We had a late start today. We decided that we wanted to experience a Tokyo New Years.
We went to Senso-ji first. The walk to Senso-ji was quiet. Most of the shops were closed.
We decided to split up in Senso-ji; there were too many of us to try and keep track of each other in the crowds.
We made Hozomon our meeting point.
Kaylee and I split off and we walked counter-clockwise around the temple. The picture above is Nisonbutsu - A Pair of Buddha. The Buddha on the right is said to bring worshipers mercy, and the Buddha on the left is said to bring wisdom.
The above picture is of the Buddha on the left (for wisdom).
Kaylee and I walked around, enjoying the smells from the vendors.
Making our way from Senso-ji to Ueno Park.
We went around Shinobazunoike Bentendo and across Turtle Bridge. The night was quiet and peaceful. We circled the lake and made our way to the nearest JR station to head off to Idabashi Station.
30 December 2016
Erica, Kaylee, and I went to Harajuku. We were hoping to go to the owl cafe, but we went to the wrong one. So we re-scheduled.
We wondered down Takeshita Street. And by "wandered" I mean tried not to panic. Well, I tried not to panic.
After lunch and Takeshita Street, we went to Meiji Jingu. I was a lovely walk through the park (we entered by JR Harajuku Station). We enjoyed our walk and wondered around Harajuku Station a little longer before making our way home.
28 December 2016
Early this morning, Jess and I went to pick up our last member, Kevin. Afterwords, Jess, Kevin, Kaylee, and myself went into Tokyo. We spent the day in Shinjuku and took our time.
Our first stop was the north building of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. It was a very quick ride to the top and the view of the city was pretty cool. It also helped that it was a nice, clear day. I would have liked to go back up right around dark, so maybe next time!
We found Godzilla on the Toho building, but we did not go up. We were in search for a ramen shop that I had been to before. Sadly, it was closed and would not be open until later that month. We ate at Taketora, a ramen shop that was around the corner. It was very good, and I am glad we stopped in!
9 October 2016
I drove down to Matsudo and on Sunday (the 9th), Erica and I went to Tokyo.
We started our day off by heading to the Senso-ji Temple. However, instead of going up the super busy and crowded street, we went up the street right before it.
There were not a lot of people on this street and a lot of shops; so we took our time and popped into any shop that looked cool.
We spotted a meter box (or what I'm going to call a meter box, not really sure what it is...) covered in stickers.
This is the Hozomon - the inner gate that leads up to the Senso-jo Temple.
And here is the temple. Well, the courtyard in front of the temple. I did not really feel like braving the crowd, so I stayed back.
Erica and I in front of the gate.
Next to the gate is a shrine/garden. It is very peaceful and quiet, even though it is very close to the temple.
After leaving the temple, Erica and I went a little ways down the very busy street.
After we escaped the crowds of Senso-ji Temple, we headded for Ameya Yokocho - an open air market. Ameya Yokocho is located under the JR line leading south from the Ueno JR Station. We saw it the last time we were in Tokyo, but this was the first time we walked down the street.
It is a pretty cool street. The train clatters above you on the tracks and you can hear traffic from the next street over. The pedestrians do not make as much noise as I thought they would. The vendors calling to get their attention startled me a number of times.
We then made our way down to Tsukiji Market. Again, we only saw a little bit of the market, but it was cool. And very crowded. Looking back, we might have still been in the restaurant area of the market, and not in the actual market. But I do not want to even think about how crowded the actual market is, because the little bit we did see was crazy.
On the fringe of the market I saw this building. Nothing special about it.
We found the Namiyoke Inari Shrine on the edge of the market, and we stopped in.
I saw a 5 1/2 story pink fish, and I couldn't resist.
I love the trains in Tokyo. Some are boring white while others are bright yellow.
Intersection near Shinjuku Station.
An alley between two buildings in the Golden Gai.
We wondered around Shinjuku for a bit then headed home.
11 September 2016
I drove to Tokyo this weekend (left Kori Friday night and left Matsudo Sunday night) to visit Erica.
This is Erica. We went to college together. She is a wonderful person and I am so happy we live as close as we do in Japan!
When I was in Tokyo last time, I stayed mainly in the west of Tokyo. Erica took me to Turtle Island, which is near Ueno Station.
Here is a map of the park. In the park, we went to the temple, Turtle Island, and walked around the lake.
Above are statues around the temple, inside the temple, and a view of the temple from the back.
Here is a photo of Erica and myself in front of the Temple at Ueno Park.
