Day 270 - 27th of May

8:12am　浅草スマイル

I’m in the main building of the hostel, on the third floor, sitting in front of the computer. My flight’s booked for today; I did it soon after we got here a little before 7. Remarkably, as soon as I had booked, mum rang up telling me that dad was just about to book the same flight, so luckily I let them know just in time. Carly’s sleeping in her room now, and we’ll probably be leaving here at about 10; back to the airport again. At least I can get some sleep on the train there; I got about an hour this morning coming back from Tsudanuma at a quarter to 5; it was too cold in Makkas to sleep. Anyway, the worst is over, and now I can look forward to going home tonight…

12:39pm　押上

We’re on the platform at Oshiage, waiting for the rapid to Narita Airport. Carly’s flight is at 5:30, so we’re leaving plenty of leeway just in case; it does take a long time to get to the airport, and we don’t want the same thing happening again. In fact, Carly too had had the wrong flight time in her head, and it was only because her mum sent her the itinerary, that she realised the actual time; so lucky!!! At almost 10, we went downstairs, and made our way over to the 7/11 for some breakfast; last jelly cup in Japan. We sat in the empty bar to eat, and then I got my itinerary printed off; my flights not till 20:55. So, I have a little while longer to wait around, but that’s okay; still have to write out the last set of postcards. Anyway, after breakfast, I noticed there was a keyboard in the room, and couldn’t resist banging on it for a while; I tried out my new sheet music. Time past swiftly, and soon it was 12. This was when we made our leave for the Toei Line; it wasn’t much fun at all. We had to talk all the way over to the other side of the station to find the elevator, and then walk all the way back underground to get to the tracks; Japan, you really aren’t very wheelchair friendly, or for that matter, unbelievably luggage-laden people friendly. Well, we did it and now the hardest part is over. Now all we have to do is ride the train to the airport, get off and wait. Perhaps they’ll have showers and I’ll be able to freshen up; I haven’t had a shower in over 24 hours!!!

4:28pm　成田空港

Carly has just gone through security, so she’s on her way; I still have a while to wait. I’m sitting here in the waiting area, reading some of the readings on the wall and they’re just great – ‘To “Samurai”, no sword allowed into aircraft,’ and ‘To business people of the world, sharp objects are prohibited on board except for your sharp brains.’ Just a little bit of amusement to keep me occupied… After arriving at the airport (it took well over an hour), we went through “security” (they were so lax, all we had to do was show our passports), and then Carly went to check in; Jetstar staff hadn’t arrived at that point as I soon found out. So, Carly got to get rid of all her checked baggage, but I had to continue lugging around mine. We found the toilets, and took it in turns, changing and freshening up. They didn’t have any showers, but I still feel way better now that I’ve changed clothes and brushed my teeth. I also got my carryon bag packed a bit better; it was very rushed last night. After that, we had lunch and I felt it only right to once again indulge in Japanese cuisine, and what better meal than gyudon and miso soup; I’m feeling good now. Now I just have to wait until 5:30 before the Jetstar check in begins, so I think I’ll write out these postcards…

7:57pm　成田空港

It feels good to sit down; I’m nearby gate 88, the very farthest in the airport; tells you something about Jetstar right. After checking in, I did some last minute souvenir shopping and mailed my postcards, before getting through customs smoothly. I bought some sweets and sake in the duty free area, and then had omu rice for dinner; my last meal in Japan. I;m glad it was nice, though a tad expensive; it’s airport food after all. Basically straight after dinner I came here; had to take the shuttle. I realised I’m an hour early, but I really don’t feel like doing anything else; I’m absolutely beat. We’ll probably start boarding pretty soon anyway. I’ll be happy when I’m on the plane, and hopefully I’ll be able to get some sleep. Well, it’s been a long day, and an even longer journey. This will be my last blog entry; of this I will be very glad. I feel this blog has helped me in many ways, and may provide others with an inside perspective on ryugakusei life. It’s been a big job though, and it’ll probably be weird not to feel obligated to write an entry every day. A lot of things will feel weird going back. While I felt very little culture shock, I think the reverse culture shock will hit me hard; at least I don’t have to worry about jet lag. I can’t wait to see my family tomorrow; one day too late! It’s my nan’s birthday tomorrow and I think hugging her will be the best present of all. Well, it’s been a pleasure. Hopefully you have gotten something out of reading this, as I have got out of experiencing it all. Until next time,

