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Published: March 27th 2008
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Tokyo Tower
The Tokyo Tower...finally we found it. Before we went to Nikko, Ryan, Michael and I got to experience 3 great places in Tokyo...the Tokyo Tower, Kabukicho, and the Kabukiza.
Ok so what are all these places?
Well the Tokyo Tower is in Shiba Park, and at 333 m tall is the higest self-supporting steel tower in the world and the tallest structure in Japan. It's even taller than the Eiffel Tower! We went to visit the Tokyo Tower one night and just barely got there before closing time. We got to go up to the observation deck, and from there we got an incredible view of Tokyo at night. Seeing the city from the twin buildings in Shinjuku was amazing enough, but seeing the city at night with all the lights was even more breathtaking! It was a 360-degree observation deck so we walked all the way around taking pictures from every angle possible. At one point the floor was made up of these clear tiles that let you look down below and see just how far up you are. I didn't like it...I'm scared of heights as it is, and it was really scary standing on those tiles. But of course Ryan and Michael
Over There...
We could see the tower, but couldn't figure out how to get to it! made me do it! Just being up in the observation deck made me nervous. I always felt like I had to hold on to something, and I guess it was obvious because Ryan kept asking if I was ok!
Then the second site, Kabuki-za, is the the Kabuki Theater in the Ginza area of the city. Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theater where the actors are all men and they have very ornate costumes and wear a lot of makeup. The men even play the woman roles! We saw the "Onna Date" program. Even though the play was all in Japanese, we were given headphones that translated the main points of the play into English. It would have been nice not to have had to hear it through translation. I'm sure it would have been even better if I could have understood the Japanese, but it was still very interesting to see how the play was performed. It was like any other play in the way the set looked, and how the theater was arrranged. But it was interesting how the actors performed. Sometimes they didn't speak much, but just made sounds or used facial expressions, such
Where's the Tower?
Walking around trying to find the Tokyo Tower as the "mie." A mie is a pose where the actor rotates his head while nodding and crosses one eye to make a powerful glare. There is also a band of banjo players and other instruments sitting on the set who play the music accompaniment and provide sound effects, like the "tsuke." A tsuke is when two wooden blocks are beaten onto a board to accent movements like the mie poses and running. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside the theater, so I wasn't able to capture the play. It was an interesting experience, and I'm glad I got to experience something very cultural while in Tokyo. Although I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I fell asleep during the second half of the program. I was really tired and slept through the 15-minute intermission then dozed on and off during the last half. But I still got to see enough to get a good Kabuki experience...I think.
Then the last interesting place we went to before Nikko was an area in Shinjuku called Kabuki-cho. And this had nothing to do with the Kabuki Theater, it just happened to be the name of the place. It was
Welcome
Welcome to the Tokyo Tower! the red-light district in Shinjuku. So we saw a lot of strange people. There was definitely a more punk-rock style and a lot of the people, especially guys, had really huge hair. Then there were a lot of clothing stores and discount stores selling high-end designer clothes. In Kabuki-cho we also ate at McDonalds! And I was really excited because I got to try the
SHRIMP burger! Me and Lani had been wanting to try it for a long time, so I decided I now would be the perfect chance. After all, I was in Tokyo, so I might as well go crazy! haha. The shrimp burger was really good too. It was just like a burger, only made up of shrimp. The only bad thing was that it wasn't as filling as a regular burger, and I probably could've eaten another one...but I didn't. And the McDonald's in Japan are a lot different than the ones in America. First of all, it's a lot more expensive. A full meal cost almost $7 and you don't get refills on drinks (they usually don't even fill the cup up all the way) and you have to ask for ketchup, and even
Going Up
In the elevator. It was really cool because the lights kept changing colors, so it was blue when I took this photo then they only give you one packet. I don't know if there's a ketchup shortage in Japan or what, but they aren't very generous with their ketchup! And one other thing...you can't get water with your meal! When the person asked what I wanted to drink I said "mizu" and she was just like "No" and pointed to the drink list. So I ended up getting Coke...
So those were some cool places we visited in Tokyo before heading off to Nikko. I know it's kind of a random post, but we did so much in Tokyo that I couldn't think of a way to fit these places in. Now all I have left to write about is Roppongi and Shibuya, two of the best places, so I can't wait! I'm doing so much writing this week, but it's good because it distracts me from studying for my midterms, which is what I SHOULD be doing right now. Oh Tokyo, so much to write about...but I'm almost done!
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imcrazy8
Geoff D
great pics
im always amazed by your pics, you post some pretty awesome ones, down to what you ate, :-0