Wrong Again

I guess this is why I travel.

Anyone who follos my facebook knows I have been extremely let down by Korea. It's not a secret, the food is sub-par, the culture is second-rate and the scenary is much blander than the opening credits to MASH lead you to believe.

Under these circumstances I assumed allof northeast Asia to be the same. The constant ads, the perpetual neon, the endless, rude natives drunkenly coughing up phlegm as an ad-hoc pissing contest.

I assumed Japan would be the same. Before you start judging me as closed minded I would like to go on record as saying Korea and Japan have had similar historicak experiences in the latter half of the 20th century. Namely the influx of American dollars and millitary personal making sure that everything in the area is in compliance with the interests of the United States (let's not kid ourselves here). Both have been subject to pressures to forget the glorious past, particularly Japan who's mighty empire once safely cuddled the entire Eastern hemisphere.

Japan didit's own thing though. Using American money as a base they expanded upon what it means to be Japanese in the age of hegemoney. There's something very rewarding about seeing band stickers on a Buddist temple gate. People here sport hair colors of any kind, mohawks aren't uncommon, neither are street performers. Tokyo is amdern city in the best sense of the phrase. Made better by the fact that bideu's are a regular fixture in the restroom scene.