Tuesday:
Yesterday:
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Keepin' up with the Jones'
So the past several days have been pretty jam-packed. We hiked up (part of) Mt. Fuji after a bus took us up just shy of 7,000ft. When we returned back to Tokyo we hung out in Shinjuku for a bit then hit the sack.
Yesterday we all split up to do our own thing, being the last day we were in Tokyo. John went back to Akihibara to buy some electronic goods, Evan, Linda and I went to the imperial gardens where we walked around for hours. We only walked around the east garden, as it took several hours just to get around it. The entire imperial grounds would need at least one day of non-stop walking.
Afterwards we went to Shibuya to do some last minute shopping (mostly for Linda to go back to some record shops). We had some dinner, went to a punk bar (no live music though) and then went back to the hostel around midnight to pack.
This morning was amazing - we went to the Tokyo fish market to get some fresh fish for breakfast. The size of the market would put any in the states to shame. Row upon row of fish vendors, fish heads, octopus legs, eels, squid, giant tuna... whatever you want you could easily find.
We stopped off at one of the market eateries for some fresh tuna - wow - I don't think i'll ever have fish as good again! For 1,400Yen (about $13.50) we had a giant bowl of tuna and tuna roe on rice with miso soup and pickles - a typical Japanese breakfast. So good!!!
Then it was back to the hostel to shower and check out - off to Kyoto!
The train was pretty quick, only 2 hours from Tokyo. When we got to our new hostel we were pleasantly surprised - swanky! We have a Japanese-style room, so we sleep on mats on the floor. The AC works wonderfully (not so much in Tokyo!) and the internet is much faster. Everything here is pretty hi-tech.
We walked around the city for the remainder of the day, getting acquainted with our new neighborhood (for the next 2 days) and surrounding areas. We went to Gion, the Geisha district first. VERY touristy, "Gaishen" as they say here (it means "foreigner"). We've actually learned some pretty useful Japanese words so it's getting easier to order in restaurants and ask for directions.
We went to one of the famous theaters to see some traditional Japanese theater and music. It started out with a tea ceremony which I was picked to be in! I got to eat some tea cakes (sweet wafers) and was served freshly made green tea by a Geisha. We saw a puppet show, dancing, comedic play and some flower arranging. Really beautiful!
We left Gion to walk around downtown. Let me tell you - after Tokyo, nothing will ever be as big or bright. Downtown Kyoto looks like a watered-down Shinjuku.
Kyoto has a overwhelming amount of shrines and temples, and it's easy to get so called "temple-fatigue". We've picked 4 that we really want to check out, so we plan to rent some bicycles tomorrow and explore.
I can't upload any pictures right now, but rest assured, they will come soon!
For now, we're off to bed!
Yesterday we all split up to do our own thing, being the last day we were in Tokyo. John went back to Akihibara to buy some electronic goods, Evan, Linda and I went to the imperial gardens where we walked around for hours. We only walked around the east garden, as it took several hours just to get around it. The entire imperial grounds would need at least one day of non-stop walking.
Afterwards we went to Shibuya to do some last minute shopping (mostly for Linda to go back to some record shops). We had some dinner, went to a punk bar (no live music though) and then went back to the hostel around midnight to pack.
This morning was amazing - we went to the Tokyo fish market to get some fresh fish for breakfast. The size of the market would put any in the states to shame. Row upon row of fish vendors, fish heads, octopus legs, eels, squid, giant tuna... whatever you want you could easily find.
We stopped off at one of the market eateries for some fresh tuna - wow - I don't think i'll ever have fish as good again! For 1,400Yen (about $13.50) we had a giant bowl of tuna and tuna roe on rice with miso soup and pickles - a typical Japanese breakfast. So good!!!
Then it was back to the hostel to shower and check out - off to Kyoto!
The train was pretty quick, only 2 hours from Tokyo. When we got to our new hostel we were pleasantly surprised - swanky! We have a Japanese-style room, so we sleep on mats on the floor. The AC works wonderfully (not so much in Tokyo!) and the internet is much faster. Everything here is pretty hi-tech.
We walked around the city for the remainder of the day, getting acquainted with our new neighborhood (for the next 2 days) and surrounding areas. We went to Gion, the Geisha district first. VERY touristy, "Gaishen" as they say here (it means "foreigner"). We've actually learned some pretty useful Japanese words so it's getting easier to order in restaurants and ask for directions.
