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!

Day 266 - 23rd of May

10:28am　浅草スマイル

天気：雨天

We’ve just checked into Asakusa Smile and are going to rest for a while; I’m beat!!! At least we don’t have to worry about hauling our luggage around for the next few days; the hard part is over. Wow, and is this room tiny or what; almost all the floor space is taken up by our luggage. The only other thing in the room is a bunk bed; I’m on top. Well, it is a hostel after all, so I guess this is expected. It is wonderful and cosy, and the price was amazing so it’s totally worth it…After getting off the night bus, we made our way over to Tokyo Station, and after a bit of asking around, we figured out how to get to the hostel. We took the 山手線 (Yamanote Line) to 上野 (Ueno), going past 秋葉原 (Akihabara) the electronics district; I can’t wait to go there! Then we took the 銀座 (Ginza) subway line to 浅草 (Asakusa). For some stupid reason, Asakusa station has no elevator connecting the platform to the ticket gates, so we had to lug our stuff up stairs; lucky it was only one flight. When we finally emerged onto the street (after finally finding an elevator), I soon recognised my surroundings. To my left, over a bridge was the “giant golden turd” building – even the locals refer to it as the turd building, but it’s actually the Asahi Beer Headquarters, and the statue on top’s supposed to represent yeast; I’m not convinced - and two my right was 雷門 (Kaminarimon – “Thunder Gate”), leading to the beautiful 浅草寺 (Sensouji) Temple complex I visited the first time I was here.

It was raining (it still is now), and we had our luggage, so Sensouji would have to wait. We needed to figure out where the hostel was located; unfortunately the information centre across the road wasn’t open until 10:00. So instead, we made our way over to a Denny’s just up the street for breakfast. Inside, I could access the internet on my iPod, and soon found the hostel using Google maps; YAY for technology. It was only about 10 minutes away, so after eating we made our way there. Crossing the bridge, we couldn’t help but to notice the Sky Tree, now Japan’s tallest building, looming in the distance; construction isn’t finished yet, but it’s looking awesome. Crossing the bridge, and going a short way down the road (seemed longer with all our stuff) we made it to Asakusa Smile. Here, we found out that we weren’t actually staying in this building but a newer one, so shortly after paying and receiving our linen and key, we made the short trek over to here; lucky we were allowed to check in so early. The guy at the reception was really lax and spoken English well; the bar was dominated by foreigners. Over here though, there’s no reception, and apart from the cleaning lady (who’s Chinese), no other staff come here; it’s actually really nice and quiet. Well, going to have a shower soon (haven’t had one in over 24 hours), and then go to Sensouji…

11:10pm　浅草スマイル

We’ve just finished watching Chicago; well, Carly fell asleep about halfway through. It’s been such a long day; the night bus trip feels like it took place a forever ago… After resting, we went out to check out Sensouji. It was still raining, so I held the umbrella, and Carly wore a raincoat for good measure. Out the front of Kaminarimon, we were approached by a group of Japanese students who were conducting tours of Sensouji to improve their English. They asked if we had time to go on a tour, and we said sure; I think they really appreciated it. After introductions, we made our way under the gate and through the sprawling market street (despite the rain) to the temple complex, with light conversation along the way; ducking and weaving through a sea of umbrellas. Past the Pagoda (the second tallest in Japan) and lecture halls, and through another huge gate (with an equally huge pair of scandals hanging on the back), we made our way right up to the main building, which was under renovation; the outside surrounded by scaffolding. It was beautiful on the inside though, with amazing murals of “Japanese angels” (as we were told), a dragon, and flowers on the ceiling. After praying, and photos, we parted ways with our guides, feeling a little bit more enlightened; although we had both already knowledgeable about what they were explaining, thanks to classes at Kansai Gaidai. And while I’m glad that they got to practice their English, I wish I could have practiced some Japanese.

Carly and I continued exploring, and although I’d already been here before, I found it just as interesting as the first time, if not more. This time around, I had a better understanding of what I was seeing, and so I could appreciate it so much more; knowledge is certainly empowering. We bought this really sweet that I can’t remember the name of (so much for knowledge), but it was like a meringue; melt-in-your-mouth goodness!!! After Sensouji, we wandered back through the shopping street (the first time through had been a blur), and got some ideas about what we wanted to buy, and getting hungry. We turned onto another street – simply called 新 (shin – “new”) – and found a Family Mart were we bought a cheap lunch; I just got a pork dumpling. We followed the road to the end, and went into a small department store; it was kinda boring. I found out that my socks were soaked through, and walking around had consequentially become very uncomfortable. So we soon went back to the hostel, picking up dinner on the way; cup noodles from 7/11. We had planned on going out for dinner, but it was utterly miserable outside; better to stay nice and cosy inside. After dinner, we got settled and then watched the movie of Carly’s laptop, which was whirring away by the end of it… Well, better get some sleep now; gotta get up early tomorrow; Studio Ghibli Museum!!!

