Price points (Bali & Tokyo)

This time, its refreshing to be in Bali. For my wallet anyway!

Price point comparison of Bali to Tokyo:

	Bali	Tokyo
Cheap accommodation (per night) including pool / onsen	$12	$120
Feed (Entrée + Local staple + Beer)	$6	$23
Back & neck massage	$5	$60

All prices in AUD and estimated/averaged.

Food in Bali: Satay sticks, Nasi Goreng & Bintang (375ml)

Food in Tokyo: Salmon Sashimi, Ramen with Miso sauce, Sapo (330ml)

There is no doubting though that the quality in Japan is much, much higher, although I never bothered to pay the $60 for the massage there. As a travel destination it boils down to what you want, either:

A decent, relaxing but not superb back & neck massage 12 days in a row from a girl who probably learnt from her mum and knows nothing of biology, in a sightly seedy place where you probably never feel comfortable taking your eyes off your wallet or taking your boxer shorts off for fear of sending the wrong message; 

Or

One massage, including complimentary foot scrub, hot face towel and where the massues has a degree in physiology and forces you to take a shower because they don't want to touch your sweaty body. Kimono's are provided after the shower to prevent you trying to send the wrong message.

Apply the same concepts to food, accommodation and public transport and then decide which travel destination is best for you. 

Quake? Damn, missed it!

I was in Kyoto on New Years Day with friends visiting a few Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and not so much praying and wishing for good fortune as gobling up delicious Japanese street food.

As a result, I missed the quake experience in Tokyo, which was apparently pretty mild.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Quake+rocks+Tokyo+region+Year/5933751/story.html

I'm sure I'll catch the next one. Or the one after that.

Tokyo - Zen, Sustainablity

Arrived Tokyo last night. Very peaceful yet vibrant place. How do the Japanese manage to be relaxed, energetic and quiet? For now I'll put it down to Zen. Here to meet with some of the rapidly growing PwC Japan Sustainability Services Team to talk about their recent success.

Tokyo Tower Park in Autumn Splendor

Did you know Zen is a form of buddhism that travelled to Japan and America from Nepal? Well that is according to Peter Maththiessen, famous explorer and author of such informative books as 'The Snow Leopard' which is a must read for those searching for work / life balance.

Did you also know that the "ka" used at the end of sentence in Japanese to denote a question is also used in Tetun, the national language of Timor-Leste, for the same purpose? Strange.

Japan has a unique role to play in International Development and Sustainability in general. It has large financial and technical capacity to assist developing companies and is the unenviable economic position of wanting to assist these undeveloped economies in order to support its own struggling system. There is hope that in the future the role Japan takes will have a strong sustainability focus, for the benefit of developing countries and Japan alike. I like what I see so far.

Autumn Garden at Tsurutaro Kataoka Tofu Restaurant