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 263 - 20th of May

11:32pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

Today was a very long day; I’m exhausted. But, I picked up lots of goodies, and saw a wonderful show, so it was worth it. And, it wasn’t nearly as hot as it has been recently, although the air was damp all day… After waking up at 9, to find Hugo missing, I got ready for the day and then took the bus to the station. En route, I rearranged all my badges and pins, so now they cover most of the bag and there is a decent space between each of them; it looks much better in my opinion. I met Carly in Hirakata at 10:30, and we went over to the bank so I could close my account, and she could cash some traveller’s checks. She ended up taking longer than me, because the bank wanted to know her hotel’s address; they couldn’t find it! Eventually everything was sorted out, and we came out a whole lot richer. Taking the rapid express to Gion Shijo, we walked around for a little while, me trying to figure out Katie’s instructions. It was getting close to 12, so I was getting a little anxious. We did end up finding the street though, and were seated just after 12; a bit early but anyway. Since all the regular seats were booked out, we had to sit in the second floor balcony on cushions. We were right next to the stage, looking at it at a diagonal. Unfortunately we were on the side where the walkway wasn’t visible; it was right under us. So we couldn’t see the orchestra or some of the action. Apart from that, and the mild discomfort, it was great; certainly for the price.

Of course, Katie had ended up with front row seats (she did end up having to pay more) and we soon caught her attention as she sat down. Her two friends are visiting from Canada and after the show we got acquainted. Seeing as it was getting close to 2 by that time, we decided it was time for lunch. After meeting up with Sarah near the station, we made our way over to Sukiya; it was cheap and delicious. After eating, we slowly made our way over to the Teramachi shopping arcade, the girls stopping it shops along the way. Once at Teramachi, I took them to the second-hand kimono place, and while they were browsing, I tried to sell my kimono. Well, that didn’t turn out very well at all. Not only did they not want to buy it, they wouldn’t even except it as a donation; this made me wonder where they actually got their kimono from. I don’t know, maybe I just wasn’t negotiating properly, or maybe it’s because I’m a gaijin. It just meant I had to haul it around for the rest of the day, and believe me it’s not light. After exiting the shop, Katie and her friends went to karaoke, and Sarah, Carly and I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping; separately!

Well not at first. We went over to the t-shirt printing place, and I got exactly what I wanted. I had to pay a bit extra because the expression was so long, but it was totally worth it. I now have a bright yellow shirt that says 豆腐の角に頭をぶつけて死ね (tofu no kado ni atama wo butsukete shine – “Go bash your head on the corner of a block of tofu and die”) on it!!! Extremely satisfied, I made my way over to ABC Mart, to see if I could find a pair of shoes for my brother; I couldn’t. I had left the girls at a fabric shop, and when I returned, they weren’t there. I waited around for a bit, then went back to ABC Mart; no sign of them. I walked back to the fabric store again, and they weren’t there, so I decided to just continue on; maybe I’d bump into them again. Well, I didn’t, but I went to a heap of shops, and found some really great stuff. I tried looking for some bags and found a few places, but I wasn’t entirely certain about any of them; I needed a second opinion. So, I’ll have to get them tomorrow for sure. I found another Village Vanguard (it’s also in Kuzuha Mall and has a whole lot of crazy, fun stuff in it), but didn’t end up buying anything. I also had a look around some of the small temples and shrine crammed between the shops; everything looked so lush in the rain.