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 243 - 30th of April

9:06pm　ホテル

天気：晴れ、曇り

Well, we woke up a little late this morning (8:30), so that only gave us 30 minutes to eat breakfast; which was included in our accommodation package. It was a huge, traditional Japanese breakfast, so there was miso soup, 漬物 (tsukemono – pickled vegetables), shredded cabbage, sweet egg, salmon, seaweed and of course rice; it was so filling! We’re going to hopefully leave for the ferry soon, and go out to 竹生島 (Chikubu Island); looking forward to it…

12:03pm　彦根港

We’re at the port now, waiting for the ferry to arrive. It doesn’t leave until 12:30, so we have a bit of time. Apparently, it takes 40 minutes to get to the island, so it’s going to be a great ride… We walked from the station (after taking the bus), and have been here for about half an hour, taking heaps of photos of the port area, and the lake, which is absolutely massive you can barely make out the mountains on the opposite shore; so excited!

2:18pm　船舶

We’re on the ferry, making our way back to Hikone now; we’re sitting outside on top and it’s so windy. The island was absolutely magical!!! We went around to a load of temples and shrines, me switching between photos and video. There were lots of steps leading right up the three-storey, red pagoda on top. In a nearby temple (called 竹生島宝厳寺 – Chikubushima Hougonji), I lit a candle for my poppy, who passed away recently; Alex lit one for her pop too. I think it was the most perfect, serene place for me to take a moment to remember him… And the wildlife!!! There were so many birds – eagles, seagulls and other sea birds, all nesting in the trees on the cliffs; their cries were all so beautiful. Alex spotted a large brown snake, and coincidentally we had just past a snake shrine; I think it’s a good omen. At this shrine, there was a torii on the outcrop below facing the lake, and around it were scattered hundreds of little ceramic plates. People would throw them from the platform above where we were, with their names and wishes written on them; I thought it was a really interesting practice. Also, in the temple where I lit the candle, there were thousands of babushka-esque dolls, in which you could insert a scroll of paper with a wish; very cool. Coming to the island was definitely worth it, and even though time was fleeting (we only got an hour and 20 minutes), we got to see everything it had to offer. We did have to rush a little on the way down, to catch the ferry on time, but I couldn’t help pick up a souvenir on the way. Now, I am seriously considering writing about the island for my field report in Religion; I could start as soon as I got home. I took plenty of photos, and the video will help me to remember… Well, I think once we get back to Hikone, we’re going to return to the hotel, and then hit the baths. Might get something to eat before that, although I’m really not that hungry; that breakfast really was filling…

4:24pm　バスのりば　－　彦根駅

We’re in the bus stop waiting for the next bus to the hotel… After getting off the ferry, we were making our way back to the station when we came across a quaint little café and decided to get something to eat; I noticed they had curry rice. The inside was just as quaint as the exterior (I felt like I was stepping into a cottage), and was up to its ears in cute paraphernalia. We were soon seated in High-back chairs, enjoying the curry; it certainly hit the spot. Upon leaving, the lady there gave up each a mini copper matchbox car, after Alex commented on them; that was unexpected and wonderful. Still waiting…

6:37pm　ホテル

Just had a dip in the Jacuzzi, and now I feel wonderful. I wonder what we’re going to have for dinner; always thinking about food I am. After that rice, I’m not really hungry anyway. Well, Alex isn’t back yet, so she must be enjoying herself…

9:39　ホテル

Just got back from eating dinner; we ended up going to Roppongi House again. This time, I tried the tonkotsu ramen, and Alex stuck with her tomato ramen; it was that good! After talking for a while, we again went to Lawsons for some dessert, and I got some caramel/chocolate ice cream; yummy. Today was absolutely incredible, and even though we did heaps of walking, my feet aren’t sore at all; I find that pretty surprising. Anyway, I’m not really sure what’s in store for tomorrow. I think we’ll just make it up as we go along…