Get up on it!

Hey, hey, how's things?

Well I got the VISA sorted - FINALLY! And made it out to that Jazz bar I was telling you about. It's sooo cool! Went with Aki, the japanese girl I met who works for L'Oreal (French cosmetics company) - god she has the coolest job and she says there are heaps of job opportunities here if you speak Japanese too - anyway she's REALLY funny and she introduced me to some really cool people too.

Like her friend who owns this jazz bar we went to (after we'd had beers at a really kitsch little belgium bar she knew) - I love the bars here - they all have themes or are like tiny and full of locals so you can't help but chat to everyone in there - anyway her friend owns and runs this cosy little downstairs jazz bar (why are jazz bars always downstairs huh? must be an ambience thing)...

Anyhoo, the owner ( woman with eternally classical looks who you can tell was VERY beautiful when she was younger and who used to date famous jazz musicians so has fabulous stories to tell) decided she liked me straight away 'what record would you like played Fern san?' she says. Hee hee, she's the first person who's called me that, 'Fern san' - so cute!

So she played Nina Simone and Billy Holiday for me from her own personal record collection (it's what makes the bar so cool that she knows every record intimately and that she actually uses RECORDS - makes it so much more authentic somehow :), which she has stored around the walls of the bar - which she can do coz this is Japan and NO ONE would take them.

And the regulars have name tags on their own bottles of spirits which they store there - crazy huh, but she also makes a really good coffee for you to if you don't feel like drinking.

Which I was. Tried Absenthe for the first time, its 70% proof and you drink it with water and ice - tastes like chilled aniseed, but still far too strong for my liking - apparently the french drink it in the summer...but they also eat frogs so I guess there's no accounting for taste huh :)

I hear frog tastes like chicken by the way - not that I would have thought there was much meat to be found on the little beggers, but maybe they breed special eating ones?

In Japan, they breed horses specially for eating. And they eat the meat very thinly sliced and RAW, accompanied with soysauce and ginger I think ? I'm told it's very nice, but I'm yet to find out...I'll let ya know :)

Also went out to another bar the other night which was also a cosy establishment and I taught the owner how to say 'Cheer bro' :)

He's such a cool guy - used to be a social worker, but quit to run his own bar coz he loves people and music (which he plays with his band) and John Lennon and of course his wife and their wee daughter who he couldn't stop raving about. Awwh.

I just love how I've met so many cool, friendly, funky and interesting people here. I'm so glad I did this because I hate to admit it, but coming here has made me realise I used to always have such a narrow view of asian people and now I appreciate them for the interesting individuals that they are.

If I don't acheive anything else all year I think this trip would have been worth it just for broadening my perspective that much.