Ueno Zoo and The Imperial Palace

Greetings and blah blah blah,

Traveling in Tokyo is really tiring. Before I begin the chronological explanation of my day, I'd like to share a couple random thoughts. I think I mentioned before that there are not a lot of garbage cans. Well in addition to that, there is a distinguishing lack of benches and places to sit in public. Also, there are no buttons to signal that you want to cross the street. I suppose this might be more of an urban area thing because I vaguely remember streets in San Francisco that are alike, but I haven't spent enough time in the city to really realize it, so it still struck me as odd.

Anyway, today we went to Ueno Zoo, the oldest zoo in Japan at 129 years and I believe also the biggest in terms of number of species. Two things that separate your typical American attraction from a Japanese one include: (A) Entrance fees and (B) Prices of goods inside. For example, tickets to the San Diego Zoo cost 40 USD for adults (and note adult apparently means ages 12 and up) while at the Ueno Zoo in Japan, tickets cost a mere 600 JPY, or about 7.68 USD for adults (age 16-65). A staggering gap in price, no? Ages 13-15 are a mere 200 JPY while anyone younger than that is free. As for the second difference, in America at a theme park or the like, a meal might cost near 15 or 20 dollars, while here in Japan at the zoo I can eat for about 5 USD.

Moving along, I wrote all the animals that I saw down but in retrospect I think I will only mention the ones worthwhile. As you walk into the zoo, immediately on the right is the giant panda exhibit. Japan does not own any pandas, and thus have two on loan from China since February of this year following Ling Ling's death several years ago. Later on, we discovered a Sumatran Tiger as it boasted its loudest roar. Near the tiger was a Western Lowland Gorilla area and a Asistic Lion area. We also polar bears, Asian elephants, an American Bison, a few different kinds of monkeys, penguins, armadillos, giraffes, kangaroo, and pygmy hippos. These were some of the more interesting animals, but be aware we saw many more. Another funny thing about the zoo was the sheer amount of kindergartners. I estimate that there were at least 1000 of the little scamps. Occasionally I would hear some of them say, "Sensei, Sensei! Mitai! Hora!" or "Teacher teacher, look, look!" Also, youngsters around the same age but with their mothers would say the same, except with sensei replaced with okaasan. At one time or another, one of the little kindergartners greeted my own okaasan with an English, "Hello." As we were leaving, another boy in a middle school uniform said the same to us. I think some Japanese are really eager to practice their English with real westerners. Around lunch time in the zoo, I used a vending machine that actually dropped a cup and then poured your desired drink into the cup along with ice, much like a soda machine in a fast food restaurant except entirely automatic.

Afterward, we caught the train (I've got the JR Yamanote Line down now) to Tokyo Station and navigated our way to the Imperial Palace, home of the Emperor of Japan. Construction was being done on the face of Tokyo Station, but if you google it you can see a picture of its rather nice building. There's not much to see at the Imperial Palace really. We walked for maybe a 150 yards and took a few pictures of the grounds. For obivous reasons, we weren't allowed inside. I'm going to wrap this up with some pictures, as I'm going out with Yuya tonight to an undecided location.

From Tokyo with love,
Daniel

One of two Great Pandas at Ueno Zoo.

Akihabara Electric Town and Yuya-san.

Yokoso to another edition of super happy sparkle sparkle fun time blog!

That was a made up reference to the day I just had. I begun by sending off Okaa and Oba via the Toei Asakusa Line to Asakusa, a big tourist spot where there are some more traditional sightseeing spots in Tokyo, including Shinoji Temple (I think that's what its called). I proceeded by myself to Akihabara.

I arrived at Akihabara Station around 9:40(AM). I explored for a while in about a 2 or 3 block radius of the station, so as to not lose my sense of direction. Most places didn't open until at least 10:00. I went into a few different game centers, some electronics shops, anime goods shops, and the like. Its truly amazing how these places operate. The game centers are all multi floor with at least one basement level and multiple upper levels. Different types of games are separated by floor. For example, on the second floor of one of the game centers I entered, there were prize games (similar to claw games with plushies in America). I had read before that in Japan, the employees will open the machine and move the prizes around to make it easier for you to win, and despite knowing this beforehand I still found it a bit surprising. I arranged to meet my friend Yuya at Akihabara Station at 13:30 (1:30PM) but he called and said he wouldn't be there until about 14:30 (2:30PM). So I decided to eat at a Becker's Burgers, a restaurant I had seen in multiple other locations. I got a bacon BBQ burger and seasoned fries. While I ate and pondered how to spend the next 2 hours (later 3 hours after Yuya called), I noticed a sign for a maid cafe that I read about before leaving the hotel. One with an English menu no less. Having browsed around this side street for a couple hours already, I was surprised to find out that the establishment, known as MaiDreamin, was on the 6th floor above the very sign advertising it. I wanted to go to a real maid cafe since the beginning stages of planning my trip months and months ago, so I figured this was as good a time as any.

