In truth, I'm surprised everything turned out so great, considering that true to form, I made NO plans about what I was actually going to do in Tokyo.
Departure day was a sort of no-day friday, we had Japanese in the morning but classes and my job was cancelled. I played a japanese card game for a bit, went to sannomiya to hurriedly buy some cheap boots for the night out in Tokyo, as mine had broken, again, came home, tidied, ate and left for the night bus called Willer Express departing from Umeda Sky Building (and can I just say that finding nakatsu station was a bit like trying to find platform 9 ¾ , it was there because I’d been there before, but it wasn’t on some maps or even signs on the platforms and my train went past where it should have been twice o_0). I was so happy when I saw Sam, Hilary, Kester, Hannah and Elen stroll into the check-in place, I always second guess myself when I travel alone so knowing I was on the right track was a relief.
It was a night bus, so I slept the whole way.
Arrived on Christmas Eve in freezing Tokyo for around 7am, walked the 20 minutes to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel
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| free accoms curtesy of Calyx's Dad, god bless |
and together me and Calyx went hunting for breakfast and found a bread shop, the nearest station and conveniance store and happily discovered we were a 20 minute walk from Tokyo Tower.
To kill time we went to the Sony Building in Ginza.
Amazing technology included the HDR-CX560v dig hd video camera, which no matter how much you shook it would take a perfectly clear, still video (you'd have to see it in action to get the full wow effect, though), and a camera that clicked photos whenever you smiled! How did it to that?? And a bunch of 3D things as well, and a mini projector attached to a camera.
(Ginza)
While we were there the others relaxed at their local Onsen, and then we all met up to see Tokyo Tower at night
and then to meet even more Leeds students at the famous Hachiko statue at Shibuya crossing, (the story of Hachiko is the dog who waited for 10 years at the train station entrance for his dead master T-T sounds familiar, right Edinborough?)
We went for a tabe/nomi houdai (all you can eat and drink for 1500) and somehow managed to order 36 drinks in 5 minutes in our party of under 20 people. Then went clubbing at a Home in a building called Lush:
Next morning I woke up in Yokohama, got the train back to Shibuya and spent Christmas Day wondering around by myself and enjoying the shops and sites. This is just because my friends were either sick and hungover (I felt fine!) or at Tokyo Disneyland having their own adventures, so left my phone to get charged at Softbank (they can do that for you, I was so proud I was able to communicate that to them ~) and went exploring. Took a video of Shibuya crossing, where apparently 3000 people will cross at one time 0_o I guess it felt like it but it didn't look that big...
Then back to Sheraton hotel to Skype home just as everyone was together, which was perfect, and then me and Calyx settled down for a movie and Chritmas dinner ordered from the hotel:
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| 1000yen (about £10) christmas cake half the size of my palm >.< |
Thanks to our stupid black out curtains and unbelieveably comfy beds me and Calyx overslept on Boxing Day and lost half the day, but took the time to explore the hotel's beautiful garden, still in the midst of couyou!. Met everyone in Akihabara, heard about their weird-japanese-shop antics (not family friendly so those curious will have to ask), and explored the shops there.
Met everyone in Akihabara, heard about their weird-japanese-shop antics (not family friendly so those curious will have to ask), and explored the shops there.
Then on to Harajuku (not as strange as people make out...) and went a bit crazy over ponchos and stuff in the 300and something yen store and, starving by now, squashed ourselves onto the busiest trains I've ever been in to go to a Mexican resturant, and waited an hour for our meal. Worth it, though!
Got up on depature for home day and caught a train to Asakusa for the Cat Cafe, which was closed for the day (and we climbed so many steps to get to 6F~) and went to Asakusa Shrine instead, then onto Roppongi known for the night out to go shopping instead.
then onto Roppongi known for the night out to go shopping instead.
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| i was seriously considering buying the chopper onesie.. |
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| one piece is omni-present in japan |
As a final act together we trekked to Tokyo Tower for a third time to get some PuriKura (cute little photo stickers you can decorate yourself using the machine which has the magical ability to make your skin look smooth and your eyes look huge).
And that was my Tokyo trip.
For anyone else's future trip, I'd recommend making some sort of plan so that you don't end up visiting the same place multiple times like I did, and don't train it back from Shinagawa because it is NOT easy to get to, and take lots of photos - I widh I'd taken more of the stuff I saw, I just wasn't thinking at the time.
And note that though there's a lot happening in the city Tokyo is probably the grubbiest city in Japan, is rude/ not as respectful and full of tourists, and even if you speak Japanese at an official chances are they'll reply in English...so yes, my Tokyo trip was good, and though I'd recommend going I would also say get the hell out of there and see actual Japan too, for anyone reading this only to visit Japan (dad).
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| in asakusa |
~ Charlotte's inner thoughts time, skip reading this if you only wanted the Tokyo adventures~
...As a kid I loved christmas, of course I did. Santa! Decorating the tree, the carrot for rudolf, opening presents with the cousins, the coca cola advert, dinner, fake wine, orange in the stockings, chicken munching, monopoly, the grinch movie, fairy tale of new york song, home alone 2, tv specials ... but then I got to an age when I felt partly responsible for the gift giving and in the stress of it all and the mindless rampant consummerism and the 'i'll get them a gift cuz then they'll give me one' mentallity people had and just the general fakeness of it, a large part of me began to resent it, even with the awesome gifts I still got and the kid sisters to keep it, for lack of a better word, magical.
But now, this time spending it away from family has made me go full circle. I realized here, in the land where christmas was just another day (for singles at least), that I frickin' LOVE Christmas!
I am SO GLAD I got to spend it with my Leeds friends, they are the closest to home I could get, which is pretty much what christmas is about really, isn't it? Home, the family... where-ever I was this christmas I am certain that so long as they were with me it would have been great, and as it was I lucked out and spent it in Tokyo, too. This Christmas was very special ^^ now bring on the New Years!
Have a good one, guys x x
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