Anyway, we talked about Japan, and Tokyo and a few bits of life. Turns out that he is living on one of the southern islands of Japan and is working for the US navy. He is spending this week and the next traveling/visiting Tokyo. That said he helped to show me around and really helped me feel comfortable this morning.
That leads me into the afternoon... and i'll say this: I LOVE TOKYO!!! It is absolutely awesome!
So, at first we stayed local. A bit after 11 I woke up Margaret, but jacob and I walked around the local blocks, got a feel for the area, and explored one of the local stores. It was nice to have someone who spoke a bit of japanese to shows me around a bit and do a few translations. That said, we bought a few more Mochi and a couple bags of japanese candies to share with the people back at the hostel.
So another hour or so at the hostel with new made friends and a few snacks and a lot of talk. Margaret really hit it off with a pair of guys from Switzerland while I sort of paired up with Jacob. That said, we each as separate pairs sort of made separate plans for the day. So, while we kept in touch by email we headed separate ways for the day.
I headed out with jacob to explore Asuka (spelling?) and we went across the river and a bit north. The bridges are awesome. As you go down the river the bridges are yellow, green, blue and red respectively. There may be more colors but I haven't gotten any further during my time here. So, jacob and I headed north to Sensoji, which is sort of a park/temple area. On the way, it was great to have someone to talk to about bits of culture, customs, food etc.
So we made it to Sensoji, which is apparently the largest temple in Tokyo. That said, im uncertain of what exactly the temple is became my map has it fabled as 3 buildings, but they all stood a bit together in person. Kannon do was the main temple, while Five Storied Pagoda was a tower on the grounds. There was also Denboin Temple, which was smaller and stood on a small hill nearby. They all seemed part of the same temple complex to me though. So we entered through an arch and first arrived at a pot where incense is burnt. There we held our hands over the smoke and then held it to our faces to breathe in the smell. It was rather nice. From there we actually missed the hot water fountain, where one should wash their hands and face. But, we entered the main temple where we each tossed some change in the altar and made a prayer. In really liked these temples partly because they were such simple designs inside, just large open rectangles, yet outside all the hooves were curved and elaborate giving them all the character. I also enjoyed seeing the statues of cats staying guard. I learned a bit about how japanese and chinese culture have taken from each other, much the way Rome and greece did.
We headed out of the temple grounds and then wandered through a bunch of highly packed market streets. Most of which held various souvenirs and the like and a few were selling food. It was much like a Chinatown type of setup. From there we started wandering through a few of the back streets and came to a store selling silk pudding. It was sold in cute little glass jars... and I did not know what to expect. That said it was delicious and is made from... yes... silk worms... somehow. But it was very smooth and easy to eat and sort of vanilla-like.
After that I had a truly great experience (though everything had been great so far too). Being that I'm now in the northern hemisphere, it is again a bit cold outside. So having been walking around for so long, we went to a vending machine to grab some coffee. Here we got canned coffee and it came out hot! Vending machine = coffee = warm hands. It was the greatest thing ever! So, then while we had our coffee we meandered into a local arcade, which are absolutely all over the place. And these arcades are partly gaming like american arcades and are part casinos, where there are slot machines that dispense games, toys and souvenirs. We spent a few dollars on a funny set of espresso cups. It was an experience at least.
From there we briefly entered a Starbucks. Here we each had another coffee and I had a scone with sakura flavored icing. It was a beautiful pink color. Apparently the color truly reflects the plants when they bloom, and apparently they are in season. Sadly I hear that to see them I have to head into the mountains and I dunno if that will happen. But, it was delicious and we talked about what brought him to japan and jobs and the like. It was a very fun conversation.
From there evening was approaching and we headed down to the Akihabara region, which is sort of the manga/anime/gaming capitol as far as I can tell. There are arcades at every corner and manga/anime stores... one after the next... again and again and again. Their numbers were absurd and it really showed how much the culture included those comics and shows. We sort of worked our way from shop to shop, just exploring as we killed some time. As night fell this stretch really lit up and was pretty spectacular.
From there we briefly met up with Margaret, just to touch base for plans for the night. Some of you will now call me lame but I don't care! I found a store to play Friday Night Magic. Being the only person who spoke english, in a room where everyone was japanese... and even the cards were in japanese characters, I got myself into a draft. It was a blast communicating by gestures only to convey all the steps of the game. Better yet, by the end of the night I got first place without losing a game. It was fun and great to play in a completely foreign environment.
After that I walked back to the hostel to meet up with everyone again. On the way I stopped for dinner at a store that smelled great. Turns out all ordering was done by vending machine. Everything comes from vending machines here... its hilarious. But it came quickly, a bowl with rice, some fried veggies and meat, with green tea. I really enjoyed it. Back at the hostel we all hung out as a group for a bit and even spent a little time at a bar. It was really a great time and I had fun all day.
Initial impressions included me greatly enjoying the vending machine hot coffee. Next, the emphasis on comics and card games here was really enjoyable to me, as they are and have always been hobbies of mine. Today was awesome... nothing could ruin my mood right now!
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