The Last EPIC Journey Part 7: Sayonara Onsen, Konnichiwa Temples
Wed Feb 10/10
One Last Go
We had set the alarms for 6am for anyone who wanted to bathe once more before we left. I immediately sat up to get ready and just stayed there with my eyes closed. Then I heard Marie groggily ask if anyone was going to go bathe. I said I was and stood up to get my stuff. I scared myself silly because when I stood up, I saw a person's shadow on the sliding door - it was actually my own shadow. LOL. In all fairness, I was still groggy. Shortly after Chris sat up and said she would come too. In the elevator, we both agreed that we woke up to bathe one more time, because this was our last chance to enjoy it for a long time so we wanted to make the most of it.
We went to the indoor onsens. This time I wasn't wearing my contacts and I knew my glasses would only fog. I can see well enough, I just can't read anything without my glasses. Chris directed me to where she was. We enjoyed the two baths and then the sauna. It was much better this time because I felt that the elevated benches/seats were hotter than the floor where I sat. I was able to stay in a little longer than last time. Afterwards I went into the cool bath. Chris found it too cold so she only put her legs in.
We showered and went back upstairs. The girls were awake and we got ready for buffet breakfast. It was so yummy! We ate a lot again, but not as much as the night before. We went back to the rooms and Mellers said she'd go back for a quick dip. The rest of us decided to take naps on the futons.
Marie had to work so she needed to take the 10:15am train. We told her to go ahead to the lobby, but when she got there, the lady flagged down a bus and put her on it to the station or she'd miss her train. She called us to let us know and we headed off to Nikko. It was really lucky that we enjoyed all of this the day before, as the weather was much nicer. Today's weather was quite foggy and slushy.
Nikko
Chris and I had found a place called World Tobu Square on the internet. It is an amusement park that has replicas of the wonders of the world, except we found out later, that they were miniatures. We scrapped that plan and decided to just see the temples. We visited "Toshogu, Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Nikko had been a center of Shinto and Buddhist mountain worship for many centuries before Toshogu was built in the 1600." (taken from japan-guide)
Walking Around
We took pictures of the monkeys who hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. We copied them in the photos and the people who took our pictures took similar ones.
We climbed 200 steps to the mausoleum and it was so mystical with the mist everywhere. There was a large tree beside it where one could whisper their wishes into the hollow part of the tree. Mellers threw her arms up in the air and said GIVE ME LOVE! hahaha. I don't know what Chris asked for, but I asked to get into school and do well. I also wished for my family friends to be healthy and happy. We saw the temple of the crying dragon and the clapping of those wooden blocks had my ears ringing a bit. Chris was a bit jumpy at the temple too, but she was okay. She maybe sensed spirits there or something? Anyway, she stayed close to me the whole time we were there.
Mad Dash
We tried to keep track of time so that we could be back downtown at a decent hour. Mellers realized that there was a bus at 1:15pm and our train back was at 1:59pm. In order to catch it without rushing to the train we RAN down the temple. RAN people!
I ran with my heavyass knapsack and my bad cardio ahhaa. Mellers was running in her expensive heeled Italian boots and Chris in her new Harajuku boots and me with my Nike hightops. Mellers got there first and saw the bus. She started yelling and was hitting the side of the bus to wait for us. Chris and I caught up, we were gasping for air but were happy we made it. At the station, we ate curry pie and had a famous lemon-ginger drink.
COMAtose
We were pretty tired and we all just slept throught the whole train ride. Since we had already taken all of our scenery photos on our way there, we just slept the entire time, sprawled on our seats ahhaha. People walked by staring at us hahaha, we were so tired wed didn't care. We finally got back to the station.
Ikebukuro
Chris and I went to Ikebukuro to shop and Mellers took my knapsack to her place, so she could rest and call home. I bought a sheet of origami paper at a shop. We headed to Sunshine City mall. On the way, I won some anime-related stuff at an arcade. Chris and I shopped around and tried not to go too crazy. Because of the Alice-in-Wonderland craze, there is a lot of rabbit and clock themes, so I bought something.
Chris got some major steals! I got a new watch yea yea! I didn't spend that much as I need money for the taxi and besides, I spent a lot of money already!
When we called Mellers, Marie was with her. Marie had class early the next day and couldn't stay for dinner with us. We were going to leave in 30 minutes, but we didn't want to miss saying goodbye to her, so we rushed to Baba (Takadanobaba) station to say bye.
Okonomiyaki
I had been asking Mellers to take us to an okonomiyaki place. I love it! It's kind of like a cross between a pancake and omelette with different fillings. It turned out to be better that we didn't make it ourselves, because this guy made some amazing food! We ordered a lot of food. Two okonomiyakis, two orders of tofu (he added an extra one in for free), some kimichi dish and he also gave us a service (free) sweet potato dish that was amazingly good. We had a vegetable dish with asparagus and okra (I don't really like okra), but it was so delicious! We were so stuffed afterwards.
Haha Mellers kept saying she couldn't believe these great restaurants were so close to her and she didn't know about them. The guy was so nice to give us free stuff. We took pictures with them and he conversed with Mellers a bit. She told him we were from Canada. We went back to Mellers place to pick up the extra luggage and my knapsack. Mellers copied our photos and we stole music from her. I was already falling asleep. Sooooo tired...
See You Around Mellers!
Ah the part I hate - saying goodbye. I hugged Mellers really tightly and said goodbye. I really feel like it might be a while before I see her again, but who knows...that's what I thought the first time I said goodbye to her and we cried a bit, then I saw her numerous times after. A trip to Tokyo is never the same if Mellers isn't there. She was also able to switch her schedule so we could see her even more on the trip. She made the onsen so much more bearable as we were petrified, but ended up having such an amazing time.
Mellers is one-of-a-kind SUPERAWESOME. I'm glad Chris got to meet her and she's also met Josie. Guess she just has to meet my parents and she's met the family! Thanks Mellers for everything!! ^__^
Is it possible that we will make that trip an annual thing? ahahha. Where could we find the money and time? But when you think about it, it was such a steal. That experience only cost us $136 plus travel cost!
The Never-Ending Day
We got home and packed until we had to leave. So we got home at 1am something and left the guesthouse at 4:45am. Got the 5:45am bus and slept on there. Took a 9:00am flight and arrived in Seoul at 11:40amish, but that's another journal...so much to catch up on...slowly yet surely...these journals are so rough. I don't read them over, so sorry if they don't make sense LOL!
-Sam ^__^
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 6: Kinugawa Onsen, bathing with nekkid people
The Last EPIC Journey Part 6: Kinugawa Onsen, bathing with nekkid people
Tues Feb 9/10
If you thought the other ones were long...perhaps this is not the entry for you. I must describe this with great detail, as it was an amazing experience..yes, an AMAZING experience.
Firstly, let me explain in my own words, that a Japanese onsen is a hot spring bath. In majority of onsens, the baths are separated by genders and require one to bathe nekkid with other people. The baths are very healthy - rich in minerals, etc. To experience a hot spring is to experience real deal Japanese culture. Eating a piece of sushi doesn't it cut it. hahaha...I talk like I'm an expert, but I'm far from it kekeke. A ryokan is a hotel/inn with a hot spring and traditional Japanese rooms with tatami floors. Ryokans serve traditonal Japanese food and the cost to stay overnight usually covers dinner and breakfast. An additional 150yen ($1.50) is charged for the use of onsens. Yukatas (spring kimonos) and slippers are provided in the rooms and instead of western beds, Japanese rooms are supplied with futons, pillows and blankets that are set up by the hotel staff before you sleep.
On to the novel...
Trains are better than taxis!
How could I have forgotten this? Trains are better and faster than taxis. We were running late, so I stupidly thought that taking a taxi to Takadanobaba (Mellers' station) would get us on time. WRONG! We got there 20 minutes late and called Mellers. She was already on her way to Asakusa station, so we hopped back on the trains to reach Asakusa station. I was totally prepared to tell them to go ahead to Kinugawa and we'd meet them there, but they waited for us. I'm so lucky that Mellers is so chill!
