Tokyo and Back

A week ago today I was in Tokyo.

Well, just barely in Tokyo. I probably landed in the airport about this time. Or maybe I was sitting in the 2 hour bus ride from Narita Airport to Shinjuku. 2 hours! And here I was complaining about LA traffic. Never again. Well, at least not for this week.

As of Monday morning, I'm back in California. And as of about noon today, it's back to studying. Accounting mini-exam on Tuesday. Sigh.

And of course I opted out of Accounting class on Tuesday night. Sleeping Beauty needs her sleep. Luckily, my professor is considerate enough to record the session for our viewing delight at a later time, which would be now.

But viewing delight isn't really the best description of the stop-and-go, "please wait while we load the video" trauma for over an hour. I don't know if it's the slow internet connection at this place or just the video itself. But what I do know is that the video is pausing/loading/holding me in accounting suspense every other minute. Every. Other. Minute. And just when it couldn't possibly get any better, the video camera is now directed at the light fixtures in the ceiling. It's great. Really going to help me on the mini-exam.

But enough about my video rants. Japan was awesome! Sometimes I wish I was still there...so many more sushi restaurants and little cake cafes to explore. If I could tell you every last bit of my trip, I would. But I have a terrible memory. And no, it's not due to my recent birthday. I've just always had a non-existent memory. Does this mean I was always old?

Here are my Tokyo highlights and lowlights and strange-but-true facts. In no particular order.

Highlight #1

Recycling. The Japanese luv to recycle! And so do I! But the advanced methods of their recycling is nothing short of impressive. At each rubbish can, there is a section to empty out your excess foods/liquids and a section for combustibles and non-combustibles (yes, confusing at first, but there are pictures of qualifying items). Every time I threw away my trash, I felt like I was doing something nice for the earth. I think this is just wonderful. I wish we would do more of this here.

Lowlight #1

The lack of rubbish cans. You can more readily find 10 ramen restaurants in a 2 mile radius that you could a single rubbish can. In fact, they are so few and far between that I started carrying my own little rubbish bag with me. I later found out this is because Japanese people think that eating and drinking is meant to be done at home or in restaurants. Not on the street. Not on the train. Wouldn't want to offend anyone, I suppose. Which is tough on someone such as myself who is a chronic snacker. But when in Rome.

Highlight #2

Restaurants, restaurants and more restaurants! Unlike Irvine, Tokyo does not have a shortage of places to eat. Almost every 3rd door in our local Shinjuku area was an eating establishment of sorts. I luved it! I especially miss this. The eating possibilities were endless. And it wasn't just Japanese! There was a good amount of Italian and French and also Turkish! Doner kabobs, anyone? And the sheer volume of choices meant that the prices were super competitive which is just great when you're getting 87 yen to the dollar.

Lowlight #2

The packaging. I know the Japanese are known for their amazing gift-wrapping skills and just packaging in general when you purchase things. But what I found interesting was how they segregate the different items in your purchase. Everything needs its own bag. Case in point. I bought a box of tissues and green tea Kit-Kats at the conbini (convenience store...Japanese luv these), and rather having them both co-exist in a plastic bag, the dude proceeds to put my tissues in a little brown bag, which he taped up and then put it in another bag that contained my Kit-Kats. And it's just like this everywhere. Everything in it's on tiny bag. With a sticker. I just don't get it. I guess it's kinda like how some people will only brush their teeth in the bathroom and no place else. It's like the bathroom creates this invisible shield once the toothbrush is in your mouth. I prefer to roam. But that's just me.

Highlight #3

The friendliness. The Japanese people are just so very polite. They wait for you outside for you to arrive at company visits. And stand outside and wave to you as you drive away. The "irrashaimasse!" when you come into a restaurant and the thank you when you leave. The constant bowing. Geees, I was bowing all the time! Countless times per day. Oops! I stepped on your foot on the train! Sumimasen! (bow, bow). Oh thanks for the soba, it was yummy! (bow, bow). Thank you for helping me decipher this hopelessly complicated train map! (bow, bow). And so forth.

