I told myself that if ever I went to Japan I would go find me some ninjas, sumo wrestlers, geishas, the Ichigeki Crew, bathe in an onsen (hot spring) and walk under a canopy of cherry blossoms. So when I visited recently I successfully failed to do all that, as usual.
I visited Japan with a couple of friends of mine for a quick getaway. As you would imagine of three women in their early 20s, a cultural experience will inevitably always turn to a huge shopping trip. Hence, no onsen bathing nor chilling between the folds of sumo wrestlers.
On the first day we set off from our hotel mid-afternoon when only a couple of minutes passed before we felt the intensity of Japan’s humidity (we went in August). We took cover in a nearby café where a funny little scenario unfolded before us.
My friend mentioned earlier that some old Japanese men like to flirt, of all people. So I was undeniably amused when one approached me and started complimenting me in his very limited English vocabulary. He proudly introduced himself as a veteran of some war like a badge of honour. Rather than creepy, I actually found the situation funny. He was a Casanova alright but also just a playful old soul. Note: I dress in a very appropriate and non-suggestive manner.
We took the train to a place called Harajuku – known to possess interesting fashionistas and probably made internationally famous by Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls. The shops in Harajuku, especially a street called Takeshita, were all very cute and very cheap (considering Tokyo is one expensive city!). Just a train station away was Shibuya. It had bigger shops and is also the location of the famous Tokyo pedestrian crossing.
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| The Shibuya Crossing |
The next day we visited Kawaguchiko Lake for a Mt. Fuji viewing. Even though we scheduled to be there by 9.30 it was a little too ambitious for three women to triumph over their daily morning skin care routines. The weather was absolutely stunning but Mt. Fuji had already become shrouded in clouds by the time we got there at 11.
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| Mt. Fuji seen from Lake Kawaguchiko |
On the way back we decided to stop by Mitaka to visit Studio Ghibli. We never really made it inside as no one is allowed to casually waltz in a world famous museum without booking at least 2 weeks in advance. For those who don’t already know, Studio Ghibli is quite like the Walt Disney of Japan. They created animation feature films like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle and of course, My Neighbour Totoro. We spent the rest of the evening shopping to recuperate from being rejected entry into the famous museum.
The following day we succeeded catching an early bullet train to Kyoto where we rendezvous with a Japanese friend of ours. We had a guided tour of the Imperial Palace, visited the Yasaka Shrine, the Kinkaku-ji (where the Golden Pavilion is) and the Nijojomae where we learned about Feudal Lords and the Samurai. Apparently there are over 1000 shrines in Kyoto which would take one person 3 years to visit each one supposedly he/she visited one per day. We also visited the shopping Broadway in Shijo, Gion and Nishiki Market where there were plenty of local ‘Japanese’ things to see.
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| The Golden Pavilion or the Kinkaku-ji Temple |
On our final day in Kyoto we went down to Osaka by train to have a quick look before taking the bullet train back to Tokyo. We retired early that evening to prepare for a long, exhausting but most likely fun day at Disneyland. Suddenly it came to our realisation that our visit to Disneyland fell on the weekend! So when we got there, the park was completely packed! It took almost 2 hours to get on a 3 minute ride and at the end of the day we only managed 4 rides. So sad.
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| Disneyland |
On our last day we went to Akihabara – the capital for electronic goods and manga/anime in Tokyo. We spent the rest of our money shopping for goods before taking the long exhausting journey back to New Zealand. We decided our trip was way too short so there will surely be a next time for a longer stay :)
I'll be writing parts of my trip in detail, so stay tuned!
Peaces :)
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