I lied about my updating conditions. :)

Anyway, we’ve decided to ride out the storm doing karaoke because why not?

While outside I saw a fair number of discarded, and destroyed umbrellas. Also, plenty of tipped over bikes.

The thing I found the most weird is the police are driving around with their lights on, but don’t seem to be going anywhere, and are stopping at lights like they aren’t in a hurry. I’m not sure what the purpose behind the lights being on is then?

kanjiman8:
Your lucky to be in Japan right now :D. Btw, what are you using to access the net on the go? I’m guessing your cell phone?

True, I try to remember how lucky and blessed I am. At the same time being in Japan only 3 weeks a year can be challenging. I know, it’s a blessing, but it’s hard to not want more.

As for net access on the go I looked into several options. My normal cell phone provider is happy to give me net access in Japan for $15 a meg. I have that disabled unless it’s an emergency.

You can get cell phones with data access at the airport, but the price is not much better.

One of our hosts suggested looking at this service before we visited:

http://www.softbank-rental.jp/e/

The prices were a lot better, but I think they were still $15 a day, which for how little we needed net access seemed a bit high.

Just 2 days ago, about 19 days into our 21 day trip, we bumped into a random Australian that said his wife found cell phone routers for rent at about $150 for 3 weeks, if I recall the price correctly, but he couldn’t remember the name of the service. If I knew that price range existed I would have looked for it.

So the short answer is we rely on our hosts Internet services, hotels, and random, but rare, wifi spots.

Next year we will likely do the $150 thing if it’s real, and we can find it.

Sorry for a long winded, and probably barely useful, answer.

@kanjiman8 – True internet cafes are very affordable, and you get free drinks, and can read all of the manga you like.

As for wi-fi don’t expect to find too much support. Then again I’ve seen a lot more wi-fi this year than last year, so perhaps Japan is adopting it more? That’s just speculation.

I found I didn’t need Internet too much outside of the hotel room. I guess it would be helpful for maps, but most people are willing and able to help point you in the right direction if you get lost.

I’ve even had a few Japanese people who don’t know me pull out their phones, and look stuff up for me. I’m constantly amazed by how gracious most Japanese people are.

Pro tip: Typhoons can cause a push man scenario (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma53p1J1iXU) to the extreme. Akiba station was like this for at least an hour with every car on the train. Needless to say I missed my flight. Bonus: 1 more day in Tokyo. ;)

If you have to be a baka gaijin, and carry a lot of bags on the train it’s best to do it not during rush hour. For example, I just dropped my bags off at Tokyo Station (around 9:00PM local time), when the trains are pretty empty, so tomorrow if there is another push man I can squeeze in. Lesson learned.