Joel

Day 269 - 26th of May

11:07pm　普通

天気：雨天

The fact that I’m writing this now on a local train means that yes, I’m still in Japan; I missed my flight!!! I think this would have to be the biggest, most costly mistake I’ve made in my entire life; I feel terrible. At least I have Carly; she’s been a rock, and a shoulder to cry on. So now, we’re going to go back to the hostel, and try to book another flight for as soon as possible. I’m so exhausted; lugging my luggage here only to find I’d missed the flight was heartbreaking, and backbreaking. The airport was already really empty when we got there, and there were only a more flights. These really nice ladies stayed around and tried their best to help, but they had to leave eventually. I bought a phone card, and eventually figured out how to use it; my mind just wasn’t working by that point. The phone started ringing, and mum answered and I was soon reduced to tears; breaking the bad news wasn’t easy on either of us. I really feel like I’ve let everybody down, most of all myself. I had the wrong time stuck in my head; I should have checked the time again. Well, hopefully this has taught me a lesson; something for everyone to be wary of. Anyway, the rest of my day was quite pleasant, and we got a lot done…

In the morning, we got ready and packed and checked out at about 10. Check out consisted of putting our linen in the basket and leaving our key on the bed; too easy. We went over to the main building and Carly booked another night with them; it was the cheapest and easiest option. They were also nice enough to hold our luggage. After we returned with Carly’s luggage, we made our way to Sensouji for one last look around. I bought a heap of souvenirs and found a really great bargain on a carry-on bag; it was a perfect size too. The best thing was, it was free; I finally used the gift cards I had won from singing at INFES. After Sensouji, we went in search of the cat café nearby (I saw the ad in Asakusa Smile), and eventually found it. For 800円, we got to spend an hour in a room full of cats and kittens, playing with them and petting them as much as we like; it was so much fun! The woman who ran it was really nice, and I was able to talk with her a lot in Japanese; she appreciated my Osaka dialect. Most of the cats were pretty placid, but all the kittens were super energetic; they were jumping and running about all over the place. They did tire out eventually though, and they looked so cute sleeping. We left there at about 2, and then made our way to 九段下 (Kudanshita) Station, in hopes of looking around the imperial palace… Well, this is the last stop; we didn’t make it back to Asakusa. Now we’ll have to find somewhere to sit and wait; maybe a Denny’s?

12:54am　マック　

天気：雨天

We’re here in 津田沼 (Tsudanuma), a place that I otherwise would have never had visited, were it not for my stupid mistake; how lucky I am. Well, we didn’t find a Denny’s, but a 24 hour Makkas is right outside the station, and that’s where we are now; thank God for 24 hour restaurants. I just enjoyed a midnight meal (double cheeseburger set), and got a blue coke glass, in commemoration of the FIFA world cup; another thing fate has delivered me. It’s actually really cool, and I’m sure it’ll be a collector’s item someday. Carly’s curled up in a ball, sleeping; I wish I could get to sleep that easy. Oh well, I may as well write about the rest of my yesterday… Getting off at Kudanshita turned out to be really successful; I noticed a sign for 靖国神社 (Yasakuni Shrine), shortly after exiting the station. I had forgotten about wanting to go there, so I jumped at the opportunity. It was a beautiful, but solemn place, filled with the spirits of the war dead; man and animal alike. I was really glad I got to see it. From there, we walked through 北の丸公園 (Kita no Maru Park), walking past the 日本武道館 (The Budokan), and through some wonderful gardens. Since the Imperial Palace grounds were in fact closed, and it was starting to rain, we made our way to the nearest station (竹橋駅 – Takebashi), and took the subway to Shibuya; the 東西線 (Tozai line), and then the Ginza line.

