Joe's Trip To Japan!!!

Joe's 2006 Trip To Tokyo, Japan!

Hi everyone! In October 2006 I spent nine nights in Tokyo! Here are just a few pictures and comments ...

Note: click on thumbnails to see full-sized pictures; all pictures open in new windows.

My first meal in Tokyo came from this hand-pulled ramen cart in Ikebukuro. The older man on the right was the ramen cook, and the younger man was his assistant. I later saw the younger man sleeping in the park with the homeless. Maybe he missed the last subway and didn't have enough money for a taxi, but I'm pretty sure I saw him there more than once. Maybe he just didn't make enough to have his own apartment--there were quite a few homeless people in Tokyo.

On my first full day in Tokyo, I went to Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo Bay that is the home of some very futuristic buildings. The two here (Fuji TV and Tokyo Big Sight) were designed by one of my favorite architects, Kenzo Tange. As I approached these two buildings, I listened to "Night Rhythms" by Zombi on my Walkman, making it a near-religious experience! I know they look like toys or models in these photos, but these metal and glass structures were a marvel to behold.
(by the way, the photo of Tokyo Big Sight looks odd because it's a composite shot--it was the only way I could get the whole thing in one photo!)

From the futuristic to the ancient: outside of Tokyo, in a town called Kawasaki, is Nihon Minka-En, a park of sorts where old-style buildings from Japan were saved from the bulldozers and moved here. I really enjoyed this place. Besides getting away from the crowded city and seeing some green, these buildings (about two dozen) were really cool! You could walk inside most of them, where there were displays of how people lived "way back then", and some of the park workers were even tending fires in the kitchens! There was also one man giving demonstrations on how washi (traditional Japanese paper) is made from tree pulp.

The morning I left for Tokyo, the TV news was announcing that North Korea had conducted a nuclear test. This was the main story in all the Japanese news every night. Here, however, is the story explained on a news show for kids! In the first shot, the presenter is "launching" a nuclear missile from North Korea to America (right over Japan, as represented by the green shapes to the left of the man's waistline). In the second, you can see Kim Jong Il, a nuclear missile, and some nuclear power sites on the left side, and on the right side, some North Korean businessmen are barred from Japan by the hand of the presenter!
The Japanese TV news also showed a broadcast from North Korea of a newswoman announcing the great and glorious testing. She spoke in a loud, boastful tone with many grand gestures--she all but pounded her fists on her desk!

A shot of Ikebukuro, in the northwest corner of Tokyo. This is where my hotel was, on this quiet, sleepy, little street.

I'm glad I found this place in Harajuku, I was wondering where to keep my du'cks.

Is this a plaza? No, this is actually a crosswalk in Shibuya, supposedly the largest in the world (and as seen in the movie Lost in Translation). A huge sea of humanity crosses in all directions simultaneously. I was only here on a Sunday afternoon, so I can only imagine how busy it must be on Saturday nights.

On Sundays, all the hip kids gather in Harajuku to show off their outrageous clothing, which ranges from punk rock outfits to designs based on cartoon characters. This was the only drag queen I saw there, who was pouting at the attention paid to a similarly dressed girl, but he perked up a bit when I asked if I could take his picture.

Outside of Yokohama, in Shin-Yokohama, is the ramen museum, which occupied two floors made to look like 1950s Tokyo, with several different ramen eateries (there was also a more conventional third floor with a gift shop). Each eatery offered a ramen speciality, and you can order them in "mini" sizes so you can try several. I "only" had four (see second picture), but I was uncomfortably stuffed afterwards. I don't think I can eat packaged ramen again, however--these were soooo good! It's like eating a pastry from a French restaurant then trying to eat a Twinkie afterwards.

A shot of the Yokohama Landmark Tower and the three Queen's Square buildings.

As if four bowls of ramen for lunch weren't enough, for dinner I went to the curry museum in Yokohama! It was also set on two floors and had several different eateries. I only had three bowls of curry for dinner (and dessert)--they were more filling because of the rice. One eatery boasted having the hottest curry in the museum. It was hot, but I've had hotter--I wonder if they watered it down for the white guy? Anyway, this is a shot of one of the chefs, originally from Nepal, and a very nice guy.

