Touché Japan?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wow.  Now that I am safely back on the ship, Japan seems like a whirlwind that didn’t stop for 6 straight days. Right now I am utterly exhausted and fighting a cold before we arrive in China in 36 hours, but also trying to process the last week.   I’m not sure how best to explain it all but I’ll go through day by day and try to convey how amazing it was. 

DAY 1 IN JAPAN: After waiting three hours to get off the ship in Yokohama the girls and I, as well as a few of our guy friends, headed straight for the train station to get our Rail Passes verified and jet to Tokyo.  We not only stuck out as tourists because of our huge camping backpacks filled to the brim, but also because we were literally a foot taller than all the Japanese people.   Japan as a country is not diverse at all, so there was no trying to blend in. The Japan Bullet Train was incredible.  It goes so fast and is incredibly smooth.  We ended up mastering the bullet train during the week as we bounced around to 6 different cities. (Yokohama, Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, and Kobe)  Once in Tokyo we decided to walk to our hotel and explore the city on the way.  It was difficult without knowing the language at all but we soon realized that Japanese people are incredibly friendly and willing to help. Those who knew English usually approached us asking if we needed help as we had the map pulled out and confused expressions.  The Executive Director of Digital Entertainment for Paramount in Japan was one of the many who helped us find our way to our hotel.  The Tokyo Prince Hotel was perfectly situated beneath the Tokyo Tower and just a five-minute cab ride to the fun district of Roppongi.  As I mentioned in my last blog, it was Margaret’s 21st birthday so we were determined to find a great spot for dinner.  We went into town to search out the perfect spot and shop around a bit before meeting our friends.  Tokyo is a town unlike anything in America.  I guess it could be most compared to New York, but it is bigger and louder and busier in every way.  It is a concrete jungle with high-rises stacked together and buzzing big screen TVs on buildings and neon light signs shining over every street.  The city is exciting and energetic.  For dinner we decided on a cool back-alley restaurant where we cooked our own food on a tabletop grill- a great choice and a perfect start to a night that never ended.  A common feeling on this trip is the fear of missing out.  Since we have so little time in each place, no one wants to hear that they missed a great experience.  So, we floundered a bit trying to choose which of the thousands of bars in Tokyo would give us the best experience.  After getting a tip from some local girls our age we ended up in an underground local bar where we were the only foreigners and the only white people.  The DJ was playing all American hits so we became the life of the party and danced the night away with the locals.  They all wanted pictures with us too.  Around 4am we met up with the Semester at Sea crowd at another bar but had to leave by 5am to make it to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market before 6am when the prime action takes place.   To Be Continued….