merryJim

Laugh more, thats a good one. I'll copy you on that. Become a moremerryJim.

Anyone ever been to the races in Japan at all?

I heard from a friend that they give their parents an otoshidama as just a kind of general "thank you" thing. They give them 40,000 yen!!

How old is the dude now?

Hilarious stuff indeed!

I've seen a few families with kids playing with them- don't know if they're actually paying to do that or not. They are a pain though.

Got the day off and will have a good day in with the family. My first trip to the mountains next weekend so really excited about that.

Only got 4 days off myself.

Rest more and have more time to enjoy things.

How long does it take you to get mail from the US, or other countries. I sometimes get things sent over from the US and it usually takes about 7 days to get here. One time it was 5 days, but a few times it's been about 2 weeks (which I really don't like). How about in your experience?

I saw that too Hotrod. Larry King doesn't press at all does he? He should have pinned the bloke down and shook him to get a decent response. As it was, it was just bullshit all the way.

Roppongi is good for a few times when you're first here, but not much more after that. I have had a few good nights out there.

"doing" what? porn?!?

You'd think 50 is the absolute min,.

I think I'll wait!

Doesnt it look pretty in the evening. http://www.skijapanguide.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000106;p=1#000000

Not that often, but I pay my bills there too. Much less hassle than using the bank. I'm not a fan of the "Japan banking experience"

Good picture of Concorde on a boat there

Back home, taxis are a great way to get around and relatively cheap. Here, they're a nightmare. Huge amounts asked for a small journey in a smoky car. Seeing hundreds of the things lined up constantly outside the stations etc, its difficult to see how they can be doing well - there're just so many of the things. I saw a documentary the other night on J tv following the life of a taxi driver and it wasn't much fun. Most of the time hanging around, then being grumpy when someone actually gets in your car.

Anyone for sashimi?

I used to meditate. I should really get doing it again as it was a fantastic experience.

Yeah whats with this jewel case terminology?

Call me mad - I'm sure you will - but I like wearing a good suit and tie to work. Gets me in "work mode" and suits me well, so to speak. Some terrible ties from way back in the collection, I should really throw them out.

We had one go off at 5am on Sunday morning. I asked what it was all about later in the day and they said it was a practice.

Raw egg on rice late night.