For $500: "Commodore Perry landed there and introduced Japan to American diplomacy over the barrels of some very large cannons."

So after, like, eleven months of just skulking around the Tokyo-Saitama Metroplex, suddenly I've gone to Yamanashi, Kagoshima, and now Shimoda. All within, like, a month.

Shimoda's nice, by the way. But don't let an overly genki Japanese student plan the trip for you and your coworkers. Otherwise you'll wind up with both karaoke and Japan's fifth most well-attended dolphin show on your itinerary.

By the way, the answer is "What is Shimoda, Japan?" I'll take "Strange Breakfast Fishy Stuff" for $200, Alex.