Matrixx
Member
- Messages
- 748
- Location
- North Duffield
When I was in Taiwan no one spoke to me, it seems they would be ashamed if they made a mistake in my language, all the hotel restaraunts closed a 4pm so I had to live off pot noodles and beer (Sappero) from the local 7/11 shop.I once flew to Japan for a crew change, Nagoya, except the office idiot sent me a week too early. So I waited. It was quite a pleasant week, ensconced in a hotel, overlooking the high speed bullet train station. I spent my days wandering the streets, Japanese culture is very unusual, nothing like anywhere else I've ever been.
Vending machines that sell cans of hot Nescafe, definitely a first for me.
The main high street had a twin, underground, with a pedestrian high street and underground shops that almost mirrored the street above ground.
Hardly anybody spoke English, one girl at reception in the hotel, and another in a local internet cafe, but everybody was incredibly friendly and tried to be helpful as I blundered my way around their town.
The oldest wooden fort in the world, about 5 storeys tall, surrounded by gardens that are laid out in an organic, natural sort of style, no crisp sharp edged flower beds, like we have in the U.K., everything is curved and flowing. I planned to go back some day, see more of Japan, but 20 years have passed, it'll never happen.
Also as all the signs were in Japanese symbols, so it was impossibe to translate.