Japan! Proudly Brought To You By Beer Baron

[Beer Baron]

most the cars were sex, but the ffa chiky porn FTW!

man gota luv what 2f2f did for fashion, THE 1 THING THEY DID RIGHT!

2f2f Promo GIRLS FTW!

lol, yeah she was a star attraction and very obliging to my antics. from memory that was just before 2f2f or maybe just after (shot was taken jan 2005). she spoke english too. she definately wasn't japanese anyway. but damn I look like the seediest guy out pulling that face. gold. the ring of photographers around here was massive, but no one had the balls to go and talk to her (well I did)... then stood there for half a minute lapping up the flashes from all the japanese guys who were frantically taking pics of us. funny stuff. and a good way to make yourself feel like a rock star for a minute. I have heaps more like that one. but each year I think I get less and less rowdy as I think with getting older my balls are shrinking and I become a bit lamer each time. sometime I have to remind myself to harden the fck up and go for it when trying to get in places I'm not meant to be....

Scott: yeah that was a nice pic. On my most recent trip I spent my last afternoon shopping with a friend in harajuku, then home to shower and change, then out to Shinjuku Park Hyatt for drinks with friends. then back home to roppongi for my favourite all night ramen place.... mmm time well spent.

[tjandriesen]

Ever consider organizing a road trip to Japan?

[ECR033]

Just spent the last 30mins or so going through the pics (and stories) in this thread - awesome stuff, thanks for sharing

[Beer Baron]

ECR033, glad you enjoyed them. I love to share the pics anyway.

tjandersen, to be honest I've never really thought about it much. Plenty of people have asked me over the last few years if I'd consider organising a big trip, or tour and acting as a tour guide, but I sadly I don't think it would work out. A lot of the things I do there I couldn't do with a group of people any bigger than 1 or 2 (+me), so not only would the people coming miss out on stuff I would be too! And I think I would rapidly wear out my welcome and some spots if I started rocking up with like 10 aussies! I'm always happy to give pointers though on things to do in Tokyo as I've tried lots of different things and some were good, and some were not. and I'm always happy to meet up for a dinner or some booze or whatever when I'm in Tokyo.

More pics to come in the next day or so guys.

[Wink]

Just wondering in Japan there are LHD/RHD cars but the majority are RHD so how do LHD cars deal with having things like carpark ticket dispensers, tollbooths, drive through joints etc?

[Beer Baron]

yeah it's a pain in the arse with the LHD. for toll you just have to reach all the way over, or get your passenger to grab the ticket.

a few of my friends have LHD cars and it freaks me out. To be honest there aren't that many though. I'd say less than 1% is LHD, mostly just the really prestigious euros like AMG merc, BMW M cars, porsches etc.

[Modena]

Cool!

[Tosh]

すごい！　I'm liking the pics

[Beer Baron]

glad you like em CCCP.

and thanks Tosh, glad you enjoy them too.

ok, just to keep things ticking along (as I'm still trying to get time to sort my pics) here are some of the best ones from my November '06 trip. Yes I know many of the punters out there may have seen these ones before, nut I notice lots of new faces in here too, plus it never hurts to do a bit of revision. Also a few people now have asked for me general (non-car/promo girl) pics so there are heaps in here from november.

[gts-4 dreamer]

more pics you say, post em or il pm my email addy mate i always up for lookin @ hotty's!

mate how old are ya you dont look that old in the pic's ive seen so far look early maybe mid 20's.

il figure the rest out >

when ive got something to ask about i will ask less broad questions ^^

got more of the mountain roads etc ? maybe by day light and of the mount fuj

some pic's of night clubs etc not necesarily a girls gone wild but some wouldnt hurt ^^

1 real question.

how far does the pacific paso go in jp realistically ? like do you end up spending more - equiv - less on stuff to what you would in oz...

accomodation, food, travel ?

ive been reading but i can tell we need to think this out a bit

Edited February 7, 2007 by gts-4 dreamer

[Beer Baron]

I will also try and add a bit of a story or background with each pic. where I can.

Die hard japanese Nismo/Nissan fans. I love japanese fans of anything. they go at it with such gusto, and consume merchandise at an astounding rate!

One of my favourite ways to spend a night out. This is Shabu-Shabu. For those that don't know it's japanese hot-pot. you cook thin sliced japanese (or american if your poor, or aussie beef too) beef and vermicelli, japanese shitake, tofu and other vegtables in a hot pot of boiling broth. at some places they have an all you can eat set menu. This particular place is quite good. It's in Roppongi (on Roppongi-dori, near the intersection of Roppongi-dori and Gaienhigashi-dori - aka Roppongi Crossing). I've been there a few times now on different trips and I love it. I love it more when someone else pays!!! All you can eat beef is around 5,000 per person (USA beef) or 6,500 for the prime japanese beef. Plus you can option it up with all you can drink beer for around 2,000 (glasses) or 2,500 (bottles - longnecks). Of course I go for the prime japanese beef, and the all you can drink longnecks option. Their nama beeru is Suntory Malts which is fine with me. good beer. Last time I ate somewhere near 10 plates of beef (between 2) and 13 longnecks!!! I was way too full and massively hammered. Not bad for around $90 a head.

Asahi headquarters. A must see for Japanese Beer fans. the view from the bar at the top is lovely, and of course you enjoy it with an ice cold asahi.

