It has been a while, hasn't it? Thought I had given up, didn't you? Mwahahaha I'm never leaving! The internet will never get rid of me! So, what has been going on with me? Well, I went home for Christmas and just had a relaxing and amazing time, hence the no updates. However, don't fret for I will now continue with my Tokyo trip! Also, apologies for the length due to the pictures. it's really fiddle to arrange the pictures.
Part 2: Tokyo, the first half
Now then,
where were we? Ah yes, I was hurtling
along some tracks at some godawful speed, heading for Tokyo. Well, to mirror that beginning, I am now
hurtling along some tracks at a slightly slower godawful speed to Hakone, our
next stop. Having arrived at our hotel
in Tokyo (pretty much the same as our last place) without a heated toilet seat
(oh, how thee mighty have fallen), we decided to have a quick look around the
area and get some dinner. Yup, pretty
sure we are close to the red light district.
They did not mention that in the description of the hotel. Dinner was at a small eatery, where we got
teriyaki style pork with rice and coleslaw.
Skipping to
day 6, we decided to wander to one of the main shopping areas (famous for the
lolita/goth styles and also high-brand shopping) via two of the parks. The first park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Park, was a very stylised park, covered in
sweeping lawns, ornate ponds and flower gardens but it was a pleasant
sshortcut There was also a building
donated by Taiwan which overlooked a particularly beautiful area but
ultimately, it was just a short cut.
After a quick refuel of donuts and coffee, it was time for another park.
Heading to
the second park, Yoyogi Park, we
discovered that this had been created voluntarily by Japanese people and was
now a self-regenerating forest. As such,
it was a much more natural look which was pleasant in such an urban city. Not only this but there were also two main
sights as well: the shrine and the Inner Gardens. At the temples, I even tried a tradition in which you write down your prayer and slip it into a wooden prayer box, which is then hung up on the prayer tree. Worth a shot! Finally, as we were leaving, we came across the donations of sake and wine from local businesses in hope of a prosperous year!
Finally, we ended up in the main shopping area and headed off to Harakuja street. Now then, one thing I have not mentioned is that Japanese people are generally stylish. Very stylish. However, this street puts them to shame, despite it being a somewhat alternative style. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this street is a street selling lolita and goth items; bright pink clothing; spiky leather pieces; and a variety of otherworldy outfits. And it is fashionable. At least in Japan. The street was packed with young and old trying to get the lastest fashion items, whilst munching on crepes (which I haven't tried yet), despite the prices. If I had came here a few years ago (when I dressed in clothes more interesting than jeans and a t-shirt), I would have came out looking like David Bowie and Motley Crue had had a transexual lovechild. Hell, even now I'm eyeing a jacket and maybe a t-shirt/cardigan combo...maybe a little eyeliner...some hairdye...I even found an anime store here (let's not focus on the make up).
Swiftly
moving on, we then ended up walking around the shopping area before heading
down to a place called Tower Records.
Here, I managed to find some CDs I wouldn't be able to get elsewhere
including some game soundtracks so
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO me! After I was done gloating to nobody in
particular, we headed to Shibuya
Crossing, which is one of the busiest crossings in the world. I've not been more alarmed by a wall of
humanity surging towards me since I was in a mosh pit with Matt (Fun fact: during this night, he was actually tossing my in the air in time with the music but I messed up one landing and hit the floor. Hard. Cue the girl coming up to me and blatantly flirting with me whilst ndazed. I think my actual words were 'buuuuhhhhh').
Having
survived this commuter chaos, we then wandered back to Harakuja to pick up a
quick snack that we had noticed: freshly made crisps. The straight from the fryer oven were served
to me in the chunky, ridged and salted variety with dark chocolate sauce
drizzled over them. I'll admit that I
bought these as an experiment to see what they tasted like but I was surprised
at how well the saltiness meshed with the sweetness. Think I will have to try making some at home (you've been warned, friends/fire brigade -
Ed). After this salted and sweet
pile of calories, it was back to the red light district for some ramen from a
friendly local eatery. Interestingly, I
had to order from a machine and once again got to eat at the counter as the
cooked. Bit frightening though, as
everytime somebody enters, they shout welcome despite being right next to me.
God, the
days are speeding by, aren't they (probably
not for the readers - Ed)? Day 7 is
already upon us and it is raining again.
Well, I'm nothing if not determined...so I headed out, on my lonesome,
into the thunderous rain and made my way, via the delightfully dry and warm
underground, to the Imperial Palace. This is where the current Emporor and his
family lives, so I couldn't get inside but it was still nice to see the Palace
beyond the moat and amongst the trees.
You can book a tour but I didn't attempt to, as it is in Japanese. Next up, the East Gardens which are located right next to the palace. Here,
amongst the trees, lawns and pouring rain, you can see some of the ancient
guardhouses and storages rooms that were once used by samurai. Interesting for a wander through, especially
as it free.
Having a
coffee to get out the rain, I then decided to head to the Yasukuni Shrine: a massive torii gate and shrine that was dedicated
to the all the fallen soldiers of Japan.
Here there is quite an interesting war museum that shows the Japanese
military from the samurai days, onwards.
This even includes harrowing displays and museum items of Kamikaze
planes, suicide gliders and manned torpedoes...not to mention a message written
in blood for Japanese ladies to the soldiers.
There is something haunting about a child drawing of a kamikaze
plane...Despite this, it was an interesting and honest look at Japans military
look and worth your time if you're in Tokyo.
After a quick riceball lunch, it was time to move one.
Sadly, the
rest of the afternoon was pretty much a loss.
Having trekked through torrential downpours (I was soaked at this point)
to the Craft museum, thinking I was
going to get an interesting display of traditional Japanese crafts and their
techniques, I was dissapointed to find it was a modern art gallery. A small one
at that. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed
looking at it but I was really looking forward to seeing the traditional
crafts. Oh well, I had the Science Museum up next. That couldn't go wrong, could it? Sadly, despite being described as 'for both
parents and children', it was squarely aimed at children. In fact, all the parents were sitting on
benches as the children had the time of their lives. Feeling somewhat out of place, I made a very
quick exit. Shame, as if I had been 10
years old, I would have had an amazing time.
The saving grace of the afternoon though, was my imprompt decision to
enter a shop called Book-Off. In amongst the manga and dvds, I found quite
the selections of rare collector games for stupidly cheap. I'm talking about so cheap, I had to go ask
an assistant if the prices where to buy or to rent. NEW!!!
Once I managed to drag myself out of there, it was the end of the day
and the end of the section! Quick
preview of part 3...there is nudity.
Pick of the Week
Nothing to Envy: If you're looking for something good to read, and you're interested in other cultures, pick us this part-novelisation. Exploring the true lives of 6 North Koreans living during the famines, as well as their eventual escapes, this is a captivating but harrowing read. Starting off examining their indoctrination and their love of the regime, they slowly and surely begin to realise that everything is not quite right. A well-written and suprisingly easy to read account, you will look at their lives and their innovative ways of survival and realise you are examining yours.
Music of the Week
Who to pick? Who to pick? It's hard when you aren't actually thinking of a band/singer in particular. However, in typing that sentence/delaying for time, I picked one! From Bishopbriggs, Amy McDonald - The Youth of Today
Well, for my first post in 2013, I hope it wasn't too bad! Until then, see you next week!
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