Apart from the Fall, Spring is one of the most beautiful seasons to go visit Japan. Who’s going to say no to that?

So we drew up a timeline and a list of places we wanted to see, as well as places we could stay, for people traveling on the cheap (but not too cheap).  Since this will be a first time visit for my friends, I suggested we keep our destinations to 2 major cities – Kyoto and Tokyo, splitting 10 days between these two places including sidetrips to Nara, and to Mitaka for the Ghibli Museum.  There will be plenty to see between just these two cities, and our time will be better spent exploring them at leisure.

Over the next two weeks I’ll be busy with getting my new microchip passport, arranging for visas and flights as well as scoping out final accommodations for myself and my friends.  Traveling alone to Tokyo and various other places last year has given me a good idea of what to do to make things easier for us at least, as well as how to get more bang for our buck so I’m looking forward to seeing Japan again in a few months.

river of people on takeshita dori

Being lost in Tokyo can be pretty frustrating if you don’t expect it.

Getting around on foot:

A few days of wandering around Tokyo I eventually realized that not all streets will have signs. The major roads do, but mostly only at big intersections, but otherwise, there are none. Addresses are ordered by block number, and trying to find an address by block number if you’re not familiar with the system is still pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack. So it’s unsurprising to quickly develop a healthy respect for the Japanese Postman. The only saving grace is that blocks can be pretty small, unlike downtown New York where one block can take you a good 10 minutes to walk.

Which is why good maps are very important, not because they show street names, but because they point out landmarks that you can use to triangulate your location.

A compass would have been of help to me, to tell me as well if I was going the wrong way, north instead of south, east instead of west; particularly if it’s evening and you can’t just look up in the sky and figure out where you are based on where the sun is.

JR ueno station

Subways and Train Stations:

The other thing you realize is that many stations will have more than one exit, particularly the large hubs like Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno which can have around 4 exits or more. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve gotten myself lost in Tokyo and Shinjuku station, just trying to figure out which exit I’m supposed to get out of and how to get there. There are usually signs with a list of prominent areas that certain exits lead to, and depending on where you want to go, you have to figure out which one to take.

Not only this, when you’re trying to catch an appointment and need to get somewhere on time, you’ll have to bear in mind that there are some routes that look alright on the map, but are actually not the most optimum route to take.

From Ueno to Tokyo station, taking the Ginza line down to Ginza and changing to the Marunochi line may look simple enough, but once you change at Ginza, you’ll need to walk a few hundred meters to where you can hop on the Marunochi line to Tokyo station. If you’re dragging luggage with you, this is not a fun thing to do. The better route would still have been to take the JR Yamanote from Ueno to Tokyo station.

In my case, the first train out of of Ueno station Ginza line is around 5:40 am, and I took it all the way down to Ginza, which took 15 minutes. This would have been fine if it didn’t take me another 10 min to walk from there to the Marunochi line. It took around 10 min to get to Tokyo station, so I barely made it in time to stuff my luggage in a coin locker make my 6:23 Shinkansen on the Tokaido line to Takayama. Not a fun experience, I’ll have to say, and something I’ll never do again.

What I did learn is that it really helps to test your route prior to your actual trip if you’ve never used it before, even when figuring out which set of coin lockers to rent. It makes things more efficient, and even when stupid things happen, you can recover quickly enough.

Ten things that may make life easier for gaikokujin in Tokyo:

1. Suica or Pasmo

If you’re not on a package tour and staying for more than 2 days, these make it easier to speed through stations without having to stop and buy a ticket. You can buy these from vending machines available in major stations, with a minimum load of 1000 yen. 1000 yen goes pretty quickly if you’re zipping around the city a lot, but if you have a JR Rail Pass, taking the Yamanote will take some of the edge off it. You can use Suica or Pasmo to buy drinks and food at some convenience stores at stations that have a sign displaying the Suica or Pasmo logo as well. I must have reloaded my card around 5 times for all the 9 days I was in Tokyo.

For those who want to use these, pretty much all consoles have an ENGLISH button on the upper right if you can’t read the characters.

keyless coin lockers

2. Coin Lockers

Are your friend. Really.

There are not enough words to explain how much of an inconvenience it is to bring large luggage, or more than one piece of luggage on a train with you.

At large stations, there are 300(s), 400(m), and 500(l) yen coinlockers that will charge you per calendar day of usage (midight to midnight) up to 3 days.

