To my left is the Pacific Ocean; to my right is Mt. Fuji. Staring (or possibly sleeping, I’m not 100% sure) at me from across the aisle is a Japanese woman in her 60s wearing leather pants. I am currently trusting my life to the engineers who designed this train which is hurtling me down the east coast of Honshu at 200 mph, and all I can think is ‘Why, in our battle against global warming, has no one in the US built a rail system like this?’
For those of you just tuning into my life lets rewind a bit. This coming spring semester I will be studying abroad in Hong Kong, and before I begin my studies I am vacationing alone in Japan for two weeks exploring the country. Now back to the story.
A short two days ago I began packing, as I tend to do, at the last possible minute for several months and seasons abroad. As I was trying to pack as little as possible from my wardrobe it was effectively a gay man’s version of ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ but I eventually managed to cut my shoes down to five pairs and everything else down to what happened to be the exact weight limit for All Nippon Airways requirements.
So after a sad goodbye and much too little time at home with Portillo's I took the 13-hour flight from O’Hare to Narita. The flight consisted of 2 meals, 3 movies, 2 magazines, 1 nap, ½ of a book, 4 mini bottles of wine, and me planning out all the details of my days in Japan. With the minor set backs of the Japanese woman seated next to me (who seemed to enjoy Bloody Marys with a ton of pepper and falling asleep slumped forward leaning on me), and my accidentally tripping a small child into a face-plant in front of the whole aisle (which garnered more than a few glares) the flight was very enjoyable. I recommend ANA to anyone traveling to Japan.
I must admit that my first impression of Tokyo was very underwhelming. As my hotel was located north of the city center I arrived with my suitcase to a walk down a dreary street past what appeared to be a police raid (I later figured out I was near a police station). Yet, determined to see something more Japanese (aka bright neon, Hello Kitty, and yelling in Japanese) I hopped on the metro down to an area called Ginza for dinner. Walking out of the metro was like entering another planet. Ginza was like an upscale version of Manhattan with enough neon signs to give Vegas a run for its money. I spent the next several hours wandering around in photographic heaven, before heading back to my hotel in a jet lag/adrenaline induced haze.
For anyone who has ever ridden a metro system in the US, imagine that system on steroids connected to eight other systems Octomom style and you will have some clue as to the size and intenseness of the Tokyo metro. It is super easy to use and (like the rest of the city) has everything labeled in English. I spent the day riding it around the city (walking really isn’t an option unless you want to end up with bloody nubs for feet after the epic walk it would take to cross the city). I spent the morning at the Tsukiji Fish Market, which is essentially a giant seafood auction/market. I had an excellent brunch of eel, octopus, rice, caviar, and whale (which was delicious and undoubtedly my favorite part). Every vendor seemed to want me to sample their food, yet very few of them wanted to tell me what it was. A fact I learned to accept and embrace.
After seeing every catchable creature from the deep blue on display and still partially alive, I spent the afternoon wandering around the Imperial Gardens and visiting a ton of shrines in central Tokyo. It was a truly awesome experience wandering around the history and culture of a society, which I am so admittedly ignorant of. There was a unique sense of Place in many areas that I had never experienced before.
Feeling proud of my accomplishments for the day I gave my feet a rest by wandering through the narrow streets of Harajuku (a shopping district). I made it about a block before my credit card started taking hits. The fashion in Tokyo is incrdible. Everyone (even old people like old leather pants sitting across from me) is dressed in chic outfits that would put 99% of Americans to shame. I could not resist.
By early evening I knew I had to run back to my hotel, drop off my stuff, change, and head out for New Years celebrations. This plan didn’t work out so much. In my typical fashion I picked up a bottle of wine at 7-11 (I’m not THAT trashy but there were no apparent liquor stores around) and came back to my room at which point I took an accidental nap. Awaking just an hour and a half before midnight I was the ultimate driver of the Struggle Bus as I dragged my exhausted, jetlagged ass off my Tatami mat and mattress bed to get dressed and chug my bottle of Japanese wine. Needless to say the wine was terrible, but I had a bag of salty rice cakes (which I’m now obsessed with) and a coke to wash it down with as I ran to the metro in a race against time to get to Shibuya for the New Years.
Of course, midnight struck as I was pulling into my final station. I shared THAT special moment with three Japanese teenagers who were drunkenly waving their phones around screaming ‘Haaaaaaaappy Newa Yeahhhhh!!!!” The intersection in front of Shibuya Station is the busiest in the world, but it was totally shut down by thousands of screaming people going absolutely ape shit over the new year. It was a sight to see. Everyone from girls in kitty costumes, to naked drunk Japanese guys (who should NOT have been naked in the cold) were running around drinking, celebrating, and smashing bottles on things. A VERY excited girl even run up to me screaming ‘YES WE CAN!!!’ in an aparent reference to Obama. I eventually stumbled into a McDonalds (no surprises there) and ate a delicious drunken meal overlooking an intersection. By the time I made it back it I was beyond exhausted and collapsed onto my mat into a deep sleep.
So here I am on the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto watching the country pass me by at speeds I normally only feel comfortable traveling at on planes. I hope to keep this blog updated on a somewhat regular basis with the news and ridiculousness of my travels. Hopefully it won’t end up like every other boring study abroad blog stating the names and places of everything I see, and maybe I’ll even manage to translate some of my sass into something readable.
At any rate, I am beyond excited to begin my travels stumbling around the world. With Anthony Bordain and anyone who has ever dared to go places and do things everyone else told them was crazy as my role models I am ready to put a few miles behind me around Asia.
P.S. As I finish writing this Tokyo still does not seemed to have ended. Perhaps an urban environment stretches down the east country as I have heard, or perhaps Tokyo is just really fucking big. Either way I love it. 
No comments:
Post a Comment