I ended my shopping in a music store, hitting the jackpot on the 4^th floor; piano sheet music!!! I ended up buying four books: two Kingdom Hearts piano arrangements, the Advent Children piano solo, and Chopin; one of the pieces Austria always plays in Hetalia is Chopin’s Nocturne, so I want to learn it. I was so happy after that, but my legs were killing me. I had a lot of bags, but luckily one of the shopkeepers offered me a really big bag to put them all in; that was a huge help. I made my way back to the station, and after buying some sweets from the bakery, I decided I’d do a little more looking around before heading home; I had just enough energy left. Since Book Off was just upstairs, I browsed that for a while coming back empty-handed; oh well. On the way home, I drifted in and out of sleep; having a chair was very comfortable. I finally got home at about 8, and went straight to dinner; leftovers with rice. I stayed up there until about 9 and when Sarah came in, I asked her what happened; after they left the fabric shop they went into the 100円 shop so I must have walked straight past them. Anyway, it all turned out okay. I spent the next hour sorting stuff out, and then after saying goodnight to Carly, I went and sat down to watch the drama with the girls; this week’s episode wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the last one. Still, it was fun and a chance to practice listening. Well I’d better get some sleep since we’re going to the flea market pretty early tomorrow. And 0% chance of rain…

Day 247 - 4th of May

11:31pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Never thought I’d be saying this but I’ve got the air con on in here because it’s too hot; winter has definitely left us. It’s been such a warm day today, and while storm clouds were threatening this evening, it hasn’t rained at all. I’ve been working on my Japanese presentation pretty solidly all afternoon, and I’m still not finished; I’ve only got one day left now. On the plus side, I got out for a bit today to enjoy the weather… After breakfast at 10, I played KH for a while, and then got on my bike and rode down to the station. On the way, I took some photos of the abundance of azalea bushes in full bloom in front of the Komatsu plant, and also stopped at a local shrine I had rode past a few times, but never been in. It’s called 甲鉾神社 (Kouhoko Shrine), and it was small but peaceful. Going down the big hill today was great because the lights were timed perfectly so that I didn’t have to slow down for the traffic in front. Getting to the station, I parked my bike, this time in a proper park. It’s actually an automated “bike rack” (that’s the best way I could think to describe it) that charges you depending on how long you leave it there. The first 90 minutes are free, and had I known this earlier I definitely would have used it; that’s what lack of investigation gets you.

In the 90 minutes I had, I got a lot done. I went to animate and found the Hetalia character song’s sheet music book (I was so happy about that), and also got some Hetalia pins from a gatchapon. It’s funny because they weren’t there on Saturday when I went, and the machine was almost empty already; goes to show how popular it is. I had a look at the clothes on the men’s floor, but didn’t find anything I liked, so I went over to Book Off; I didn’t find anything there either. I got back with time to spare, and soon figured out how to free my bike from the clutches of the evil bike rack; just had to type in the number rack it was in into the machine nearby. Then I made my way back home; that was hot work. I decided I would buy the tickets to the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo today, since I heard they sold out fast. In order to do that, I had to go to Lawsons to use a machine that would print out a receipt that I could give to the people at the counter in exchange for the tickets; sounds complicated right. And it was, especially because it took me a while to figure out how to get the machine to do what I wanted it to do; these girls came up to help me, which was really nice of them.

Carly and I had tentatively planned to go the museum on Sunday, pretty much as soon as we get to Tokyo, but that day was sold out, so I went for the Monday. Thinking about it now, I’m actually happier with that. It means we don’t have to rush at all on Sunday; I’m sure we’ll be tired after being on the night bus for 8 hours or so. Simon was telling me about his trip to Tokyo this afternoon (he just got back), and it sounds as though he had a really great time; I’m looking forward to it. I worked on my presentation until about 7:30, and then went up to make dinner; pasta bake. I ended up making enough to last three meals however it wasn’t quite saucy enough, so I think I’m going to have to buy some more to put in it. After dinner, I was bombarded by more food; Julie was giving out cake, and Sam mochi. I also had another orange, and it wasn’t as sour this time; still really messy though. I stayed up there until about 9, and then got a bit more done on my presentation. I’m learning words like symbiosis and photosynthesis in Japanese, which is kind of cool even though I’m probably never going to use them outside this presentation; oh well. I’m mostly worried about being able to remember it all, as some of the sentences are pretty full on; I think I might get Yuji to check it over for me when I’m done. Anyway, I’d better get some sleep now; last day of holiday tomorrow…