This is what happens the next day when you eat four bowls of ramen and three bowls of curry in one day! Actually, this is the Asahi Brewery building near Asakusa, but even several guidebooks I've read all agree, this looks like a giant golden turd.

I am about to eat a freshly made, literally just off the grill rice cracker, from a stand in Asakusa! It was hot and delicious, and you could watch the two cooks make them right in front of you.

A pagoda in Asakusa.

I read about a shop in Asakusa that made only abacuses. The lady working there had taught English for a number of years, so we were able to chat at length. The abacus she is holding is set to display the date: October 17, 2006.

This was my favorite video game in Japan (not counting the ones I bought for my Nintendo DS Lite). You choose a song, then you pound out rhythms in sync with the cues given on the TV screen by all the dancing animals. I did well enough to score two free replays! (brag, brag) This particular one is in an arcade in "Namco Namja Town", an odd sort of indoor amusement park in Sunshine City/Ikebukuro.

A nighttime shot of Tokyo Tower from the Mori Tower in Roppongi. The Mori Tower offered a 360 view; I could've stayed all night just enjoying the breathtaking view.

This was my last meal in Japan, a more traditional style lunch that you get in the fancier restaurants. I had no idea what most of the food was beyond the obvious; there were many strange and exotic vegetables. It was delicious, but I think I'll stick to my ramen and curry (incidentally, the best places to eat in Tokyo are in the alleys, where you'll find the cool little hole in the wall places).

As most of you know, in spring of this year I decided to try growing my hair long, and vowed I wouldn't cut it until I returned from Japan, if I decided to cut it at all. Well, it was kinda fun having "Einstein hair", but I got tired of trying to untangle it every morning. Tokyo was unseasonably warm and humid while I was there, and even putting my still-not-quite-long enough hair into a ponytail didn't help, as the hair would eventually come loose and I'd have little wispy "wings" sticking out of my head, so I buzzed it all off upon my return. Here's the before and after picture!

Links

My 2005 Trip to Nagoya
JALPAK International America - Friendly, professional service, and my flight and hotel reservations were in perfect order. I've used them twice now and have been very happy each time!
Budget Guide to Odaiba - Satoshi Sugihara's site was a big help to me when I went to Odaiba. The advice on the Yurikamome Line's all-day pass as well as the hint on how to enjoy the view from the Fuji TV Studio for free were especially helpful!