We went to one of the famous theaters to see some traditional Japanese theater and music. It started out with a tea ceremony which I was picked to be in! I got to eat some tea cakes (sweet wafers) and was served freshly made green tea by a Geisha. We saw a puppet show, dancing, comedic play and some flower arranging. Really beautiful!
We left Gion to walk around downtown. Let me tell you - after Tokyo, nothing will ever be as big or bright. Downtown Kyoto looks like a watered-down Shinjuku.
Kyoto has a overwhelming amount of shrines and temples, and it's easy to get so called "temple-fatigue". We've picked 4 that we really want to check out, so we plan to rent some bicycles tomorrow and explore.
I can't upload any pictures right now, but rest assured, they will come soon!
For now, we're off to bed!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Lost in Kyoto
Tomorrow we head to the fish market eaaaaarly in the morning so no long post tonight. We went to the imperial palace gardens and walked around for a few hours today. It was beautiful - like a well manicured central park. We also went back to Shibuya to try and see some live music. No luck again, but John managed to score some tickets to the big annual Tokyo music festival in August.
No energy for pictures right now, except these two...
Danny attacks Tokyo!!! ...And Mt. Fuji!!!
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
No energy for pictures right now, except these two...
Danny attacks Tokyo!!! ...And Mt. Fuji!!!
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
LINDA'S CORNER - Always Remember Your Sweater
...and that was the day the four lads climbed Mt. Fuji.
We started our day with a lovely breakfast at Denny's. Yes, there is a Denny's in Tokyo. I'm not sure I've even been to a Denny's in the states so I didn't think my first time eating at this little breakfast diner joint would be in Asia. But this is not your typical American Denny's. In Tokyo, they serve rice with your eggs, salad with your pancakes, and beer with your coffee. yummmmmmmmm. The hash browns were pretty good to boot! Oh, and 50% of the customers at Denny's were...white. heh.
So after that we got on the train which we took to another train which we took to a bus that took us to another smaller bus that took us thousands of feet up the biggest mountain in Japan. Mount Fuji is beautiful. The view was incredible. I kept reminding myself of my surroundings and finding it pretty hard to believe. Laura took a million pictures--"Look at the tree! Look at the mountain" (to be said in a Long Island accent) and Evan looked longingly towards the top of the mountain, wishing he could run up the trails "If Bill were here, he'd run down to the bottom". Many people passed us with friendly smiles, all of them heading for the top I suppose. I forgot to bring a sweater and after letting out my usual "I'm cooooold" whine, resorted to buying a silly I LOVE MT FUJI sweater at the gift store. Now my memory of this beautiful place will be in the form of some photos capturing me looking like a dufus in a silly tourist shirt. oh well!
After we were totally bored with Mount....what was is called? We hopped back on the small bus to the larger bus to the train to Shinjuku. We had dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant that was filled with business people. Our waiter spoke a little English, but apparantly not enough to understand our orders. The food took forrrever to come out and mine was completely forgotten. The waiter didn't understand my vegetarian request, and so I asked him to bring out his choice. After waiting another 10 minutes, I was brought a plate the size of a coffee dish with a couple of vegetables on it. My heart sunk. I was so very hungry and this was all I was getting. It's not easy being veg in Japan. But luckily I was brought a bowl of rice shortly after we asked for the check and all was well. The language barrier can be frustrating sometimes, but I think we are getting better and better as the days go by.
After dinner we tried finding a few music venues that we read about in Laura's Tokyo guide but failed to find any. We walked around a bit which was fun anyways because Shinjuku is quite alive at night. Most of the streets are bright with neon signs and flashing lights from the bottom of buildings all the way to the top. After looking around a bit, we opted for karaoke and sang away to the most awesomely terrible American music we could think of. If I were standing outside I would have thought Axl Rose were in that room, with the way Buzon was hitting all the crazy high notes of Paradise City! Subway lines stop running at midnight, so we left the karaoke place at 11 and headed back to the hostel. I think this is the latest we've gone to bed since we've been here, so maybe I'll actually be able to sleep past 6:30! Tomorrow is our last day in Tokyo, so we'll see what happens!!
We started our day with a lovely breakfast at Denny's. Yes, there is a Denny's in Tokyo. I'm not sure I've even been to a Denny's in the states so I didn't think my first time eating at this little breakfast diner joint would be in Asia. But this is not your typical American Denny's. In Tokyo, they serve rice with your eggs, salad with your pancakes, and beer with your coffee. yummmmmmmmm. The hash browns were pretty good to boot! Oh, and 50% of the customers at Denny's were...white. heh.
