Entries this day: Good_cry Heartbroken PM sally

Good cry

1:05pm JST Wednesday 30 March 2005

Sometimes I just need a good cry. I'm more than happy to be the shoulder upon which someone cries. Good five minutes worth of crying is super duper therapuetic (sp). I thought about the time that Jackie wrote about how beautiful a crying face is.

Heartbroken

1:08pm JST Wednesday 30 March 2005

I said, "I'm telling you this as a friend. Your body is a temple, and you shouldn't defile a temple. And as not just a friend, I'll be heartbroken."

I really don't approve of smoking.

12:22am JST Thursday 31 March 2005

"Rob, I wouldn't marry you if you gave me a million dollars. I wouldn't marry you with a ten foot pole."

I'm thankful that was cleared up.

PM

6:15pm JST Wednesday 30 March 2005

Kelly, Hitomi and I trekked a bit around Hakone; Hitomi had never been on the steep cable car, nor the big hanging gondola cars. She has been to Hakone many times, but always just for hot tub festivities; never doing the Hakone circuit, so I thought it was neat I had done something in Japan that she hadn't.

We got to the top of the big gondola place, but had no time to zip to the gift shop for Kelly to get some Hello Kitty stinky egg and some raunchy shot glasses that she had seen the previous day. Too bad. It reminded me a bit of the first time I came to Hakone and made it as far as the same place.

- - - -

We took a bus back, thinking it would take us all the way to Odawara. It would have, had we stayed on it, but it wouldn't have been free. We took it as far as Yutopia and got off there to wait for the next free bus. Two women were having trouble negotiating the busses, so I was really glad Hitomi could help them confirm they could get back to Odawara. I translated and they totally thanked us and it was great.

They were trying to get to the Odakyu line in Hakone Yumotso station by 18:45, but this bus probably won't make it that quickly. But I assured them we'd be able to get them back to Shinjuku tonight.

sally

11:49pm JST Wednesday 30 March 2005

Tonight Sam taught us a drinking song:

Here's to Jasmine she's true blue.
She's a piss pot through and through.
She's a bastard so they say.
Tried to go to heaven but she went the other day.

Drink it down drink it down drink it down down down...

This was our day today:

First we woke up and went into the outdoor onsen at the hotel in Hakone. Then we went and saw a controlled burn. It was boring but everyone else seemed to get a kick out of it. Then we spent 45 minutes trying to decide what to do. Rob and Hitomi were going to go do the circuit while the rest of us went to another onsen or followed Kelly back to the black egg souvenir shop or something. So we all end up on the same bus to go to the boat docks. We went across the lake on the tallship again, this time down below and gossiping, then we split up at Gora.

At one point, waiting for the boat, I totally cried for some reason. Rob was kind and lent me his shoulder and his kleenex. I was feeling frustrated by Kelly and Jasmine having come to Japan because it is sometimes overwhelming to make plans so that everyone is happy. Sometimes I think it would be so much easier if it were just me 'n Rob 'n Satoko kickin' it. None of this Hitomi/Jazzy/Kelly b.s. But each experience I would not trade for the world, despite the occasional frustration.

I love this trip. It is just heaven. I really like Japan. The food, the people, the way people sleep on the train, don't look at each other on the street, carry 3 kids and one mom on a bike, the cute cute children, oden oden oden, jaded english teachers at millenium house, the smell of incense at senso-ji, the sound of the rain while i was praying at the temple, rob's smile, jazzy's silliness, kelly's witticisms, sam's drinking songs, the squatting toilets, the lack of trash cans and paper towels, rob's jacket, the warm scarf jazzy and allie gave me that keeps me snuggly in the cold, snow at Hakone, doing the Charleston on the boat, sake sake sake, umeshu, no-pan, don't touch my moustache, playing at Satoko's jazz practice - not rehearsal mind you.

Tomorrow we might go to Kyoto. I can't wait. I love meditating and praying and soaking up silence. I felt like I was in a dream this morning at the onsen listening to the sound of the water trickling over the rocks and into the outdoor onsen - Jazzy and Satoko floating next to me - steam rising from the water surface - cool air rustling the plum tree leaves.