HI JOSH AND ALEX

WELL WHAT A BLOG ALEX! AFTER READING IT I WAS IMPELLED TO PUT A MESSAGE ON THE BOARD.  I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT NOT ALL 'OLDIES' ARE THE SAME AND YOU SHOULD NOT TAR US ALL WITH THE SAME BRUSH.  WHILST I CAN SEE THAT SOME MAY HAVE CONCERNS OVER YOUR BEHAVIOUR, I HOWEVER HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW.  I HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED READING YOUR BLOGS, LOOKING AT THE PICS, AND READING THE MESSAGES.  I HAVE ENJOYED WATCHING YOUR ANTICS, THE CHEERIOS INCIDENT WAS HYSTERICAL, AND AM GLAD YOU ARE HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME.  MANY OF US 'OLDIES' ARE THOROUGHLY JEALOUS OF YOU BOTH AND WOULD LOVED TO HAVE EXPERIENCED WHAT YOU ARE RIGHT NOW.  YOU ARE 18 YRS OLD AND HAVE BEHAVED EXACTLY AS I WOULD EXPECT YOU TO. YOU HAVE SEEN SITES AND DONE THINGS THAT MOST OF US CAN ONLY DREAM OF.  YOU SHOULD MAKE THE MOST OF IT WHILST YOU DO NOT HAVE THE HEFTY RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUR CAREER, PAYING THE MORTGAGE AND BRINGING UP A FAMILY.  THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME FOR CULTURE WHEN YOU'RE OLD AND GREY.  AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOURSELVES SAFE YOU SHOULD DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AND SEE WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE. AFTERALL THIS IS ALEX AND JOSH'S BIG FAT WORLD ADVENTURE, AND NOBODY ELSES. LOVE TO YOU BOTH AND ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR TRIP.

Words of wisdom from Joshy's "golden oldie" Dad to Alex

You can please SOME of the people ALL of the time

You can please ALL of the people SOME of the time

But you can't please a ALL of the people ALL of the time

Be good and have FUN!

Nice rant!

Just one thing. "Tactful" I may be, but never "tactile."

Final night with Alex and Josh in Tokyo, before their trip to Kyoto and Hiroshima. We went to an all-you-can -eat-and-drink Korean barbecue joint in Ginza, and for 90 minutes all they did was chow down on barbecued beef, pork, liver(!, even though Alex professed to hate the texture), chicken, scallops and squid. It was a feeding frenzy. Not a leaf of vegetable matter to be found. Alex's skills with the grill were well in evidence. All those years at the Char Bar did him proud. Josh quistly worked his way through another chicken - he loves the yakitori.

Then, we set off for my favourite salsa bar, Sudada, in Roppongi. After a very potent caiparinha, both were raring to go on the dancefloor, and
luckily one of my salsa buddies Yasue gave them both lessons. They had it  mastered in five minutes. Alas, it was already last train time, but they have vowed to be back when they return to Tokyo.

I left them to book their journey and hotels in Kyoto and Hiroshima, and they did both on their own. The train reservations were all done at the station with numerous maps and drawings (since the poor rail clerk didn't speak much English). The ryokan reservations were done in an hour at an internet cafe. Just goes to prove, where there is a need, there is a way.

You are 18. You are drinking too much. You are clever enough to know that its 'inappropriate' and when you do realise it, you will be a man, my son.  In the meantime enjoy your fabulous trip, a trip you worked extrememly hard for, a trip that will be filled to the brim with wonderful tales, tales that you may not chose to tell your own children!

Now you have had the rant, lets have some news about Japan...........

Hello Richard,... Much needed rest ..,I am quite sure that by May13th you will be breathing a sigh and flop into your arm chair totally exhausted.

Thank you so much for taking such good care of the lads, by being with you they will have seen and experienced far more of Japan and its culture. and hopefully prepared them for there week  travelling without you.

Which I imagine  will produce some interesting tales of woe.

Can not thank you enough

Annie & Gavin 

Thanks Annie; I rather get the impression that the lads are having a truely amazing time...wonder how they will do next week without Richard and away from the City.

News from Richard;

Just got back from Kamakura. Once again, walked the entire city back and
forth and up and down in the rain in a day. Took them to the Gompachi
restuarant that everyone confuses for the final showdown restaurant in Kill
Bill. Some eejit had even written Kill Bill! grafitti in the toilets.

Anyway, lenses had arrived (with silly card!) and Junko brought them along
for Alex. He then left them behind in the restaurant, but luckily fast
thinking moi remembered and saved the day. We left them to it - they were
going to watch the Liverpool game from 3:30 in the morning at an Ebisu
football bar and then go to Tsukiji fish market. I needed some rest...

 They'll be on a high after the Liverpool win last night and it will be interesting to hear Joshua's comment on the fish market and the food?!!

Japan is awesome,

Richard is brilliant ,we have no problems when we are with him.

Tokyo massive & awesome,even going to watch footie 

 (Sounds like alls well teresa)

Anniex 

What's the accommodation like?  

equally amazing, mum picked a beauty ^ very japanease with bath robes futons etc ^ but very beautiful and friendly ^ we:ll head into town tomorrow abnd book our  accommodation in kyoto, mount fuji and hiroshima

signed a very relieved mum who booked the roykan off the Internet! with recommendation of Lonely Planet I hasten to add..........booking ahead? what has happened to daft duo?

as internet costs are high, here is a snippet of info from Alex;

Richard has been so fantastic, he has essentially taken the whole week of work to show us around and its wonderful ^ i feel so comfortable but so out of place at the same time. The food and beer is just incrediable

The lads are here and not causing any damage as yet. They have been on best behaviour, I think they are rather partied out. Their first day I met them at Ikebukuro, got them checked into the Kimi Ryokan (nice and clean), fed them sushi for lunch (Alex wolfed his down, Josh said he'd like his cooked and only ate half) and then took them to Meiji Shrine (and made Alex look at the flower arrangements), then to Harajuku, Shibuya, Aoyama, Roppongi Hills and finally got the train to Ginza for dinner. We walked the length of Tokyo in one swoop basically. Took them to a nicer izakaya (kind of gastro pub) and fed them deep fried fish, grilled squid, grilled chicken, crab salad, crab and shrimp tempura, and a few Asahi beers and they were well satisfied. Said it was the best food they'd eaten in 2 months. Put them on the train back home and apparently they got back to the Ryokan at 9:30pm, were in bed by 10pm and slept through until 1pm the next day. I spose all their adventures are catching up on them. Yesterday we did the Tokyo History Museum in an hour, Akihabara electric town (full of weird geeky nerdy fans of games, comic books and anime) and then down to Yurakucho for the authentic Yakitori (grilled chicken) experience. Again, they wolfed down every skewer put in front of them so I decided to put a cap on it by ordering some chips and grilled rice balls to fill their bellies. Otherwise, they could have eaten several more chickens. They are in good shape. I think they are still a bit culture shocked with it being so different from where they've been so far. I'm going to take them to Kamakura for the day This is the 10 o'clock news back to the studio.........

Colleges Knights 5-32 Helensvale Hogs. The drought continues...even got a report in the Bulletin this time!