Tokyo Group Awesomeness

Hey guys,

Wow. I was in Tokyo last weekend and, well, wow. It ranks as one of my most enjoyable weekends here in Japan. Oh, and don't worry, the lack of weird "random japan" that you've grown to know and love is back in full force after this trip. Let's jump in.

I took the night bus from Hachinohe, which is one of the most uncomfortable things put on this earth. The chairs don't recline, and, for those of us above 5'5, the leg space, in inches, is somewhere around the high end of 0. I arrived at 5:30 in the am outside Shinjuku station. Tokyo, in the morning before everyone crowds it, is quite beautiful. I tried to go to my hostel, located in Takadanobaba (Waseda University area), but the hostel did't open until 10, so I stashed my stuff in a locker, and made my way to the largest fish market in the world. The smell was overwhelming, but it was worth it so see all of the weird things Japanese people catch (and eventually eat). I wish that I didn't eat my breakfast earlier at a smoky ramen shop, so that I could have eaten sushi at the fish market. Ah well. I'll spare you the descriptions of octopi, squid, frozen tuna being cut by band saws, and the like, because, without the smell, it really won't do it justice for you. (To imitate my experience, buy some fish, let it thaw and rot slightly, then put both yourself and the fish in a small closet, and inhale deeply for 1 and a half hours. If you've got some sushi, you can even eat the meal I wish I ate!)

The market itself was HUGE. I'm talking about a football sized field of vendors selling fish, not to mention at least another football-field size area of trucks loading and unloading our tasty friends from the sea. It was so cool.

So, afterwards, I made it to my hostel so I could hopefully get some time to intimately explore the inside of my eyelids before meeting up with everyone. The hostel...well, you get what you pay for. I found the cheapest hostel in Tokyo (for 2 nights, it was only 3200 yen,=$32, in a city where a typical room anywhere else costs $45/night). The owner was really nice, but it looked like someone threw up clothes and clutter over each room. Words don't do it justice. Needless to say, I was happy that I had a bed to sleep in, and I didn't spend more than a minute there except to sleep. I would go back though, for sure, again, as long as I only plan on sleeping there.

After the hostel, I met up with Yumiko, one of Sakiko's (confused yet?) friends. We hung out for awhile, both practicing our foreign languages with each other. We went to a government building that had a gorgeous view of Tokyo, where you get to see the scope of Tokyo yet again, reminding you of how small you are, and how big a city Tokyo is. We also passed by the Koei Plaza Hotel, where I spent my first few nights in Japan. Ah, good memories.

Around 6:00, it was time to head to Takadanobaba station, to meet up with the only and only (two and only?) Mari and Kaori! Kaori was coming to Japan for two weeks to visit friends and family, hence the reason for my trip to Tokyo. Mari and I ended up going back to Shinjuku (3rd time for me that day) to meet up with Kaori, who was slightly delayed. After a little Lotteria (McDonalds from Korea), followed by McDonalds (McDonalds from America), we finally were able to meet Kaori. We promptly went back to Takadanobaba (3rd time I've done this trek from Shinjuku to there) and got some delicious something ramen (*not the official name). Then, we headed back to Mari's dorm and just hung out for awhile, almost like we were back at GW.

The next day, we we met up with, the two and only Saki and Elliot. Our awesome quintuplet was ready to explore this crazy, strange city called Tokyo. First on the list, Akihabara- Electric City.

Ok, I'm gonna skip the store with Final Fantasy Action Figures (awesome), the gigglepuff pet picture we took (possibly the cutest mascot thing I've seen yet), and the sex shop (cause really, it's just like the ones back home) and zoom straight forward to the maid cafe.

I...find...it hard...to...explain. I'll try and do this, but really, it's just something you must experience. We get to the maid cafe, thinking we knew what we were in for. Hahaha NO. Silly foreigners (and nationals, who apparently didn't know what they were in for either). We arrive on the 4th floor (or 6th? does it really matter?), and are greeted by a woman in a french maid outfit. Ok, not too bad, I mean, it's a maid cafe, so, sort of expected. Then we step through the door. HOLY HEARTS AND FRILLY PINK THINGS BATMAN! The "maids" are walking around from table to table, serving drinks, food, and jiggling a bit to the techno J-pop music blaring on the speakers. So, we took our seat and just watched.

You can pay to play games with the maids. I think Jenga was about 500 yen ($5). If you want a private "booth" (more like a corner of someone's dorm room, TV and frilly rug and all), you can pay extra.