Upon the elevator doors opening on the 6th floor, I was greeted by 3 or 4 cute girls in maid costumes. I can only assume they said something to the effect of, "welcome" but it was not what they said so much as how they said it; in unison. From the elevator, I was guided left through a hallway and explained how the process works. I was to buy at least 2 items in addition to paying an entrance fee. By now I'm sure you've guessed that this was no cheap excursion. Of course I knew that, but the entire concept of this maid cafe was so entrancing that I didn't care much. I had just eaten and wasn't particularly hungry, so I bought a pineapple juice and strawberry ice cream parfait. I was seated by Rei, who asked me to call her Rei-pon and served by Aya who I was to refer to as Aya-nyan. These two girls I spoke to the most, moreover with Aya. Aya knew basic English and we spoke a bit. When Aya brought my parfait, she said that it was already delicious, but to make it more delicious we must say something together. So she taught me this chant of sorts to say with her. I forget the first two words, but it ends with, "Moe, moe, kyuuuuu." It was quite the scene. Aya was my favorite, because we spoke the most. All the maids were pretty cute though. We spoke about my trip in Japan, where I am from, music and anime we like and I showed her and a few other maids a picture of Sake-chan, my cat as well as of Emmy, my niece. The maids worked interchangeably, all catering to everybody at different times. I also met and spoke a bit with Mako, Komachi, and Azu. When I entered originally there was only one other guy in there. He must have been a regular, because he had a member card (I received one as well) and a booklet of pictures of the maids or something similar. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the cafe, because they sell pictures of the maids, so this man had obviously been here many times before. Later, a girl who looked like an otaku of sorts came in. Then a pair of girls, and a couple, and then a few guys separately. This large man, perhaps in his late 30s or early 40s, came in about half way through my stay and I happened to see him leaving about an hour and a half later as I wandered outside. I should mention, I also bought a photo of Rei-pon with her named signed on the bottom right corner. I couldn't find one of Aya, who had become my favorite towards the end. All in all, my bill came out to a hefty ¥2950 or about 38 USD. I'd say it was worth it though, if only just this once. The experience was very rewarding; I could see how one could get addicted to it. I later saw Aya on the street outside the building advertising the cafe. I told her about my blog and wrote the URL down and gave it to her to check. Its probably doubtful that she will, but I would like to think she reads it at least once.

After all of that, I sat and waited just outside of the station for Yuya to call. While waiting, a group of school girls in uniform passed and looked my way. I caught them looking at me so I smiled and waved and in return they waved back. Shortly after some random Japanese man approached me and asked me for ¥300 for the train. After stumbling around trying to understand his broken English accent, I shook my head and he continued on his way. Not too long after, Yuya called and we met each other outside of the station. From there we got coffee (or royal milk tea in my case) and walked around a bit. We proceeded on foot to Ueno to visit a few sports shops looking for Nadeshiko Japan merchandise. Afterward, we took a brief stroll through Ueno park, and then took the subway to Asakusa. We visited the temple there and then walked to the edge of the Sumida River to get a closer look at Tokyo Sky Tree, the tallest tower in the world and the highest artificial point in Tokyo. Its twice the size of Tokyo tower. We then took the subway back to Shinagawa and after dropping some things off at the hotel, had dinner with Okaa and Oba at the Wired Cafe near our hotel.

I fear as I continue on, I include less and less detail so I will wrap things up here with some pictures and then go to sleep.

Daniel

A typical street in Akiba.

Some delightful Engrish to pass the time.

One of the upper floors of an arcade. Its really loud in here.

The sign advertising the MaiDreamin Cafe.

My strawberry bunny parfait. Super kawaii.

I snapped a picture of one of the maids (the only one whose name I didn't get) on the street.