CHOO CHOO to Kinugawa Onsen
Mellers introduced us to her friend Marie, who is superawesome cool. We spent the 2h 30min train ride talking about randomness keke. Since we had missed the regular train we ended up taking the express train. In retrospect, even though it was a bit more expensive, it was a good experience for Chris to try and it was comfortable! The scenery changed to mountains and fields...and snow! We definitely weren't in Tokyo anymore. Tokyo was cooolllddd and there was a snow drought there. Mellers told us that everyone wanted snow in Tokyo, but there hadn't been much.
Taxi Scammer
We finally arrived at Kinugawa Onsen station. Ahhhh the air is so tasty and clean here. We took photos around the area and then waited for the bus. We took the bus to our Asaya Hotel where we were staying. Wahhh the hotel is beautiful! I knew this from pictures, but seeing it was even better. We left our stuff with the hotel as check-in wasn't until 2:30pm. We requested a cab back to the station as we wanted to go to Nikko to see the temples. Taxis take a while to come...seriously. Our taxi driver tried to convince Mellers and Mary that he could drive us to Nikko and wait for us as we toured around and come back. He would charge us $40/person. What a scammer....train tickets were only 300yen ($3.00) and would take 40minutes and a bus there would be 500yen...so really it only cost us $8.00 to get there. They were so funny! Marie said that just because we spoke English didn't mean we were stupid tourists kekeke.
Oyakodon, Toilets and A Nice Walk
Chris and I were pretty hungry so we all went to get food. We ordered Oyakodon which is chicken, egg, green onions in a bowl of rice. It was so tasty. Marie, Chris and I had to use the washroom, but the toilets were the squatting kind. (looks like a urinal in the ground) I just sucked it up and used it, but Chris and Marie were having none of that. Marie found a sign that said western toilet and they rushed there. hahahaha. We missed our train and wouldn't have gotten to the temples in time, so we decided to spend the rest of our day at the onsens.
We decided to walk back to Asaya Hotel. We somewhat remembered how to get back. We hit the 7/11 to get alcohol and snacks for later at night and Mellers and Marie got oden. We asked for directions and everyone kept saying ohhh 30 minutes away. We took our time and made a few pit stops visiting a small shrine/temple and Mellers made a mini snow man holding on to our vodka. It was pretty slushy too. We eventually got back to the hotel and scoffed at the whole 30 minute thing, as it only took us 20 mins to get back.
Checking In
We checked in and were escorted to our room by a traditionally dressed older woman. She pushed our cart of bags, to our horror! We weren't raised to let an older person push our stuff! She didn't let us push it...ohhh are parents would be smacking us now. We got to our room on the 12th floor...yes, we were on the very top floor! Our room was beautiful! Very traditional and relaxing. We took pictures so please check them out later. The lady literally explained EVERYTHING...by then Chris and I decided to forget asking Mellers to translate.
We rested for a bit and then got ready to go to the onsens. We put on the yukatas that were in the closet. That meant we were wearing nothing but underwear under it. Of course Chris and I changed without showing, still putting off the inevitable.
The Moment Has Come! Onsen: bathing nekkid with other nekkid people!!
Ever since I mentioned the onsen/ryokan experience to Chris we have been debating whether we should actually do this. Getting nekkid and communal bathing is a must in Japan, but this is not something we could do naturally. We seriously stressed about it, no matter how many times Mellers and Marie told us it wasn't a big deal. "Who cares? These people won't see you ever again, etc" They were so nice trying to comfort us. Last time Mellers tried to convince me to go to a public bath I almost cried in fear. I don't like looking at my body and can't imagine displaying it to everyone else.
After taking pictures in our yukatas we grabbed our small and big towels and went downstairs to the indoor onsen. We took off our slippers and drank a bit of tea. We went over to the baskets to put place our clothes in. I swear Chris and I just stood in front of our baskets staring at them for a few minutes. I was breathing in and out and laughing nervously. Ahhhhh alsdfjsdlfjasdlfjsd I couldn't get out of this one! We already paid! I couldn't chicken out. One last breath and then off went the clothes. I took my small towel with me and followed them out.
Once I saw everyone walking around so naturally, I felt a little better. No one was staring anyone down making things awkward. Of course I was still supershy and somewhat scared, but I think making this obvious, would only bring more attention towards me. We sat in front of the shower stations and we showered at our own station before going into the bath. I must say that when you shower like this, it is really relaxing and you spend time cleaning and pampering yourself. While we washed our hair, we talked casually like nothing was out of the ordinary. By the time we finished washing ourselves, I didn't care anymore. I am who I am, and I would enjoy this experience.
We stepped into the onsen and boy was it HOT! I'm really not used to this heat, but taking it step by step, was bearable. Legs went in first, then waist, then the rest of my body up to my neck. Ahhh so relaxing once the whole body was in. There was something like a hot spring fountain in the middle. We made our way to it and I put my shoulders under it...so relaxing. I can see how people just forget about the time and stay so long. The steam from the water wafted around.
We changed onsens and headed to the upper one which was even hotter, but the window was open in that room, so it was a combination of cold air with a really hot bath. It was really hot, so I stayed in there with them, but did not lean against the wall where the water was coming out like the rest of them.
After that we went into the sauna...holy moly hot. I felt like we were toasting ourselves like bread. I felt like I had grill marks in my body ahaha...suffice to say, I didn't stay there long. At some point I couldn't tell whether it was the water from my hair and face dripping down, or my sweat hehe. I left before the rest and dipped my legs in the cold bath.
We all showered again before leaving. In Japanese culture and in movies, there is a tradition of having the back scrubbed by another person/relative. Well hey, we were all used to being nude anyway and we were friends so...we were all sitting beside each other...we scrubbed each others backs in a line. No, it wasn't gross and no, it wasn't weird. This was really a life altering experience for me. I am more comfortable in my own skin now. Not to say that I'm going to go around being an exhibitionist or anything, but yeah, I'm really glad I went. It was more comfortable and superawesome fun with Mellers and Mary there, so I'm really happy they came with us. I'm sure Chris feels the same way.
After showering, there is a vanity area, where people can dry their hair and use the lotions and creams. We headed upstairs to the outdoor onsen. HOLY CRAP cold air! hahaha. We squealed and ran to the bath. I think the older ladies were laughing at us. It is so nice to have cold air combined with a hot bath. The steam was coming off the water kind like those science experiments when things are frozen. The scenery was beautiful and we couldn't help but speculate whether someone was up in the mountain spying on unsuspecting bathers. We lucked out whenever we went to bath, as it was never supercrowded. We knew there were a lot of people there, but we mostly shared the baths with a few others.
THE BEST BUFFET EVER!!
OMG...the dinner buffet blew me away. Any foodie friends I have would have gone nuts! There was so much food to choose from and yes, I took photos!! There were queen crab legs, fresh sushi, hot egg custard, DIY shabu shabu, steak, salads, a plethora of desserts and so much more..literally!
We ate for 2 hours! ahahhahah...we ate so much!! It was incredible. Soooo freakin' good!! I have decided that I need to live in a ryokan. I would probably die from eating so much everyday...ok...once a month then?
We were all pretty food drunk or in a food coma when we left. We were pretty giddy and then Marie did this funny walk and we burst into laughter. We were laughing so hard we all fell to the carpet and went hysterical. A few people passed by us wondering what the heck was going on. We couldn't even stand and were laughing there for maybe 10 minutes? It was so funny! We couldn't even speak! Mellers videotaped it...I need to get that video from her!
FUTON = HEAVEN
When we got upstairs and turned on the lights were surprised to see the futons had been prepared for us. We took photos and then we tested them. Oh my gosh...heaven...this was heaven. I had overeaten, died and gone to heaven. We wanted to steal the pillows, futons and blankets. This is a danger zone...with my sleeping disorder, I might not ever wake up!