In Shibuya, we searched around a little while for a good, reasonably priced place to eat; I wanted my “last” meal in Japan to be Japanese cuisine. We found this nice, little vending machine operating place and I ordered the katsudon set, which came with udon noodles and trsukemono; simple and delicious. After dinner, we went in search of purikura machines, and ended up finding a bit more than we had hoped. Searching diligently for a purikura place, Carly spotted a Krispy Kreme restaurant; of course we had to go in!!! I was thoroughly impressed. While we were making our orders, we were given a free donut; the original glazed. Since I was going to order that (since it is undoubtedly the best tasting donut ever), I could now order two different things; I got one with strawberry filling, and the other with raspberry. I only ate the glazed one at that point, saving the others for the train ride. We kept on searching for purikura, and eventually found a room full of them. Not too fussed about the style we could have, we just got into the first vacant one we could find; this one made our eyes look intensely blue. By the time we exited it was 7 o’clock (the time at which I should have already been at the airport), and I took a few more photos of Shibuya, and videotaped the crazyness of the crossing.

Trying to find the Ginza line to take back to Asakusa was not fun at all; this was the start of the downfall of the night. We ended up going up and down and around in a great big circle before realising that it was actually on the third floor; why a subway line would be there I have no idea. Since we were going from one end of the line to the other, it ended up taking about 30 minutes to get to Asakusa. I enjoyed my strawberry filled donut, getting jam and icing sugar all over my vest; it was wonderful. It was when I was just about to step into the hostel at almost 8, when it finally clicked that the flight was actually at 9:25, not 11:25. I immediately went into overdrive, packing my carryon bag at lightning speed, and then rushing over to the station to find the Toei Asakusa line to Narita Airport; there were lots of stairs involved. Things fell apart when we realised we were on the wrong train, and we had to switch twice to right it. Waiting around in the train was the worst experience ever, because I knew that everything was out of my hands; meanwhile the clocks were steadily ticking. I hoped against hope that I might just make it, forgetting the dismal implausibility of it.

We were still on the train by the time the plane took off, and ended up being only 10 minutes late, well really, I would have had to have gotten there at least 30 minutes before departure time to make it to the terminal. So that was that; my “last” 269^th day in Japan. Hopefully I can book a flight for tomorrow, and it’ll be all good; lucky I have the money for it. I guess now I’ll just write some general pointers about Tokyo, to sum up my holiday here… Asakusa Hostel is a wonderfully cheap place to stay if you just want somewhere to sleep and don’t have much luggage; having as much stuff as we did is absurd. I think the train system is pretty easy to navigate once you get used to it, and if you make mistakes (like we did) it’s not too hard to right them. Yes, there are over 20 lines operating both above and below ground, but that just means that everywhere is really accessible; the prices are decent too. There are lots of places in Tokyo that don’t smell too pleasant; just putting that one out there. We would just be walking down some street, and then suddenly our noses would come across a most unappealing stink. In general, it seems that residents of Tokyo automatically assume that foreigner = tourist = zero Japanese ability; and that’s what makes it different to Osaka. There wasn’t as much English signage, nor as many foreigners in Tokyo as I thought there would be. Of course, the touristy areas were more catered towards foreigners but still, not as much as I expected; not like Kyoto. And I think that’s about it; for now. We’ve still got a few hours before the trains start up again, so I might try to get some sleep, just like the two old guys either side of me and Carly in front of me…