So after that we got on the train which we took to another train which we took to a bus that took us to another smaller bus that took us thousands of feet up the biggest mountain in Japan. Mount Fuji is beautiful. The view was incredible. I kept reminding myself of my surroundings and finding it pretty hard to believe. Laura took a million pictures--"Look at the tree! Look at the mountain" (to be said in a Long Island accent) and Evan looked longingly towards the top of the mountain, wishing he could run up the trails "If Bill were here, he'd run down to the bottom". Many people passed us with friendly smiles, all of them heading for the top I suppose. I forgot to bring a sweater and after letting out my usual "I'm cooooold" whine, resorted to buying a silly I LOVE MT FUJI sweater at the gift store. Now my memory of this beautiful place will be in the form of some photos capturing me looking like a dufus in a silly tourist shirt. oh well!
After we were totally bored with Mount....what was is called? We hopped back on the small bus to the larger bus to the train to Shinjuku. We had dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant that was filled with business people. Our waiter spoke a little English, but apparantly not enough to understand our orders. The food took forrrever to come out and mine was completely forgotten. The waiter didn't understand my vegetarian request, and so I asked him to bring out his choice. After waiting another 10 minutes, I was brought a plate the size of a coffee dish with a couple of vegetables on it. My heart sunk. I was so very hungry and this was all I was getting. It's not easy being veg in Japan. But luckily I was brought a bowl of rice shortly after we asked for the check and all was well. The language barrier can be frustrating sometimes, but I think we are getting better and better as the days go by.
After dinner we tried finding a few music venues that we read about in Laura's Tokyo guide but failed to find any. We walked around a bit which was fun anyways because Shinjuku is quite alive at night. Most of the streets are bright with neon signs and flashing lights from the bottom of buildings all the way to the top. After looking around a bit, we opted for karaoke and sang away to the most awesomely terrible American music we could think of. If I were standing outside I would have thought Axl Rose were in that room, with the way Buzon was hitting all the crazy high notes of Paradise City! Subway lines stop running at midnight, so we left the karaoke place at 11 and headed back to the hostel. I think this is the latest we've gone to bed since we've been here, so maybe I'll actually be able to sleep past 6:30! Tomorrow is our last day in Tokyo, so we'll see what happens!!
Monday, July 28, 2008
From the Foreign Affairs Desk
Observations from the field:
1. Bling on your cellphone is an absolute must. There are sections in department stores dedicated to this purpose... I knew I brought my iPhone with me for a reason other than telling time.
2. Ordering Kosher meals on an Korean Airlines flight is a poor choice of meals, as Evan will attest: "It sounded like a good idea." (NOTE: Evan is not Jewish... more to come on this subject later)
3. Upon leaving the airport, you have a one in four chance of suffering from sudden illness that will compel you to get off the train you should have stayed on to get to your stated destination, thus resulting in the rude awakening that a vast majority of the population here do not understand you.
4. I cannot go more than four rounds on Tekken 4 without getting my ass handed to me by the adolescent sitting two stations down from me, however, my Gundam skills are hot, hot, hot. And I have a pilot card to prove it. Word.
There are a great many things to discuss, dear reader. I would like to review a few of the things that I have learned in the land of the rising sun. Foremost, is that the sun is hot. Very hot. And humid. If the humidity here was a sumo wrestler, it would be sitting directly on my head. Living in the lofty climate Los Angeles for a scant six months has thinned my blood just enough that a glaze of sweat is my new universal constant. Our saving grace is that half the time in our wandering about this megatropolis is spent in the byzantine labyrinth of buildings and shops that are gloriously cooled by an underground complex of Godzilla size ice cubes. Not really, buy that's what it feels like after coming in from outside. Then it's up, up, up, that's the name of the game here ladies and gentleman. I cannot emphasize this point enough. Though the skyline isn't dominated by a creshendo of steadily rising skyscrapers as we see in American cities like Chicago or New York, Tokyo is a consistent plateau of elegant, elaborate and downright eerie buildings.
