And so it begins...

 Welcome to my Blog: Four Thugs in Japan.  Why four thugs?  Mostly because we think that gang signs look cool, and the pirate thing from the last trip is soooo played out.  Chances are if we met any real thugs we’d get beat down, ending up telling some story about how we “accidentally” fell down the stairs when getting ready for work, but until that day happens we’ll try to make the best of things.

On Wednesday we set off for the Land of the Rising Sun, and on each day after I will try to make a post about the days happenings – usually around 7:30AM PST – and will try to include as many pictures as possible.  Each post will be broken into two parts, so remember to click to "read more."

As a primer I’ve decided to post a bit of useful information related specifically to our trip, so follow along as we prepare for our journey.

1. First and foremost everybody should know that Melissa and I have been to Japan before.  Why go again you ask?  It’s simple; we both liked it a lot and decided we’d come back one day if somebody else would go with us, which is where part two comes in.
   

2. My sister Randi and her boyfriend Josh will be accompanying us.  This will be their first times out of the country, and Randi’s first time on an airplane.  She is scared, so make sure to give her flack about flying.
   

3. We don’t know Japanese.  I can speak a little and read quite a bit more, but other than that we are all complete newbs at Japanese.  This should make sure things stay interesting.
   

4. Our homebase will be in Tokyo, but from there we will head out all over the country.  Tokyo is a very large city, and is the hub of the Japanese rail system, making it an excellent starting point.
   

5. Half of us are adventurous about food.  As you may remember from our last trip, Melissa isn’t wild about real Japanese food.  I stress the real point because the teriyaki chicken and ramen you see here in The States is not the raw beef and live fish that you see in Japan.  So, when it comes to food you will probably get a lot of split opinions.
   

6. All four of us have tattoos.  Because of said tattoos we can’t enter any of the hotsprings – boo!  Like they say though, it was our choice to get tattoos and it’s their choice to deny us entry.
   

7. No, I can’t bring you a geisha home.  Sorry.
   

8. Randi and Josh are trying to get on “Blazers Around the World,” a segment during the Blazers basketballs games where they show pictures of fans wearing Blazers apparel in different parts of the globe – so expect a lot of jersey shots.
   

9. Remember, I’m sarcastic and light hearted, my writing usually reflects this, so if you are uncertain if something is, or is not, sarcasm, assume that is and pass on. 

Well, we must finish up packing.  Later on today I will post our itinerary along with a map of our trip.

Oh, wait, I almost forgot:


10. I use the word, “prolly.”  It means, “probably,” – I know it’s atrocious for you English majors out there, but in all honest I don’t care.  I’ve been using since I could type, and I’ll prolly continue to do so for as long as I have fingers