HOT STONE spa
Mellers had booked a package for us to go to the hot stone spa for an hour. We were booked in and given a hard plastic bag with towels and spa clothes. We went in and changed. Just before entering the spa, we were required to drink two cups of water. It was hecka hot in there of course. The hot stones looked like graves lol...there were beds of hot black stones. We put our large towels on top of the stones and lied down.
It was relaxing yet soooo hot and everytime I moved, the sound of stones could be heard. I tried not to move around so much, but eventually half-way through I had to leave and drink more cool water. I passed by the girls and they were passed out hahaha. I took time outside to cool off a bit. I went back in and finished the rest of the time. Chris was out. She could barely get up and wanted to stay there longer hahaha.
We went back to the outdoor onsen again. We ran into the bath ahhaha and we played some games where we had to name tokyo train stations, celebrity couples, colours, celebs we'd like to party with, etc. Anyone who couldn't name something on time, got splashed by the three of us. The onsen at night is really nice and relaxing.
After the outdoor onsen, we went back to the indoor one. I felt all my stress disappear and was more relaxed than I had been in a long time. Chris and I were talking about how we felt so clean and fresh after this experience...that and our skin became pretty white ahahaha. Once we had all finished bathing we headed upstairs.
Our plan was to drink all night and play games. Mellers hit her futon and she was off to lala land for the rest of the night. She lives a crazybusy life like me, so she really needed the rest. Chris stayed awake for a bit, but soon followed Mellers. Marie and I stayed a wake a while longer talking and drinking and finally slept. Initially I thought I would listen to my ipod, but it was dead and I didn't need much help once I lied down on the heavenly futon.
I told you it was a novel! I really wanted to put in every detail I could remember so that I would have it chronicled for myself. So yet, another experience to add to my life. I would definitely do it again!!
-Sam ^__^
Tues Feb 9/10
If you thought the other ones were long...perhaps this is not the entry for you. I must describe this with great detail, as it was an amazing experience..yes, an AMAZING experience.
Firstly, let me explain in my own words, that a Japanese onsen is a hot spring bath. In majority of onsens, the baths are separated by genders and require one to bathe nekkid with other people. The baths are very healthy - rich in minerals, etc. To experience a hot spring is to experience real deal Japanese culture. Eating a piece of sushi doesn't it cut it. hahaha...I talk like I'm an expert, but I'm far from it kekeke. A ryokan is a hotel/inn with a hot spring and traditional Japanese rooms with tatami floors. Ryokans serve traditonal Japanese food and the cost to stay overnight usually covers dinner and breakfast. An additional 150yen ($1.50) is charged for the use of onsens. Yukatas (spring kimonos) and slippers are provided in the rooms and instead of western beds, Japanese rooms are supplied with futons, pillows and blankets that are set up by the hotel staff before you sleep.
On to the novel...
Trains are better than taxis!
How could I have forgotten this? Trains are better and faster than taxis. We were running late, so I stupidly thought that taking a taxi to Takadanobaba (Mellers' station) would get us on time. WRONG! We got there 20 minutes late and called Mellers. She was already on her way to Asakusa station, so we hopped back on the trains to reach Asakusa station. I was totally prepared to tell them to go ahead to Kinugawa and we'd meet them there, but they waited for us. I'm so lucky that Mellers is so chill!
CHOO CHOO to Kinugawa Onsen
Mellers introduced us to her friend Marie, who is superawesome cool. We spent the 2h 30min train ride talking about randomness keke. Since we had missed the regular train we ended up taking the express train. In retrospect, even though it was a bit more expensive, it was a good experience for Chris to try and it was comfortable! The scenery changed to mountains and fields...and snow! We definitely weren't in Tokyo anymore. Tokyo was cooolllddd and there was a snow drought there. Mellers told us that everyone wanted snow in Tokyo, but there hadn't been much.
Taxi Scammer
We finally arrived at Kinugawa Onsen station. Ahhhh the air is so tasty and clean here. We took photos around the area and then waited for the bus. We took the bus to our Asaya Hotel where we were staying. Wahhh the hotel is beautiful! I knew this from pictures, but seeing it was even better. We left our stuff with the hotel as check-in wasn't until 2:30pm. We requested a cab back to the station as we wanted to go to Nikko to see the temples. Taxis take a while to come...seriously. Our taxi driver tried to convince Mellers and Mary that he could drive us to Nikko and wait for us as we toured around and come back. He would charge us $40/person. What a scammer....train tickets were only 300yen ($3.00) and would take 40minutes and a bus there would be 500yen...so really it only cost us $8.00 to get there. They were so funny! Marie said that just because we spoke English didn't mean we were stupid tourists kekeke.
Oyakodon, Toilets and A Nice Walk
Chris and I were pretty hungry so we all went to get food. We ordered Oyakodon which is chicken, egg, green onions in a bowl of rice. It was so tasty. Marie, Chris and I had to use the washroom, but the toilets were the squatting kind. (looks like a urinal in the ground) I just sucked it up and used it, but Chris and Marie were having none of that. Marie found a sign that said western toilet and they rushed there. hahahaha. We missed our train and wouldn't have gotten to the temples in time, so we decided to spend the rest of our day at the onsens.
We decided to walk back to Asaya Hotel. We somewhat remembered how to get back. We hit the 7/11 to get alcohol and snacks for later at night and Mellers and Marie got oden. We asked for directions and everyone kept saying ohhh 30 minutes away. We took our time and made a few pit stops visiting a small shrine/temple and Mellers made a mini snow man holding on to our vodka. It was pretty slushy too. We eventually got back to the hotel and scoffed at the whole 30 minute thing, as it only took us 20 mins to get back.
Checking In
We checked in and were escorted to our room by a traditionally dressed older woman. She pushed our cart of bags, to our horror! We weren't raised to let an older person push our stuff! She didn't let us push it...ohhh are parents would be smacking us now. We got to our room on the 12th floor...yes, we were on the very top floor! Our room was beautiful! Very traditional and relaxing. We took pictures so please check them out later. The lady literally explained EVERYTHING...by then Chris and I decided to forget asking Mellers to translate.
We rested for a bit and then got ready to go to the onsens. We put on the yukatas that were in the closet. That meant we were wearing nothing but underwear under it. Of course Chris and I changed without showing, still putting off the inevitable.
The Moment Has Come! Onsen: bathing nekkid with other nekkid people!!
Ever since I mentioned the onsen/ryokan experience to Chris we have been debating whether we should actually do this. Getting nekkid and communal bathing is a must in Japan, but this is not something we could do naturally. We seriously stressed about it, no matter how many times Mellers and Marie told us it wasn't a big deal. "Who cares? These people won't see you ever again, etc" They were so nice trying to comfort us. Last time Mellers tried to convince me to go to a public bath I almost cried in fear. I don't like looking at my body and can't imagine displaying it to everyone else.
After taking pictures in our yukatas we grabbed our small and big towels and went downstairs to the indoor onsen. We took off our slippers and drank a bit of tea. We went over to the baskets to put place our clothes in. I swear Chris and I just stood in front of our baskets staring at them for a few minutes. I was breathing in and out and laughing nervously. Ahhhhh alsdfjsdlfjasdlfjsd I couldn't get out of this one! We already paid! I couldn't chicken out. One last breath and then off went the clothes. I took my small towel with me and followed them out.
Once I saw everyone walking around so naturally, I felt a little better. No one was staring anyone down making things awkward. Of course I was still supershy and somewhat scared, but I think making this obvious, would only bring more attention towards me. We sat in front of the shower stations and we showered at our own station before going into the bath. I must say that when you shower like this, it is really relaxing and you spend time cleaning and pampering yourself. While we washed our hair, we talked casually like nothing was out of the ordinary. By the time we finished washing ourselves, I didn't care anymore. I am who I am, and I would enjoy this experience.
