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Published: October 1st 2008
UPDATED WITH PART 3! - (It's already a bit lengthy, feel free to skim!)
Introduction Well, it's been a few days since I arrived back in the States; I'm back to normal routine and I've finally triumphed over that evil jet lag. As I sit here and reminisce over the wild 'n crazy times we had in Japan, I can't help but feel a little regret that the experience has already come and gone. This sort of trip makes you painfully aware of your own stagnancy back at home, and at the moment I feel very motivated to seek out some change in my everyday life. (Hopefully I can make good use of these thoughts before routine once again causes them to fade away!)
So in case you haven't already guessed: Japan was awesome! The food was of course amazing, the people were super friendly (not to mention humble and hard-working), and there was always plenty to explore (way more than we had time for!) We experienced great variety too: from navigating through the seemingly endless sea of skyscrapers and technology to relaxing in beautiful gardens and historic temples.
Arriving in Tokyo Our initial experiences
all involved the cities of Tokyo. After the looooooooong flight (which was awful, yuck! Let's not even bother with that part!), it wasn't long before we found ourselves attempting to navigate one of Japan's many bustling train stations for the first time. You wouldn't guess it, but using the trains was definitely a highlight of the trip! Japan seems to have train stations going *everywhere* (Tokyo even has one line called the Yamanote that goes in a giant loop through over ten major cities in about an hour) and they are seemingly always on time. Not only that, but there are so many trains that you'll never find yourself waiting for more than five minutes... in fact, the majority of the time it was less than two. With the stations being as bustling as they are, the trains are a great place for people watching: we spotted a number of women in kimonos, girls in cosplay maid outfits, plenty of cute energetic kids, colorful teen fashion (seems like almost EVERY teen and young adult is ultra hip and spends most of their money on clothes) and tons of sleepy business men. Also, the trains are jam packed with crazy Japanese
Aboard the train!
What you can't tell from this photo: we were soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired. (I think we had been up for like 24 hours at this point)advertisements (posters everywhere, video screens, etc).
Having spent all of my driving years living in Arizona, I cannot even imagine living in a city where you can get around so easily without a car. (The public transportation in Manhattan cannot compare to the efficiency, ease of use, and vastness of Tokyo's!) Man, how awesome would it be to have no car insurance, no automotive repairs to worry about, no gas to pay for, and you can even read or play hand-held games during your commute to work! Seriously, I'm drooling at the thought... cars are lame! BTW, when Japanese people aren't sleeping on the trains they seem to always be riding around on their bikes. I lost count of how many bicycle bells were heard signaling us to move out of the way as they approached behind the silly foreigners walking on the wrong side of the sidewalk. (We just couldn't get use to that!)
Anyway, there was quite a bit of mapping and navigating to be done during this trip, and anyone who knows me well can accurately predict a large number of instances being lost. 😊 Luckily most maps and street signs had English text accompanying
Arriving in Shimbashi
This is the first thing you see when you step off the train at Shimbashi Station. Also... Funny Face Rick! the Japanese characters, and also any Japanese people I asked for help were very willing to offer a hand (though it was often that even they didn't know the locations of most things in that crazy city!)
Speaking of talking with the Japanese, this was DEFINITELY one of my favorite parts of the trip! I did not anticipate getting such satisfaction from communicating with them (or attempting to, at least!). I spent a good two and a half months studying the language and writing systems before we departed the U.S., and while I didn't learn a whole lot beyond the typical touristy phrases (arigatou gozaimasu! sumimasen! iie, kekko desu! o-sake arimasu ka?), what I did retain came way more in handy than I expected! Whenever I was able to get someone to understand me (or I them) it gave me a rush. (It seemed to greatly excite them, too! Telling a Japanese chef that his food was *Oishii!!* caused them to light up with such surprise and gratitude!) Being able to read Japanese signs and menus every once and awhile was great fun too, especially when I was able to help the rest of the group with my translations!
Robo-Toilet Controls
Gotta love the icons on those buttons :) I've never applied foreign language study before, so this was a first for me, and it was a ton of fun! I will definitely be continuing my studies. 😊 (I still don't know why I passed up on Japanese in High School, even when my friends were taking it! D'oh!)