Lowlight #2

The hopelessly complicated train map. Or should I say, subway/light rail map...all in one. Seriously, one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. There's so many lines on this thing that they have to resort to using different shades of the same color...light green, dark green, light orange, dark orange. Subways are upstairs sometimes. It was always a small adventure when we entered Shinjuku station in the morning. First question, are we taking the light rail (JR) or the subway. Next question, which line are we taking. Next question, which platform are we on. Next question, how do we get to the platform. Next question, do we want regular or express. Seriously, pretty crazy, but I think I figured it out around day 7. Sort of.

Highlight #3

My PASMO, pronounced pah-si-mo card. It got me everywhere I needed to go. It's like a key card, but you just touch it to the reader, and it tells you your balance and you can charge it and you can use it for the subway or JR! It's great! And so smart. It knows everywhere I went. Without it, I would have to worry about buying tickets at every stop. Yay for PASMO!

Strange-but-true #1

Dudes carry purses. Oh messenger bags, you think. No, purses. Legit handbag purses. Why? What do they have in there? If only I could ask them...but...talking on the train is discouraged.

Low-light #3

The millions upon millions of people. Who said Japan has a low birth rate! Our Shinjuku Station is the busiest in Japan with 3 million people using it every day. 3 million! And I feel like I've seen every single one of them over the course of 10 days. Ever seen those crowded subways in Japan during rush hour? It's true!! No wonder they don't want you eating on the train. Especially if you're a messing eater, such as myself. Remember the Shibuya crossing scene from Lost in Translation? Also true! Swimming through people.



Strange-but-true #2

Despite the amount of people in Tokyo, it's a pretty quiet city. No one really talks, or if they do, it's very softly. For that amount of people in a small area, I would expect a lot of noise, but it's really quiet. I found this quite interesting.

Highlight #4

My homeless acquaintances. I made it a point to go on a run every morning. And every morning, I jogged past these 2 homeless guys. One guy was always up cooking something in his make-shift stove and the other was either folding up his "house" or just waking up. I liked how they made their own cardboard homes and put their shoes outside.

Highlight #5

The clothes. Japanese girls luv to dress up. All the time. Everywhere. Most were in some form of black leggings and a tiered chiffon-y skirt with ridiculously high heels or boots. And here I am in my jeans, black flats and puffy jacket. Which is sorta dressed up for me. No wonder I got a few furtive glances. And I guess I should also mention the hair. They are quite elaborate and sort of nothing-you've-ever-seen like. And although the outfits or hair are nothing that I would ever really go for, or even attempt, I feel like it worked for them.

Highlight #6

Familiar faces. Not that I saw anyone I knew. But I have never been around so many Japanese people in my entire life, and really, to see people that sort of looked like me was kind of surreal. I would see some old people that I thought looked like my grandparents or a girl that sort of looked like my sister or cousins. And although I never really thought I looked too much like a Japanese person, I did see people with my same flat nose and ridiculous ears. Quite an experience.

Strange-but-true #3

The toilets. The seats are heated! Upon first seat, I was like ohh...weird. But then, I was like ooh...nice! But the fun doesn't end there. The toilet also makes ambient water noises when you sit down...you know...to disguise the pee sounds. Again, wouldn't want to offend anyone. And you can also select something called a bidet, which I think is a fancy French word for "butt spray". It's a stream of water that shoots up at your butt. And you can choose the level of water pressure. I did not sample this feature. For obvious reasons.

Highlight #7

The food halls. Drooooooool! The food halls are the bottom two floors in most department stores, and they are just jam-packed with food vendors. Amazing food vendors. Sushi, mochi, manju, hot foods, bakery items, fruits, rice crackers...everything! We went to Mitsukoshi in Ginza, which is one of the more well-known ones, and I luved every second. All the food is very nicely displaced and decorated and soooo very appealing. It is a little "takai" expensive, but it's pretty to look it. And geees, was it crowded! My only wish is that there was a place to buy this food and sit and eat it, since you know, eating on the street is rude. But apparently, the goodies at these halls are meant to be like dinner-party presents.

Highlight #8

The counters. Everything is a little smaller in Japan, including the counter heights, and I just made me smile every time the counter was not at my chin-level.

