Hi Guys!
Yup, this is officially our last blog of SE Asia. I remember being super sad at the time when the trip was over, it was such a fantastic trip. What a cool corner of the world. What was even cooler was how we did a few days in Tokyo on the way home- such a difference from the crazy unruliness of SE Asia. Everything in Tokyo was so clean, people were so polite and the place ran like a well-oiled machine.
Here we are taking the Narita express into Tokyo from the airport. I remember being so shocked by how clean and orderly the whole experience was. Does this mean I hated the chaos before? No, the difference was just very noticeable and it was hard not to notice.
This is my best attempt at a crowded subway car picture. When we first got out at Tokyo station, we were blown away by how well dressed everyone was. We stood out like a couple of greasy backpackers while everyone else was in suits and ties!
That night we hit up a cute little noodle house for supper. There was even a table of salarymen getting drunk at the table beside us. White-collar businessman in Japan are referred to as salarymen, and they are known for their propensity to work long hours and drink large amounts of alcohol when a few of them get together after work.
That night we headed out to Odaiba, a little island still within Tokyo. I really wanted to go to an onsen, which is a Japanese outdoor hot tub. I had heard there was one here in Odaiba, and even though it's in the middle of the city, I wanted the experience. Once Jared found out you had to be naked in the pools he was out. So I went in to the complex- it's kind of like going to a swimming pool. You pay at the front desk, get your yukata (which you can see me wearing in the picture), and then there is a whole plethora of things you can do once in there. There's a food court, outdoor gardens and, yes, a gender-separated area of hot pools. So I went for it, I whipped my yukata off in the change room and strutted my stuff out to the pools. Out of respect for the other Japanese ladies I shared this experience with, I will not shed any more details other than it was a very relaxing experience.
Jared cruised around Odaiba and we met up after a couple of hours of our own versions of 'fun on Odaiba island.'
Skyline from the train as we left Odaiba.
That night we stayed in a capsule hotel. It was not as claustrophobic of an experience as I was expecting. Glad we got this Tokyo experience. Apparently people use them for a few quick hours of shut-eye before going back to work. It sounds like people work insanely hard in Tokyo.
The next morning we went to Tsukiji fish market. These guys are driving carts full of boxed tuna around.
We wandered the stalls, it was so interesting to see the things you can buy. Asian markets, they never disappoint.
I had some barley tea while Jared had this soup.
Tsukiji Honganji, built in 1934.
There was some lovely incense burning inside, and it was really interesting to see the differences in a Buddhist temple in Japan vs. most of what we had seen in SE Asia. Most of the Buddhists in SE Asia are from the Theravada tradition, whereas more follow the Mahayana tradition in Japan.
Later in the day we headed to the Edo Japan Museum, to learn about the former ancient Tokyo- "Edo."
After all that it was time for lunch, and we headed to Genki Sushi. You ordered off a computer screen and the sushi came on a conveyor belt. So futuristic!
After lunch we spent a lot of time ogling the Shibuya Scramble. It is a convergence of 5 streets, and all the lights turn red at once so the pedestrians can run out and get wherever they want. It's absolutely bedlam when all the people flood the intersection. Jared and I put on head bands with Japanese characters on them and stood out in the middle of the intersection doing crazy poses while we took pictures of each other from the vantage point above. Apparently Jared had it on upside down and a nice Japanese lady told him so when she walked by.
Can you spot me in the middle?
See the red coat?
We continued walking around Shibuya, buying the odd souvenir, soaking up the atmosphere of the 'Times Square of Tokyo'
That night we had one of the most memorable meals of SE Asia. We dined on Wagyu beef over a little brazier. It was so good, it was like butter meets meat. The proportions were small, but it packed a lot of punch!
Look at that marbling
The last thing we did that night was walk around Kabukicho- the red light district of Tokyo. It was actually kind of adorable, because there wasn't anything lewd out in the open. It wasn't like Amsterdam, that's for sure. I think there were a few silhouettes of naked women printed on signs. Quite racy. It was mostly interesting for people watching and seeing the place all lit up.
I almost forgot that we did one last thing before going to bed.....I had decided I really wanted to do karaoke so we headed for the nearest place we saw. So I guess there was a bit of a language barrier, because we thought we were paying for a cover charge to a bar with other people, but instead they ushered us to room 73 on the 7th floor. We get in there and it's just a small room for Jared and I to karaoke by ourselves! Whatever, let's go with it! We drank sake and just sang to each other for the 30 minutes time we had bought, then continued on our way. At least I can say I sang karaoke in Japan!
The next morning we took the metro to Harajuku and walked up Takeshita-dori, a street full of cosplay shops, crazy accessories and yummy crepes. We hit the end of the street and headed for 'Kiddyland,' a giant toy store. There was so much Hello Kitty!!
The last tourist hot spot we hit up was the Meiji shrine, which was built to honour the emperor and empress Meiji- two very hallowed figures to Japan.
Here we are preparing to enter the shrine, performing the proper washing rites
People could make an offering to the shrine, and then write wishes and aspirations on a block of wood and hang it up.
We were even lucky enough to catch a procession of a traditional Shinto wedding. The bride wore a white kimono with a very interesting orb-like head piece.
Saw some insanely cute but ridiculously expensive kittens at a pet store, and I just had to squeeze them in somewhere.
So that's it folks, after Tokyo we flew home via Chicago. It was so many things, this trip. It was busy, interesting, sometimes smelly, and there was something incredible to see every day. To do that for five months straight, I feel so very, very lucky. There is an amazing world out there, and Jared and I were fortunate enough to add this one small part of it to our travel experiences. We will always hold it in a special place in our hearts, thanks so much Asia!!
