Have fun wherever you're going. I'm just getting back from Paris, so I've been out of the forum for a while. Happy Travels!

Hi emd, I hope your medical situatioon will soon be alright.

Regarding the capsule toys you are talking about, are they anthing like the figurines on the following album?

http://photobucket.com/albums/v214/n...6&addtype=

I bought these 3 samurai figurines (not the murano paperweights) at a specialized shop in the Teramachi arcade in Kyoto. They are about 5cm high (without horse)and costed 300-650 yen. Aren't they cool? The shop had figurines mostly of manga caracters (robots and super heros)and these samurai (shinsen-gumi) figurines were excepions.

emd; hope you did not eat or drink anything bad. get well soon, can't wait for your report.

guenmai; no wonder it was quiet. how was paris? expensive? cold? any excitement? love to go again, but the dollar has to get stronger first.

Kuranosuke...Paris was really nice. The weather totally warmed up the day I got there. It was totally sunny and about 70 degrees.Just two weeks prior it had snowed...and a week prior it was between 45-60 degrees. As for prices, I wish I had been in BK instead. I only went on the trip because a friend from childhood wanted to go. It was her first trip. I've been there a couple dozen times.It costs between $1.39 and $1.45 to buy a Euro depending on where you exchange. I use the AmExp office so it's about $1.37 to buy a Euro. I ordered a HALF bottle of Badoit mineral water at the cafe I've been going to for decades and it cost me 5.50Euros (US $7.70)...absolutely RIDICULOUS!Even if the exchange rate had still been $1.00 for 1 Euros, 5.50 Euros for a half bottle of water is ridiculous.I was REALLY longing for Bangkok and Singapore.Then the taxi ride from the airport to the 6th district...a blcok south of Boulevard Saint Germain and between rue de Seine and rue Mabillon costs $90.00. I was livid. I always take the RER train into town for about $11.00, but the people traveling with me insisted on a taxi. They didn't have any luggage( so it would have been VERY easy for them to take the RER) Their luggage didn't arrive with the plane.I had two wheeled suitcases ,but would have had no problem with taking the RER public transportation.So, it was an indescribable trip.I was there last April, alone, and was able to cut down on expenses easier. Happy Travels!

kappa, those are "way cool" as my son would say. And I was at Teramichi just a few days ago and did not see those. Mine are similar. So much good detail. The whole Japanese world of miniatures is pretty intriguing, not just because they look cool but sociologically it is just such a big phenomena for the Japanese. My son and I did alot of musing and discussing about why it is such a big deal in Japan while we were on the trip. I am going to try to put my photos up on a site somewhere and will include photos of my samurais for you.
It wasn't bad food, kuranosuke. On the contrary, the food was so fresh and excellent everywhere we went. It's "big feet" syndrome. Testing tomorrow. If you don't hear from me for a day or more, then I will be getting treated for deep vein thrombosis. And I stayed so well hydrated, no alcohol, no caffeine,and got up and moved on the planes and everything you are supposed to do. It impeded some of our plans the second week unfortunately, but not too much.

emd; don't know what big feet syndrome is, but i hope its not serious. (didn't mean to pry). don't you just love the cold wet dc weather? . keep warm, and get well soon.

kappa, now my son says he saw this store possibly. Is it on the end of Teramichi close to the street that has Takashimaya and the other two big dept. stores? (And if it is, why didn't he tell me about it and take me in there? Nevermind that I was lost in the Takashiyama basement food market at the time...)

kuranosuke, I was just making a joke-- my feet and ankles are super swollen. There is no such thing as "big feet syndrome"-- that's an emd-ism.

kuranosuke, are you in D.C.?

emd; big feet syndrome. ha, ha, omoshiroi. now maybe the cold dc weather might be good to reduce the swelling.

no, i am not in dc, but dc is on my weather watch on my yahoo homepage. always want to know how the weather is in dc so i know which way to go with the washington redskins. right now, more interested in narita weather as i will be there in a couple of weeks for a few hours. trying to decide between the teri burger at mcdonalds or mos burger. to go along with my chocolate shake.

When you come to Crystal City next time, we should get together w/mrw at Yamazato.

sounds like an excellent idea, and btw, don't give up on the gtg in japan.

emd, yes the shop was close to Shijo-Street side (on which Takashimaya & Hankyu Dept.stores are situated). I foud it on the left side of Teramachi street coming from Shijo. While most shop closed by 8pm, it was one of the few which remained open after 9pm.

Kuranosuke said "don't give up on the gtg in japan." Yes, great idea! I tried to send a supportive post to you from my Kyoto hotel on 9th of March but I got a problem with the free pc of the hotel.

You two are reviving my interest in a GTG. Do either of you have a trip in mind for any particular time in the next year? I will start an inquiry posting asking people what their plans are to go or when they are thinking of possibly going.

kappa, that is definitely the place my son was in last Wed. evening. When I showed him your post and your samurai pics he immediately said "I was in that place", and when we looked at the map last night he told me it was on the left side of Teramachi coming off of Shijo. That is a bit eerie, being there in the same week. Small world.

emd; i usually go to asia in oct/nov. if i go to japan, i travel in oct. as japan is not as cold as in nov. this year, i am going in nov. so i am by passing japan. next year is open.

i think kappa lives in japan.

kuransouke: I started another posting on a GTG.

I think kappa lives in Japan also, not sure where...

No, I live in Geneva Switzerland. (Florence lives nearby, doesn't she?)I return to Japan (tokyo area) once a year, usually end of winter-beginning of spring but this could be flexible.

emd, your situation with your son wanting to study in Japan reminds me of a friend I know here. Her son was studying in Tokyo and I brought him French paperback books (they are French from Annecy.) couple of times for his mother.

I think Florence is in Paris. Cicerone is closer to you, she is in Zurich.

Today is emd's 50th birthday. Half a century! Happy birthday, Eileen.

Tachibana in McLean must be the best Japanese restaraunt in the D.C. area. Have been going there every weekend for the last several. The senior itamae is from Nagano, grew up in Shibuya. Another is from Ebisu, one from Nagoya, one from Central America, and another from Osaka. One of the hostesses is from Hiroshima. The place has been in business for over 15 years and many of the customers are v. long-time customers. I think they (the restaraunt) moved from Arlington 15 years ago, and a couple of people that I've spoken to were regulars from that time.

Bill, I am only as old as I feel, as long as I forget about the American Assn. of Retired Old Farts solicitation that came last week (does everyone get one of these two wks before their 50th birthday?) Ha- I wish I COULD retire and go to Japan for more than two weeks at a time. But I guess I'm not old enough for that much fun yet.
I will take my son to the place you suggested when we are really grieving and missing Japan (like this weekend). It sounds great.
And happy bday right back at ya.

Happy bithday emd!

I thought Florence was living in Ferney-Voltaire which is a French town bordering Geneva, Switzerland.