[Beer Baron]

more pics you say, post em or il pm my email addy mate i always up for lookin @ hotty's!

mate how old are ya you dont look that old in the pic's ive seen so far look early maybe mid 20's.

how hard is it for a white boy to get a job in jp ? the misses an i have a plan to go there for a year after we sort out some stuff here in oz. was gona hit a bunch of weby's looking for stuff including hte jp section on stuff to.

yep, I'm mid 20s.

well getting a job in japan is a mixed bag. basically to get a working visa you must have a bachelors degree (any one will do). this is why lot's of jobs (converstaion english teaching for example) ask for one. it's not so much their requirement, it's just they can't get you a visa without one. If you do have one you can land a job in any of the big english schools. be aware that though the lifestyle may be attractive (ie not many working hours) the pay is insanely low (less than $3K per month). if you do have a degree though and good experience in something like finance and even better if you are certified (like CFA, CPA, CA) then you can certainly find a job in a foreign company that has an office in japan. This is true for many industries. If however you want a job in a japanese company it will be tough. You will need to be fluent in both spoken and written japanese (inc hiragan, katakan and the dreaded kanji). The best chance I think is to get a job in aus with a company that has offices in japan, then go for an internal transfer. for that you wont need any japanese.

[Blitz]

Now, back to Japan appreciation

[Primordial]

yep, I'm mid 20s.

well getting a job in japan is a mixed bag. basically to get a working visa you must have a bachelors degree (any one will do). this is why lot's of jobs (converstaion english teaching for example) ask for one. it's not so much their requirement, it's just they can't get you a visa without one. If you do have one you can land a job in any of the big english schools. be aware that though the lifestyle may be attractive (ie not many working hours) the pay is insanely low (less than $3K per month). if you do have a degree though and good experience in something like finance and even better if you are certified (like CFA, CPA, CA) then you can certainly find a job in a foreign company that has an office in japan. This is true for many industries. If however you want a job in a japanese company it will be tough. You will need to be fluent in both spoken and written japanese (inc hiragan, katakan and the dreaded kanji). The best chance I think is to get a job in aus with a company that has offices in japan, then go for an internal transfer. for that you wont need any japanese.

That sounds pretty tough! A degree just to get a Visa!

I work for a Japanese company at the moment (Sumitomo Corporation), so i'm hoping one day to be able to get a transfer to their head office or one of their subsidiary companies over there for a few years. From the sounds of it this could be pretty difficult considering I havent got a degree!

[Beer Baron]

got more of the mountain roads etc ? maybe by day light and of the mount fuj

some pic's of night clubs etc not necesarily a girls gone wild but some wouldnt hurt ^^

1 real question.

how far does the pacific paso go in jp realistically ? like do you end up spending more - equiv - less on stuff to what you would in oz...

accomodation, food, travel ?

ive been reading but i can tell we need to think this out a bit

don't have many more pics of mountains etc. as most times I've only been there at night for the drifting, and in the day time just passing through so often I was behind the wheel with no chance for pics.

nightclub pics are practically non-existant for 2 reasons. most clubs wont let you take your camera inside, you have to leave it in a locker with your jackets. and I did snap some with my phone cam, but i may as well have been shooting the insides of a black hole. that is one part of japan I can't really show you. but I need to leave something new for you guys to see for yourselves! Tokyo nightclubs are so vastly different to the experience here.

AUD vs YEN is very good in our favour. 1 AUD buys approx 90 yen. a cheap meal at a ramen place etc is under 1000 yen. I would say on average things you need on holiday (like hotels, nice restaurants, lots o booze) probably balance out to be more expensive than here (particularly in tokyo). but I always spend a shitload as on holidays I just want to have fun so I'm not too worried about the cost of stuff. I should be though! 1 note, if you travel around a lot shinkansen travel can add up. I spend probably $800 just on nozomi tickets in november. you can use a JR pass on some shinkansen but not the nozomi (which is the best one).

[Beer Baron]

That sounds pretty tough! A degree just to get a Visa!

I work for a Japanese company at the moment (Sumitomo Corporation), so i'm hoping one day to be able to get a transfer to their head office or one of their subsidiary companies over there for a few years. From the sounds of it this could be pretty difficult considering I havent got a degree!

well you may be able to get around it if your company sponsors you, but afaik the only way to get working visa to live and work in japan is bachelors degree or higher. unless you get a spousal visa.....

[Beer Baron]

pics:

Tokyo tower. Don't ask me how I got this pic to come out so well. It is really hard to focus with the soft light like that. AND I was absolutely off my nut. for the fact junkies tokyo tower is taller than the eifel tower. lot's of japanese pride involved here!

view of tokyo tower from the appartment balcony. the 2016 I think was promo for the world cup or olympics or something? Because after new years it said 2007 there until mid jan.

This is what Japan looks like at just over 300km/h from the nozomi (700 class) shinkansen). very nice

The 700 class Nozomi Shinkansen pulling in. The 500 class are smaller but look even more hardcore (and go a bit faster as they have less carriages)

This is the 500 Class Nozomi Shinkansen. I've ridden this too.

[djr81]

Is it in any way wrong that dive planes make me all moist?

[Beer Baron]

i dunno. I'm not even sure I know what a dive plane is?

[Beer Baron]

the insanse expanse of building that is Tokyo. You can see the freeways cutting through it. They are elevated quite high up maybe 6 or 8 stories high, and probably higher in places. It's weird driving along and looking straight into the 8th story window of an office building!