We stepped into the onsen and boy was it HOT! I'm really not used to this heat, but taking it step by step, was bearable. Legs went in first, then waist, then the rest of my body up to my neck. Ahhh so relaxing once the whole body was in. There was something like a hot spring fountain in the middle. We made our way to it and I put my shoulders under it...so relaxing. I can see how people just forget about the time and stay so long. The steam from the water wafted around.
We changed onsens and headed to the upper one which was even hotter, but the window was open in that room, so it was a combination of cold air with a really hot bath. It was really hot, so I stayed in there with them, but did not lean against the wall where the water was coming out like the rest of them.
After that we went into the sauna...holy moly hot. I felt like we were toasting ourselves like bread. I felt like I had grill marks in my body ahaha...suffice to say, I didn't stay there long. At some point I couldn't tell whether it was the water from my hair and face dripping down, or my sweat hehe. I left before the rest and dipped my legs in the cold bath.
We all showered again before leaving. In Japanese culture and in movies, there is a tradition of having the back scrubbed by another person/relative. Well hey, we were all used to being nude anyway and we were friends so...we were all sitting beside each other...we scrubbed each others backs in a line. No, it wasn't gross and no, it wasn't weird. This was really a life altering experience for me. I am more comfortable in my own skin now. Not to say that I'm going to go around being an exhibitionist or anything, but yeah, I'm really glad I went. It was more comfortable and superawesome fun with Mellers and Mary there, so I'm really happy they came with us. I'm sure Chris feels the same way.
After showering, there is a vanity area, where people can dry their hair and use the lotions and creams. We headed upstairs to the outdoor onsen. HOLY CRAP cold air! hahaha. We squealed and ran to the bath. I think the older ladies were laughing at us. It is so nice to have cold air combined with a hot bath. The steam was coming off the water kind like those science experiments when things are frozen. The scenery was beautiful and we couldn't help but speculate whether someone was up in the mountain spying on unsuspecting bathers. We lucked out whenever we went to bath, as it was never supercrowded. We knew there were a lot of people there, but we mostly shared the baths with a few others.
THE BEST BUFFET EVER!!
OMG...the dinner buffet blew me away. Any foodie friends I have would have gone nuts! There was so much food to choose from and yes, I took photos!! There were queen crab legs, fresh sushi, hot egg custard, DIY shabu shabu, steak, salads, a plethora of desserts and so much more..literally!
We ate for 2 hours! ahahhahah...we ate so much!! It was incredible. Soooo freakin' good!! I have decided that I need to live in a ryokan. I would probably die from eating so much everyday...ok...once a month then?
We were all pretty food drunk or in a food coma when we left. We were pretty giddy and then Marie did this funny walk and we burst into laughter. We were laughing so hard we all fell to the carpet and went hysterical. A few people passed by us wondering what the heck was going on. We couldn't even stand and were laughing there for maybe 10 minutes? It was so funny! We couldn't even speak! Mellers videotaped it...I need to get that video from her!
FUTON = HEAVEN
When we got upstairs and turned on the lights were surprised to see the futons had been prepared for us. We took photos and then we tested them. Oh my gosh...heaven...this was heaven. I had overeaten, died and gone to heaven. We wanted to steal the pillows, futons and blankets. This is a danger zone...with my sleeping disorder, I might not ever wake up!
HOT STONE spa
Mellers had booked a package for us to go to the hot stone spa for an hour. We were booked in and given a hard plastic bag with towels and spa clothes. We went in and changed. Just before entering the spa, we were required to drink two cups of water. It was hecka hot in there of course. The hot stones looked like graves lol...there were beds of hot black stones. We put our large towels on top of the stones and lied down.
It was relaxing yet soooo hot and everytime I moved, the sound of stones could be heard. I tried not to move around so much, but eventually half-way through I had to leave and drink more cool water. I passed by the girls and they were passed out hahaha. I took time outside to cool off a bit. I went back in and finished the rest of the time. Chris was out. She could barely get up and wanted to stay there longer hahaha.
We went back to the outdoor onsen again. We ran into the bath ahhaha and we played some games where we had to name tokyo train stations, celebrity couples, colours, celebs we'd like to party with, etc. Anyone who couldn't name something on time, got splashed by the three of us. The onsen at night is really nice and relaxing.
After the outdoor onsen, we went back to the indoor one. I felt all my stress disappear and was more relaxed than I had been in a long time. Chris and I were talking about how we felt so clean and fresh after this experience...that and our skin became pretty white ahahaha. Once we had all finished bathing we headed upstairs.
Our plan was to drink all night and play games. Mellers hit her futon and she was off to lala land for the rest of the night. She lives a crazybusy life like me, so she really needed the rest. Chris stayed awake for a bit, but soon followed Mellers. Marie and I stayed a wake a while longer talking and drinking and finally slept. Initially I thought I would listen to my ipod, but it was dead and I didn't need much help once I lied down on the heavenly futon.
I told you it was a novel! I really wanted to put in every detail I could remember so that I would have it chronicled for myself. So yet, another experience to add to my life. I would definitely do it again!!
-Sam ^__^
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 5: Ghibli Museum, Stubborn Ramen, Harajuku, Karaoke
The Last EPIC Journey Part 5: Ghibli Museum, Stubborn Ramen, Harajuku, Karaoke
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Ganko "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not perfect today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Ganko "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not perfect today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
The Last EPIC Journey Part 4:Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, Yokohama, Chocolate Shopping, Shibuya
The Last EPIC Journey Part 5: Ghibli Museum, Stubborn Ramen,
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Gankou "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not good today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Gankou "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not good today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Pt 3: Edo Museum, Sensoji & Abercrombie Flagship Store
The Last EPIC Journey Pt 3: Edo Museum, Sensoji & Abercrombie Flagship Store
Sat Feb 6/10
Edo Museum
I had told Chris to let me know if there was something specific she wanted to see and she mentioned going to the Edo Museum. In planning some of the things we would be doing I noticed four of them were clustered in the east end - Edo Museum, National Museum, Akihabara and Asakusa. We are in the west end of Tokyo. Well we got Akihabara out of the way yesterday, so we decided to try to see the rest.
We arrived at the museum at close to 10am. Our initial plan was to go through on our own, but I noticed there were volunteer English guides at 10am and suggested to Chris that we get one. Sayoko was very nice and was quite impressed with our knowledge of Japan and our great interest in her culture. We learned quite a bit about Edo and took pictures mostly without flash. The kabuki theatre was quite impressive. When our tour ended, we thanked Sayoko and gave her a small thank you gift. We exchanged business cards and she welcomed us to visit her home when we came to visit again. After this museum visit, Chris regained her great interest in studying Japanese and says she hopes to come back on foreign exchange if possible.
Nabe and Tompeiyaki
By the end of the tour, we were sooooo hungry! We ended up at a restaurant and ordered the same thing as the table beside us. They were eating nabe. It came in a small pot, similar to hot pot. Our stuff was pre-cooked so we just needed it to boil before we ate. We had one of my favourite dishes as well, which is tompeiyaki (omelette like dish filled with bacon, cheese and some other fillings). It was extremely good. I managed to order us water and tea, but they only gave us one glass of each. I ordered again and they brought two more glasses of water hahaha...oh well, I tried! The food was delicious and we got some great pictures of the dishes. Yes, everyone knows I love taking pictures of food!
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa
I was excited to take Chris to one of my favourite places in Tokyo. We walked around Asakusa and shopped in a few places there. Chris took photos as we walked. We headed to Sensoji Temple where we made offerings. We wafted incense on ourselves for good health, she drank from the fountain and did her fortune. She got the best fortune YAY! I got a fortune which was supposed to be a medium luck type fortune, but it sounded more like a bad fortune...the call will not come, etc...sounds forboding...so I tied it up like everyone else who didn't get a favourable fortune in hopes that the fortune will improve. We also bought some temple fortunes.
