Showtime

Woke up really tired. I have to say I don't know how the Japanese live in such cramped places. Their hotels are not cheap and yet space is so limited. I didn't even take pictures of the room in the hotel we were staying in because I couldn't even get a good angle. Seriously!

Even First World Hotel has more more floor space in its rooms. And being claustrophobic... I didn't sleep well. Well... ok... I'm lying. I slept like a baby. Just got woken up by the sound of the others waking up. Yes, I could easily hear whatever activities in four to five rooms next to us.

Early morning today as it's Amir's turn to perform. His venue for the Kansai Music Conference was at the Osaka Museum of History, next to NHK Japan. Gorgeous building as the lobby is encased in this giant disco ball glass dome sandwiched like a structure out of a Harry Potter movie between both buildings.

I'm so happy Amir impressed with his performance. So much so, the organisers  came up and spoke to me - impressed by his performance...

After we were done - it was back to the hotel just a few hundred meters away... freshened up and grabbed a train to head downtown for some food.

And thus the real Osaka adventure begins. With all the shows done - semarang masa jalan-jalan betul. I suggested Den Den Town (I Google every location I go to for places of my interest).

Den Den Town is otaku heaven. Next to Tokyo's Akihabara of course. But since I haven't been to Tokyo and I'm in Osaka, Den Den Town here we come.

Now, Den Den Town js known for a HUGE area filled with shops offering mostly things related to manga, anime, tech toys and porn. And a lot more stuff in between. This store became a landmark for us in days to come... nama yang sesuai if you ask me. SLUM.

But it wasn't all about adult themed entertainment. I had my eyes on some tech stuff - like this awesome 3D printer. Babiks... nak sangat!!!! Tapi sebab kawal diri jangan boros, maka ku gigih than nafsu dari beli.

Don't let me get started on the toys... I think I'm in heaven!

And music stores...

Since we got to Den Den Town quite late in the evening... sebab sesat, plus we had some distance to travel to dinner (cabs cost a fucking bomb - but sometimes a necessity from the long train rides).

What I'm amazed with - is again, how the Japanese discipline themselves. This is a common sight.

Tengok tu. Dahlah beratur. Semua ke tepi kanan jadi orang yang nak cepat leh je lalu. Takde duk sebelah menyebelah borak pasal Tupperware ke MLM bagai ok....

I'm impressed. Balik nanti nak ubah diri aku. I feel like a savage in situations like this - and the Japanese are a good model of how disciplined they are... definitely.

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Jalan-jalan Osaka

Mulakan hari anda dengan lakukan sesuatu yang random. Like walking through Osaka macam ni. 

Aku cabar bebudak... tapi Ruvi saja berani.

Hari ni kita semua nak jalan-jalan pusing bandar Osaka. Just to see what the city has to offer... so pekena kain. Cuma main aku Balinese origin lah... bukan Malaysia... tapi bukan orang Jepun tahu pun beza. Matilah kau!

Dah kalau jalan dengan budak band... antara tempat paling di masuk... kedai muzik lah apa lagi. Jatuh cinta aku dengan gitar ni. Damn... aku nak! Motif....sedangkan main gitar tak reti. But damn... lawa siot.

Masa lewat pagi tu perasan lah kat kawasan shopping, belakang sebuah mall... ada orang beratur panjang kat lorong belakang. Aku bajet mesti ada warehouse sale ke apa...

Jalan ke depan.. pun nampak ada orang beratur panjang... rupanya yang belakang tu sambungan.

Ya ampun. Bila aku tengok seberang jalan baru aku perasan ada kedai Apple. Memang hari ni hari pertama iPhone baru keluar. Patutlah...

Tapi sumpah orang Jepun ni beratur tak merungut... teratur. Malu gak bila pikir kita ni kat Malaysia kekadang cam perangai dilepaskan kandang the way we rush about without consideration.

Lewat petang sikit... kita ke Fan J. Aizat akan adakan solo performance dia sini malam ni... sambil bebudak soundcheck, aku tiba-tiba nampak this couple - a bride and groom. Macam baru kahwin... motif tarik beg ala keluar Akademi Fantasia gitu?

Matilah lari rumah elope katanya. Well.. I don't think so... but it looks funny... Bosan punya boson.. aiyo kita gi shopping lagi.

Spotted this in one of the CD shops. Who the fuck thought this would make a good album cover???