Hand in hand with the layout of the city is it's inhabitants. The balance between order and chaos hangs on a thread. The massive intersections of Shibuya can only be described as metallic ballet, as five, six, sometimes seven streets come together in this seemingly infinite matrix of by-ways. But the average pedestrian is entirely left out of this equation of traffic control, as I firmly believe this city is the most walk and bike friendly place I have been to yet. So many people. So. Many. Fucking. People. My mind is boggled... in the best way possible. Yet my proximity alarm hasn't gone off once. Standing on the corner of what best be described as the largest crosswalk I have seen, surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of people, I feel safe. All my experience of a traveler has been turned on it's head by the nature and means of this place. I can only describe it as this: take the winding side streets of Amsterdam, cover every square inch with the lights and signs of Las Vegas and then apply all of that to a city ten times the size of New York, and you basically have the look and feel of the busier city centers in Tokyo proper. The subway system is impeccable, though equally as complex. The people of Japan, as I am starting to see, have a distinct ability to multi-task in a way that I have never encountered. I say this since I fancy myself to be a person of the world, having lived in many cities... but nothing can convey the utterly overwhelming sensory overload I get when I step off the train platform and dive headfirst into another spectacular explosion of city life, here, the center of all things.
Last night, while Linda gleefully sorts through the vinyl and disc selections of RECOfan, Laura perusing vintage bass guitars, and Evan doing.... whatever it is Evan does.... I went for a walk. I didn't really care if I stood out completely with the word "Tourist" since my mouth was agape as I stared in awe at the layer upon layer of shops, eats, games and other infinite distractions that were at my fingertips. Or maybe it's the fact that I stand almost a foot taller than just about everyone here. Including Evan. But he's just runty, not Japanese. It just never ends, the sheer scale of it all here. A new level of amazement has been achieved. Five points for Buzon.
It raises the bar of what to expect out of a city, of how things should work in a place where space is a premium more cherished than gold bars. What drives the point home is that I write this from our hostel room, which is two bunk beds in a room approximately the size of my sister's walk-in closet.
So far so good. No injuries, no arrests. Good food and drink in the company of what can only be described as the most hospitable people on the face of the planet... regardless if they understand me or not.
"San biru!"
upcoming reports:
"The paradox of being a vegetarian in Japan"
"Evan is not Jewish, and I will remind him of that every day"
"Japan loves meat, hence, I love Japan"
1. Bling on your cellphone is an absolute must. There are sections in department stores dedicated to this purpose... I knew I brought my iPhone with me for a reason other than telling time.
2. Ordering Kosher meals on an Korean Airlines flight is a poor choice of meals, as Evan will attest: "It sounded like a good idea." (NOTE: Evan is not Jewish... more to come on this subject later)
3. Upon leaving the airport, you have a one in four chance of suffering from sudden illness that will compel you to get off the train you should have stayed on to get to your stated destination, thus resulting in the rude awakening that a vast majority of the population here do not understand you.
4. I cannot go more than four rounds on Tekken 4 without getting my ass handed to me by the adolescent sitting two stations down from me, however, my Gundam skills are hot, hot, hot. And I have a pilot card to prove it. Word.
There are a great many things to discuss, dear reader. I would like to review a few of the things that I have learned in the land of the rising sun. Foremost, is that the sun is hot. Very hot. And humid. If the humidity here was a sumo wrestler, it would be sitting directly on my head. Living in the lofty climate Los Angeles for a scant six months has thinned my blood just enough that a glaze of sweat is my new universal constant. Our saving grace is that half the time in our wandering about this megatropolis is spent in the byzantine labyrinth of buildings and shops that are gloriously cooled by an underground complex of Godzilla size ice cubes. Not really, buy that's what it feels like after coming in from outside. Then it's up, up, up, that's the name of the game here ladies and gentleman. I cannot emphasize this point enough. Though the skyline isn't dominated by a creshendo of steadily rising skyscrapers as we see in American cities like Chicago or New York, Tokyo is a consistent plateau of elegant, elaborate and downright eerie buildings.
Hand in hand with the layout of the city is it's inhabitants. The balance between order and chaos hangs on a thread. The massive intersections of Shibuya can only be described as metallic ballet, as five, six, sometimes seven streets come together in this seemingly infinite matrix of by-ways. But the average pedestrian is entirely left out of this equation of traffic control, as I firmly believe this city is the most walk and bike friendly place I have been to yet. So many people. So. Many. Fucking. People. My mind is boggled... in the best way possible. Yet my proximity alarm hasn't gone off once. Standing on the corner of what best be described as the largest crosswalk I have seen, surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of people, I feel safe. All my experience of a traveler has been turned on it's head by the nature and means of this place. I can only describe it as this: take the winding side streets of Amsterdam, cover every square inch with the lights and signs of Las Vegas and then apply all of that to a city ten times the size of New York, and you basically have the look and feel of the busier city centers in Tokyo proper. The subway system is impeccable, though equally as complex. The people of Japan, as I am starting to see, have a distinct ability to multi-task in a way that I have never encountered. I say this since I fancy myself to be a person of the world, having lived in many cities... but nothing can convey the utterly overwhelming sensory overload I get when I step off the train platform and dive headfirst into another spectacular explosion of city life, here, the center of all things.