Manju & sweet sake
I had Chris try manju which is deep fried and filled with redbeans or different fillings. She got pumpkin and I got sweet potato. I also had ume ice cream from my favourite ice cream place near the temple. I can't remember the name offhand, but I took a photo of the front of the store. They have 30 different flavours. We also drank sweet sake and had these glutinous rice balls on a stick covered in brown powder. It was so good! There was a rule, however, that if customers bought the sake they had to finish it beside the store. Makes sense...no one wants a lot of people walking around with hot sake...
Rice Crackers & other purchases
I'll confess to you know that I went kinda nuts with rice crackers. I've never really cared for buying rice crackers, but I tell you, the rice crackers here are amazing! So I bought a lot of them! I can't even guarantee they'll make it home! I bought original with nuts, chocolate with nuts, ginger, soya sauce and assorted. I also bought sweets and some other things. I bought a kendama (Japanese toy) for my cousin and a dharma doll (it's a doll that consists of a head with no eyes - the eyes are drawn in once a goal is made and accomplished).
Washi/Chiyogami Paper!!
WOOHOOO! We found a paper store beside the Ghibli store in Asakusa. Chris is a saint for waiting for me as I rummaged through the paper drawers like it was boxing day. I bought a lot of paper! I knew that if I came here and found the stores, I would buy a lot, thus I brought a poster roll. I just didn't expect to find it today, but it was fine because the nice lady that helped me rolled and wrapped them very nicely. She also cut the large sheet I bought into manageable pieces. I looooove the paper I bought!
Asakusa Tourism Office
We dropped by the Asakusa Tourism Office to inquire about the tickets to Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. We are planning to go there Tuesday and stay overnight. The ladies were very helpful and also gave us info on the Winter Campaign for tourists. We knew about this campaign but it is difficult to figure out, as there is no print-out of what businesses are participating, etc. We gave the Laura Secord lollipops to thank them for their help and also some to the other staff members. The head of the office gave us a gift back in thanks. We got some free postcards :) They were really nice and helpful.
Ginza, More Paper and Abercrombie
We called Mellers and she asked us to meet her at her store. We used our 2 day metropass as we wouldn't be able to refund those ones anyway. As we exited Ginza station we walked by another paper place. I only bought three sheets. I wanted to buy more, but that would mean I would have to buy a whole roll of it...it would be hard to transport it. I still might, depending how much money I have. With the not so stellar exchange rate and buying the camera and film, my budget is smaller than I would have liked. Oh well!
We finally went to Abercrombie and I'm telling you right now people, that the place is CRAZY! 11 floors of shopping and only two floors with cash registers. Line ups of several floors, attractive guys greeting at the entrance/exit, topless models posing for polaroids with customers, attractive guys manning the elevators, etc. It was a madhouse! Chris and I ended up on the 7th floor and walked back down asking people where we could find Melody. It was a mission I tell you. We ended up leaving and calling her from a public phone. We walked around for a while and when we were coming back, we thought we heard her yell my name but couldn't spot her. We finally found each other. She changed, met us again and then forced us back inside. She really really wanted us to take a photo with the shirtless model. Chris and I felt awkward, but we did it anyway. You gotta see those pics hahaha. The interior wall mural is apparently the largest mural in the world (i'm not sure if they mean in a store, or in general), every floor is filled with young, attractive staff - some of whom are dancing around. The prices are expensive, but then again it's the first asian flagship store for Abercrombie.
One of the BEST salads EVER!
Mellers took us for dinner at a restaurant, but I can't remember the name. We ordered a number of things, including tompeiyaki again, glazed fried wings, rice dish similar to bi bim bap and one of the BEST salads EVER! Since it was named after the restaurant, we figured it must be SUPERAWESOME and it was. It had lettuce, crispy strips of wonton wrappers (?) and seafood filling.
UNIQLO and Kinugawa Onsen planning
After eating, we went to UNIQLO. We shopped around and they opened another section of their change rooms so we could all be beside each other. We all bought stuff. We could have shoppped more, but the store was closed. I had to give up some of the things I wanted. I hate it when I can't just recklessly spend my money hahahaa. We paid for our stuff and left. We talked to Mellers about Kinugawa onsen and she said she would come! YAY! I was going to make the reservations myself through an English site, but they required 5 days notice prior, so I asked Mellers to make the booking on the Japanese home site. Because she's superawesome, she worked out a nice plan :) We will be staying in a Japanese style room on the top floor and we also have 1 hour access to the hot stone spa. I'm excited for Tuesday!!
Are you guys getting through these?! Hahaha I know they are long! Is it really windy at home?
-Sam ^___^
Sat Feb 6/10
Edo Museum
I had told Chris to let me know if there was something specific she wanted to see and she mentioned going to the Edo Museum. In planning some of the things we would be doing I noticed four of them were clustered in the east end - Edo Museum, National Museum, Akihabara and Asakusa. We are in the west end of Tokyo. Well we got Akihabara out of the way yesterday, so we decided to try to see the rest.
We arrived at the museum at close to 10am. Our initial plan was to go through on our own, but I noticed there were volunteer English guides at 10am and suggested to Chris that we get one. Sayoko was very nice and was quite impressed with our knowledge of Japan and our great interest in her culture. We learned quite a bit about Edo and took pictures mostly without flash. The kabuki theatre was quite impressive. When our tour ended, we thanked Sayoko and gave her a small thank you gift. We exchanged business cards and she welcomed us to visit her home when we came to visit again. After this museum visit, Chris regained her great interest in studying Japanese and says she hopes to come back on foreign exchange if possible.
Nabe and Tompeiyaki
By the end of the tour, we were sooooo hungry! We ended up at a restaurant and ordered the same thing as the table beside us. They were eating nabe. It came in a small pot, similar to hot pot. Our stuff was pre-cooked so we just needed it to boil before we ate. We had one of my favourite dishes as well, which is tompeiyaki (omelette like dish filled with bacon, cheese and some other fillings). It was extremely good. I managed to order us water and tea, but they only gave us one glass of each. I ordered again and they brought two more glasses of water hahaha...oh well, I tried! The food was delicious and we got some great pictures of the dishes. Yes, everyone knows I love taking pictures of food!
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa
I was excited to take Chris to one of my favourite places in Tokyo. We walked around Asakusa and shopped in a few places there. Chris took photos as we walked. We headed to Sensoji Temple where we made offerings. We wafted incense on ourselves for good health, she drank from the fountain and did her fortune. She got the best fortune YAY! I got a fortune which was supposed to be a medium luck type fortune, but it sounded more like a bad fortune...the call will not come, etc...sounds forboding...so I tied it up like everyone else who didn't get a favourable fortune in hopes that the fortune will improve. We also bought some temple fortunes.
Manju & sweet sake
I had Chris try manju which is deep fried and filled with redbeans or different fillings. She got pumpkin and I got sweet potato. I also had ume ice cream from my favourite ice cream place near the temple. I can't remember the name offhand, but I took a photo of the front of the store. They have 30 different flavours. We also drank sweet sake and had these glutinous rice balls on a stick covered in brown powder. It was so good! There was a rule, however, that if customers bought the sake they had to finish it beside the store. Makes sense...no one wants a lot of people walking around with hot sake...
Rice Crackers & other purchases
I'll confess to you know that I went kinda nuts with rice crackers. I've never really cared for buying rice crackers, but I tell you, the rice crackers here are amazing! So I bought a lot of them! I can't even guarantee they'll make it home! I bought original with nuts, chocolate with nuts, ginger, soya sauce and assorted. I also bought sweets and some other things. I bought a kendama (Japanese toy) for my cousin and a dharma doll (it's a doll that consists of a head with no eyes - the eyes are drawn in once a goal is made and accomplished).
Washi/Chiyogami Paper!!
