Photo Safari of Japan

After hearing Japanese for three weeks it's nice to be back in America where we all speak spanish.


The kids are so cute there.


Thee guys didn't seem to happy to have their pic taken...I did ask politely!!





Mt Fuji!! ^^






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Tokyo

Went to the Ginza District. Home of the world's priciest real estate. Even more expensive than Aspen. ( 1 very small 1 bed apt = 3.25 million dollars)

Saw the ancient baroque Kabuki theater. The famous Tsukiji Fish Market, and just hung out and window shopped, and people watched.

Fish Market:


Lights of Tokyo and the Rainbow Bridge.

More of Japan

Osaka

Spent an hour or two in Osaka port today, Tomorrow I'll have more to time to hang out in Nagoya Japan. Osaka was rather industrial around the port area, the cast is young and their first visit was to the McDonalds...(?) But they have free internet there so I joined them.

Pictures are from some of the areas I found in Osaka. They have Shinto Shrines all over the place, you throw a coin in the table, ring a giant jingle-bell, bow twice, clap twice, say a little prayer and bow some more. People come up all day and say their little prayers. The picture of the old man was taken at a shrine like that. He was very gracious and opened up the shrine doors for me to take pictures. I always throw some coins in the till and perform the ritual out of respect.

The boat is really rocking and pitching on the way to Nagoya, we are sailing all night. It's a bit annoying but thankfully it has not gotten me too queezy yet. It does rock you to sleep nicely.

I can't stop eating, this happens everytime I visit sea-level. I have to eat like a horse. My cabin is on the 6th floor which is about two floors above the water level so I guess my altitude most of the time is about 20 feet above sea level...big change from 9600 feet! I guess have to build up red-blood cells, hence the apetite.

Watched Columbo dubbed in Japanese yesterday, My favorite is a Korean soap-opera about Chinese history with Japanese subtitles. Like "Days-of-our-lives" but with Kung-fu action, I have no idea what's going on but the costumes and sets are amazing. Most of the time I can't figure out if I'm watching a game-show, talk show or info-mercial. Their TV shows incorporate all the elements. Their children's programming is totally weird...Barney on acid!

This blog was written while sitting on thre ground outside the Nagoya subway station where i could find some free wifi that works!

Disoriented in the Orient.

I am sore from bowing and smiling.

We had our first two shows yesterday. Part of show is to run to the back of the room for a meet-n-greet after the final number. Pretty standard for this type of show, and I didn't think much about it. Normally you just stand in a recieving line and shake people's hands as they file past... very much like a recieving line at a wedding. I was unprepared for the onslaught...

400 little Japanese people armed with digital cameras and cell-phones descended on the cast like a biblical plague of locusts. Their eyes shining, star-struck fans clamored to get at us for multiple photos each, shaking our hands vigorusly while bowing like an oil pump in a Texas field.

They lined up 20 deep and waited up to twenty minutes for a picture with little Scotto Bondosan and the others. I could not have possibly imagined this fate awaited me as I ran to the back of the room, had I known what was in store for me I very well may have kept running. Trouble is you can't run very far away on a ship.

The scene repeated itself as I walked around the ship later, meeting and greeting again as people recognized me as "the magico".




I had always heard that working on a cruise ship requires you to adhere to many rules. As an entertainer you have a few more freedoms, and exist somewhere above the regular staff and below the passengers. Here are a few rules from the employee handbook:
No private conversation while at work.
Don't fold your arms or sit "chin in hand"
no whistling.
Don't touch your face or hair while guests are present.
Making use of items that have touched the floor.
nop pinching food.
no pointing at guests.
no blowing your breath against food, beverages, or tableware.
Yawning or picking your nose.





Pictures from Kobe. I finally was allowed off the ship as we had a few hours in port. The first place the cast wanted to visit was Starbucks. I was totally down with that.

Other notes:


Every time I turn on the bathroom light switch I can hear the toilet literally Boot-up. I'm afraid the toilet here might be connected to the internet, and my morning visit is considered "uploading."

I watched Monday Night Football with Japanese Sports commentators. Reducing the National Football League to something more like Ninja Warrior. Every time Someone got tackled or ran out of bounds I expected them to fall into a pool of muddy water.

Cruise ships are not the most quiet way of travel. It grumbles and groans and creaks more than Andy Rooney on a bicycle.

It's not "Merry Christmas" here by the way, it's "Happy-Merry Christmas."

I saw an Obama speech on the news just now. I was wondering where they found a Kenyan-to-Japanese translator.





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Kobe Lights

The Ferris wheel fills up my cabin window. It was kinda amazing to come into my room and see that. We were practicing with dress rehearsals this afternoon, and I had not had a chance to look out the windows since we arrived.

First show tomorrow, I think I am ready.




The afore mentioned toilet in my room.
Took awhile to figure out how the shower worked.






...

Hola from Japan

Picture of the instructions for my toilet:
A seat warmer is easy to get used to!!




If accidented don't use all toilets...huh?

As we arrived in Osaka at the Kansai Airport I immediatly knew I was not in Kansas anymore. I passed through an infra-red scanner at one point, as they checked my heat levels for signs of fever. I'm not sure what they would do if I" came in hot?" Everyone at the airport who works with the public was wearing their white masks, looked more like a hospital than an airport. They had on masks but no gloves...odd. I think I would rather wear the gloves if I was so concerned.

Osaka airport isreally one of the coolest in the world. Built on a manmade island out in the bay. I remember instantly when I saw it that I had watched a Discovery channel documentary on it's construction. Reminds me of DIA in it's layout with the trains. Instead of teepee towers however The concourse is an undulating snake of polished aluminum. I could've hung out there for awhile but we had a three hour bus trip to get to the ship.

I have to duck my head a lot while on the boat.

It's perfectly fashionable to wear eye-glass frames...without the actual glass lenses.

Tomorrow night we leve for Kobe to pick up passengers. Here we go! Stay tuned!

How Cold is it??

It's So Cold...

Pine beetles are eating and killing toasters.
Hitchhikers on Loveland Pass are holding out pictures of thumbs.
The Salahi couple are crashing house fires.
Brittany is going out without wearing her long-underwear.
Polar bears seen buying snuggies.
Jessica Simpson now selling cream for goose-pimples.
The Heeney Family now begging for the electric chair.
George Michael now carrying around flannel condoms.
Richard Simmons is actually wearing pants.
Ted Williams head can go out on it's own.
Iran has been secretly enriching hot cocoa.
I had to salt the shower before I got in.
Kids can't illegally text while wearing mittens.
Rod Blagojevich is wearing three toupees.
GM is unveiling a hybrid zamboni.
Even the brass monkeys are buying hand warmers.
Every now and then I have to restart my heart by shouting "Mush."

No matter how cold it is, it is still warmer than Tiger Woods house right now.