Trip to Yokohama

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Sunday I went to Yokohama to meet Asako, the Waseda student who was at Lafayette two years ago and Sam, the Lafayette student who was at Waseda last year and never went back. Japan was that good to him. He had an internship lined up with Morgan Stanley over here but they canceled on him. He is going back to Lafayette in the Spring to finish up 2 courses and graduate. While I was in Yokohama I got some good advice from him about how to make the most of your time in Japan...he certainly did. I need to make sure I stay in touch with him. He is part of a Japanese finance study group that I want to get in on. They talk just Japanese and I think it will be good practice.

Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan after Tokyo, but it doesn't seem like it at all. Yokohama is much quieter than than Tokyo. Less going on, which was nice. We were able to walk along the streets without being assaulted by neon lights and people everywhere.

First stop was the Ramen museum. The first floor was devoted to the evolution of Ramen from China to Japan to Instant to Cup Noodles. The gift shop had plenty of ramen accessories. You could by bowls, spoons, eggs, strainers, ramen shaped chocolate, etc. I got to learn about different types of noodles and how they are made. The basement was the best though. The Ramen museum selected 8 of the best Ramen shops from all over Japan and brought them to the museum. The lines for these places were huge but we got in to one from the south of Japan. The ramen was in a white broth instead of clear broth, with pork, mushrooms, and fried garlic chips.

After that we walked to the bay and amusement park area. Yokohama has the largest building and largest ferris wheel in Japan. We didn't go in either of them but they were sure nice to look at, especially at night. There was a car show going on by the water between two old, refurbished warehouses that now are filled with shops and cafes. I'm not a car guy but some of these cars were absolutely amazing in how pimped out they were. There was a small stage in the middle for entertainment of "otaku" the Japanese word for those odd manga watchers/anime readers that I wrote about in the Akihabara post. I got some video of the creepers. I think its apparent in the video but there are 30 year old guys dancing the same dance as the teenage girls on stage. Sam and I told Asako to stand back. Much to dangerous for a girl to go near.

After the close encounter Asako took us to a cafe she recommended. It may have been the coolest cafe in the world. The tables are located around this beautiful bar that also serves as a kitchen (mostly dessert items). Half of the guests were seated at tables but the other half were on this bank of pillows and mattresses. The three of us were able to get spots there. We kicked back on our pillows and they brought a table top to us with coffee. We ordered a red bean and banana cake to that was surprisingly not too sweet. Usually anything in Japan made from red beans is going to make your teeth rot and your heart stop.

It was starting to get dark so we walked a little more by the amusement park. Yokohama is gorgeous at night because its lit, but not in the same neon way as Tokyo. For dinner we went to a sushi-ya. Good day.

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Photos

Very expensive mall
Tiffany, Gucci, Fur, 4 stories of it

Tomato booze
25%

Comments

[mom]

amazing
what an experience you are having!! i could not have imagined in my wildest dreams what this trip would turn into. I am thrilled we were able to make this happen for you. xo