Hokkaido... Where being a "Redskin" has a whole other connotation...

And he's back....

I come to you all refreshed and revitalized from the Land of the Rising Sun! My Goodness... it was tough getting on that plane to come back to this cesspool, I tell's ya... after 3 full weeks of clean efficient subways, immaculate urban landscapes, and scrumptuous preservative free meals, I had to use some SERIOUS self-persuasion to get myself into that economy-classed tiny flying coffin back to the States. I had a tremendous time this trip... from the steel and concrete canyons of Tokyo proper... to the mist covered mountains of Hokkaido! I hit all the regular haunts... all the Tokyo favorites (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukero, Akihabara, and the rest), vibrant Osaka, the old city of Kyoto, and the beautiful Onsens of Hakone! We then took a "Romance Car" Shinkansen bullet train all the way to Hokkaido... we had our own little private room, complete with pull out beds and a huge glass ceiling to watch the stars go by as we hurtled across the country! We ate in an old fashioned European dining car and showered on the train as it rumbled on through the night. Once we hit Sapporo, we partook of the local cuisine (barbequed mutton... YUM!) and basked in the quaint small town charm of the tiny city. We also soon realized that after taking a 9 or so hour train ride, the body doesn't always immediately recognize afterwards that it is no longer travelling at upwards of 200 mph while being seated! I've NEVER found myself getting motion sickness from simply sitting in a stationary position before...WEIRD!
The sickness soon passed... but we all found it hilarious that while walking upright, we felt no ill effects... it was only after we sat down that the wooziness hit us! Ahh... sweet inertia...

After Sapporo, we headed inland to Noboribetsu... home of the "Valley of Hell" and the many Oni (Japanese horned Demon) who inhabit that part of world! This area is a hotbed (literally) of underground hot springs that can actually be seen bubbling and steaming up through great cracks and fissures in the Earth! With all the gurgling steam and the strange multitudes of gathering crows cackling in the background... certain areas of this place really DO seem quite frightening and Hellish! They even have a gigantic Oni statue over 60 feet tall pointing to the resort area as if to say, "Here lies the Valley of Hell!" These demonic figures are actually the "mascots" of this region of Japan... and it is quite endearing to see how fond the locals are of them.

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things at home now... back to the drawing board. The next page is progressing nicely, although my previous ocular affliction has once again reared it's ugly head. What's with that, eh?

Photos from my trip will surely follow, once I start organizing them...
In the meantime, I leave you with more carnage, fresh from my demented noggin... enjoy!