Last night, while Linda gleefully sorts through the vinyl and disc selections of RECOfan, Laura perusing vintage bass guitars, and Evan doing.... whatever it is Evan does.... I went for a walk. I didn't really care if I stood out completely with the word "Tourist" since my mouth was agape as I stared in awe at the layer upon layer of shops, eats, games and other infinite distractions that were at my fingertips. Or maybe it's the fact that I stand almost a foot taller than just about everyone here. Including Evan. But he's just runty, not Japanese. It just never ends, the sheer scale of it all here. A new level of amazement has been achieved. Five points for Buzon.
It raises the bar of what to expect out of a city, of how things should work in a place where space is a premium more cherished than gold bars. What drives the point home is that I write this from our hostel room, which is two bunk beds in a room approximately the size of my sister's walk-in closet.
So far so good. No injuries, no arrests. Good food and drink in the company of what can only be described as the most hospitable people on the face of the planet... regardless if they understand me or not.
"San biru!"
upcoming reports:
"The paradox of being a vegetarian in Japan"
"Evan is not Jewish, and I will remind him of that every day"
"Japan loves meat, hence, I love Japan"
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Can you take me to funky town?
Today we went to Togo Shrine which has one of the more well known flea markets. Tokyo has some great flea markets every week; individual markets run at different times of the month, so you can usually fine one or two to visit during your stay. Togo Shrine flea market runs every 1st and 4th Sunday of the month - unfortunately it didn't run today! :(
But! It was ok because we went to Hirajuku!!! :D
Hirajuku is like the St. Marks st of NYC, just way bigger and way cooler! There were some AMAZING clothing stores so I was definitely in my element! (We won't discuss how many bags I left with :) ) Most people here where clothing with english words on them, and it's pretty funny to see what some of them say... like "get back dad"! haha
Evan, Linda and I shared this great dessert while shopping: a crepe, topped with whatever topping you choose (we had whipped cream, strawberries and cheesecake), rolled up into a cone like ice cream! It was deeeeeeeeeeelicious!
After all that shopping we went looking for some real food and took the train over to the Shibuya district. One great thing about Japanese restaurants is that they all have fake dishes outside the restaurants to show what foods they serve. Unlike Japanese restaurants in America, these restaurants have specialties, so certain restaurants will serve only sushi, while others will serve noodles like Udon and Soba, and others Tempura, etc.
Also, I used my first Japanese-style toilet today... it's just a hole on the floor that you squat over!
Shibuya has some great music stores, so we stopped by RECOfan, a store one of Linda's friends said we should check out. I'll let her tell you more about that.
I picked out some Japanese band's records to check out. Hopefully they'll be good!
I left a little present behind, if you can catch it in one of the photos... ;)
Anyhow, We just got back from the bar downstairs next to our hostel. We met some people and had a few drinks. Now it's time for bed. :)
But! It was ok because we went to Hirajuku!!! :D
Hirajuku is like the St. Marks st of NYC, just way bigger and way cooler! There were some AMAZING clothing stores so I was definitely in my element! (We won't discuss how many bags I left with :) ) Most people here where clothing with english words on them, and it's pretty funny to see what some of them say... like "get back dad"! haha
Evan, Linda and I shared this great dessert while shopping: a crepe, topped with whatever topping you choose (we had whipped cream, strawberries and cheesecake), rolled up into a cone like ice cream! It was deeeeeeeeeeelicious!
After all that shopping we went looking for some real food and took the train over to the Shibuya district. One great thing about Japanese restaurants is that they all have fake dishes outside the restaurants to show what foods they serve. Unlike Japanese restaurants in America, these restaurants have specialties, so certain restaurants will serve only sushi, while others will serve noodles like Udon and Soba, and others Tempura, etc.
Also, I used my first Japanese-style toilet today... it's just a hole on the floor that you squat over!
Shibuya has some great music stores, so we stopped by RECOfan, a store one of Linda's friends said we should check out. I'll let her tell you more about that.
I picked out some Japanese band's records to check out. Hopefully they'll be good!
I left a little present behind, if you can catch it in one of the photos... ;)
Anyhow, We just got back from the bar downstairs next to our hostel. We met some people and had a few drinks. Now it's time for bed. :)
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