The fashions were well... unique.

I spotted this boat going down the river between the malls... awesome siot. Siap ada live band ala ja swing bagai. Aku suka!!!

And this was when I got to see how crazy Japanese pedestrian traffic gets. Ramai gila orang sial! Takut aku. Memang horror... ramai sangat senang sesat... dan haram oak meka nak cakap omputeh. Mati aku. Sib baik ada portable WiFi leh pakai Waze lat phone nak jalan ke mana (walaupun kebanyakan tempat sini kat Waze pun tulisan Jepun nama tempat).

Ah... these are some of the cigarette vending machines...

That themed restaurant. I just don't get this though...

After dinner... we walked (we did a lot of that - think I lost few kgs within days in Japan with all the walking and green tea and healthy food)...

Came past this place. COOL! Right in the middle of the city, there was this building with a rock climbing wall! And.. hello Prada!

This amused me. I love how the street lamps were even made to look like tall stick figures holding up signs.

And saw this insane display of wealth - Mercedes bathed in Swarovski! Like what the hell.. I've heard of bling but this is ridiculous!

Got to Aizat's show...

And then spent the rest of the night at 7 Eleven and jamming outside the hotel by the five foot way with the boys. Bajet busker gitu... all in all... an eye opening experience of Osaka.

Oh... and while I love the train service... I seriously think I've done more walking today than in years!

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Oh Osaka...

So we got to Osaka fine. It was a long... tiring journey by a coach chartered for us. Still - thanks a rented portable WiFi thingamajig we had.. it was tolerable. At least I could update my Twitter and Instagram... paling pending tu. First stop... Osaka Castle. Beautiful. Tapi panas sangat dok tengok dari luar saja... the whole group masuk, I just had ice cream and a smoke to views it majestic beauty from outside.

Amir and Pito joined me as we took in the lush greenery of the surroundings.

Then since it was too early to check in we had a river tour of Osaka city.

A quick lunch, and then a rushed check in before we headed to Hard Rock Cafe Osaka.

You see that? Woohoo! Go Gerila! in the list of three performers for the opening night of the Kansai Music Conference together with Goh Watanabe Iris from Japan and Goodbye Motel from Australia.

A quick soundcheck - and a quick Lawson trip for instant food - and it was on to the opening night.

The boys did well. As the opening act for the night, they definitely set the pace for it. Memang tak malu lah Malaysia punya wakil. Sampai orang putih semua pin dok terdiam bebudak perform.

But I have to give it up to Goh Watanabe Iris. Dia solo, tapi diiringi band. Watanabe Iris ni maknyah... tapi rocker. Gempak! Performance top notch, sekali disertakan band dia tight gila! Sampai aku beli album dia wo!

Yang aku nak gelak yang omputeh dari Australia tu biasa-biasa je... takde benda hebat pun. So at least kita pun tahu... orang kita ni sebenarnya muzik ada standard... cuma mungkin kita ni susah nak dapat peluang nak main sebelah pemuzik negara lain susah nak bandingkan saja...

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Hello Kyoto! My first two days in Japan!

I've been intrigued by Japan. Not obsessed... no. I'm not one of those sorts to do Daiso, and sushi outlets because I'm hooked to all things Japan... just that the land of the rising sun holds this strange fascination for me...

I mean... the culture, customs, history - and more importantly the manga, anime, music, fashion, technology... porn...you get it...

The currency is a little bit of a bitch though. Japan is expensive and there's no two ways about that. 

So - changed a bit of dough, cleared my credit card so I could charge it there... and off we go. First destination : Kyoto!!! We were actually heading to Osaka for the Kansai Music Conference - but we have two days to chill in Kyoto.

First impression of Japan : damn it's systematic. Everything's so... organised. From the people to the infrastructure... down to very single minute detail. Gila pun ada tengok meka hidup camni... teratur, bersih... yes... what can I say, I appreciate a little chaos in my life...

My favourite part though are the toilets. Now... masalah aku ke banyak negara when there's no bidet... pail air. Nak cebok la... aku orang kampung wei. Nenek aku ajar dari kecik!

But in Japan, I love these tech toilets. This one is a pretty common model around the Osaka and Kyoto areas...  you can control the temperature, volume and intervals of the spray of water... AND it comes with a butt dryer. I kid you not!

