Looking back at Japan...

Hello! You found the compass!

Here is the final post about Japan. I miss that country very much. The people were nice, the language was comfortable to speak, and the food was quite good (I only recently stopped craving udon, though I miss that too). Without further delay, here are a few stories about Japan followed by my lessons learned there.

Fun story about Japan #1: Tim discovered that he got discounts for being black. He ran into some African merchants, and they talked about their troubles with being allowed to live and work in Japan. (It's a tough country to get into.) Turns out that one of them had a Japanese girlfriend who apparently was a huge help with the whole process. Anyway, they liked Tim and happily gave to him what they called "brother discounts". So, if you are of African descent and ever visit Harajuku, hit them up!

Fun story about Japan #2: Outside of a strip club was a sign that said "Sexual Harassment Zone."

Fun story about Japan #3: When I gave up my seat on the subway for that elderly man, I only knew how to say "please". So I just kept saying that, bowing, and gesturing to my seat. He smiled and said a few sentences before finally sitting down, probably realizing that I had no idea what he was saying anyway and I was going to keep standing. When I got off the train, he smiled and bowed to me. It was endearing.

Fun story about Japan #4: Kristen got serenaded by a young man as we were leaving the karaoke bar. I may have told you that already, but it deserved mention.

Fun story about Japan #5: Soft serve ice cream is to Japan what Dunkin Donuts is to Massachusetts. Soft serve ice cream is available just about everywhere! In fact, I never saw "regular" ice cream stands (which was fine with me, because I prefer soft serve). They also have many different flavors of soft serve, including: sakura, rose, banana, green tea, and sweet potato (which I tried; it really does taste like a cold sweet potato). 

      I'm sure that there are other little anecdotes that I forgot to write about. However, the five above plus all of the blog entries I wrote during the trip ought to suffice.

      Now, to wrap up, some lessons learned in Japan:

-Cheesecake Haagen Dazs needs to come to the states.

-There is a lot to see in the world, and it’s never a bad time to start exploring. 

-It is okay to reflect back on things, even tragedies, so long as lessons are learned and used to help the present and future. 

-No matter how curious you are, some things are best left unexplored. (Looking at you, Maid Dreaming.)

-Though I still don’t get along with most seafood, the sashimi wasn’t bad. Branching out and trying new food is a fun experience. 

-I’ve always wanted to build my own home someday, and I’d certainly model a room after the traditional inn that we stayed in. Everything was simple, elegant, and comfortable. (Especially the tatami mats and futons.)

-It is refreshing to see ancient religions being widely practiced in peace and, sometimes literally, side-by-side. There was something very relaxing and rejuvenating about the shrines and temples.   

- Fashion is fun. Expensive, but fun.

-Not knowing a language is a minor barrier. Everyone speaks charades. 

-No matter where you are, cute animals are a valid temporary distraction from your goal.

-Chopsticks are far more fun than a fork.

-Nature is always worthy of admiration.

-Sakura is a great flavor for just about anything.  On the food note, curry is delicious and sweet potato ice cream is weird.

-Getting to know people in a different country makes for more interesting bonding than on a campus where we all know the language.

-Oh yes, I do Kyoto.

      And finally, the thing that most often pops into my head when I think of Japan and all of the fun experiences that I had there with my peers is:

 

 WE HAVE TO GO BACK!

 

         Thank you to everyone who followed this blog. (Sorry about the font being all weird with the lessons list. Didn't care to fix it. It adds character...?) Oyasuminasai!

Day Ten: The last hurrah...

Hello! You found the compass!


      Bah humbug. Today marked our final day in Ikebukuro, and none of us are fully ready to leave. I miss the United States, but Japan is a really cool country.

      Today was simple. Tess, Tim, and I ate breakfast at a bakery in Ikebukuro Station. After that, the group headed into Harajuku to do some exploring and shopping. Right when we got out of the train station, I saw a familiar street name: Takeshita Street. I had read about it on a tourism website and heard that it was great for shopping, so we took a stroll. We were originally planning on finding a store called the Oriental Bazaar that we had read about, but had no success.

Entrance to Takeshita Street.

      After leaving Harajuku, I returned to Sunshine City in hopes of finding either a hat or some shoes. (I like Japanese fashion!) I did find a fedora to replace the one that I lost on the plane ride from Newark to Tokyo, and I like it much better than the one that I lost. Tess seems to think that it looks good. Eric thinks I look like a mobster, so I'll just take that as a compliment. I ate a crepe for the first time, too. It was a "berryberry cake" crepe, or something like that. Essentially it was blueberry juice, strawberries, whipped cream, and pound cake pieces. It was an excellent dessert!

      I got back to the hotel and sat down for a little while before Eric and Kristen asked if I would like to join them for dinner and a last visit to Akihabara. We went out with almost everyone (Tim stayed in because he didn't want to spend more yen) and grabbed something to eat. We checked out a few more anime and game stores in Akihabara. I found a trinket for a friend, but nothing that I wanted to spend my money on for myself. Ah well, I have photos!

      Tess and I left Akihabara before the others and took the subway back to Ikebukuro. While walking to the liquor store from the train station, a Japanese man who looked about our age approached us. He had glasses and was wearing a sparkly black fedora. He spoke a little English, and asked if Tess and I would care to join him for a quick drink. As polite as he seemed, Tess and I politely declined. We thanked him and said we had other plans (not entirely untrue). I felt slightly bad, so as we walked away I shouted "kawai'i desu!" back at him. ("It is cute!" I think he knew what the American was trying to say...) Better than nothing, I suppose.

     One trip to the liquor store later, Tess and I headed back to the hotel loaded up on soda and booze (and by "loaded up" I mean I bought one bottle as a gift and one bottle for fun, and Tess bought a gift). They didn't have the small Disaronno bottles, so I got the next size up and we had a get-together in our room with Tim, Eric, Franco, and Kristen. Drinks were on me! We reminisced about our adventures and talked about what we were going to do after Japan. None of us had really gotten a chance to interact with Tim or Franco before, so now we'll just have to have more parties and make sure to keep up with each other!

      I'll take the time now to discuss some interesting tidbits about Japan and revelations that I (or someone else) had while here. Firstly, did you know that it is polite to slurp loudly when drinking the broth from things like Udon?

     Second: the cities here are extremely clean and yet finding a trash can is extremely hard. We're not sure how Japan does it, but whatever they do works. There is rarely litter. Also, cities are much quieter. Ikebukuro is silent outside right now. Even during the daytime in Kyoto, there would be lulls where everything would just be quiet right in the middle of the city! There isn't nearly as much angry beeping as is in the United States.

     Third: Everyone is polite. I gave up a subway seat for an elderly man and at first he refused, but I insisted that he sit. When I got off of the train, he looked at me and bowed his head. Shopkeepers will always greet you when entering and exiting their shops, and the language barrier doesn't phase them. I don't know if I told the story of the woman in Asakusa who sold us yukatas and kimonos, but she was wonderful! She was a middle aged woman who was able to help three customers at once without skipping a beat. She was attentive to everyone's needs and would communicate with us using any English she knew and miming. When she was explaining the proper way to wear a kimono, she showed us the right way and nodded. Then she showed us the wrong way, shook her head, crossed herself, pointed to the sky and said "amen". (The dead wear their kimonos differently than the living.)
 

      More lessons to continue in the next blog post, which I wrote before realizing that I hadn't published this one...

Oyasuminasai!