Day 268 - 25th of May

12:00pm　地下鉄　－　半蔵門線
天気：晴れ
We’re in 押上 (Oshiage), waiting for the train to depart. We got off to a late and bumpy start this morning, but it’s all good; it’s been go, go, go every day, and it’s taking its toll. It’s a sunny and quite warm day, and I’m glad we’re underground now… After getting up at about 10, we got ready slowly and then made our way over to the Sky Tree, which we can actually see from our hostel. After getting some breakfast from an am/pm, I realised I’d left my camera behind. So, we walked all the way back, got it, and then enjoyed our fruit and jelly in the kitchen. Take two and we once again made our way to the Sky Tree, its ridiculous height becoming more and more overwhelming with each step. Since it was still under construction, we couldn’t get that close, the ground around it littered with cranes and materials. As it stands, it’s already 338m, just surpassing the Tokyo Tower (333m) as the tallest structure in Japan. It still has a while to go though; when completed, it’ll be 648m. It’s definitely something I want to come back and see once it’s finished in 2012; I can’t imagine the height it will be when doubled what it is already!!! From there, we walked to a nearby station, and realised that this one wouldn’t take us where we wanted to go. So, we found a map to Oshiage station, and headed there, the Sky Tree ever looming. It was incredible; people would be just stopped in the street, staring, craning their necks and taking pictures of it. Now, we’re bound for Harajuku, to visit 明治神宮 (Meiji Jingu), the shrine of the Meiji Emperor. Since we’ve just bought an all day pass for the Tokyo Metro (subway), we’re free to do as much train travel as we like, and we’re more than ready to get our money’s worth…

5:39pm　シェーキーズ　－　新宿

We’re in Shakey’s Pizza, and it’s a lot different than I expected. Unlike the one in Kyoto, there’s no buffet and the all-you-can-eat only lasts 90 minutes. So, we’re going to try to make the most of it. The quality of the pizzas is certainly much better, but the waiting kinda ruins it; I guess there has to be a trade off somewhere. Anyway, I’ll write more about the rest of the day when I get back to the hostel…

9:07pm　浅草スマイル

We just got back from Akihabara; only there for a short time. It was, I don’t know… I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for shopping; my energies all but left me. Also, since I’m leaving tomorrow, I’m really not that fussed anymore; I guess all I can thing about is home. Still, I really enjoyed all the sightseeing we got to do today, and I’m looking forward to a bit more tomorrow. So, the rest of my day… As soon as we got out onto the street in Harajuku, I recognised my surroundings; the Meiji shrine turned out to be one of the places I went 5 years ago. Not much had changed, and soon we were walking through the grounds, beautiful camphor and maple trees shading our path from the hot sun. We decided to check out the garden, and found ourselves taking a pleasant walk through the scrub; it reminded me of bush walking in Australia so much. The forest gave way to a small lake that was brimming with koi; what a wonderful escape for the Emperor and Empress. After traversing the garden, we made our way over to the main complex, where they are now enshrined; yes, they can become gods too. I took plenty of video, and then we continued on the vast forested park to 代々木 (Yoyogi) station.

We found a museum along the way, but it was closed. After getting to the station, we tried to figure out where the statue of ハチ公 (Hachiko) was. He’s probably the most famous dog in Japan, known for his unwavering loyalty to his master. Go to Wikipedia if you want to read about him; it’s a really beautiful story. Carly used her phone, and found out that the statue was actually in Shibuya; I thought it had been close-by. So, instead of going there right then, we decided to go to 六本木ヒルズ (Roppongi Hills) first. Here we found the impressive 54 storey Mori Tower, which had an observatory on the 52^nd floor, and art museum on the 53^rd; we had to check it out. After a look around the base (it was so futuristic with some really cool statues), we made our way up the observatory, after purchasing our tickets in the lobby; we got a discount since we’re students. The view was really spectacular, and I got some great shots of Tokyo Tower and the bay. It was just such a shame there was a haze in the air though; I had hope we’d catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji. Tokyo Tower was definitely the stand out in the city, but there were also so many other interesting buildings, some with really funny shapes. As part of our ticket, we got to look round a contemporary art exhibition, and boy was it out there. It was just so… weird!!! The theme was, “So what is art”, and I definitely think some of the exhibits really pushed the boundaries. There was one were you slid into a room through a small corridor to find this man in a dark room, moving around objects like buckets of water, and flowers and balls in an absurd fashion; it was actually quite creepy. That would have to be closely followed by the Japanese guy impersonating Hitler; that one was restricted to a screen at least. Some exhibits were really nice though; some beautiful sculptures, paintings, and photography. There was also a room where you could sit surrounded by the ringing of crystal cups; I thought that was quite cool. After all that our brains were aching, and we were ready to go find Hachiko.