	My first meal in Tokyo came from this hand-pulled ramen cart in Ikebukuro. The older man on the right was the ramen cook, and the younger man was his assistant. I later saw the younger man sleeping in the park with the homeless. Maybe he missed the last subway and didn't have enough money for a taxi, but I'm pretty sure I saw him there more than once. Maybe he just didn't make enough to have his own apartment--there were quite a few homeless people in Tokyo.
	On my first full day in Tokyo, I went to Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo Bay that is the home of some very futuristic buildings. The two here (Fuji TV and Tokyo Big Sight) were designed by one of my favorite architects, Kenzo Tange. As I approached these two buildings, I listened to "Night Rhythms" by Zombi on my Walkman, making it a near-religious experience! I know they look like toys or models in these photos, but these metal and glass structures were a marvel to behold. (by the way, the photo of Tokyo Big Sight looks odd because it's a composite shot--it was the only way I could get the whole thing in one photo!)
	From the futuristic to the ancient: outside of Tokyo, in a town called Kawasaki, is Nihon Minka-En, a park of sorts where old-style buildings from Japan were saved from the bulldozers and moved here. I really enjoyed this place. Besides getting away from the crowded city and seeing some green, these buildings (about two dozen) were really cool! You could walk inside most of them, where there were displays of how people lived "way back then", and some of the park workers were even tending fires in the kitchens! There was also one man giving demonstrations on how washi (traditional Japanese paper) is made from tree pulp.
	The morning I left for Tokyo, the TV news was announcing that North Korea had conducted a nuclear test. This was the main story in all the Japanese news every night. Here, however, is the story explained on a news show for kids! In the first shot, the presenter is "launching" a nuclear missile from North Korea to America (right over Japan, as represented by the green shapes to the left of the man's waistline). In the second, you can see Kim Jong Il, a nuclear missile, and some nuclear power sites on the left side, and on the right side, some North Korean businessmen are barred from Japan by the hand of the presenter! The Japanese TV news also showed a broadcast from North Korea of a newswoman announcing the great and glorious testing. She spoke in a loud, boastful tone with many grand gestures--she all but pounded her fists on her desk!
	A shot of Ikebukuro, in the northwest corner of Tokyo. This is where my hotel was, on this quiet, sleepy, little street.
	I'm glad I found this place in Harajuku, I was wondering where to keep my du'cks.
	Is this a plaza? No, this is actually a crosswalk in Shibuya, supposedly the largest in the world (and as seen in the movie Lost in Translation). A huge sea of humanity crosses in all directions simultaneously. I was only here on a Sunday afternoon, so I can only imagine how busy it must be on Saturday nights.
	On Sundays, all the hip kids gather in Harajuku to show off their outrageous clothing, which ranges from punk rock outfits to designs based on cartoon characters. This was the only drag queen I saw there, who was pouting at the attention paid to a similarly dressed girl, but he perked up a bit when I asked if I could take his picture.
	Outside of Yokohama, in Shin-Yokohama, is the ramen museum, which occupied two floors made to look like 1950s Tokyo, with several different ramen eateries (there was also a more conventional third floor with a gift shop). Each eatery offered a ramen speciality, and you can order them in "mini" sizes so you can try several. I "only" had four (see second picture), but I was uncomfortably stuffed afterwards. I don't think I can eat packaged ramen again, however--these were soooo good! It's like eating a pastry from a French restaurant then trying to eat a Twinkie afterwards.
	A shot of the Yokohama Landmark Tower and the three Queen's Square buildings.
	As if four bowls of ramen for lunch weren't enough, for dinner I went to the curry museum in Yokohama! It was also set on two floors and had several different eateries. I only had three bowls of curry for dinner (and dessert)--they were more filling because of the rice. One eatery boasted having the hottest curry in the museum. It was hot, but I've had hotter--I wonder if they watered it down for the white guy? Anyway, this is a shot of one of the chefs, originally from Nepal, and a very nice guy.
	This is what happens the next day when you eat four bowls of ramen and three bowls of curry in one day! Actually, this is the Asahi Brewery building near Asakusa, but even several guidebooks I've read all agree, this looks like a giant golden turd.
	I am about to eat a freshly made, literally just off the grill rice cracker, from a stand in Asakusa! It was hot and delicious, and you could watch the two cooks make them right in front of you.
	A pagoda in Asakusa.
	I read about a shop in Asakusa that made only abacuses. The lady working there had taught English for a number of years, so we were able to chat at length. The abacus she is holding is set to display the date: October 17, 2006.
	This was my favorite video game in Japan (not counting the ones I bought for my Nintendo DS Lite). You choose a song, then you pound out rhythms in sync with the cues given on the TV screen by all the dancing animals. I did well enough to score two free replays! (brag, brag) This particular one is in an arcade in "Namco Namja Town", an odd sort of indoor amusement park in Sunshine City/Ikebukuro.
	A nighttime shot of Tokyo Tower from the Mori Tower in Roppongi. The Mori Tower offered a 360 view; I could've stayed all night just enjoying the breathtaking view.
	This was my last meal in Japan, a more traditional style lunch that you get in the fancier restaurants. I had no idea what most of the food was beyond the obvious; there were many strange and exotic vegetables. It was delicious, but I think I'll stick to my ramen and curry (incidentally, the best places to eat in Tokyo are in the alleys, where you'll find the cool little hole in the wall places).
	As most of you know, in spring of this year I decided to try growing my hair long, and vowed I wouldn't cut it until I returned from Japan, if I decided to cut it at all. Well, it was kinda fun having "Einstein hair", but I got tired of trying to untangle it every morning. Tokyo was unseasonably warm and humid while I was there, and even putting my still-not-quite-long enough hair into a ponytail didn't help, as the hair would eventually come loose and I'd have little wispy "wings" sticking out of my head, so I buzzed it all off upon my return. Here's the before and after picture!