Day 5 (16/12) - Shopping (Part 1)
The Japs really like Vienese sausages. We kept getting them for breakfast.
Forget sexist attitudes - I know why Japan's birthrate is so long: hotsprings!
I don't have many u r wt u wr entries because the Japs are too fashionable to wear them, on holiday or otherwise (there're a few examples of bizarre Engrish though). The Koreans on holiday seemed a bit less fashionable, but I haven't seen them on their home ground. There were Hong Kongers and PRCs also, but I didn't see u r wt u wr-ish garments on them, despite my netting a respectable catch on their home grounds in June. Partially it was because it was winter, but that can't be responsible for the noticeable dearth of such garments.
Jap wet towels/wipes all have no scent. The smell of alcohol alone is quite disgusting.
The guide commented that Made in China products are not all of uniform quality - the A grade goes to Japan, and the B and C grades go to other countries. Singapore and the US probably gets the B grade stuff, and Malaysia the C grade stuff.
Sign seen: "Curves. The power to maze yourself." Uhh.
We were first brought to a chocolate/confectionery shop.
The stickers of the various travel agencies means, of course, that all those groups come and the tour guides earn commission. The prices *seemed* comparable to the airport though.
Iced-up and very slippery road.
Next was a seafood market.
Dried fish
Yubari melon
Many things are flavoured with it, but this was the first time I'd seen the fruit itself. The price (3500Y) tells you why.
In one of the shops in the warren of establishments, we found a place which still had stock of Shiroi Koibito, so I bought 10 packs x 12 pieces (most for others).
Box
Then we were brought to Daimaru for, of course, more shopping (gah). Since this was not my area of interest I diverted my attention to other areas.
English signs in the bookstore at the top floor of Daimaru. Naturally, there were no English books in there (as opposed to books with English words like 'Best 10' on their covers).
In the Daimaru I saw a lot more Jap girls in shorts, and 3 more Ang Mohs.
I couldn't tell under all the layers of clothing if Jap girls were as tiny as Singapore girls, but then my cousin from Australia commented that the girls in Singapore all have the same waist size as 6 year old boys, so. Most of the girls were in boots; the guys weren't but were about the same height or a bit higher.
Jap women don't like to tie their hair. I can't recall what it's like in Hong Kong. Maybe it's different in summer.
Even the little girls are quite fashionable. I wonder how much time everyone spends doing themselves up.
I heard a lot more English music than I had in France, despite the fact that their English is much worse. Hah.
I didn't see anyone wearing Crocs, but maybe that's because it was winter.
In the basement of Daimaru I saw Pringles on sale. Of course, these were made in the US and not in Malaysia (the ones so lousy they cannot be exported outside ASEAN).
Huge queue in Daimaru basement for Shiroi Koibito. You can see it extending into the background.
They called a Dutch Ice (ie Slurpee) sherbert. Gah.
Guy standing outside Daimaru holding a "Carpark Full" sign. You'd think they'd have an electronic sign, but apparently not...
"Pleasureland. Food, cafe, drink, eat"
Uhh
If you're in a wheelchair you press the button for assistance. I assume someone will come out and carry you up the stairs. Wah.
Monks in Japan can marry, eat meat and drink wine. Normal Japs get 200,000Y worth of tax-free goods allowance when coming back from overseas, but monks are not subject to tax. The guide also said they could go to strip shows, and he'd seen a group of them in the front row of one, but I'm guessing that was illegal.
Avenue outside lunch place
Garden
Road
For lunch we went to a DIY tempura place. Unfortunately the oil kept spluttering on me (and only me).
Frying
The food wasn't very good - too much sodium bicarbonate in the batter, which resulted in a weird aftertaste. For some reason they also didn't give us the usual tempura sauce, but only salt, pepper and wasabi powder.
