Entries this day: Engrish Nikko

Engrish

9:55am JST Tuesday 11 November 2003

Funny:

(first, I'll say that I told our tour guide she should not say, "very much difficult." I felt a bit uneasy charging in, but that was the most rampant error she had been making. (I didn't charge in while she was speaking, but after she finished and we were on the freeway) She thanked me; I hope she appreciated it.)

Then she was got on the mic, "My name is Hiromi and I'm here to say, I rock the mic every day."

Oh, wait; she said, "at least one of you is an English teacher. I'll introduce you a funny and embarassing story in Japan."

My version of the story:

The former PM of Japan didn't know English, so when he met Clinton, he was all to his cat, "what do I say?" and the guy was like say, "how are you?" and then when he says "I'm fine," say "me too."

So Morisan was all, "Who are you?" when he greeted Clinton.

Clinton said, "I'm the husband of Hillary."

"Me too."

hahahahaha.

Nikko

10:54pm JST Tuesday 11 November 2003

Went to Nikko today. Cool temples, but not any more amazing that Kyoto. Actually less amazing, but definitely more out of the big city. Large 300 year old cedars chillin' nearby.

Saw a monkey try to come into the souvenir store / restaurant thing where we were. A woman on staff screamed "saru!" and shriek-yelled at it until it left. Poor guy is hungry, I'm sure. I got a tiny spec of a monkey walking on all fours down the sidewalk in a picture.

Mostly the tour was rainy and misty and cool-cold. Not fabulous touring weather, and still plenty of people and buses. It might be more fun in the spring. But not January.

Nikko includes a shrine (temple?) where they conked foot-long wooden oak conkers together and they went [CLINk] in one part of the room, but then when he did it right underneath the dragon they went [CLINKKKKKKKKKKKkkkkkk] reverberating for 10 seconds. "That's the sound of the dragon crying."

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Took ma and Jon to the Mexican restaurant in Shibuya. Jon lagged a lot as we walked. Ma kept up pretty well. They were both tired by the end of our adventure. We left earlier than I would have, but not too much so.

In Shinagawa station I showed ma how to get to Yokohama station, in case that information helps her when the need to come to my area on Sunday. We'll see what happens.

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Speaking of not knowing what will happen; I'm not sure how I'll get home from Hakone tomorrow. Shinkansen yes, but I wonder how I'll be taken slash dropped off at the shinkansen station. Atami? Odawara probably.