12.) Here's an idea: a monkey park where anyone can come and see about 2 hundred monkeys in their natural habitat, as well as get peanuts/fruit/chips to give to the monkeys in an enclosed area to get the experience of "feeding the animals." Also included: a very scenic view of an entire city whence you just came. Good idea or bad idea? Well, this worked n Kyoto, Japan.......probably the highlight of my trip, feeding monkeys and watching them mess with each other/scratch their behinds/urinate freely while getting a great glimpse of the whole expanse of the second largest city in Japan.
Picture that same monkey park.......in Los Angeles, CA. Up high, somewhere around Griffith Observatory or right near the Getty Center. I think it'd work.
13.) Don't go to Himeji castle: not open after 4:00PM, far out of the way of anything, main building not open until 2015. Jus check it out on the internet or something.
14.) Take out all the money you think you mae at the beginning of the trip, at the airport. The currency exchange process is unnecessarily difficult, in my opinion. I had to go to a post office, give my name, my passport, social security number, life savings deposit, favorite color, etc., etc..........just not a great experience; it was like I was checking into prison or applying for a heart transplant. Guys, it's real simple, I give you $100 American dollars, you give me 8000 Yen, minus a little for your commission. I'm not trying to rip you guy off or anything, seriously.
15.) It's probably me, but I LOOOOOOVVVEEEE getting on a train right before it closes its doors and get off. Knowing that I JUST made it it somewhere really excites me. Like I got away with highway robbery. All right it's definitely just me. Plus, half the time I realize I'm not even on the right train.
16.) But that leads to my next point: you can afford to get on a train without knowing exactly which one it is, or go towards a shrine without knowing where it is, try a new food you've never heard of before, or talk to someone with the proper training in Japanese.....you can afford to take risks. If you ge off or on the wrong train, you can always take the next train, arriving 5 or 7 minutes later (even in the reverse direction). If you go towards the wrong shrine, that shrine could be just as beautiful. If you talk to one Japanese person and they just stare at you with a blank look, you can just ask someone else. Doesn't hurt to try new things.
17.) Japan is PRECISE: the gardens are managed precisely, the trains run on time, the Japanese language is spoken with precision. No shortcuts or unfinished jobs in this country, they know what they're doing.
18.) Another idea based on animals: a city fully devoted to the deer, who is a holy messenger and considered an honored guest of the city. Deer roam all around the city; people, buses, and cars all have to stop for them. Tourists come from all around to see them; they go to tourists whom they know have food and want to feed them. GREAT IDEA! Imagine if you're a city like Milwaukee, you don't have much tourism, you're not really known for anything, and you have a sports franchise named the bucks. Get a city permit for the deer, avoid animal strict liability lawsuits, ship 1000 deer from like the Minnesota backwoods, cut off horns of the males to make sure they don't gore somebody, and have a great home court advantage for all Bucks games. The advertising campaign is already made: "Fear the Deer." TNT cutaways to the deer munching on grass outside the stadium. If you're Milwaukee, why WOULDN'T you do that? This message was approved by Robert, running for mayor of Milwaukee 2020.
19.) NEVER take the Kodama train. It's technically a "Shinkansen" line meaning it's a "bullet train" and should go really fast, but I really wanted to just take a bullet and apply it to myself, cuz it stops at each station and is parked a LONG time at each of those stations. As if people don't have somewhere to be. Take the Hikari or Sakura instead if you have a JR pass.
20.) Have fun. Don't stress about money, schedule, language, food, and (definitely not) work during vacation. Take a vacation. Especially now that I'm a "responsible adult" and realize how rare vacations come along, I value these things a lot more. Fantasize about something: fantasize about living in a foreign country, living a different lifestyle, being a different person. Lose yourself.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan.
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