more random japanese TV... and Shikoku Udon

i am in tokyo now. I am staying at a cheap hotel near Ueno station. I went out to get dinner about 11:30. Only things open were ramen stands, snack bars, massage parlors and love hotels... I ended up getting Ramen at this restaurant completely run (and occupied) by Chinese people.

When I got back I ended up watching another bizarre TV show... i missed the beginning but basically they had this woman getting these three contestant guys to do different things w/ a Chinese wok. They went to a batting cage and tried to hit pitches with one. since its so huge he was hitting pretty much all of them, but each time it left a huge dent in the wok. and the vibrations were killing his hands.

they somehow managed to convince one of the other guys to put it in front of his crotch and use it to deflect the pitches...

the next wok-based challenge was to try and wake board (aka water ski) with one. they had one of the guys put on a wet suit and wear catcher's shin guards (to keep the wok from trashing his lower legs)... anyway... after several aborted attempts, they gave up.

ok, i gotta get to yokohama by 12:30... time for bed. i've downloaded my pics from my camera, but haven't finished them yet... patience!

ok here's one to hold you over. Special Shikoku Udon:

you get a huge bowl of just udon.... and you have to drag the noodles into a smaller cup of soysauce, onions, etc. then eat them. kind of complicated... but tasted pretty good.