Hello folks!
I'm back from the big city of Tokyo with my wallet considerably lighter, my closet a little bit more full, and a whole lot of amazing stories! I had a fabulous time exploring and hanging out with some of the coolest people I know. I'm a little sad to be back in Hikone. Classes have started back up and studying now has to become a priority. The holiday was a wonderful chance to get away and recharge. I have a long semester ahead of me and I'm going to need the energy.
The Tokyo Journey began on Friday afternoon following classes. Joelle and I, along with four other friends from JCMU, opted to take the Shinkansen up to Tokyo. The Shinkansen, also know in English as "Bullet Train", is a high-speed train that links most of the major cities throughout Japan. It can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h!! The trip took us about 2 hours on the Shinkansen versus the 6 or more it would have taken us on the overnight bus. Joelle and I had arranged to meet with our friend Bryan at the train station, but due to miscommunication we had a difficult time finding each other. Eventually we were able to page him over the intercom system and met up with him.
Shinkansen Leaving the Station
Friday night we hung out in the area that Bryan lives, Shimokitazawa. This was probably one of the coolest places that I have ever been, and I never would have known to visit it. I don't know how to describe it, except as a microcosm of the big city. Everything was hustling and bustling, but it still had the cozy atmosphere of a smaller town or neighborhood. After dropping our things off at Bryan's place (Bryan's parents were extremely kind and offered to put up our JCMU friends as well, something that neither we nor they expected. It was so nice of them!) we went out to dinner and explored the town.
Shimokitazawa
Saturday we took the train into Shibuya and explored the area. There were a lot of nifty shops and tons of hustle and bustle. Among the things that we saw were the Starbucks that appears in Lost in Translation, the Shibuya intersection that appears in the ending scene of Battle Royal, a statue of
Hachiko, and many amazing stores and restaurants. Later that night we ended up going to a really nifty bar in Roppongi, an area of Tokyo known for clubs and nightlife. We didn't spend much time exploring the area because Bryan already knew of an awesome place to go, Bauhaus. This bar contained a band that performed some of the most amazing classic rock covers that I have ever heard. Considering that they speak absolutely no English, this is no mean feat! They were amazing musicians and their song selections were top notch.
A famous intersection in Shibuya.
On Sunday we ventured into
Harajuku, an area known for it's shopping. Joelle and I split off from the group and did some shopping of our own. We met up with everyone else later visit Meiji Shrine, which is located within walking distance of the street that contained most of the stores. I had heard of Harajuku prior to visiting Japan because it is famous for the presence of cosplayers and amazing Japanese fashion, so it was exciting to explore what it had to offer.
Crowds of people in Harajuku! Attempting to walk the distance of a block took us about 30 minutes!
Monday we went to
Kichijoji, another area of Tokyo, where we explored for a few hours and ate lunch at my new favorite restaurant, Samarat's. This authentic Indian restaurant served two different types of curry (of your choice) and all you can eat naan and rice for a little under $10. This is an amazing deal, considering the amount of food you receive and HOW AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS it is. I'm not kidding. SO GOOD! (All of the food we ate on the trip was very oisii (tasty), I'm just in love with this restaurant. Don't mind me, haha.) Later, Joelle and I explored
Asakusa a bit. It was a bit dark so I'm not sure what all we saw, but it was very enjoyable none-the-less!
Tuesday was our last full day in Tokyo, so we made the most of it and visited Ginza and
Akihabara. Akihabara is known for selling amazing amounts of anime, manga, electronics, and other otaku goods. It was pretty much anime heaven. I saw a few cosplayers in Akihabara, but not as many as I saw in Harajuku. We also ran into a few of our fellow JCMU classmates in the midst of finding good deals on electronic goods.
Maid Outfits for Sale in Akihabara
Another interesting phenomenon we saw in Akihabara was the large number of Maid Cafes. I highly doubt that this type of establishemnt will ever catch on in the states. It is a completely innocent practice in which all of the waitresses are dressed up as maids. They serve you adorable food and play games with you, all for a small price. They are in no way hostesses and while in the cafe you are required to follow a specific set of rules. At first they don't sound all that complex. Each customer is required to pay an hourly rate to sit in the restaurant and must buy at least one item off of the menu. If a customer wants the maids to interact with them an extra fee is added on. The extra money might get you one of a few games or a song, decided by the roll of a dice. These cafes are immensely popular in Tokyo; Akihabara especially. Maids lined the streets handing out flyers for their cafes, which seemed to appear out of the woodwork on the forth floor of every single building!
On Wednesday we packed up and got ready to take the Shinkansen back to Hikone. It was a long and busy trip. I had a blast and I hope to go back to Tokyo for an extended period of time in the future. It was great hanging out with Joelle, Bryan, and the guys from JCMU. Hopefully the rest of the semester will turn out to be just as much fun!!
Conveyor Belt Sushi in Shibuya