WOOHOOO! We found a paper store beside the Ghibli store in Asakusa. Chris is a saint for waiting for me as I rummaged through the paper drawers like it was boxing day. I bought a lot of paper! I knew that if I came here and found the stores, I would buy a lot, thus I brought a poster roll. I just didn't expect to find it today, but it was fine because the nice lady that helped me rolled and wrapped them very nicely. She also cut the large sheet I bought into manageable pieces. I looooove the paper I bought!
Asakusa Tourism Office
We dropped by the Asakusa Tourism Office to inquire about the tickets to Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. We are planning to go there Tuesday and stay overnight. The ladies were very helpful and also gave us info on the Winter Campaign for tourists. We knew about this campaign but it is difficult to figure out, as there is no print-out of what businesses are participating, etc. We gave the Laura Secord lollipops to thank them for their help and also some to the other staff members. The head of the office gave us a gift back in thanks. We got some free postcards :) They were really nice and helpful.
Ginza, More Paper and Abercrombie
We called Mellers and she asked us to meet her at her store. We used our 2 day metropass as we wouldn't be able to refund those ones anyway. As we exited Ginza station we walked by another paper place. I only bought three sheets. I wanted to buy more, but that would mean I would have to buy a whole roll of it...it would be hard to transport it. I still might, depending how much money I have. With the not so stellar exchange rate and buying the camera and film, my budget is smaller than I would have liked. Oh well!
We finally went to Abercrombie and I'm telling you right now people, that the place is CRAZY! 11 floors of shopping and only two floors with cash registers. Line ups of several floors, attractive guys greeting at the entrance/exit, topless models posing for polaroids with customers, attractive guys manning the elevators, etc. It was a madhouse! Chris and I ended up on the 7th floor and walked back down asking people where we could find Melody. It was a mission I tell you. We ended up leaving and calling her from a public phone. We walked around for a while and when we were coming back, we thought we heard her yell my name but couldn't spot her. We finally found each other. She changed, met us again and then forced us back inside. She really really wanted us to take a photo with the shirtless model. Chris and I felt awkward, but we did it anyway. You gotta see those pics hahaha. The interior wall mural is apparently the largest mural in the world (i'm not sure if they mean in a store, or in general), every floor is filled with young, attractive staff - some of whom are dancing around. The prices are expensive, but then again it's the first asian flagship store for Abercrombie.
One of the BEST salads EVER!
Mellers took us for dinner at a restaurant, but I can't remember the name. We ordered a number of things, including tompeiyaki again, glazed fried wings, rice dish similar to bi bim bap and one of the BEST salads EVER! Since it was named after the restaurant, we figured it must be SUPERAWESOME and it was. It had lettuce, crispy strips of wonton wrappers (?) and seafood filling.
UNIQLO and Kinugawa Onsen planning
After eating, we went to UNIQLO. We shopped around and they opened another section of their change rooms so we could all be beside each other. We all bought stuff. We could have shoppped more, but the store was closed. I had to give up some of the things I wanted. I hate it when I can't just recklessly spend my money hahahaa. We paid for our stuff and left. We talked to Mellers about Kinugawa onsen and she said she would come! YAY! I was going to make the reservations myself through an English site, but they required 5 days notice prior, so I asked Mellers to make the booking on the Japanese home site. Because she's superawesome, she worked out a nice plan :) We will be staying in a Japanese style room on the top floor and we also have 1 hour access to the hot stone spa. I'm excited for Tuesday!!
Are you guys getting through these?! Hahaha I know they are long! Is it really windy at home?
-Sam ^___^
The Last EPIC Journey Pt 2: Arcades, Anime and Cameras OH MY!
The Last EPIC Journey Part 2: Arcades, Anime and Cameras OH MY!
Fri Feb 5/10
Akihabara: Electric City & Anime/Hobby Store Craziness
As I mentioned before we woke up late. It's only fair since we slept at 8am! We got ready and made our way to Akihabara which is known for electronic stores and anime/hobby shops. The two things I was really looking for were Animate (a 7 FLOOR anime/manga store!) and a fuji instax mini camera (mini-polaroid camera). Akihabara is quite an experience and even though I have been to Tokyo three times before this, I have never made it there.
Animate
Holy anime/manga craziness. When we found the Animate shop it was crazy!! 7 floors of craziness! I only bought three things: an art book and two mangas. Chris tried out the 200 yen machines to get some stuff for her friends. At the store, there was a cashier at every floor so you had to pay on each level. I guess it's a blessing in disguise that I'm not AS CRAZY as I used to be, otherwise I would have dropped some serious cash...and paper is heavy...my luggage would have been so heavy!
Softmap
We went to Softmap's flagship store which sells a buttload of electronics. I finally found my Fuji Mini Instax. I have been so obsessed with this camera recently. I love min-polaroids!! I bought the camera and 100 film. We've already started using it and it's so awesome :)
It Was Going to Happen Sooner or Later...
I stumbled across another arcade..actually a few...and yes, I was tempted to try my luck and so I did...I won a number of stuffed animal things and also some bento (lunch boxes). Chris are kind of strange in that we like winning things more than keeping the prizes. I guess we're just supercompetitive and enjoy winning...
Akihabara Yummies
We grabbed some fruity dessert crepes as we walked around. I had cheesecake and mixed fruits and Chris had strawberry chocolate. We also ordered some star shaped potato fritters. They were really good. Chris was annoyed by the crazy cosplay girls who were advertising various things. We were also given free tissue with an advertisement. We walked around for a bit longer and considered eating in the area. In the end we decided to check out Ikebukuro.
Too Late to Ikebukuro
We got to Ikebukuro but the department stores had closed. We managed to shop in the station though. Chris consdiered buying some stuff at LUSH, as some of their products might differ from home, but then decided not to. We bought some clothes from UNIQLO which was preparing to close. We sped shopped. Though we would like to shop here too, I don't know if we'll have time with all the things will be doing.
Dinnnerrrr
Wanting to explore our dinner options in our neighbourhood, we returned to Koenji. After browsing some of the places, we ended up at a cheap but decent restaurant. Chris was pretty exhausted and increasingly affected by jet lag. I ordered breaded shrimp & tonkatsu (breaded pork), while Chris had tonkatsu and curry on rice. There was a very large thermos of tea which we practically finished.
More Snacks
Considering we are in the land of packaged snacks, you can't blame me for wanting to try almost everything. I initially bought things I already love here like Crunky (chocolate with crispy rice), like Crispy Crunch and is made by LOTTE which is a Korean company. We also got those superawesome chocolate biscuits - I'll have to get the name again, since I don't have it in front of me at the moment.
We headed back at home at fell asleep pretty quickly!
I am quite behind writing these journals because we get home really late are on dead tired and in the mornings we wake up and leave right away.
I hope you are all doing well. By the way, it's hella windy cold here. Thank goodness we brought long sleeved shirts, mittens and hats with us! When you see pictures, you can see our hair blowing in the wind...kinda sorta but not really (b/c Chris wears my hat all the time and my hair isn't long enough to whip in the wind keke), but you can tell.
Oh and a few of the stores situated near our guest house are a little mcshady with animated pictures of well-endowed female characters. We aren't terribly bothered by it, but I suppose other people might be. I would still recommend this place to people as it is so cheap and it is clean. We pay 3500 yen a night for the room. We don't have a curfew either.
Good night everyone!
-Sam ^___^
Fri Feb 5/10
Akihabara: Electric City & Anime/Hobby Store Craziness
As I mentioned before we woke up late. It's only fair since we slept at 8am! We got ready and made our way to Akihabara which is known for electronic stores and anime/hobby shops. The two things I was really looking for were Animate (a 7 FLOOR anime/manga store!) and a fuji instax mini camera (mini-polaroid camera). Akihabara is quite an experience and even though I have been to Tokyo three times before this, I have never made it there.
