Konichiwa from Japan!
I am traveling in Japan with my friend from college, Rmax. On graduation day we decided to go to Japan together. Of course this decision was made while eating sushi in Claremont, California. Although, we have yet to experience sushi in Japan... For me, the purpose of this trip is to practice my Japanese and to explore parts of Japan and Japanese culture that I have not previously seen. We are currently staying at my friend's parents beautiful home in Tokyo. The family has been extraordinarily generous and helpful. We are located in Shibuya-ku, which happens to be central and near many desired attractions.
Today, we started in Asakusa, which is the oldest part of Tokyo. Asakusa and the Sensoji temple survived fire bombings in World War II. Th e Sensoji Temple is a beautiful wooden and red temple with iconic red lanterns. The temple is surrounded by a bazaar, full of shops selling little cakes, drinks, shaved ice cones, and little trinkets.
From there we went to the electronics district, Akihabara. Here you can find just about any part, battery, or wire needed to build or fix literally any electronic device. There are also computer, camera, and phone shops. The entire area is like Best Buy on speed. The streets, buildings, and billboards are brightly colored and often have English phrases that don't make sense. Rmax felt overstimulated by giant posters and the mass amount of people in this district. This area is also known for its anime (Japanese animation/cartoons) and cos-play (costume play). In this district it was immediately apparent that I was in a mostly male-dominated area. The few Japanese women around were walking and dressed as cartoon characters, maids, and school-girls. These women are typically dressed up to promote a club, store, or product. Whenever we tried to take their photo, the women would turn around and usually shield themselves beneath umbrellas. From an outsiders perspective, Akihabara is like geeky, male fantasy come true, with women, anime, and computer games to go along with that fantasy. This made the district a great place for people watching and we were able to find a very reasonable and quiet soba (buckwheat noodle) shop. We both found the quiet and organized restaurant to be a nice refuge from the bustling streets. Additionally, it has been in the 80s and very humid, so cold noodles were very refreshing!
After exhausting Akihabara, we traveled to Shibuya station, which has one of the largest and busiest crosswalks in Tokyo! When the pedestrian symbol turns green, it does so at every crosswalk and a sea of people flood the intersection. We went to a split-level Starbucks to watch the action! At one point there were so many people in the intersection that I could not see the the painted white lines in the crosswalk. We purposefully went Shubuya on a Saturday afternoon when people were out of work and in the streets. This area is very popular because it has a lot of clothing and fashion shops, as well as restaurants. Mass crowds are a theme throughout Tokyo because of its extensive population.
After taking in the crowds, Rmax and I walked from Shabuya's intersection to Harajuku and Takeshita-Dori, which are also known for their fashion and people watching. However, these neighborhoods more funky. Women dress up in corsets, platform converse shoes, dyed hair, bright colors, etc. Usually dogs are also dressed up and have their hair dyed. Harajuku style was made popular in the US with Gwen Stefani's music videos, which featured Harajuku girls dancing. Interestingly, there are many dance troops in Japan and boys and girls compete to get on TV shows and perform musical numbers in this style. When Rmax and I went to Yayogi Park, in the center of Tokyo, we were able to see groups of students practicing their dance moves.
Overall, this was a pretty jammed-pack day. We covered a lot of ground and saw some of the more famous districts in Tokyo! Photos to come later!
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