From Roppongi, we went to Shibuya, emerging from the subway to find ourselves at the infamous scramble crossing, where 100s of people cross at every green light; it’s probably the busiest in the world. We soon located Hachiko, and after taking a picture with him, we made our way to Shinjuku for Shakey’s Pizza. That actually turned out to be quite satisfying, and I think we got our money’s worth. I got to sample five different pizzas, including two dessert pizzas, lots of potato wedges, and a bit of pasta. And like I said, the quality was amazing; it was so fresh, straight out of the oven. We stayed until almost 7, and then took the train to Akihabara, and apart from Book Off, we didn’t go into any other stores. Well, I’d better get to packing now; leaving tomorrow night. Asakusa Smile will keep our bags for us, which is really great; means we can be free to do whatever tomorrow. I think we’ll go to Sensouji once more, just to pick up a few souvenirs, come back, check out, leave our luggage and then take it from there. Carly’s looking for accommodation since her flight’s not until Thursday. She’s thinking about staying at a manga café, which I think is a really a really cool idea. Anyway, I’d better go. Today was good, but I’m so tired. Kinda just want to be on the plane now...

Day 267 - 24th of May

9:11am　地下鉄　－　銀座線

天気：雨天

We’re on the Ginza subway line, from Asakusa to Shibuya. From there, we will change to another line, get to Shinjuku, and make another transfer for 三鷹 (Mitaka), where we will find the Ghibli Museum. It’s a bit of a late start, but I think we’ll make it on time…

9:29am　山手線

Now we’re on the Yamanote line for Shinjuku. Wow, the trains here in Tokyo seem so much longer than those of the Keihan line. I’m thinking, “Isn’t that train coming up too fast?” but no; two extra carriages really make a difference. Also, the city train system is so complex; there are so many different routes you can chose to get to your destination. The trick is, is to find the most efficient, and economical way; I think we’re doing an okay job of that.

9:41am　快速

Finally on the rapid express to Mitaka. The tickets we have are for the 10 o’clock admission, and I don’t know how strict they are with the time. At this point I’m freaking out a bit; what if we don’t make it in time?

1:59pm　快速

We’ve just got back on the train, and we’re making our way back to Shinjuku to see if we can find the Square Enix building. The Ghibli Museum was amazing… After getting off at Mitaka Station, we walked briskly through the rain towards the museum, which was about 15 minutes away in a basically straight line past the waterworks. Every 200 metres there would be a sign saying how much further the museum was, and this only spurred me on; it was a little frustrating too. It was already 10 past by the time we made it, but I had nothing to worry about; they let us in no problem. As soon as we got inside, all the stress lifted, to be replaced with giddy excitement. I really did feel like a little kid again, entering a magical house of spiral staircases, corridors and cubby holes. It was such a wonderful experience, and I’m sure it’s one of the most kid friendly museums in the world; so many things to see, do, and touch. They even had a huge Cat Bus to play on and in; too bad it was for primary school kids or younger. We leisurely explored the entire building, learning about the history of animation, the animation process in an interactive and hands on manner. There were so many beautiful stained glass windows, and even the bathrooms were impressive; there were a lot of them too. On the roof there was a garden, and a statue of the robot from Laputa (I dare say life size), looking right at home. In fact, the whole building was covered in greenery, and it was surrounded by trees; a secluded world all of its own. The highlight of the museum would have had to have been the short film. We got to see こねこバス (Konekobasu – Kitten Bus), which was an adorable 14 minute story about Mei’s adventures with the kitten bus; it made me so happy. The language was really easy to understand too.