Animate
Holy anime/manga craziness. When we found the Animate shop it was crazy!! 7 floors of craziness! I only bought three things: an art book and two mangas. Chris tried out the 200 yen machines to get some stuff for her friends. At the store, there was a cashier at every floor so you had to pay on each level. I guess it's a blessing in disguise that I'm not AS CRAZY as I used to be, otherwise I would have dropped some serious cash...and paper is heavy...my luggage would have been so heavy!
Softmap
We went to Softmap's flagship store which sells a buttload of electronics. I finally found my Fuji Mini Instax. I have been so obsessed with this camera recently. I love min-polaroids!! I bought the camera and 100 film. We've already started using it and it's so awesome :)
It Was Going to Happen Sooner or Later...
I stumbled across another arcade..actually a few...and yes, I was tempted to try my luck and so I did...I won a number of stuffed animal things and also some bento (lunch boxes). Chris are kind of strange in that we like winning things more than keeping the prizes. I guess we're just supercompetitive and enjoy winning...
Akihabara Yummies
We grabbed some fruity dessert crepes as we walked around. I had cheesecake and mixed fruits and Chris had strawberry chocolate. We also ordered some star shaped potato fritters. They were really good. Chris was annoyed by the crazy cosplay girls who were advertising various things. We were also given free tissue with an advertisement. We walked around for a bit longer and considered eating in the area. In the end we decided to check out Ikebukuro.
Too Late to Ikebukuro
We got to Ikebukuro but the department stores had closed. We managed to shop in the station though. Chris consdiered buying some stuff at LUSH, as some of their products might differ from home, but then decided not to. We bought some clothes from UNIQLO which was preparing to close. We sped shopped. Though we would like to shop here too, I don't know if we'll have time with all the things will be doing.
Dinnnerrrr
Wanting to explore our dinner options in our neighbourhood, we returned to Koenji. After browsing some of the places, we ended up at a cheap but decent restaurant. Chris was pretty exhausted and increasingly affected by jet lag. I ordered breaded shrimp & tonkatsu (breaded pork), while Chris had tonkatsu and curry on rice. There was a very large thermos of tea which we practically finished.
More Snacks
Considering we are in the land of packaged snacks, you can't blame me for wanting to try almost everything. I initially bought things I already love here like Crunky (chocolate with crispy rice), like Crispy Crunch and is made by LOTTE which is a Korean company. We also got those superawesome chocolate biscuits - I'll have to get the name again, since I don't have it in front of me at the moment.
We headed back at home at fell asleep pretty quickly!
I am quite behind writing these journals because we get home really late are on dead tired and in the mornings we wake up and leave right away.
I hope you are all doing well. By the way, it's hella windy cold here. Thank goodness we brought long sleeved shirts, mittens and hats with us! When you see pictures, you can see our hair blowing in the wind...kinda sorta but not really (b/c Chris wears my hat all the time and my hair isn't long enough to whip in the wind keke), but you can tell.
Oh and a few of the stores situated near our guest house are a little mcshady with animated pictures of well-endowed female characters. We aren't terribly bothered by it, but I suppose other people might be. I would still recommend this place to people as it is so cheap and it is clean. We pay 3500 yen a night for the room. We don't have a curfew either.
Good night everyone!
-Sam ^___^
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 1: Jet Lag is for Newbs & Hitting the Clubs
The Last EPIC Journey Part 1: Jet Lag is for Newbs & Hitting the Clubs
Wed Thurs 3/10 - Thurs Feb 4/10
Air Canada Rating
Since we are flying with three different carriers, I decided to a rating of my own on them. The lady who checked us in was extremely nice. She helped us out a lot and poor dad had to trash three of his lighters and matches. We had thought that the rule about no lighters was only for carry-on and not check in. In addition, because he was transferring at Tokyo, we thought it was best for me to take his Johnny Walker's since he had purchased it on duty free and would most likely have to trash that too. The flight was smooth, the staff was extremely friendly and the food was not totally riddled with mushrooms. So I would probably give them a 3.5 out of 5. Watched The Invention of Lying and part of Love Happens on the plane. I basically narco-ed my way through the flight and ate and watched movies. Chris was worse than me and she was always using me for her pillow, so my ribs were a bit sore haha.
Journey to Koenji
We arrived in Tokyo and parted ways with Dad. We were instructed to go to separate customs officers even though we are related and we were fingerprinted and photographed. We picked up our luggage and headed to the exit where they were doing security checks. I was expecting them to open my luggage and rummage, but they didn't.
Its the Thought That Counts
We purchased a combo ticket - round-trip to the airport and a 2-day Metro line pass. We bought additional ones as well because we will be using public transit a lot. Then we waited for our limobus. Three guys who came from Toronto as well let us go ahead of them and one tried to help me, but I forgot to tell him that my luggage handle was broken. Poor guy thought he broke it! He apologized profusely but I told him it was fine. The limobus guy did the same thing. I need a luggage exchange soon.
Koenji
MISSIONS i tell you! Walking up and down the damn stairs with big-ass luggage filled with gifts is no walk in the park! We had to take a short train ride to our stop and it was quite the adventure. Suffice to say, we are cabbing it to shinjuku station and getting the limobus from there going back. When we finally arrived at Koenji station I called Toshi and Ryusaku picked us up. He carried my luggage up one flight and then suggested we stay on that floor ahahahah. Our room is reasonably sized, but the bed is big and takes up most of the space. Also music plays late at night but we're used to living beside a fire station so we don't care. Our room was icy cold, but we figured out how to use the heater!
Mellers calls
Mellers called Ryusaku to find out what happened to us. We got there much later than anticipated due to the craziness at Shinjuku station. I forgot to mention, that people thought we were weird for just wearing our hoodies and no jackets too. We talked briefly and she said we'd go clubbing that night hahahaah..jet lag is for newbs! We would call her at 9pm to find out where to meet.
Exploring Koenji - Shopping at the Daiso (100 yen shop)
Hit the daiso and bought a variety of origami paper. We also looked around at the shops. We're in a pretty cool place :) We also went to 7 eleven, since we forgot our shampoo and toothpaste kekeke. Got some snacks and drinks too.
Dinner
We got to Shinjuku station and looked around a bit. Finally reunited with Mellers at around 11pmish. We went to a Japanese restaurant where we had to take off our shoes and put them in a locker. There was a metal block at each locker and you take the metal slab with you and it locks. We ate gyoza, tompeiyaki, different types of yakitori and had alcoholic beverages..cassis with oolong and cassis with orange juice. Chris experienced a high tech toilet!
Clubbin at Lex
Mellers took us clubbing at Lex with her Abercrombie co-workers and models. All the girls were drooling over them. We also saw Akanashi Jin from KAT-TUN (j-pop band) and he was hanging out with this girl who was all over him. We had a fun time. Everyone was really into the music. It was hella crowded in there though and so hot. We had to take several breaks outside. We were crazy dancing, so much so, that I almost fell at one point haahaa. One of Mellers friends joined us and he almost fell too. Her friends are really nice and some talked to us. There were a lot of foreigner jerks who tried to dance with us, but none of us were having it. Chris, Mellers and I had fun doing some of the dances we knew.
I couldn't find my flat shoes so I ended up using heels and it killed me. My toes felt broken! I was basically hobbled out after clubbing. We left with Masayo and Kenichi and I treated for ramen. Then Masayo came with us to inquire about the passes we had bought. They aren't worth using so we will try to refund them when we get back to the airport.
We were so dead tired when we got back home at around 7amish. We got ready for bed and passed out. We woke up late the next day ahahhaa..I won't say what time but it was late! I'll tell you about it tomorrow and it will be a heckuvalot shorter than this one!!
