The City that Never Stops

So I have been terribly remiss in keeping up with this blog, and I send my apologies. We've done so much running around that, by the time we get home in the evening, I am usually too tired to do anything but collapse onto the floor...not to mention the frustration inherent in typing on Japanese keyboards.

In any case, we are all alive and well, and just arrived in Nagasaki. Tokyo seems so long ago, but I will try to cover it in this posting, and Kyoto in another one very soon. Tokyo is big, and that is a terrible understatement. It's somewhat like combining most major cities in the US into one, as every part of Tokyo exudes its own distinct personality. We tried to cover it systematically, neighborhood by neighborhood, in order to accomplish as much as possible. It is the first city I've ever visited that I don't feel like I can say I have a grasp on after 4 days...it's just that massive.

We began our whirlwind tour of Tokyo in the north, near our hostel. Our first morning in Japan was spent visiting the most visited temple in Japan. My jet-lagged bleary eyes quickly came to life upon first sight of our first torii gate, pagoda, and temple. The native tourists seemed especially excited to be there, so I fed off of their enthusiasm. Upon entering the temple, we caught the tail end of a priest chanting a sutra, his voice echoing off of every wall in the enormous room. The whole experience was a sensory explosion...the perfect start, in my opinion, to our journey. It was like diving in head first. The rest of our day was spent in and around Ueno Park, the Ueno Zoo, and the Tokyo National Museum. We decided to check out Ueno Zoo on a whim (it only cost 600 Yen, or a little more than 6 bucks, so why not?) It turned out to be a fortuitous decision, as the zoo was jam-packed with critters, and we later discovered that it is rated as the best zoo in Japan. We followed up our zoo visit with the Tokyo National Museum, taking in everything from ancient calligraphic scrolls to thousands of years of Buddha idols, katana swords, and kimonos. Even jet-lagged and not always quite sure of the significance of what I was looking at, the museum was well worth the visit.

We spent our next day in central Tokyo, first checking out Akihabara, or the electronics district. We found ourselves in the Goliath of Best Buys, a 9-storey electronics megastore selling 500 permutations of every electronic you can think of, and some you haven't, from $250 diamond-studded iPod cases to the ubiquitous Japanese super toilet. The place was yet another sensory overload, flashing lights, neon-colored signs, loud (bizarre) music, regular announcements. I later developed a migraine during the day and am fairly confident it was this store's fault. Neurological damage aside, I'm glad we visited and got a taste of the Japanese proficiency for and love of electronics. Ginza (or Tokyo's answer to Fifth Avenue or St. Germain) came next, and with it, Times Square-esque intersections, Gucci, Prada, Coach, and the Sony building. There, we checked out the showrooms displaying all of Sony's newest creations, including a dancing radio. I'm predicting it hits big for Christmas 2010. Just wait. I've seen the future. We continued our futuristic day with a visit to the Tokyo International Forum, a piece of architectural genius, its glass building soaring into the sky and shaped like an upside-down ship. The interior is absolutely enormous and utterly breathtaking.

We made an attempt that night at going out to the New York bar at the Tokyo Park Hyatt (of Lost in Translation fame) for a drink, but thanks to an utter lapse in my navigational skills ended up walking around for seemingly ever in the Tokyo heat and then were unable to get into the hotel because a couple of us were wearing open-toed shoes. Who knew? The night ended up interesting enough, however, as we landed at a pretty traditional restaurant, sitting on the floor, eating yakitori (various chicken parts on a stick). I'll be honest, I can't be entirely sure WHICH pieces of the chicken I ate, but they were all good/interesting. The liver, which I'd never had before, was especially fantastic. The chicken elbow was a tad chewy. As the other girls were a bit tired, they headed back to the hostel and Jose and I went out with a random guy who'd latched onto us from the hostel (not Taka from before). Brandon was one of those roving ex-military guys who is clearly a little lost in life and dreadfully lonely. He cruise-directed a trip to a karaoke bar...in Japan, this means locking yourself in a small room with a TV, several binders full of music, and incomprehensible controls. Brandon belted out Radiohead and the like at the top of his lungs, while smoking. It was a slightly surreal experience, but I'm glad we did it since it is certainly uniquely Japanese. These karaoke rooms are about as ubiquitous as vending machines and techno toilets.

We spent the next few days around Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku, the self-proclaimed hangout spots of Tokyo for various subgroups of people. Shinjuku reminds me of an overgrown Times Square, while Harajuku resembles Paris, with its shops and wide avenues. The volume of people around Harajuku caught us all by surprise...we actually had to stand in line to get into a Forever 21, and once in, we were doing well to find room to breathe. I got to experience purchasing shoes in Japan, as I needed some so that we could make our second attempt at the Park Hyatt. My petite little feet in America are gigantic in Japan, and I found myself barely able to fit into size larges. Oh well!

One of the highlights was the Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest and busiest of its kind in the world. We were lucky to escape with all of our digits, as these miniature delivery trucks zoom through the narrow aisles at breakneck speed and without consideration for human life. Amidst dodging the trucks, we caught glimpses of an absolutely ridiculous array of seafood, from sea snakes to whole squids, gigantic tuna, sea urchins, and plenty of things I'll admit that I cannot identify. It was fascinating, however, to be amidst the madness, and quite satisfying to defy death by fish cart multiple times.

We ventured out for a second time to the Park Hyatt, this time with success. The view from the 52nd floor bar was astounding. Tokyo stretched in every direction...forever. No exaggeration. I had known Tokyo was big as we attempted walking around, but seeing it from above quite literally put it into perspective. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm unsure that I ever will again. The bar itself was incredible. I ordered a Sam Adams...a 13 dollar Sam Adams. It was poured absolutely perfectly by our waiter...making it well worth the 13 bucks. I considered the $670 glass of scotch on the menu, but decided I'd rather put my first-born through college. Following a few drinks that slightly broke the bank, we ate a surprisingly reasonably priced dinner of the most amazing food...I am still thinking about that duck breast and goat cheese salad a week later. Live jazz began at 7, filling the room and providing a perfect backdrop for the unbelievable view. The whole outing was admittedly a tad extravagant, but it was also a once in a lifetime opportunity, and universally agreed-upon as well worth it. We spent our last night on an all-you-can-drink cruise on the river, enjoying more unreal views of Tokyo and schmoozing with some really nice local students. We've all agreed to make the cruise our farewell to Japan during our last night back in Tokyo in August.

Next stop is Kyoto, the old capital of Japan and home to 2000 temples. Quite a marked contrast and change of pace from Tokyo.