TOKYO DAY TWO
My first time staying in a hostel was about what I expected it to be. I mean, when one is paying $20/night to stay in the center of Tokyo, one has little right to complain. The bathrooms were kind of make-shift and stinky (the hostel is new and still under construction), but clean. The private 2-person rooms were FAR from soundproof, but the bunkbeds were comfortable. It was lucky that it was hot and that our air conditioner didn't pump out the cold at full tilt because I thought "linen service" meant bedding, when it in fact only meant sheets. Also handy was the free internet service and the ENGLISH television channels (first time seeing those in 7 months!)
After leaving Khaosan Tokyo Smile, we quickly found ourselves in the heart of Asakusa. Finding the Japanese Market was no trouble, for us or anyone else: there were grillions of people there. I could spend a small fortune at this market, buying Japanesy gifts and momentos, but alas, there isn't a small fortune to be spent.
After leaving Khaosan Tokyo Smile, we quickly found ourselves in the heart of Asakusa. Finding the Japanese Market was no trouble, for us or anyone else: there were grillions of people there. I could spend a small fortune at this market, buying Japanesy gifts and momentos, but alas, there isn't a small fortune to be spent.
Directly behind the market is a lovely shrine and an even lovelier pagoda. Can't get enough of those! Many people were paying their respects to the dead and whatnot, and many others had different reasons for visiting the shrine... Such as the two families that stopped us so that their children may practise their English and have a photo with foreigners. Somehow I felt it kind of eerie to be on display at such a spiritual place.
We found a brochure at the hostel for a river cruiseline and decided to try it out. For around $8 we took a 40-minute cruise from Asakusa to Ginza and enjoyed many cityscapes and photo ops along the way. Ginza is known to be the premiere fashion district of old, a place of revolutionary architecture, boldness and westernization.
From Ginza we took the train to Harajuku, which may be my favourite place to visit in Japan. I was a little disgusted by the lack of Japanese Harajuku girls and the prevalence of WHITE wannabe-Harajuku girls. Apparently a large concert was being held just a couple blocks from Harajuku station because the place was a gongshow.
So that my mom may have a real idea of the enormity of Tokyo (populus, height of architecture, amount of neon, etc.) our next, brief, stop was in Shibuya. Shibuya station is the busiest station in the world, and if I'm not mistaken, sees over 2 million people through it's doors every day.
Finally, we were off to Ueno. We had hoped to check out Uenokoen, or park, which features Japan's largest museum, but we unfortunately ran out of time. Instead we took some quick shots around the station and then booked our tickets on the JR Limited Express to Tomobe, where we had to attend a staff dinner party for the departure of two of my co-workers and so that my bosses could meet my mom.
There are several types of Express trains in Japan, but I was not aware that one of those types is akin to the Shinkansen (bullet train) and departs from the Shinkansen platform (which is quite apart from the regular train platforms). Only minutes before our train departed did we realize that we were on a regular platform for our line, and not the Limited Express one... this lead to an all-out race across the ENORMOUS Ueno station. While tearing through the crowds of people (some kid muttering, "They're in a hurry!") my backpack fell open, spilling it's contents willy-nilly. I shreaked loudly and my mom and I scrambled to get everything back into the bag or just our arms. Comments like, "That sucks," were heard from the surrounding crowd. Knowing our train, which cost over $30 each, was leaving NOW, we took off again toward the platform. Upon getting to the proper platform I saw a line of people waiting to have their tickets checked and, in an on-the-spot decision, burned passed them. The train we were supposed to be on was actually pulling away from the station, so I began screaming "Sumimasen!! Sumimasen!!" (like 'excuse me') at the top of my lungs to the conductor who's got his head hanging out of the last car. Perhaps it was the luck of being a crazy gaijin making a complete spectacle of herself, but the conductor stopped the train to allow two sweating, panting, bundle-packing girls onto the train and alas, we were not late for dinner.
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