But talk about service. When we got there, the our maid took us through the magical forest to maidreamin' (actual name of the cafe). How did we get through this metaphorical forest they wrote about on our menu? Why, she lit the green candle with her breath of course (Green electronic blow-candle, $3 at your local store). But, not only that, now that we were in the magical maid forest, we were allowed their secrets. You see, and I'm only sharing this with you in strict confidence, don't tell!, if you put your hands in the shape of a heart, raise your voice as high as possible, and recite the following: doki (hands to the right) doki (hands to the left) moe (hand-heart over your heart) yuu (hands over your food/drink), your meal magically tastes better! Literal translation (Doki=sound your heart makes when it beats)x2, yuu (yun? yon?whatever) = crush. Umeshu (delicious umeboshi wine) never tasted so sweet.[Japanese friends, I know we didn't say exactly doki, doki, moe, yuu, so can you help me out and tell me what we actually did say?]

There was also a creepy guy with 3 photo books of him and maids, and we saw him pay for another photo of him with a maid, wicked creepy.

Ok, enough of that. Well, one more thing. We missed "Nurse day." I know, you feel my pain, it's tough. Oh, you aren't quite sure what that is? Well, for some reason, the large majority of Japanese males are really into nurses. Not exactly sure why, but, ok, that'll just be a random cultural piece of information for you. And...for that reason, all of our kind maids were going to dress as nurses the next day. Oh man, if only we came one day later...

So, after our maid excursion, we went to Asakusa to see some old shrines and temples. So, funny thing about Kaori, she's not actually Japanese (well, you aren't!), though she is from Japa (supposedly). Not only was this her first time in Tokyo, BUT she's never been to onsen, AND she's never been to a Shinto shrine (which happen to be all over the country, AND she's only been to 2 temples (which also happen to be all over the country).

After this, we went to a fortune teller, who had the most interesting things to tell us about our palms. I have a "happy palm" which is very good. Also, I was complimented on my "handsome forehead". Then, she started saying some weirder things. She told my friend that she has a bad liver and kidneys, then recited some story about that time she too had bad liver and kidneys. She also told Elliot and myself that, since we're in Japan, we should have Japanese babies. Right. Then she started talking about cabs, and we'll just leave it there.

Ok, a little bit after that, AU tower in Harajuku. Then, dinner at the Thai place in Harajuku (we met up with Stu there). Then, back to Takadanobaba to hang out in Elliot and Saki's business hotel with a little chuhi of truth thrown in there. Finally, some karaoke to end the night. We sang some disney, we sang some queen, and we sang Moskau twice (props to Mari for sending this joke video)!

Next day, after some Chocro cafe for breakfast (smell the chocolate croissants, let them breathe the sweet nectar of the gods into you), we headed to Tokyo station. We met up with Mari, who is searching for a job after graduation. Ok, let me tell you how it works across the ocean.

So Mari is looking for a job right now, and she is part of, I guess you would call it a class of people, known as job-seekers. She pointed them out to us as we were walking around, after she was attending a job seminar. Basically, all of the women wear black skirts of the same length, tie their hair with a black or beige hair-tie, carry a black bag of a certain size, wear a black jacket with a white shirt, and all try to act the same during the interview. Oh, and by interviews, it can be up to 8 interviews at the same place, all by different people within the company. BUT, here's the thing. You don't apply for a specific position, you just apply to get in the company, and they place you from there. AND, they take you based on your personality, not based on past achievements, etc. Weird, right? Well, it gets weirder. There are books that teach you how to act during the interviews and seminars, so that you blend in and don't make a simple mistake (Mari found out, after reading a book, that she exited the room the wrong way, turning so her back was facing the interviewers when she exited the room). Oh, and, lastly (from what I can remember), they will place you wherever they want in Japan. They might say "hey, you are going to Osaka" or "hey, you are going to Hokkaido," and that's that, you have no choice in what to do. Quite a weird process to me.

We saw the imperial palace from the outside, then headed to Ginza (the 5th avenue of Tokyo), and felt like we weren't worth enough money to even be in the area. Got some coffee, then it was time for me to head to the station and go home :(. I said my sad farewells, got my omiyage for the office, and returned home via bullet-train.

Oh, but you think I'm done, haha, not at all!

Random JaPan!

They sell a special type of gum in Tokyo Station. It makes your sweat smell like roses. Seriously. http://www.japanmarketingnews.com/2007/05/rose_water_smel.html. Elliot bought a pack, and I don't know why I didn't. Oh Japan.

Next up. On the train ride from Harajuku to Takadanobaba, we saw a man playing with his iphone. He was looking at a picture of some woman's eyes. Then, he scrolled down to the mouth. Then, he took the phone and put the picture of the mouth against the lips of the woman sleeping next to him. Then they got up and got off together. Yep.

Hope you enjoyed this week. See you next week!