Tokyo Sky Tree. Sugoi!

Quick Note 02

Ohayo gozaimasu,

Before going out today (11/07), I thought I'd make a short post. Today I think I will go to Akihabara electric town. A very eccentric place with many anime-related goods as well as just about every computer related product you can think of. Its a nerd's paradise.

Also, the level of beauty here is ridiculous. I guess that's probably partly my own perception, but I think many would agree. I would say 90% of the girls here are just absolutely gorgeous. I figure in America I occasionally find a girl that I like every so often, but here there are endless options. Just a thought. Will post later tonight probably.

Until then,
Daniel


P.S. Traveling with the elderly is difficult.

Harajuku Fashion

 こんばんは！

My Sunday (11/06) is not over yet, but has been well so far. Its about 17:20 (5:20PM) and I am at the hotel resting a bit. Today I awoke around 7:15 and checked the weather before taking a shower and heading to Okaa's room. I put on a neck warmer that I bought the day before in a shop connected to the hotel. Its serves the purpose of a scarf basically. Waiting for the elevator, I decided to strike up a conversation with the guy the next to me. I would say he was a 20-something. I said "Ohayo" and he replied "Ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning)  and then I showed him my shirt (see last post) and he laughed. I asked him his name in Japanese, and I think he said Kato. Then I said my name is Daniel or "Da-ni-ru" in Japanese. I said nice to meet you in Japanese after that. Then we both went down in the elevator.

After getting settled with Okaa and Oba, we went to the station and took the JR Yamanote line to Shinjuku Sta. and then transferred to Shinjuku-sanchome (metro subway) and took it to Yotsuya-sanchome. Right out of the stairway was a museum that Oba requested we go to. After perusing it for awhile, we went decided to walk back to Shinjuku Sta. but I led us in the wrong direction. We walked to Yotsuya Sta. (not to be confused with Yotsuya-sanchome) which was about 10 or 15 minutes from the museum. So I asked for directions and followed Shinjuku-dori back the opposite direction for about 2 miles (about a 35 minute walk). We then took the JR Yamanote line to Harajuku Sta. From there,  I first asked a small group of 3 how to get to Takeshita-dori, but they didn't know because they were Korean. Usually I can tell the difference easily, but I guess after being here for a few days, my senses have dulled a bit. I asked a young woman in a shop where to find Takeshita-dori, a pedestrian only street crammed with shops geared towards youth fashion (more specifically Harajuku fashion, lolita fashion, etc.). Needless to say, it was pretty incredible. On this street, there were a a fair number of Nigerians. More than 10 I would say. I can't be sure of course of this particular group, and don't consider this a judgment by any means, but Nigerians in Japan often try to scam you, much like they are known for via email spam. Maybe about 1/3 of the way down the street I found a shop that I really liked called Nudy Boy. And what do you know, the music playing in the store was a 9mm Parabellum Bullet CD. I knew just about every song and I sung along to it. The shop owner was very nice, and I spoke to him a bit. I told him that I knew the band and played him the same song that was playing in the store via my WP7. He also got a kick out of my shirt. We talked about how long my trip would last, and other small talk topics. Okaa and Oba graciously offered to buy me something, so I got a vest. It was hard to decide though, because I liked a lot of the clothes in the store. Maybe the most entertaining part of today was the just watching the reactions of people when they saw my shirt. I must have had at least 30 people either smile, chuckle, or bust up laughing after seeing it. Many of them are walking the other direction and turn to see it again. I smile and wave. This may be the first instance where I enjoyed being stared at. Just half an hour ago or so, I shared an elevator with about 6 or 7 elderly Japanese women in kimonos. When I showed them my shirt, the elevator burst with laughter. I am unsure of exactly what they said, but almost all of them said something to me individually as they left. Perhaps something along the lines of, "good luck." It was all very entertaining. Anyway, back to Harajuku. We stumbled across a soccer store and I eagerly went in. I looked around for a bit and then asked if they had Nadeshiko Japan jerseys, namely Sawa #10, but the clerk said they were sold out and hard to find just about anywhere by extension. I was disappointed, but I bought a JFA beanie instead. I love Japanese soccer, so I couldn't leave without buying something. After Takeshita-dori, we went to Yoyogi Park but seeing as it was getting dark and my travel companions were getting tired, retreated back to Harajuku Sta. and took the train back to Shinagawa. I tried calling Yuya when I was in Harajuku but he didn't answer. Later he called me, but I couldn't talk long because I was trying to navigate the station. I hope we can meet tomorrow. I have lots more to say I'm sure, but I must go to dinner now. Maybe I'll post later tonight again.