The Hotel & Our First Night Out Upon finally reaching our hotel we found it to be pretty comfortable but very tiny. (The internet warned us about this, though!) We had a good time playing with all the controls for the toilet, including the bidet option that controlled a tiny plastic arm inside the toilet to extend out and shoot water all over the bathroom floor. In the words of Richard: "ROBO TOILET - ACTIVATE!"
Our first restaurant adventure took place at a tiny conveyor-belt sushi place we happened to discover on one of the active streets in Shinbashi. The place was packed, but clearly we were destined to be there as four open seats awaited right near the front of the shop (with a view of the crowded city street outside)! Three chefs worked away from in the middle of the rectangular conveyor belt system,
and dozens of small sushi-filled plates rolled by in front of us. You could grab as much as you wanted, and everything was priced the same: 150 yen a plate! (about $1.50!) Once you're finished you grab your stack and head to the counter to pay... Rich ended up with a ridiculous tower of 13 plates I believe. @_@ The Eel, tuna, and egg plates were all great... though I tried a few other gutsy attempts at mystery plates that I didn't enjoy so much. All in all a great experience, and I wish it was readily available in America. I've heard that Cali and Chandler have something similar, but I doubt the experience was quite like this quaint little place. It'd be SO great to be able to stop into something like this for a quick snack... after all, as soon as you walk in you can sit down and begin eating!! And you can just have a plate or two if you like. Doesn't that sound awesome??? Just about every single one of our dining experiences in Japan were similar to this: great food with little to no wait.
After our bellies were full we explored the
Pachinko Mania
These Pachinko parlors were EVERYWHERE. The Japanese are addicted to this crazy game. streets of Shinbashi for a bit longer, only stopping in one final building: an arcade! During our stay in Tokyo, I believe we walked through at least five different arcades, so I cannot remember the details of the first too clearly. One interesting aspect of Japanese arcades is they tend to have gambling mixed right in with the usual video games you'd expect to see. In addition to various japanese slot machines were pachinko machines of all types (the most popular being the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" themed game... which tended to be advertised with posters outside of every arcade and pachinko parlor; we assumed it was brand new). I wish I could explain here how pachinko works... but I really have no idea. Jason and I sat down at one and tried to figure it out, but had little luck. (Although he claims to understand it, I am not convinced!) It involves somehow using a small dial to manipulate tons of tiny metal balls through what resembles a pinball machine... and apparently if you do it right you keep the balls and sell them back for money. Unfortunately I didn't win a single ball... 100 yen down the drain! That's
Vending machine!
These things were all over. Contained the most delicious apple juice on the planet. (And yes, for some reason this one had a picture of Tommy Lee Jones???) gambling for you.) One final note about pachinko: It was EVERYWHERE. We saw more pachinko parlors than any other type of business, and they could even be found in traditional Kyoto (you'll hear more about Kyoto later!)
During our trek back to the hotel we stopped in a Japanese 7-11. The store was very familiar to its American counterpart, but had its own Japanese quirks here and there. For one, hentai manga and pornographic magazines were available right out on the floor alongside normal magazines rather than being hidden behind the counter. The snack selection was different as well: instead of hotdogs sitting under a heater on the counter you had delicious meat-buns, and along with the refrigerated goods was a section for sushi and various noodle lunches.
Although we spent about ten minutes in 7-11, I declined to purchase a drink... because I knew a vending machine was waiting right outside! Vending machines are EVERYWHERE in Japan, and they vary in type from drink vending machines to cigarette vending machines. Sodas, water, coffees, juices, etc can all be found in the drink machines for an average price of 100-150 yen. (about $1 - $1.50) Tyler and I
Crowded Harajuku Street
Right before it began to rain... everyone magically produced umbrellas almost immediately and it made the street a real trick to walk through. constantly purchased apple juice from these machines throughout the trip, after we discovered that they had the BEST APPLEJUICE EVER.
That night I am fairly sure we all fell unconscious the moment our heads met our pillows.
