So many things to write about; only a few more minutes in my Internet cubicle (see description below).
First, the black eggs. Today, I had the chance to lengthen my life by 7 years by eating one black egg and 14 years by eating two black eggs. By my calculations, I am going to stretch my life by 182.5 days. I only managed to eat about 1/14 of an egg boiled in sulfuric hot springs on the top of Mt. Hakone. Photographs to come ... I don:t see a memory stick reader in this Internet cubicle. And pardon the lack of apostrophes. I don:t understand Japanese keyboards either.
Friends Sumire and Takashi and I ventured off to TenzanTohji-kyo onsen (hot springs) in Hakone today. The Japanese love taking onsen and so does this gaijin (foreigner). Afterwards, we ate cold soba and I was told again that my life would be extended. I don't dismiss these claims as the Japanese have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
And now, I am back in Tokyo, experiencing my first Internet cafe. They didn:t have these when I last visited in 1996. You can rent a cubicle for 12 hours for just about $20, so many young people actually live in these cafes. They're called Internet refugees (Takashi poses as one above). The cubicle I am in right now is called a *flat* -- not because of a flat screen monitor but because you can lay down flat while typing, or sleeping. The cafes also have cheap food and drinks and thousands of manga. And if your shirt or underwear happens to be dirty after putting in a couple of nights here, no worries. The Internet cafe sells those to refugees as well.
Until my next Internet cafe, sayonara!
First, the black eggs. Today, I had the chance to lengthen my life by 7 years by eating one black egg and 14 years by eating two black eggs. By my calculations, I am going to stretch my life by 182.5 days. I only managed to eat about 1/14 of an egg boiled in sulfuric hot springs on the top of Mt. Hakone. Photographs to come ... I don:t see a memory stick reader in this Internet cubicle. And pardon the lack of apostrophes. I don:t understand Japanese keyboards either.
Friends Sumire and Takashi and I ventured off to TenzanTohji-kyo onsen (hot springs) in Hakone today. The Japanese love taking onsen and so does this gaijin (foreigner). Afterwards, we ate cold soba and I was told again that my life would be extended. I don't dismiss these claims as the Japanese have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
And now, I am back in Tokyo, experiencing my first Internet cafe. They didn:t have these when I last visited in 1996. You can rent a cubicle for 12 hours for just about $20, so many young people actually live in these cafes. They're called Internet refugees (Takashi poses as one above). The cubicle I am in right now is called a *flat* -- not because of a flat screen monitor but because you can lay down flat while typing, or sleeping. The cafes also have cheap food and drinks and thousands of manga. And if your shirt or underwear happens to be dirty after putting in a couple of nights here, no worries. The Internet cafe sells those to refugees as well.
Until my next Internet cafe, sayonara!
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