Day 4: Part 1

Saturday May 2 Day 4

Day 4: Part 1

We get into our room just after 5 am, I wake Bestie up and we each pack our overnight bags. Today we are going to Kyoto via Bullet Train, and I skip a great view of Mt. Fuji to catch up on some sleep. Arrival time is right around lunch so we head straight for food after leaving the station, which by the way almost never happened.

When we get off the train I’m groggy from sleep and get lazy with my outfit selection, forgetting I’m wearing a long dress and kicks. Considering that I buy long dresses with the intent to rock a 6-inch heel, there is a lot more dress to manage in flats. Back in the train station, I’m heading down the escalator, and at the half way point Bestie and I both notice that I’m caught. We frantically begin yanking at the dress to free it and me because I am 3 seconds away from being eaten whole. In 0.5 seconds that dress was coming off, it was hiked up to my waist when Bestie finally broke me lose. We shared a laugh over how “Workplace Safety Video” it felt. The moral of this story is, when wearing a long dress and kicks, take the elevator.

Right, lunch! We dash across the street and I grab some curry Udon that tastes just like something my mom would make, a welcomed reminder of home. Little did I know that this would be the last enjoyable meal of the day, maybe I’d have taken a To Go bag.

After our meal, we head on a coach to Suntory Brewery for a tour. Might I note, at this point it has become apparent that the majority of students on our trip have been on a beer tour since we landed. The Suntory Brewery seemed like a perfect compliment to our already intoxicated team. To add to the laughs, the MC of our tour is a tiny woman closer to the floor than not, that spoke in a very high-pitched Japanese. Only Japanese. We had an English-speaking guide with us but she was not allowed to translate during the tour. At the end everyone got to sample the stock. I cheersed with my alcohol free and watched the show.

Being a somewhat chill day in comparison to our pace thus far, Bestie decides it would be nice to experience a traditional Japanese meal. Since Kyoto is not a town known necessarily for its nightlife, Roomie and I agree. Our guide gives us a recommendation and reservations are set for 7 pm sharp.

Yep, another Two Part day.

Day 3: Part 1

Friday May 1 Day 3

No matter which way I try to put it, Day 3 cannot be told in a single post.

Day 3: Part 1

Where to start, where to end, what to tell?

The alarm goes off at 5 am. I’m not one who likes to get up in the morning so my alarm criteria are lengthy; loud and obnoxious definitely top the list. It’s not just waking me up but everyone else in the room, and maybe a couple of neighbours. Needless to say it’s 5 am and I’m up and ready for the day. The itinerary is packed, which is exactly how I like to see a city. My outfit plan has already been sorted weeks before when I decided what to pack, so I was on autopilot for the rest of the day. Our group of 20 meet in the hotel lobby for 9ish to start on the day’s journey. First stop – Harajuku. I am expecting to enter a world catering entirely to Lolittas. Although I am not disappointed when we arrive, I am surprised at how Disney everything feels.

Harajuku

Even the Disney store feels more Disney, the sales girls holding teddy bears that practically come alive with their touch. With gestures, not words, it is explained to me that each bear is the likeness of a well-known Disney character and only available in Japan. I know right! Check them out:

http://www.disneystore.co.jp/shop/u_page/giftunibear.aspx

I want one of each, but there’s no time to shop because we are already late to meet for our next stop on the itinerary, Meiji Shrine. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to take pictures of everything, it is just so different from what I am familiar with at home. I have to pry myself away from the camera to seize the day, these are moments I want to be present in, this is what it’s all about.

Meiji Shrine

Good thing because this place needs attention, everything has a meaning, a ritual, a tradition and I want to know it all. Although I consider myself to be without God, I can’t help but feel drawn to the spiritual vibe of this place.   I like the idea of fortunes and lucky charms, and I grab a few of each from the shops. Of course I grabbed one for love and another for success,; really I’m open to improvement so could use a charm in every area of my life. I also received a fortune that could not have been more appropriate. To end our time at the shrine we were witness to a traditional Japanese wedding. I’m not sure if there are any superstitions around weddings and luck, but it felt like we had been chosen to witness this event, and that felt lucky to me. Grateful, I snapped a picture.

Meiji Shrine

Our next stop was the Tokyo Sky Tree. I looked forward to finally catching a glimpse of Mt. Fuji and seeing how the largest metropolitan in the world compares to some of the biggest cities I’ve seen. Japan continues to exceed my expectations, it makes my heart beat fast to see a city that sprawls farther than the eye can see, whichever direction you look. I decide from this vantage point that I could never live here, but would have to return to finish what this trip starts because it is way too big to see in only 3 days.

Skytree view of Tokyo

Our last spot of the day takes us to Senso-ji in Asakusa, one of (if not the) oldest Temples in Tokyo. Leading up to it, rows of souvenir shops, some of the best knick-knack shopping that I’ve ever done. I got so carried away picking out a Samurai sword for my nephew that I completely lost track of time and my Bestie. I had to run through the Temple (which for the record is at the very end of all these awesome shops), but managed to make it to the meet spot on time. The pictures are blurry as a result though.

Senso-ji in Asakusa

Reunited as a trio; Bestie, Roomie, and I head back in the direction of our hotel, grabbing dinner at a place we had picked out the night before. A cool spot, walking distance to our place where we sat on the floor to eat and were required to remove our shoes before entering. This was not a problem; our feet welcomed the rest after pounding the pavement all day.

Shinjuku dinner

I hatch a plan over dinner electing to go back to the hotel and sleep now, waking up at midnight to start our day. Rather than staying up all-night and grabbing a couple hours when we get in at 5 am. That way we could sleep 4 hours, wake up at midnight and stay out all night, we just need to be back in time for breakfast at 7 am. The other girls are in, so we finish eating and head to our beds. The alarm is set for midnight.

P.S. Meiji Shrine may have happened before Harajuku Day 3. It has only been 2 weeks and I have already started to forget major details. Good thing I’m getting it all down now, because at this rate I won’t even remember going to Japan at all.