Until then,
Daniel

I took a video of this guy dancing in the hall behind us and he came over and instigated this picture.

My new favorite shop, Nudy Boy, on Takeshita-dori

The entrance to Takeshita-dori. Just beyond the arch is a sea of people.

These two girls saw my shirt and started laughing so I approached them and asked for a picture with them.

Some of the shops were in alleys and others up stair cases to the second floor of a building. I bought some gloves here.

A few examples of some of the clothes found in Takeshita-dori.

The soccer shop just outside of Takeshita-dori.

Quick Note

Before going out today, 11/6, I want to make a few points. First off, you will never have more fun using the restroom than in Japan. Toilets here have heated seats, automatic deodorizer to mask smell, can play a flushing noise to mask sound, and include both a bidet and wider area of effect spray with adjustable water pressure. I really don't want to go back to American toilets.

Here are the basic settings on a Toto Toilet.

I've yet to use one of these; thankfully I haven't been forced to.

Today we're going to Yoyogi park, Harajuku, and perhaps Shibuya and Shinjuku. There's a 60% chance of rain, from what I can gather from Japanese weather channels. I don't think it will be particularly hard though. I'm wearing my "Nihonjin Kanojo Boshu Chuu"or "Looking for Japanese Girlfriend" shirt. I might meet up with Yuya, a friend I've got to know the past two weeks via email. I don't want to say too much about today, as I will likely write about it tonight in more detail.

Until then,
Daniel

Meeting Haru-chan in Kamakura

こんにちは！

I'm going to start this one out with a pretty bold statement. I think today (11/5) will be the best day of my trip. Its probably too early to say that, but here's my reason: Today I met my friend Haruka Imai, who I originally met on a penpal site and then later became friends on Facebook. I will go more in depth when I get to that part of my day. I like to do these posts mostly chronologically.

I awoke around 5:30AM. I watched TV for a bit, because it became apparent that I was not going to fall back asleep. I saw a commercial, and I forget what it was for, but it had Nohomi Kawasumi in it. She is on the Japanese National Soccer team, Nadeshiko Japan. She helped Nadeshiko Japan win the Women's World Cup. Then I watched 3 different weather channels and they all said (or rather from the pictures it seemed as if they said) that it might rain tomorrow (11/6). I really hope it doesn't, because there is a lot that I want to do tomorrow. Uncharacteristically, I took a bath instead of a shower. When in Rome...or Japan rather. The tub is made for a smaller person than I am, so my knees were not submerged. It was nice though; the water was crystal blue.

In my complimentary yukata (bathrobe).

In the morning after we were all ready, we went to Shinagawa Station and wandered around a bit. I bought some gum and Oba bought a postcard at a convenience store. We went to a Lawson store a bit later and I was going to buy tickets to see Clammbon and a few other bands at Shibuya East, but it was sold out. I am disappointed, but its okay. We then went to the JR Ticket Office and bought tickets to go to Kamakura. Also I bought the December issue of FRUiTS Magazine in a bookstore in the station. On a completely off note, there are a disturbing lack of trash bins in Japan. They seem to be placed few and far between. Another side note: I love the way money works here. The lowest paper denomination is 1000yen, which is about $13 USD. Everything below that is in coins. Perhaps it seems inefficient as I explain it, but I can't stress enough how nice I find it. Also, everything in Japan seems to be the price listed on the product, i.e. there is no tax or additional fees. Anyway, Kamakura is about 45 minutes outside of Tokyo in the Kanagawa Prefecture. I made plans to meet my penpal/Facebook friend there. Haruka Imai, or Haru-chan, really showed us a good time. She was very helpful and she took us to a few different places in Kamakura. There 9 stops in between Shinagawa Station and Kamakura Station, and I had to stand the entire time on the way there. We only had to stand for about half the way back. Haru-chan took us through a shopping street first, and recommended we try a rice cracker called "Becchari sen" or more generically "Senbei." We then went by train to Tsurugaoka hachimanguu temple where I prayed and then Hase-dera temple. Haru-chan meant to take us to the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) but she mistakenly brought us to Hase-dera. It was nice still though because the scenery was beautiful. We went to the Great Buddha afterward and it was HUGE. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because I'm using the internet in Okaa and Oba's room and they want to go to bed soon. For more details on this day trip with Haru-chan, I recommend you read her blog post about it. Its really rather touching. The whole event was really rewarding and thus I say it might just be the highlight of this trip. On our way back to the hotel, before she transferred at Ofuna Sta., I practiced my Japanese by telling her I was 18 years old, and she was in disbelief. She was surprised and kept saying "hontou? hontou?" which means "really?." It was really funny. Follow the link below to see her post on our day trip.

