Tempest7: Blogger

Goodbye Japan - Last Day

My trip has been amazing. This has been the best trip yet for me. I was trying to give updates while I was on the road but as my schedule became busier it became nearly impossible to keep up. I think the only way to summarize things is in segments. I'll begin with Kyoto.

Kyoto

I was hoping to spend two days in Kyoto which is not nearly enough time to do it justice. My impression was that Kyoto was a small old town full of shrines and temples. Actually the town is full of life and has possibly the most beautiful views of Japan's cities. I basically went in to drop off my luggage and Takeshi and I came right back out to Osaka to have dinner with Yoshiro, Yuki, and Yoshiro's friend who works at one of the hotels in Kyoto. The feeling was amazing seeing them again. We shared a lot of memories of Toronto and it was nice to joke and reminisce about old times. The next day Takeshi gave me a tour of one of the temples. The scene was just beautiful, the Temple is a real money making machine. I paid another 100 yen for my fortune and I picked up "Kyo" again for the second time. I guess in a sense I'm really lucky. Takeshi had a full schedule but we ended up meeting two girls under a sakura tree and going to Starbucks.

Tokyo

The adventures just started apparently. As soon as I got back in I had a bit to trouble figuring out the system to get back to Akira's place. I wandered around Waseda for a bit and managed to find a couple of bookstores. Akira is pretty busy and I ended up trying to find something to do, based on Akira's recommendation, in Shinjuku.

Shinjuku

My first adventure in Shinjuku wasn't very nice. Actually I've never been so scared in my life traveling. I think it was because I was totally caught off guard; Japan really is one of the nicest and safest places to travel. For example, Sai lost his camera in the airport limo on his way to the hotel. From my friend's previous experiences I had a good feeling he could find it again easily. He picked it up the next day at the front desk. When I went to Shinjuku that night for my first time I ended up wandering into the red light district. I was taking pictures of all the lights and scenes when what appeared to be someone of African descent approached me yelling at me and demanding to see my camera. He claims that I took his picture. I've heard of this kind of prank before and I was betting either he wants to mug me or he's just trying to extort me. It was a bit chilly so he kept putting his hands into his pockets every time he talked to me. I totally expected him to pull out a knife the situation was really tense.

Though I was quite shaken my first time I knew it doesn't represent the typical population. Unfortunately for Japan usually the foreigners bring all the trouble to the country. I've been back to Shinjuku on a number of occasions, especially for shopping. My last day in Japan was when I did crazy shopping running around trying to get everything I need for everyone. I don't mind though, my friends know that if I can help them out I totally will.

Sai, Noel, Akira, and I even had our own Hanami in Shinjuku Gyoen Park. We bought some lunch at the basement of a nearby department store and headed over to the park. It was a bit weird though since they were checking people at the door for alcohol but nearly everyone inside had alcohol openly sitting on their mats.

Harajuku / Aoyama

This was a great place to be. I went back to Harajuku like three times. There are large Black and Blue label Burberry stores there. I ended up buying something for myself and a birthday present for a friend who got me a really nice gift for my birthday. Aoyama is an interesting place with many high fashion stores located in what seems to be old residential houses. I have to admit the girls in Harajuku and Aoyama are quite stylish and I caught my self smiling more than once. I even deliberately stopped a pair for directions to Harajuku station. The gang met up with Tomoka here on a number of occasions and she found a great cafe for us to chill in on Sunday when it was pouring rain. We didn't get to go out to see much but I had a lot of fun, We had met up with Stephanie, her boyfriend, and some of her kendo friends down in Asakusa earlier. We had about 9 people at the cafe in total and it really tested my new found Japanese language skills talking with Akira's friend and Haruko.

Asakusa

The home of a famous temple where I picked up my first "kyo" fortune. We ended up going back for the Cherry Blossom festival with Stephanie afterwards and I bought a few souveniors for friends.I picked up a Yukata for myself. If you want to see temples in Tokyo this is the place to go.

Ueno

I had some time in the morning on Sai's arrival date so I ended up in Ueno. The scene was beautiful; I have wanted to see the sakura and hanami in Ueno park for a long time. Even though it was cold, I feel sorry for the couples in the row boats out on the lake, the scene was breath taking. If you're in Japan early spring when the sakura bloom make sure you drop by, but do it on a weekday when it isn't so busy unless you want to go people watching.

Roppongi Hills

I was actually a little disappointed going to Roppongi Hills. I was expecting rows of boutiques and expensive brand shops. I guess they are probably in Ginza but I didn't get a chance to go down there. Roppongi Hills certainly was luxurious though.

Shibuya

Shibuya is just another busy place. Maybe a bit less crowded then Shinjuku but almost the same feeling. I met up with Dan and we saw the cross outside of the Shibuya JR Station. There's a nice view from the Starbucks on the 2nd floor. Aside from that I only really remember department stores. There are plenty of those in Japan.

Tsukiji

The fish market is a must see. The fresh seafood, though not cheap, was one of the tastiest that I've ever had. The only time I've had a similar experience was in Seattle. I actually went twice, once with Sai, Akira, and Noel. The other time I was suppose to meet up with Dan to go but I was late. Waiting outside the station I ran into Stephanie’s boyfriend, what are the chances of running into people in Tokyo? The second shop I had sushi in had an hour lineup. But the people inside were so friendly and I had a nice conversation with everyone sitting at the counter.

Conclusion

Japan feels like Canada to me. Maybe it is because I met up with so many friends from Canada there. The Japanese are great when it comes to respect and the girls are above average in terms of fashionable. I was surprise that the Transportation was so complicated and not efficient but the system is bigger and a lot older than Hong Kong's. They've been promoting the Suica card system for the JR line which is similar to HK's Octopus card.

I miss my friends already, I would seriously consider going back to Japan to work and live but it also conflicts with that I eventually want to do in life. Is it time to grow up or can I still enjoy a bit more of my life?

Thank so you much to the Japanese crew; Yoji and his family, Yoshiro and his family, Takashi, Yuki, Akira, Tomoka. Thank you to Steph and her friends. Thanks to Sai, Noel, and Dan for meeting up with me in Japan. I want to wish the best of luck to everyone. I hope I can come back soon.

Labels: Travel

posted by Tempest7 @ 08:48