Strange-but-true #4

Japanese people speak English, but they will tell you that they don't. In fact, I feel like sometimes, they preferred to watch me struggle in Japanese, than just answer me in English. Quite embarrassing. I understand that they may be shy and think that their English isn't really that great, but seriously, they had to know it was better than my 3-year-old level Japanese.

Highlight #9

The sets. As in food sets. Ever try ordering something al a carte in Japan? Not happening. Most things come in sets, like with a salad or side dish. I kinda liked this sampling. But sometimes I just want a hamburger at McDonalds. But I was ok with getting the fries and Coke, too.

Highlight #10

The candy. Mainly the Kit Kats. They've got tons! Green tea, custard, banana! And in mini-sizes. The story behind the Kit Kats is that "Kit Kat" sounds like the phrase you say to someone to wish them luck, as in before entrance exams. So, now it's good luck to give someone Kit Kats before their test. Cute, huh?

Strange-but-true #4

No tipping. Now, you may think this should be a highlight. And it would be. But sometimes restaurants charge you a seating charge, which is essentially a tip, except it's much more than what you would normally tip...think $5-$7/person. Yikes! And they sometimes tell you before hand. And sometimes it's a surprise.

Strange-but-true #5

The passive-ness. Just one example here: Two people going for one seat on the train. Who gets it? No one! They both abandoned the seat! Very interesting.

Lowlight #4

Spa La Qua. Long story short. You need to be naked to go in the spa. Who knew! Ok, yes we saw all the naked ladies and we were not one of them. Did it occur to us that maybe we should be as well? Yes, but hey! We're foreigners! What do we know! Should I have gone in with a makeshift bikini...read: bra with tights with the legs cut off. No. But hey! We're foreigners! 2,585 yen later we're calling Steve to take us back to Shinjuku.

Highlight #11

The amazing breakfast buffet at the Keio Plaza Hotel. So everyday for 10 days, ok maybe 8...I had the most gigantic breakfast. It was fantastic! Mini pastries...the chocolate croissant and raspberry danish were my regulars, fruits, omelettes, eggs, pancakes, waffles, cereal, yogurt, jam, juice, miso soup, okayu (rice porridge), green beans in sesame sauce. So yummy. I always opted for a Japanese style breakfast because I wanted to eat as much Japanese rice possible on this trip. It tastes better, I'm convinced. Every morning, I had a bowl of okayu with the best umeboshi (salted plum) ever and a sprinkling of nori and sesame, a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg and shoyu, green beans with sesame sauce, a bowl of melons, a chocolate croissant and a banana. Mmm...much better than my usual fat-free English muffin and Laughing Cow cheese. Reduced fat, of course.

Highlight #12

The co-existence of the old and new. As much as Tokyo is a huge and totally modern place, I must've seen little ladies in kimonos a few times a day. And little alters right in the middle of busy office buildings. And let's not forget about having huge shrines and temples right in the middle of huge cities! Like the completely beautiful Meiji Shrine in Harajuku. Which brings me to my next highlight...

Highlight #13

The Harajuku Lolitas. We waited all trip to see this array of costuming. And they did not disappoint. Though, I do wish there was more of them. But, the handful that we did see was amazing. I was a little confused to see that many of the "girls" were actually boys. But, after some clarification from some friendly Japanese girls I sat next to on the plane, these guys are dressing up as one of the fav anime girl characters. I know, still weird. But I guess all I wanted was an explanation of some kind.

Highlight #14

The pastries. Squeal! The pastries! Why is it that the pastries taste so amazing in Japan? Of all places! The croissants are exxtra flaky and buttery. And the cakes are mostly sponge and not overly sweet, and often times fruity. My fav croissants were at Choco Cro in Harajuku where they were stuffed with chocolate and other goodness. The mango-coconut-chocolate was wonderful! Another great thing...the desserts are small! So you can eat the whole thing and not feel like you're going to explode.

There is much more to say and highlight, but it's more than my 27-year old fingers can bear. As you can see, it was a totally amazing experience, and I definitely have to go back...for the croissants, if for nothing else.