Day 2 - Harajuku The next day we returned to Shimbashi station (about a 15 minute walk or so from our hotel) and embarked for a new destination: Harajuku. One of the main attractions of the day was to be a large presence of cosplayers (people dressed in cartoon/anime/game/comic costumes) that supposedly lined the streets every Sunday... but unfortunately it rained like crazy for much of the day and none of 'em showed up (except for one retreating girl in a pink maid's outfit). We all purchased transparent umbrellas in Harajuku (and I carried that damn thing around every day for the rest of the trip as the cloudly skies constantly threatened to unleash rain at any moment... but it never rained again after the second day)
We found a market street in Harajuku that consisted mostly of fashion stores. It was interesting navigating through the tight and crowded street holding umbrellas when everyone and their dog were
Temple in Harajuku
The temple was full of people praying and surrounded by a large courtyard. A gong went off every few minutes and added a lot to the atmosphere. also carrying them. (Luckily we tended to be taller than the average Japanese person, and just held our umbrellas up higher) We discovered an absolutely delicious underground ramen joint on this street that was practically empty, and afterward passed a crepe stand with a long line of teenage girls. I grabbed one and it was awesome - banana, vanilla, and chocolate :D
Our next destination was Yoyogi Park, which wasn't so much a park as a lengthy, wide path through a pretty forest. Waiting at the end was an impressive temple where a gong periodically rang and a crowd of Japanese people prayed and offered donations. I took a moment to say a prayer for my Uncle Joe who had just passed away before the trip. He and his family were on my thoughts quite a bit throughout our time in Japan.... R.I.P. Uncle Joe, I miss you. 😞
Afterward we headed back to the station, soaking wet despite our umbrellas, and boarded the train for Shinjuku.
Day 2 - Shinjuku Shinjuku might just be my favorite part of Tokyo. It contains Yasukuni-dôri; probably Japan's most famous line-up/strip of buildings lit up at night
Foggy Skyscrapers
The rain subsided for awhile during our second day, leaving behind a think fog coating the tops of the skyscrapers. in every neon color imaginable. The movie Lost in Translation was also filmed in Shinjuku (at the Park Hyatt Hotel, which we entered briefly but didn't really have time to explore - though I'm happy to say that I officially existed in one of the same buildings that Bill Murray once did).
But I'm getting ahead of myself. It was still afternoon when we arrived at Shinjuku Station (which is the most crowded station in all of Japan - over 2 million people pass through daily!!), and our first goal was to satisfying our growing hunger for more delicious Japanese food! We entered a department store directly outside of the station called Keio and immediately were greeted by multiple high-pitched voices chanting "Irashaimassssssse!" (Welcome!) This was the first thing we heard at about 99% of the stores we entered during our stay in Japan (At one point I remember almost tripping over upon entering a mall and having four different girls assault me with the loud greeting in perfect unison!)
The department store wasn't particularly exciting or exotic, but we entered for one purpose: the quest to acquire a bento! Bento boxes are packed Japanese lunches typically sold
Enjoying my Bento
On the rooftop of the Keio building in Shinjuku. in the basement level of department stores, notable primarily because business men purchase one almost every day during their lunch break. Basically it was just something I wanted to say I did while in Japan. 😊 We made our way to the basement and boy oh boy was it crowded... I remember Jason and Richard commenting that they felt particularly tall when we pushed through that crowd. You could literally spot each of us two-to-three heads above the entirety of the crowd. ...Well, maybe only one head for me. :P
The department store basement was great, people were lining up at small counters all over the place to purchase not only packed lunches but also varieties of pastries, baked goods, and fresh meats. We each split up and grabbed some goodies, then reunited and found our way to the elevator. I can't remember which of us it was that noticed the building had roof access, but damn was it a good idea! We enjoyed our lunch atop the roof, looking out at some of Shinjuku's skyscrapers while also watching a few adorable Japanese kids play around. This spot wasn't TOO terribly exciting, but for some reason it really stuck
Child at play
Rooftop of the Keio building in Shinjuku out to me. Maybe it's because it was here that the idea popped into my head for the first time that someday I'd love to come live in Japan for a year or so. 😊
TO BE CONTINUED!!
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