No more wet bums after washing. Some mysterious air source turns on the minute the auto flush kicks in and dries your bottom in seconds.

Now... what makes a really great country (underrated though) are their 7 Elevens. I don't know why... but a 7 Eleven tells me most about a country. What they eat, drink... buy... you know... an instant retail analysis of what to expect. 

And Japan loves its darned green tea. A little too much if you ask me...

Oh... and their beers...soft drinks were sucky as lacking in choice and low in sugar (damn healthy buggers). And everything was coffee and tea...and beer... in about two hundred varieties (I exaggerate, but it feels that way compared to what we have here.

Their instant food however was - freaking awesome. I had dinners and suppers from various convenience stores. I covered all three major chains - 7 Eleven of course, Lawson and FamilyMart - all having something wonderful stacked between their shelves.

But it was not all instant food for me. In fact our first meal was in this quaint little restaurant in Kyoto with a beautiful garden.

My immediate problem with Japanese food? A little tasteless (hey I'm Chinese... we like popping flavours while the Japanese are more subtle) - and the portions are way too small for us.

But it was good anyways. We checked in and spent two days playing tourists.

Check out this mini escalator I found. Hilarious. World's shortest perhaps?

Walking around, I noticed most of what I read was true. For example, the fascination the Japanese have with vending machines. 

They're everywhere!!! In a sleepy more old fashioned city like Kyoto - even the VERY clean backlanes  of houses within the central area have them.

And the variety... crazy. Cigarettes.... hot dishes... drinks.. 

The second day left a bitter taste in my mouth for Japan however. Amir was having a fever and flu as we were leaving KL. And at the end of day one in Kyoto - he had his annual horrible asthma attack.

Now... it usually starts simple enough - then that major annual affair escalates into a life and death situation.

So without a medical card, an emergency trip to the hospital was frustrating (even with a friend translating).

Took five minutes for reception to locate a hospital that would take us, for the particular medical situation. Two minutes for cab to show up. Five minutes to bloody walk in the so-called Emergency area.

Ten minutes to register (no shit... Amir was gasping for air and he has to fill out his particulars to get a medical card). Another excruciating wait of about five minutes for a medical officer to show up...

Ten minutes of useless routine questions - which could't be skipped despite me giving a full run-down (this was when I realised Japanese are programmed... they find it hard to break out of routine or procedure).

After almost losing my temper (panic took over because Amir was turning blue, meanwhile) - finally they administered oxygen to him and things became more relaxed for me.Another ten minutes and the doctor shows up - to waste another five minutes for the medical officer to brief him.

Then my buttons got pushed.

The doctor insisted Amir be kept warded for observation, get an X ray... some jabs and a million other treatments!

Like dude... we've been through this before. We know what to do. I smelled a scam - I mean... it is a private hospital after all. And I half of my cousins are in the medical field so I kind of can smell a money making scheme happening. 

Friend told me to chill... aku cakap dalam bahasa kita... dia ni propah lebih ni. Nak tahan bagai... ubat tanak bagi. Dia cam nak kita bazir duit. Kata tanak!

So ten minutes wasted on this arguing, which ended up with me relieving my stress smiling and telling to the doctor's face "Pukimak ko haram jadah babi ingat aku tatau ko nak perch"... we got our prescription and gi counter.

That 'consultation' - was over RM700!

May pitam rasanya. Dan tak kira ubat ye! Member pulak baru sedar kita nak kena scam. Dia pun naik hantu.

Lepas tu hospital tak ada farmasi. Kena ke pharmacy luar nak beli ubat yang da prescribed! Mahal babiks ubat dia - dekat seribu Ringgit jugak. Rupanya dia nak bagi stok dua minggu. 'Gaduh' cara lembut kali kedua. 

Kita amik medication untuk tiga hari (sebab memang da tau it takes a maximum of that to recover... biasa instant). Kena RM400 lebih la gak... Cibai. 

Rupanya kat Jepun ni... meka tak jual ubat batuk ke Panadol ke pe kat kedai serbaneka ni. Semua perlukan surat doktor. Matilah ko! Syukur gak kat Malaysia setakat batuk ke selsema atau demam sikit masih boleh beli ubat sendiri...

So it was that one nasty episode early in the Japan trip that left me wondering if I was going to like Japan. After two days in Kyoto... one of the most cleanest cities (and safe too), I had mixed emotions. 

Hopefully Osaka would be much better...

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