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Published: September 19th 2007
Meiji Shrine
Where's Waldo! ehh... Lynda? With my friend Maria! Still can't spell her name!First of all: I hate romaji. I often spell it wrong, but I have Window's Vista, which is a pain, and apparently I have to pay or something to get the characters on my computer. Yes I know, Windows hates us all. Thank you for commenting, though. ^_^
Second: Yes, I am home sick. I wrote a very long e-mail to the other Dave (ex-boyfriend) because I was quite certain he wouldn't read it any time soon and I wanted to rant to someone who wouldn't be around to actually talk about it until I'd calmed down considerably.
Third: The Japanese staff members in my program make things so complicated. Really, if I'm asking for more homework, and the more homework is a five minute job that simply involves swinging by your office to pick it up, why is it so difficult to give me the homework? I am trying to study more. They should reward me for this.
Let us jump back to Saturday, though, because Saturday was a good day when I still liked all things Japanese and I didn't want to strangle anyone.
We went on a Tokyo tour! It was so
Meiji Shrine
Yes, those are sake casks. Sadly, they're empty. The Temple makes sake though, and these are advertisements touristy and I loved it! We went to several different places... I have a list some where... *searches for said list* Aha! Here goes:
1st stop: Meiji Shrine
This is where the old emperor's soul (not body) is enshrined having to do with him modernizing Japan or some such thing. I do not remember said emperor's name, other than the whole Meiji thing, but I will learn it once again in at least one of my classes. Anyway, I love visiting shrines and temples in Japan, because they're GOREGOUS. Seriously, very few churches in America can match the splendor of Japanese religion. I'm am very happy with my Christian beliefs, but all of the cool stuffs in these Asian religions really know how to draw people in.
I picked up some souvenirs (why are words so difficult to spell?). Two good luck charm things, I forget the Japanese word for the fist, just a little bag of goodness that is supposed to keep my mind and spirit at ease (it's not working, but it's pretty so I like it), and these bells, which I'm sure are supposed to be some good wishing thing or another. I also
East Imperial Garden
The gate we go through to leave the garden got post cards! I love postcards. They're so pretty. And I got my fortune, but it's in Japanese, so I don't know what it is.
While we were there our tour guide told us all sorts of awesome stuffs, and if I had a slide show I could tell you all about a lot of stuffs, but I don't, so it would just be long confusing rambles (hmm... familiar...). One cool note, is that this is the Shrine that people swam to for holidays and stuff, and the entire walk way get jammed full of people all crazy like, but they want to make their donations anyway, so people will throw coins at the Temple. The pillars at the front of the temple are actually scratched up from all of that. While we were there a wedding procession came through, and it was so cool to watch, I didn't take a lot of pictures though. Never fear! A picture swap will happen in the future, and my friends and I will exchange our photos.
2nd Stop: Imperial East Garden
So, there's this Imperial palace, that, you know, we can't get into. However, one of the entrances that
East Imperial Garden
Hanging out by a building inside. All the cool garden stuff is on other cameras crosses over a real, actual moat, leads to the East gardens (there are no west gardens). I have been to the... outside of... the Imperial palace before, but it was a different spot then this one. I hear this one is much pretty in the spring, but it was still kinda awesome here in the end of summer. There just weren't any flowers. We didn't have a lot of time to look around, which is sad, because I wanted to take a lot of pictures from other paths and such, especially from the top of the waterfall. Over all I didn't get a lot of pictures here, but there should be some of me on my friends' cameras, so all and all I did okay.
3rd Stop: Lunch, and then Asakusa
So, lunch was alright. We had tempera at a restaurant I don't know the name of and prolly won't go back to. It didn't taste as good as it could have, but I didn't have to pay for it. So I suppose we're about even. But it was fun to hang out with my friends and enjoy the meal.
After lunch we went to Asakusa. I
Lunch
Me, to me right, Maria, Across is Kate, to her left is Hailey... do not trust my spelling capabilites am not sure if this is the temple, or the mass of tourist trap shops that lead up to it, but both were really fun to look at. I didn't buy anything here, not because I wouldn't have (I saw a few things that would have amused many friends back home) but because, again, I didn't have much time. We made it to the temple, though, and once again it was gorgeous. There were so many people, though, it was just a hogbosh of tourists from around the world. Plus some actual Japanese, even. I didn't get as good of pictures there, because we were rushed, but I did pick up some good post cards, and even purchased some budda bead things, because they were cool looking. (ah, I'm supporting evil religions! I know, I'm such a bad Christian).
4th stop: Tokyo Tower!
