Tokyo Trip (part ichi) ...

This past weekend I was in Tokyo. It was absolutely amazing. I loved every part of it (except for the lack of sleep, my heavy-for-packing-light backpack & the 34 degree Celsius weather we walked 30 miles in) and I hope to go back very soon. I have so many pictures and so many stories that this blog is most likely going to come in parts. This is part ichi, or part one.

The trip came about because two of my new friends were leaving to go back to the states (New York to be exact). Their flight left Tokyo Monday afternoon so we decided to head up on Friday and spend the weekend in the massive city. I went with my friends Melissa, Xiao, Teresa and Ashley. Melissa used to live close to Tokyo & Xiao speaks great Japanese, so I felt like I was in very good hands.

We left Friday night after we all got off work. Xiao, Melissa & I met at Okayama station to board the Shinkansen (the bullet train) at 8:30. The Shinkansen is a super fast train (traveling up to 300 km/hr or close to 200 mph) that can get me from Okayama to Tokyo in a little under three hours. Here's more information about the Shinkansen:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

We arrived in Tokyo around midnight, hailed a cab, and ventured to the area where we were staying. It was dark & relatively quiet in Asakusa (the area of the city we were staying in) and I was caught slightly off guard. I couldn't figure out why it was so quiet, but it was nice. I later found out that this part of Japan is an older, more traditional area famous for the many temples in the area. Here's more information about Asakusa:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakusa

This pictures is of Asahi Beer Tower. A modern landmark, which is the headquarter of Asahi Breweries. The 22 storied golden building is designed in a shape of a mug of beer, and the hall next to it, has a giant 'golden flame' on top. The company runs its own bar 'Asahi Annex', where you can taste the original Asakusa beer, although we were unable to go. It looked interesting - & the building is shaped like a mug of beer!

Despite the fact that it was late, we decided to head to Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple not far from our hotel. The temple was almost deserted at 1:00am, which was really peaceful. We walked through the area, took pictures, admired the architecture, and got our fortunes (a popular thing to do at temples).

To get your fortune you shake the metal can and then tip it upside down. One stick falls out with a number on it. You find the corresponding drawer, open it & remove your fortune. If you have a good fortune you keep it. If you have a unlucky fortune you are supposed to fold it & tie it to a rack to escape the bad luck. I got a good fortune. Actually I got fortune #1: Best Fortune. It says:

"The tower of cloisonne with seven treasures is standing in a stately manner upon the high summit. People look at it and praise it. Your fortune is just like this tower. When you look at it more carefully, your fortune will be more excellent.

*Your wishes will be realized. *A sick person will recover. *The person you are waiting for will come soon. *The lost article will be found but it will take a little while. *Building a new house, moving marriage, taking a trip, employment are all good. *Be careful for everything that you want to do. If you are careless, you will get hurt injured."

Xiao is demonstrating how you shake the can:

& then check your stick to find your drawer. The rack behind her is where you tie your bad fortunes.
Melissa got a bad fortune. She was not happy about it.
After spending time at the temple we stopped for noodles at a noodle shop. Here you pay for your ticket at a machine and then walk up to the counter and hand it to the cook. They call for you when it's ready. It's actually convenient & fast. Before we knew it, it was about 3:00am. We decided it was time to retire, considering we had to be up at 6:00am to head to the fish market.

Purchasing tickets for late night dinner:

It would be more helpful if the machines had picture!s!


We went back to our hotel. Our capsule hotel. I know what you're thinking, "Excuse me?" Allow me to explain. Or allow Wikipedia to explain:

"A capsule hotel (カプセルホテル, kapuseru hoteru) is a hotel system of extremely dense occupancy. Guest space is reduced in size to a modular plastic or fibreglass block roughly 2 m by 1 m by 1.25 m, providing room to sleep and little more, although facilities usually include a television and other electronic entertainment. These capsules are then grouped and stacked, two units high. Luggage is usually stored in a locker away from the capsule. Privacy is maintained by a curtain at the open end of the capsule but noise pollution can be high. Washing facilities are communal and there are often restaurants, or at least vending machines, and other entertainment facilities."

The line of capsules on our floor. The ones with the shades down were occupied.

I slept in 8002, on the bottom.

Inside there was a TV, an alarm clock, a fan & a light. None of which I could figure out how to use. I tried to turn on the fan & then a loud static came over the radio. I was convinced I woke up the whole floor, so I just went to sleep.

Xiao demonstrating exactly how much room is in a capsule. It doesn't really count though because she is super tiny.

That's about it. We slept on the 8th floor (reserved for women only). The showers were on the 9th floor, although we didn't use them. We were provided with a locker, a towel, washcloth, toothbrush, & pajamas. The capsule was tiny, but we were tired & it was cheap, plus we only needed it for about 3 hours. It was definitely an experience.

Brushing our teeth in our matching pajamas. It kind of made me feel like we were inpatients at some sort of facility.

One day down, three to go. Stay tuned.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo