Big in Japan

Just for the record, the title was Mike's request

THE START OF OUR LAST DAY IN TOKYO -- We stayed in a hotel on the outskirts of Japan (determined not to have to pay 20,000 Starwood points a night because everything here is so expensive) so we had to walk to the subway to get into the city.  Here we are on our walk in

Of course Mike and I are reading (and debating) the International Herald Tribune as we walk (basically the NY Times international version) --I think in this photo we were debating the fact that more and more US governors are choosing not to live in their state's executive mansion

On our walk into the city we stopped at the best little place for soba noodles (made from buckwheat)

Yum -- an empty plate

We couldn't even find an English name of the place (everything was in Japanese) so we took a pic outside in case we ever want to find it again

On our walk there was this gorgeous pot of tall begonias and I just knew my mom would die -- she loves begonias -- so mom this pic is for you.  At least I think they are begonias... mom?

See mom I am enjoying your flowers just for you as I know this is what you would do if you were here

We went to the Tokyo LDS temple!  (that is why we're dressed up in this day's photos)  It was really cool.

Here are the LDS temple grounds

There is a big park right next door -- this is kind of like Japan's mini version of Hyde Park, or Central Park (or KLCC if you're in Malaysia--heh)

On our way to our next stop, we stopped to get snacks.  Here Mike is showing you what the typical Japanese snack food is -- vitamin drinks (yes, you read that right), and triangles of seaweed filled with freshly cooked rice and salmon.  That is what they sell at 7-11 for junk food -- now you see why all the Japanese are so skinny and live forever

More sightseeing -- I don't even remember what this neighborhood is called but it was cool and there were a lot of old buildings, plus we got to see the five story pagoda

We bought Joseph and Andrew a famous automatically waving cat, which we now realize is funny because I think the cat is more Chinese than Japanese, but whatever, the boys didn't seem to notice

This pot is filled with hot ashes that you take up the steps to give offerings

This five story pagoda is famous

We ate sushi here

Seriously how Japanese is that

Honestly the sushi wasn't really that good.  We've had better sushi at Ichiban in Salt Lake City.  But that's probably because in Japan we picked a cheap sushi place (since our wallet is still recovering from our Kobe beef night out)

The Lonely Planet suggested we try eating at the MOS Burger.  The Japanese burger chain is special because their buns aren't made out of wheat--they're made out of some sort of millet-rice-buckwheat mix.  This appealed to us since we have mostly cut refined wheat out of our diet, so these burgers were totally on the approved list!  To have a burger was like heaven for me...

At night all the Japanese lined the river to sit under the cherry blossoms with their picnics and their sake  -- it looks like homeless people from here, but it's really businessmen all dressed in their suits enjoying the evening -- isn't that the coolest way to spend an evening

The yellow "foam" sculpture you see on the other side of the river was commissioned by the famous beer company in Japan to look like the foam on top of a beer mug, but everyone here calls it the golden turd

this was pretty much our face everytime we tried to buy a subway ticket

There are so many subway lines --given, it was all very orderly and efficient in typical Japanese fashion, but the system itself is so huge and covers so much area.  We really had a hard time figuring out how to buy a ticket for the appropriate amount of yen.  We got burned a few times.  Every time the turnstall sucked up our ticket because we didn't pay enough, I would complain "that wasted like $20 bucks!" and then Mike would logically reply, "No darling, it only wasted like $8 bucks" -- heh

We finished off the night in Shinjuku, land of neon lights, hot skewers of barbequed meat, pachinko parlors all mixed with a bit of "entertainment" if you know what I mean.  Oh, and shopping.  Of course, the shopping

My favorite shinjuku shop

Pachinko parlor (aka gambling with slot machines)

Okay seriously, EVERYONE had clear plastic umbrellas.  All clear.  It is definietly the trend.  Oh and I should mention that all the hip stylish Japanese girls wore the most gorgeous trench coats -- probably one out of every four girls was wearing one.

This is the style here in Japan -- all the girls were wearing the most gorgeous trench coats -- I pretty much begged Mike to get one, only to realize that I couldn't wear it in Malaysia even if I had one -- heh

See you later Shinjuku

So I left Japan with the following thoughts.

- Lonely Planet guide says on the first page of the book that if you go to Japan, you will leave wondering why we don't do more things like the Japanese.  I laughed when I read that but it is actually really true on some accounts.

What do I think we should keep from Japan?

The bullet trains.  Yes.  Genius.  Seriously how cool would it be to be able to take a bullet train from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles instead of that nasty fuel-burning drive.

The crazy toilets.  Maybe.  A little strange, but Mike does say he misses them.  It has not come to that for me.

The food.  Definitely genius.

The pachinko parlors.  Definitely not a keeper.

Trench coats.  Yes please!

And last but not least...the golden turd?  Hmm.  I'm on the fence about that one.

Heh okay enough for tonight, I will go to bed now.
Goodnight, and goodbye to Japan.

E

Osaka castle, bullet train and Tokyo Harajuku style

 

 

Mike and I went on a run from the hotel to the Osaka Castle to see the cherry blossoms lit up at night.

 

My sumo pose

Okay next up... KOBE beef.  Osaka is practically next door to Kobe.  I have never had the famed Kobe beef before so I requested we try it while we were here.  The guidebook had a warning: "once you try Kobe beef you will never like normal beef again."

The hotel recommended this restaurant: it claims to be the best steak in Japan and the original restaurant that started the Teppanyaki movement

This is what Kobe beef looks like--it is very marbled.  It kind of melts in your mouth

Yes, I know we look silly, they made us wear the aprons

The next day: Goodbye Osaka!  We checked out (sigh) and took a cab to the bullet train station.  Here are some pics from the ride.

Next up: BULLET TRAIN!  I was so excited to actually go on a bullet train because I have heard so much about the super efficient, ultra fast Japanese train system.

Oh my gosh I'm going to ride this bullet train!

It was really fun and totally worth coming to Japan just to ride one.
That said, if you want to ride a bullet train,  you may as well have a bunch of money and burn it.  It is that expensive.  I think it cost $150 a person for the 2.5 hour ride.    But come to think of it, everything in Japan is ridiculously expensive.  Our meal tonight at a "cheap" restaurant was $40!  And our Kobe beef meal last night was -- choke -- over $400.  Luckily some of it was reimbursed.

I told Mike that if anyone tells me they are going to travel to Japan I will tell them a. it is really cool, and b. to just take out a wad of cash and light it on fire.

We made it to Tokyo and went straight to the place I wanted to see most--Harajuku.  It is the fashion district well known for the crazy teen fashion and Gwen Stefaini's Harajuku Lovers.

It was late at night so there weren't too many kids around but we still got a bit of the flavor.

We found a little packed place to try Monomi Yaki which I had never even heard of but it was good.  It was the kind of place that if we lived here we would take out of town guests because it was so quaint and such fabulously unique food.

Mike is on the right trying to decipher the Japanese menu.

There is our food on the grill

After dinner we stopped to get a treat.  Really how can you pass up one of these nutso stores...

Two more shots of the architecture of the Harajuku district.

More pics on the next post --->