Yay! I'd never gotten to go before, and I wasn't actually planning to this time, but it was totally worth it. So many people though! We had to wait in line to get up to the viewing deck, and if you wanted to go to the higher viewing deck you'd have to wait even longer.
Asakusa
The shopping booths, or at least some of them. Crazy swam of people The tourist shop was crammed full of people (I picked up three post cards plus a gift for someone... not someone who will probably read this or who is known by people who will probably read this, so don't get your hopes up).
The view was amazing. If I had time I would have paid the extra five bucks to go up higher, I hear you could see Mt. Fuji from there. But I took some great pictures of the view, sadly there was this mesh net in the way, so they're all through criss-crossed ropes, and I also got some good pictures of me at the tower. This was where I kind of lost my friends, because they walk slower than me and weren't as interested in taking a crap load of pictures. They kind of just meandered while I put my nose up the glass. I tell you, though, this place is like the space needle, they over charge you for everything.
Fun facts though: Tokyo Tower is taller than the Eifel tower (by like 9 meters I think). They will be building a new Tokyo Tower that will be about twice as big (oh my!)
Asakusa
Me with some Temple stuff The Tokyo tower, while taller, does not weigh as much as the Eifel tower. I believe it weighs about half as many tons, I don't remember exactly what the tour guide said. Lastly, if I were to go back to the tower on this trip it would only be for two reasons: some incredibly amazing Japanese man falls in love with me and wants to take me there on a date, or two, because I want a picture with the mascot. If I showed you pictures (I know Dave has seen them) you would know why.
5th Stop: Boat ride!
Okay, this wasn't actually a stop, but it's where we ditched the bus to get onto a boat to carry us across some water. It happened to occur at sunset, so we got amazing views of the city, and Tokyo Tower, and the Rainbow Bridge (which sadly isn't rainbowed colored, but is freaking long). We were all thrown up on top, and had nowhere to sit, and it was really windy, and I was getting tired. This all adds up to: once I'd finished taking pictures it was really quite boring. But that's okay. I chatted with some
Asakusa
Purifiying smoke! of the other students I don't normally hang out with, and then with some of the students I do normally hang out with, and had a very amusing conversation with Tom, who almost didn't make it to the program because of visa issues, about chickens and eggs and throwing eggs at people, and how the chicken just wanted to have babies and then I ate them.
That part was fun.
6th stop: Odaiba
You know, I'm still not sure what Odaiba is. I think it's just a spot for some boats to land with a lot of buildings, and arcade, and some shopping. This makes a great deal of sense to me. However, I didn't spend more time there than I had to, because I wanted to get home for dinner. So we followed our tour guide to the statue of liberty (no, I don't think it's supposed to make sense), at which point we could be in Paris, New York, and I think Los Angelus all at the same time. (Think Eifel tower, Golden Gate bridge and Statue of liberty. It did make sense, but wasn't as funny as the other jokes our tour guide had
Tokyo Tower
Mwahahah! I can see everything! made.) Here we took a great group photo (made greater by Pat), and followed our leaders to the train station to go home. Some people stayed an explored, but we had to make it home in time for dinner.
Anywho, the whole getting to the train station took longer than it should have, and everyone was dawdling, and I just kind of up and ditched them in the end, hurried to my train, and made it on it right as the doors were closing. Moral of the story: Slow people are annoying and dinner is import. Make sure to run. We got home in time. Hurah!
Anyway, it was a really fun day, much more fun than I expected it to be, and I'm really happy I participated. I'm glad that IES arranged this program for us, because we got to do and see so much, and our tour guide did a great job. Tokyo kinda rocks a little, and I hope to come back at some point with lots of friends to do more touristy stuff.
The End
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David Corey
non-member comment
Why do I always have to give a title?
See more incentive for you to take us next time! You'll know everything while we'll be all bright-eyed and unknowing. It's cool you got to go out and see the beautiful touristy temples, I've always wanted to go, and I will. Maybe you have to do a silly dance to make the charms work? xD Make sure that if you do make a video and post it on you tube. You could be famous! XDDDD And of coarse it's busy, you went on the weekend... there's always a lot of tourists on the weekends. Yeah that mascot sure looked interesting... xDDDD And that whole eifle tower, golden gate, and statue of liberty at the same place is really... weird... it's like Vegas, without the casinos... xD I'm already searching for Christmas gifts for you and Ian. He's easier to get stuff for... especially since I got him a figure with tits. Though I'm thinking about getting him a movie, hopefully he doesn't get it by then. You on the other had are hard to shop for, especially when you're not around to inspire me! So the hunt goes on. I will find something! D: