Tokyo, You Rock My World... part 1
Oh me, oh my. Where to begin?! I just got back from my 5-day Tokyo trip & I must say… I don’t think my world has ever been rocked this hard.
Yes, indeed, Tokyo is all that and a bag of nori-flavored chips. All the hustle and bustle you’ve seen in the movies but so much more. I must admit that at first I thought it would just be a giant metropolis, much like Osaka, but maybe with a few more sights to see. However, I was really surprised to learn how many things actually are in Tokyo to see, other than the shopping districts (e.g. Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ginza… though, don’t get me wrong… I HEART shopping districts with mouth and I think they’re completely valid places to put down as sights to see). Whatever the case, Tokyo has totally won me over… yay Japan… kickass, Tokyo.
I did so much in 5 days that I can hardly remember it all straight! I did a few nights of staying out late so, I was running on 4-5 hours of sleep & going on strong with the sight-seeing during the days. SO, instead, I’ll list my itinerary (as much as I can remember) and comment on things. J Hopefully it will be easier to read too.
Friday: Arrive in Tokyo
· Shinkansen ride: my first time on the Japan bullet train! Yay! It was a pretty fast trip… only about 3 hours total (pretty good! To put it in perspective it takes about 3 hours to get to Kyoto via local trains from my place, and Kyoto is a lot closer to me and Tokyo). It was a nice & smooth train ride. The only downside is that it cost almost around over $200 for a round trip ticket!!! OUCH and SHOCK!
· K’s House: “Backpacker’s hostel”, opened the day before we arrived. It was so new that it still smelled like paint, the sheets were rough and the pillows like rocks. Ah, new-ness. The staff was really great though & spoke AMAZINGLY good English… beat that Keio Plaza! Met with my old buddy Emilie (friend from Hong Kong who I haven’t seen or really spoken to in 10 years!!!) and figured the game plan for the next few days. Also met with a friend who lives in Tokyo. Haven’t seen him since July when I first came! J Hurrah for seeing old friends!
· Roppongi: and area in the south east part of Tokyo. It has a pretty ‘swingin’ night scene so, after a few more people showed up at the hostel (some other Fukui JETs that we were meeting with), we all decided to hit the town for a first night out in Tokyo.
o Pub 1- Hub: we weren’t really sure where to go & people didn’t really feel up enough for clubbing (damn. L Can I never find a club crew?), so we decided to get some drinks at a this English themed bar. It’s actually a chain of bars (they have point cards and everything!) but it was still nice to just sit & chat with people.
o Arcade- it was late when we left for Roppongi (its about 45mins from where we were actually staying, in Asakusa), and later still when we came out of the bar, so since we missed the last train at 12, rather than take a cab (that would be for lame-o’s!) we decided to stay up till the trains started again at 5am. Woo Hoo! So, basically we had about 3 hours to kill and we started by taking “purikura” (shortened for “print club” or “purinto kurabu”… they’re sticker pictures). Lotsa funny & nice group pix. Yay. Oh, I also found GHOST Squad at the arcade (JOY) so I got to play a round of that (though I was on a budget so I couldn’t pass the mission I chose… regret,…sigh.).
o Champaign: WTF say you? Champagne? For what occasion? To welcome the morning light, say I! Actually I detest being up when the sun comes up… well… don’t mind being up, just detest seeing the sun rise… I always feel like I should be sleeping then. Anyway, after wondering around Roppongi and looking for a bar to chill at (I hear Tokyo’s late-up-all-night clubs & bars… many of the stay open till 5-6am! How convenient! You just party till the first train! They’ve really thought of everything)… we found a little spot on the 5th floor of a building. Somehow a round of Champaign was ordered and we had a nice morning toast. Who needs milk and cereal when you can have Champaign? Let them eat cake.
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