's all I'll pay but he wanted more. I was tired and getting agitated so I walked out and sat back in the car an waited for the driver.

After a few minutes he came back and eventually was persuaded to take my ten dollars. We had driven a long way by now and he was still going on about wanting more money so I just got out and walked furiously to the hotel.



The hotel was very nice for just $10 a night. It was hoovered, it had an air-conditioner and hot water. It was a little bit noisy due to the excessive traffic in hanoi but I usually sleep like a log anyway so it was no bother to me.

On my first day it rained in torrents but it was surprisingly warm outside so I decided to venture out and see the lake. Soon as I stepped out I was in a world of non stop traffic, smog and people pestering me to buy various t-shirts and fruits.

Crossing the road in Hanoi is a skill in its own. The roads are a sea of scooters and motorbikes which look more my schools of fish, parting when you step into the middle. Hanoi has no road rules and the best way to cross is to just keep an eye on the traffic and walk straight to your destination.

I found a video on You Tube that demonstrates this.



I was in the Old Quarter and it's a warren of shops and cafes, some very nice western style ones and some very basic ones where you would sit on a Fisher Price plastic chair. Naturally the prices would go up and a beer could cost anywhere from 50p to £2.

Many places had wifi so I could keep in touch with my friends and family back in England and Japan. My iphone was very handy in Hanoi I used it for currency conversion, compass and maps. Without it I couldn't have navigated myself through the streets of Hanoi.

From Han oi Day 1

Here you can see the city on my first day.



The people in Vietnam weren't as polite and humble as the Japanese. They seemed very aggressive and direct in their speech. Often they would shout single words at you and repeat it over and over like "pay pay" or "motorcycle" to offer you a lift. Their face seemed stony and unemotional, on the plane they seemed to show a disregard to other passengers and any rules on the flight.

I do feel they are very kind people and the hotel staff helped me a lot and even people in the street helped me. They are very poor, the poorest people I have seen and maybe its hard to see rules when life is so hard.

Han oi Day 1

The next day I went to Halong bay but I'll go onto that in my next post. When I returned from Halong I went for some drinks in Hanoi.

Due to the communist ideology in Vietnam there is a drinking curfew and at 12am either you stay in the bar or you go home cause everywhere closes. I left at midnight and caught a taxi to get home. During my taxi ride he tells me he can get me 'girls', which is very common for taxi drivers to say, I told him I wasn't interested and I thought that was the end of it.

As we approached my street he stopped and I paid him 500,000 dong expecting 400,000 dong change. He doesn't see it this way and decides to take me to see these 'girls' after I persuade him I'm not interested again he pops open the glove compartment and shows me his marijuana and opium asking me to buy them.

We keep driving round arguing, he moves onto selling me opium when all I want is my 400,000dong which is only about £15 $20 Y2000 but it was mine. We stopped at some traffic lights on the main road and saw my chance and held the handbrake and pulled the keys from the ignition.

It took another 15mins before he would swap his keys for the cash but he did. I got out and threw his keys through the window. I was glad to get back to my hotel even though I had a long walk.

In the morning I walked round the parks and the museums rather than the city. You could see memorabilia from the war. They also have lots of political monuments including Lenin's statue and the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

Han Oi Day 2

Mothers day in Aomori

22nd March 2009 was Mothers day in England so Yuuri and I had decided to take my parents out. We sent them a brochure of Aomori previously and my parents were interested in visiting the southern city of Aomori prefecture called Hachinohe.

(Japan is split into "prefectures" which are similar to American states in the sense they are huge areas of Japan that were once parts of different kingdoms. I live in Aomori prefecture and the capital city is Aomori city which is in in the northern bay)

We took the express train down to Hachinohe city and went around the fish market.

From Dads Pictures

And my mum bought some fresh fish which we intended to cook and eat in the fish market but it was too crowded. So we decided to try one of the restaraunts where dad and I had ramen.

From Mothers day 2009

Ramen is kind of noodles in a fish based soup, my mum had tempura which is fried shrimp in batter. Very Japanese!

After we were full we headed over to a shrine. Everyone who visits Japan should visit a shrine, they are free and very beautiful places.

From Mothers day 2009

By now it was time to head back so we got the train and headed to Misawa, a town between Aomori and Hachinohe. I wanted to take my parents to the hotspring (onsen) there and Yuuri had arranged for us to see a show based on the Nebuta/Neputa festivals.

Hotsprings in Japan are usually natural and many people go to relax. I went in with my dad and Yuuri took my mum in. It's always intimidating because you have to get naked and take only a towel in. Once in the hotspring room you can take a shower and clean yourself before getting into the bath. We tried the cooler bath which was about 39C and then went in the sauna.

This hotspring also had an outdoor section which was really nice in contrast to the cold weather. It even started to rain a little bit and although you were hot all over you could feel little bits of cold droplets hitting you. It was nice and relaxing.

We went on to have a meal and watch a show about the festivals in Aomori including Nebuta and Neputa. The served Japanese steamed food.

From Mothers day 2009

This was a little confusing at first.

From Mothers day 2009

But we figured it out!

We could eat as the show went on. They showed music and singing from the festivals and even asked us to join in, which can only lead to bad things!!!




As you can see from the video, dad even took part, merrily jumping along to Aomori cities most famous festival.

From Mothers day 2009

That was before he pulled a tendon in his knee from jumping. For the remainder of the day he could hardly walk. We still watched the rest of the show and mum, Yuuri and I took part. This was mine and Yuuri's present to my parents for mothers day.

After that we caught a shamisen show downstairs. The shaimsen is a three stringed guitar that Japanese people play.

From Mothers day 2009

By the end we were all tired and my dad was in pain. We got home just before midnight and I think we all slept well!