To see the turtles, you have to cross a bridge and look to the right (with your back to the temple). To the left is carp.
We spent quite a while on the bridge, but I was enjoying the view and not taking photos.
We crossed over the bridge and enjoyed the view of the lake before continuing our way around the park.
Here I am posing for a photo for once. I'm not good at getting my photo taken, so this was the best one. Enjoy!
From here, we headed back to the station to go back to Matsudo because I had a 4 ish hour drive back home so I could go to work on Monday.
4 August - 7 August 2016
4 August 2016
10:00 My travel plans consist of flying from the Eastern Iowa Airport to Detroit, from Detroit to Seoul, and from Seoul to Tokyo.
I arrived at the airport early to check in and make sure everything is all good. My heaviest bag weighed exactly 50 pounds and the smaller bag weighed 47 pounds. I made it through TSA without any problems; actually, the TSA agents were awesome with great senses of humor. The first flight lasted about one hour and ten minutes. At Detroit I had a 3 hour layover. I could not find my mouse, so I got a new one.
Yes, that is an actual one United States dollar bill.
16:00 The fun really began on the flight to Seoul. 13 ½ hours on a plane. With a 14 hour time change. I watched a couple movies, took a few cat naps, and walked around the plane the whole time. Oh, and listened to music.
5 August 2016
20:00 I landed in Seoul around 18:30, made it through customs, and collected my luggage. It was off to check in. This flight doesn’t take off until 21:00, so I have plenty of time to get to the terminal and gate.
6 August 2016
00:00
Made it to Tokyo! Now I need to wait in the airport until the train is in operation. I decided to get a coffee and sit at my computer for a while.
2:00
The currency exchange desk opened, so I traded out my USD for JPY.
3:00 Decided to start reading one of the books I brought with me. The Song of the Dodo is a fantastic read that makes the scientist side of me happy.
The above is a Hello Kitty train.
7:00
Tried my luck at leaving the airport. I got a train card and hopped on the train into the city. The first stop was easy, but the second stop is where things went crazy. For some reason, my brain was not taking in the fact that Tokyo is populated, and not a huge city, so the metro stations will have more than one level.
9:00 After much frustration I finally made it to my hotel! However, between the final stop and my hotel, the side of my shoe gave out. Not to worry, duct tape to the rescue!
After I dropped my luggage off at the hotel, I wondered around a bit.
After wondering, I decided it would probably be a good idea to get some type of internet. I went to a store near the station and asked for directions. The directions were in Japanese, but I was determined to find it.
When I entered the station, I found a display of maps and I took one. Its amazing how holding a map makes me feel less lost.
After I found the Soft Bank, I found a place to eat in the Shinjuku Station. At the time I had no clue what I was eating, but now I know it is beef curry.
After I ate, I wondered around a bit more before making it back to my hotel. I got to the hotel right at check in time, which was wonderful. I checked in and went up to my room to get settled. However, as soon as I got to my room, the bed called to me. And who am I to refuse?
7 August 2016
I woke up super early, so I worked on making a game plan. Today I need to move my luggage from this hotel to the business hotel where I will be for training. 9:00
I set off to the work hotel with the small roll bag and my backpack; I figured I did not need to kill myself getting my luggage to the hotel when I have a place to store some of them.
10:30
Made it back to my original hotel to pick up my other luggage and back to the new hotel all before 10:30, which if I do say so is not too shabby.
The above is a sign I saw a lot in the metro. At first I was confused by them, but when I got on the train car, there are signs posted that state the car is only for women, elderly, and disabled.
12:30 After taking another shower (it is VERY humid in Tokyo) I set off for lunch. I decided to go to Taishoke in Higashi-ikebukuro Station. Apparently, Taishoke is the restaurant where tsukemen was created.
The above is the facade of the restaurant. If you look closely, you can see people's backs through the windows. Those people are waiting to be seated.
I sat right on the counter so I could see into the kitchen. Well, the whole restaurant could see into the kitchen, but it was cool to be at the counter. And when I saw the kittens, I knew it was going to be good.
This is what tsukemen looks like. For those who are confused, the noodles are served cold and are dipped into the broth.
It was amazing, by the way!
After I ate my lovely lunch/afternoon meal, I wondered around until I was completely lost.
The above is a huge bowl of ramen (I know it doesn't look it, but trust me, it was huge). I followed my nose when I was in Shinjuku and found this ramen restaurant.
Once darkness hit, I decided to head back to my hotel, because tomorrow I start training for my job.