After that, we did a bit more exploring, and then of course, went to the gift shop, “Mamma Aiuto”. I didn’t go too overboard, I don’t think. We got really lucky, getting to the counter just as a huge line had dispersed. They even gave us an extra bag, just in case one got wet; so considerate. By this point, we were very hungry, so after we backtracked for our umbrellas, we went looking for something to eat. We found a Lawsons just across the road, and decided that that was more than satisfactory. After we finished making our purchases, we had the challenge of trying to find somewhere dry to sit and eat. The next 20 minutes consisted of us wondering around the nearby park, trying to find seats that were actually undercover; it was a little ridiculous. Eventually, we came to a Benzaiten temple, and ate at its base. It was a beautiful building, painted in a vibrant red. After eating, we spent some more time enjoying the park and the lake in the rain, and then made our way to 吉祥寺 (Kichijouji) Station. We’ve almost arrived at Shinjuku now. After the Square Enix building (if we can find it), we might also visit the Pokémon Centre…

2:41pm　銀座線

Realising it was taking too long, I went over to the map and realised that this line didn’t actually pass through Shinjuku; whoops. So, now we’re making our way back the other direction…

4:54pm　地下鉄　－　都営大江戸線

Now we’re on the Toei Oedo subway line, heading to 大門 (Daimon), to see if we can find the Pokémon Centre. Finding the Square Enix building was a success, although a little anticlimactic… Once we got to Shinjuku, we found an information kiosk, and soon had a map showing us to the “Square Enix Building”; it was a bit of a walk. This turned out to be the actual headquarters of Square Enix; just the 12^th floor of the massive building. The two women at the reception desk looked very confused, and I don’t blame them. I was a bit confused too, until they explained to us that this was the headquarters, and directed us to the goods shop; this was the place Rachael had actually been referring to. The way she described it, it had sounded really big. In fact, it was a single, small floor of goods; in the end I didn’t even buy anything. There really wasn’t anything that jumped out at me, and it was all quite expensive; I did get to take a picture of the semi-naked Sephiroth statue in the floor before the clerk came back though. So while it didn’t exactly live up to my expectations, I can now say that I’ve been to the headquarters of Sqaure Enix in Tokyo!!! I’m hoping it’ll be a little less hassle to find the Pokémon Centre, and that we have a good amount of time to browse…

6:40pm　ラメン屋　－　大門

We’re in a ramen shop near Tokyo Tower, which is almost entirely shrouded in fog; only the base is visible. Walking around Shinjuku this afternoon, it was also very foggy, the sky pressing down on the skyscrapers. I can’t wait to see it when it’s lit up… Anyway, we did the Pokémon Centre with relative ease; it was just up the road from Daimon station. It was definitely the largest of the three I’ve been two; makes sense since its Tokyo. I didn’t buy that much; just a few more things for my brother. I wonder if I’ll ever get around to visiting the other Pokémon Centres in Japan; there are at least two more that I know of. Well, it’s been a super day; Ghibli, Square Enix, and Pokémon. And to top it all off Tokyo Tower is on the menu next. I have to eat the rest of Carly’s ramen now; she says she’ll spew if she has another bite. I’m not complaining; more for me!!!

9:00pm　浅草線

We’re on the train back to the hostel now from Daimon. The tower was amazing… We didn’t bother going up to the top, but we took plenty of photos from the base; the orange glow looked so cool in the fog. We made our approach through 増上寺 (Zoujouji) Temple, the tower a beautiful incandescent backdrop; a fusion of ancient and modern. We made our way around the main building, and through a cemetery, before reaching the tower. It was massive, and the first 4 floors were dedicated to shops; there was a Makkas of course. On the bottom floor, there was actually a Michael Jackson exhibition, the annoying voice over disturbing the otherwise quiet lobby; there was hardly anyone inside. After buying a few souvenirs, we exited and had a crepe each for dessert; my first and last in Japan. After waiting out a sudden down pour, we made our way back to the station… I think that’s it for the night; when I get back, I’m going to collapse!