http://haruharuharumyu.blogspot.com/2011/11/in-kamakura.html?showComment=1320496381012#c8728378665041785010

I have a lot more pictures that I'd like to share, but I can't upload them right now. Maybe I'll do a post with a lot of pictures and little text.

Until then,
Daniel

Haru-chan and I in the shopping street outside of Kamakura Sta.

Praying at Tsurugaoka Hachimanguu Temple.

Haru-chan and I next to the Great Buddha at Kamakura (Daibutsu).

AAAAAA

Sorry for the late post. There's an internet surcharge at our hotel, so I didn't have a chance to do this until now. I'd like to keep this concise with only a few pictures, but I know that won't end up being the case. First I will talk about yesterday (Friday the 4th).

We were at the back of the limousine bus.

The flight was okay. Okaa and Oba used the restroom about, if I had to ballpark it...250 times? I didn't get up once during the entire flight. They played a couple bad movies, but I didn't bother to watch them. On the arm of the seat you could choose between 14 different audio channels with the first couple being the movie in a few languages, and the rest being genres of music you can listen to in a radio-esque format. They even had J-pop, although it was moreover J-pop in the sense of it being "Japanese music" as it is sometimes referred to as and not necessarily actual pop music from Japan. In fact, a lot of it seemed like it catered to the older generations of Japanese, though there was a few songs I sort of enjoyed. I mostly listened to my own music on my WP7, while occasionally checking the J-pop station to see if anything good was on. I never slept while on the plane, but for maybe 10 or 20 minutes I rested with my eyes shut. There is no real comfortable way to sit in an economy seat. At sometime during the flight, I think towards the beginning, we had to fill out embarkation and disembarkation cards for customs. 

We arrived about 20 minutes early around 15:20 (3:20PM) JST after a grueling 10.5 hour flight. We proceeded through customs and purchased our limousine bus tickets (just a normal bus not a limousine; it takes you from airport to several destinations throughout Tokyo). Okaa (previously erroneously referred to as Okaachan; mom) bought the tickets and then I exchanged my USD for JPY (Japanese Yen). We had to hurry though, because the bus was scheduled to leave 5 minutes from when we bought the tickets. Above is a picture of the interior of the limousine bus. The first thing I noticed was that cars in Japan are generally nicer than in America. There are no rusty or old looking cars around. Even the cars that look older than 10 years are shiny as ever. Almost every car that passed us had an in-dash LCD screen presumably for GPS and stereo control and so on.

We arrived at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in about an hour and 15 minutes and proceeded to check in. I am in the east tower (or maybe the main tower, its really rather confusing) on the 14th floor and okaa and oba are in the...New Tower...I think...on the 25th floor. From their window I can see Tokyo Tower to the left. At night it is illuminated and quite the sight to see. After we got settled, we crossed the street and went into Wing Takanawa East, a food shopping center of sorts connected to Shinagawa Station, and I got some Yakitori and what I thought was beef skewers. The beef skewers were for okaa and oba, but they ended up actually being liver. Okaa disliked it, but Oba didn't mind much. Should I mention again that Okaa is mom and Oba is aunt? They got bento boxes for themselves. I also got an orange Fanta and mango manju. It may not have been manju actually, but that was the closest thing I can think of. I have quite a few videos so far, including this event, but I think I will post them when I get back to the USA. Less hassle that way.

My room. A mere 142 sq.ft. (Will post video later)

Afterward, we went back to the hotel, and I explored my comically small room. I explored some of the hotel shops and then went back to my room for some wholesome Japanese television. I watched Japan vs. Italy women's volleyball for a bit after flipping through the channels. And then I went to sleep around 21:30 (9:30PM). I think I'll post about today, 11/5, in another post after dinner.

Until then,
Daniel