You Tall - You Breathe Clean Air

These last few days in Japan have been absolutely mesmerizing. If I were to talk about everything, this post would be miles long. I don't know if it is because this was an unexpected "bonus" vacation, but I have fallen in love with Japanese culture. If you asked me two months ago if I would ever go to Japan, I probably would've said "maybe, but I want to go other places first." Now, I'm glad this has been my first truly international experience (Canada doesn't really count, they speak our language).

Here are a few memories of the trip:

On our first day herein Japan with my Dad, we went down to Kamakura, a coastal city famous for a large Buddha statue and some shrines. When we were on the first of many train rides into Tokyo we were chatting, and a Japanese woman asked us "Are you American? May I ask question?" She was very cute, and her english was good, although sometimes hard to understand. We chatted with her, asking about Japan and she asked us about the US. We were all sitting, but when my brother got up to stretch she said "Oh!! You tall! Breathe clean air, I breathe other people air." We cracked up at this! Yes, we were all somewhat tall compared to the Japanese, but I don't think I ever would've associated that with clean air! 

On another train down to Kamakura, we met a woman and her parents from San Francisco. She teaches english here, and her parents came to visit. We asked her what was best, and she said to try a sweet potato/green tea swirl ice cream at one of the local shops. We all were like "um, that doesn't sound to great" but kept an open mind. After visiting the Great Buddha (see picture) we stumbled upon the stand that sold the ice cream! It was only 295 yen (about 3 bucks) so we got it. I liked it, and so did mom, but the other three weren't really game. One of our next stops was a local pottery store, where they had a bowl - vase type thing that looked like a candle holder but actually was big enough for 1-2 flowers to sit in. Mom is a sucker for pottery, so naturally we went in. They were making the vases right there in the shop behind the register! We bought one, of course, and headed on our way.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

mmm sweet potato/green tea ice cream!

Hasedera Temple

After wandering around Kamakura looking for a famous shrine, we got turned around. Luckily, there was a nice Japanese gentleman who stopped what he was doing to take us to the street that would get us there! When we got to the shrine, a traditional Japanese wedding was taking place, and while the bride and groom didn't look too happy (uh oh!) I enjoyed watching the intricacies and attention to detail that went along with it. Her kimono was also gorgeous! There were also several baptisms taking place.

The wedding

After the long day of travel we were famished, and stopped at Shinjuku (a local district) for some authentic Japanese. Let me tell you, I have never had a more attentive waiter. We were given warm towels to freshen up before the meal, and although the language barrier was somewhat difficult, we all ordered Japanese noodles. I, along with my noodles, ordered my first legal alcoholic beverage - a beer. MMmmm it was very good, and hit the spot after a busy day! When our meal was served the waiter also brought forks, but I'm proud to say we're all handy at using chopsticks (no pun intended ;)

Mmm noodles!

And my drink :)

The next day we took a bus from our hotel on base to the New Sanno Hotel in downtown Tokyo (a four-star hotel!). After dropping our bags off we ventured to the Tokyo Tower. Basically, it's Japan's version of the Eiffel Tower, although its bright orange. It was a little hazy, but definitely worth the trip up there to get a bird's eye view of Tokyo! We were able to see how the city was laid out, and how BIG it really is. Its hard to picture 12 million people, let me tell you! To put in in perspective, from where we stayed in Fussa (the Air Base) to all the way down in Kamakura, it took us 4 hours by train. During that time, we NEVER saw more than 1 acre of green space. All we saw were buildings!

The Tokyo Tower

After the Tokyo Tower we walked back to our hotel. You know when your parents estimate something and you trust them? Well, I did, but it stunk! The walk was waaayyy longer than I thought it would be. However, it was nice to be in the city itself, away from the touristy things, and experience authentic Tokyo. One thing I've noticed is that all Japanese are very respectful and quiet. I also understand and have more respect for the ideas of balance and feng shui, because it really does help to keep everything in a balance! Maybe I'll start a zen garden when I get back...

That night for dinner we went to the hotel's Japanese restaurant for a Teppanyaki dinner (where they make it on the grill right in front of you). I love being adventurous when it comes to food, so I was really excited! We sat at the grill and right away were attended to with drinks and food. We ordered some sashimi (sushi without the rice) and shrimp tempura (fried shrimp) right away, and once we ordered our meals the chef got underway! I don't think I've ever eaten that much food in one setting, but it was all delicious. I ordered swordfish, something I've never had before, and all I can say is MMMMMMM. Its a white fish that is still hearty, and very flavorful - I definitely recommend it. Here's what we had for the meal: the appetizers, then sushi, then fried vegetables (onion, stuffed pepper, and shiitake mushroom), then a salad with ginger dressing and Japanese pickles. This was followed by a garlic rice, with the swordfish and bean sprouts. To top it all off, we ordered chocolate mousse and a cheesecake. Not very Japanese (I don't think) but delicious nonetheless! Mom and Dad ordered Tuna, and Katie had teriyaki chicken for her main course. All in all, the best meal I've had in Japan yet! (I'll post pictures once I get them from Katie's camera)

The next morning we ordered room-service (another first!) and headed on our way. This time, we went to see the Imperial Palace East Gardens. GORGEOUS! If I had to describe it in one word - lush. Teeming with trees, flowers, a calming lake, it was serene. There were people lounging around and relaxing, enjoying the beautiful weather. I've never been to Central Park, but if I had to guess, I'd guess it'd be similar. 

Imperial Palace East Garden

For the last sightseeing trip of Tokyo, we went back to Shinjuku and went to Big Camera. Sounds fun, right? Big camera is a HUGE electronics store, 5 floors huge! Every floor had a theme. The 1st floor was cameras, the 2nd was TVs/mp3 players, the 3rd was computers, etc. It was overwhelming. I had no idea how someone could go in there and select something to buy, because there were so many options! Good thing everything was expensive, and I wasn't tempted :)

The electronics store

As I'm looking through my pictures, I've found two that I think are unique to Japan. One is how they store their cars. If you look, there isn't a ramp leading from the ones stacked above the base cars, so how do they drive those cars down and access them? The second is a good way to describe the modern architecture in Tokyo - tall and skinny! The buildings aren't very wide and there is hardly any space between them, but they know how to build them high! :)

How does this work!??

The local buildings :)

So that about sums up our journey here in Japan. In about 6 hours (4:00 am), I will be getting up to venture down to the passenger terminal to hopefully get on a plane to Osan Air Base, Korea. This won't be a C-17, it'll be a passenger plane (757 I think), so a little bit more comfortable seating-wise, but not leg-room wise. At least its only a 2 hour flight! Cross your fingers for me, and I'll post more on my summer of international travels soon!

Chao!