Hugs to those who finished this email. Sorry if it doesn't make sense hahaah
Until the next one,
Sam ^___^
Wed Thurs 3/10 - Thurs Feb 4/10
Air Canada Rating
Since we are flying with three different carriers, I decided to a rating of my own on them. The lady who checked us in was extremely nice. She helped us out a lot and poor dad had to trash three of his lighters and matches. We had thought that the rule about no lighters was only for carry-on and not check in. In addition, because he was transferring at Tokyo, we thought it was best for me to take his Johnny Walker's since he had purchased it on duty free and would most likely have to trash that too. The flight was smooth, the staff was extremely friendly and the food was not totally riddled with mushrooms. So I would probably give them a 3.5 out of 5. Watched The Invention of Lying and part of Love Happens on the plane. I basically narco-ed my way through the flight and ate and watched movies. Chris was worse than me and she was always using me for her pillow, so my ribs were a bit sore haha.
Journey to Koenji
We arrived in Tokyo and parted ways with Dad. We were instructed to go to separate customs officers even though we are related and we were fingerprinted and photographed. We picked up our luggage and headed to the exit where they were doing security checks. I was expecting them to open my luggage and rummage, but they didn't.
Its the Thought That Counts
We purchased a combo ticket - round-trip to the airport and a 2-day Metro line pass. We bought additional ones as well because we will be using public transit a lot. Then we waited for our limobus. Three guys who came from Toronto as well let us go ahead of them and one tried to help me, but I forgot to tell him that my luggage handle was broken. Poor guy thought he broke it! He apologized profusely but I told him it was fine. The limobus guy did the same thing. I need a luggage exchange soon.
Koenji
MISSIONS i tell you! Walking up and down the damn stairs with big-ass luggage filled with gifts is no walk in the park! We had to take a short train ride to our stop and it was quite the adventure. Suffice to say, we are cabbing it to shinjuku station and getting the limobus from there going back. When we finally arrived at Koenji station I called Toshi and Ryusaku picked us up. He carried my luggage up one flight and then suggested we stay on that floor ahahahah. Our room is reasonably sized, but the bed is big and takes up most of the space. Also music plays late at night but we're used to living beside a fire station so we don't care. Our room was icy cold, but we figured out how to use the heater!
Mellers calls
Mellers called Ryusaku to find out what happened to us. We got there much later than anticipated due to the craziness at Shinjuku station. I forgot to mention, that people thought we were weird for just wearing our hoodies and no jackets too. We talked briefly and she said we'd go clubbing that night hahahaah..jet lag is for newbs! We would call her at 9pm to find out where to meet.
Exploring Koenji - Shopping at the Daiso (100 yen shop)
Hit the daiso and bought a variety of origami paper. We also looked around at the shops. We're in a pretty cool place :) We also went to 7 eleven, since we forgot our shampoo and toothpaste kekeke. Got some snacks and drinks too.
Dinner
We got to Shinjuku station and looked around a bit. Finally reunited with Mellers at around 11pmish. We went to a Japanese restaurant where we had to take off our shoes and put them in a locker. There was a metal block at each locker and you take the metal slab with you and it locks. We ate gyoza, tompeiyaki, different types of yakitori and had alcoholic beverages..cassis with oolong and cassis with orange juice. Chris experienced a high tech toilet!
Clubbin at Lex
Mellers took us clubbing at Lex with her Abercrombie co-workers and models. All the girls were drooling over them. We also saw Akanashi Jin from KAT-TUN (j-pop band) and he was hanging out with this girl who was all over him. We had a fun time. Everyone was really into the music. It was hella crowded in there though and so hot. We had to take several breaks outside. We were crazy dancing, so much so, that I almost fell at one point haahaa. One of Mellers friends joined us and he almost fell too. Her friends are really nice and some talked to us. There were a lot of foreigner jerks who tried to dance with us, but none of us were having it. Chris, Mellers and I had fun doing some of the dances we knew.
I couldn't find my flat shoes so I ended up using heels and it killed me. My toes felt broken! I was basically hobbled out after clubbing. We left with Masayo and Kenichi and I treated for ramen. Then Masayo came with us to inquire about the passes we had bought. They aren't worth using so we will try to refund them when we get back to the airport.
We were so dead tired when we got back home at around 7amish. We got ready for bed and passed out. We woke up late the next day ahahhaa..I won't say what time but it was late! I'll tell you about it tomorrow and it will be a heckuvalot shorter than this one!!
Hugs to those who finished this email. Sorry if it doesn't make sense hahaah
Until the next one,
Sam ^___^
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 0: Prologue
The Last EPIC Journey Part 0: Prologue
Hello All,
It's that time again! No, not Christmas...it's travel journal spamming time! If you have received this email, it means I have left the country, abandoned my job (temporarily) and am off searching for a husband LOL! You all know that's a joke right? But if it actually happened would you be surprised?
Well the chances have gone up since I will be away on Valentine's Day kekeke...Valentine's Day/Chinese Lunar New Year! But seriously, I'm on my "last" epic vacation for a while, as I have applied to the East Asian Studies course at UofT and York, so no more crazy travelling for a while TT_______TT And I know you might be shaking your head with disbelief and perhaps the words "yeah right" come to mind or tumble out of your mouth...but yes...try to believe - as I am really trying, that this will be the LAST EPIC ADVENTURE!...for a while...
I am taking Chris with me this time. It is her birthday/Christmas/graduation gift that I have been planning for two years. So we will be embarking on this crazy adventure for around 4 weeks. This means GO BIG OR GO HOME! HAH! I'm going to live it up and you'll get to read about it..well most of it anyway ;) Us girls will be going to Japan and Korea and then meeting Papa Joe in the Philippines.
Here is the itinerary
Tokyo [Feb 4 - 11]
Seoul [Feb 11 - 18]
Manila [Feb 18 - Mar 5]
The fact that JAL airlines has applied for bankruptcy protection is only a small worry. I mean if the powers that be have decided that I should just stay in Asia...who am I to argue? We have already worked out a deportation plan, if the need should arise, but alas...we won't be able to go back anymore...so let's just cross our fingers! And while we are away, we will continue to cheer Canada on in the Olympics! We'll have an Olympics of our own...you know, the shopping and eating kind haha (am I the only one laughing here?). Ok, ok, so this was the prologue and on comes the real trip!
-Sam ^____^
Hello All,
It's that time again! No, not Christmas...it's travel journal spamming time! If you have received this email, it means I have left the country, abandoned my job (temporarily) and am off searching for a husband LOL! You all know that's a joke right? But if it actually happened would you be surprised?
Well the chances have gone up since I will be away on Valentine's Day kekeke...Valentine's Day/Chinese Lunar New Year! But seriously, I'm on my "last" epic vacation for a while, as I have applied to the East Asian Studies course at UofT and York, so no more crazy travelling for a while TT_______TT And I know you might be shaking your head with disbelief and perhaps the words "yeah right" come to mind or tumble out of your mouth...but yes...try to believe - as I am really trying, that this will be the LAST EPIC ADVENTURE!...for a while...
I am taking Chris with me this time. It is her birthday/Christmas/graduation gift that I have been planning for two years. So we will be embarking on this crazy adventure for around 4 weeks. This means GO BIG OR GO HOME! HAH! I'm going to live it up and you'll get to read about it..well most of it anyway ;) Us girls will be going to Japan and Korea and then meeting Papa Joe in the Philippines.
Here is the itinerary
Tokyo [Feb 4 - 11]
Seoul [Feb 11 - 18]
Manila [Feb 18 - Mar 5]
The fact that JAL airlines has applied for bankruptcy protection is only a small worry. I mean if the powers that be have decided that I should just stay in Asia...who am I to argue? We have already worked out a deportation plan, if the need should arise, but alas...we won't be able to go back anymore...so let's just cross our fingers! And while we are away, we will continue to cheer Canada on in the Olympics! We'll have an Olympics of our own...you know, the shopping and eating kind haha (am I the only one laughing here?). Ok, ok, so this was the prologue and on comes the real trip!
-Sam ^____^
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)