But if you’ve got Suica or Pasmo, use the keyless coin lockers that allows you to use those instead of the coin-only operated ones. It saves you from having to scramble for change particularly if you’ve come back from a trip out and you don’t exactly have 800 yen in 100 yen coins to take out your bags with. These particular coin lockers have touch screens and a card-scanner set in the middle. Even if you can’t read Kanji or Kana, there’s an ENGLISH button on the upper right hand of the console screen that gives you the instructions in English. These types of lockers also accept coins, but work differently in that they don’t give you a key – it’ll spit out a receipt with a pin number that you will need to key in when you retrieve your bags, so if you do use these without a Suica or Pasmo, whatever you do, DON’T LOSE THE RECEIPT.

3. Area-specific Maps that you pick up at the Keisei Skyliner tourist information booth.

This small booth is there after you pass the ticket gates exiting the Keisei Skyliner from Narita. They have area maps for the main tourist areas of Tokyo (Akihabara, Ueno, Roppingi, Asakusa, etc.). Pick these up. I found it hard to find better free maps.

4. A subway map

You can’t live without this unless you’re familiar with the routes already. You can also find it here and print it out.

5. A cellphone and international roaming.

If this is available to you, it’s a huge help if you’re lost and have to call your hotel, or your credit card company if you lost your card or your wallet. However, it has to be a 3G Phone, otherwise you won’t be able to use it. Barring that, it’s possible to rent a mobile phone at the Narita airport, although you won’t have the benefit of having your personal cellphone’s phonebook within easy reach.

6. A fold-away, compact shopping bag

I brought along a reusable nylon shopping bag that folded smaller than a wallet, stuffed in my purse all the time. This hardy little green bag carried all my accumulated small purchases while I trekked around. Since I could sling it on my shoulder, I didn’t need to carry a multitude of tiny plastic bags in one hand. My purse also went into it when necessary, as well as things like onigiri, bottled drinks, and supermarket-bought obento.

7. Lonely Planet is not your only source of information.

There’s a JNTO in Asakusa in front of Kaminarimon Gate. There’s also information booths at major train stations, and various english brochures and guides available at hotels and tourist centers. Failing that, there is always the Internet. Lonely Planet is not the only bible. Use everything at you disposal, particularly friendly people who notice you dithering around like a lost lamb on a street corner.

8. Hungry? Supermarkets are your friend.

Depa-chika, or department store basement supermarkets are good places to find something to eat for less than 800 yen. They sell very reasonably priced takeaway cold lunches as well as bottled drinks. Just don’t bank on it buying a lot of fruit, because Tokyo is one of the most expensive places to buy fruit. Those huge luscious strawberries cost around 1200 yen for one pack, and one fuji apple can cost around 315 yen apiece. Senbei, or rice crackers, is always a good purse-stuffer, because there are so many different kinds and a good-sized pack isn’t too expensive.

strawberry cake, slightly squished on the commute

And as a side trip, check out Shinjuku’s Takashimaya Times Square depa chika’s for their chocolate and pastry section. It’s really quite something to behold, and despite the overall pricey-ness, it’s worth sampling one or two of the jewel-like fruit pastries or cakes they sell there. I once visited towards closing time, and one or two of the pastry bars were pretty much almost sold out, a testament to the purchasing power and a prediliction for sweets that fuels these shops. If you buy a cake, they’ll normally ask you how long you will be travelling, and based on that, may insert a small flat ice packet at the bottom of the bag to keep your precious, meticulously-wrapped pastry properly chilled until you unbox it at home.

9. Noodle shops are one of the most reasonable places to eat if you’re on a budget.

You’ll notice that some of the most reasonably-priced food are found in noodle shops, where you can eat for 600 yen or less. You’ll usually purchase an order ticket from a vending machine outside, bring it in and hand it over to the attendant who will ask you if you want it with soba (buckwheat noodles) or udon. Water is free, and you can just pour yourself a glass from one of the pitchers strategically placed on the counters around the shop.

10. Lastly, a positive attitude and a possible plan B.

Getting lost is usually not as bad as people think it is. Neither is being left behind by your train (sometimes), or making a mistake with food. It usually helps to keep a positive outlook, and chalk some things up to a learning experience as well as have pre-explored backup plans and options.

You’ll also learn that a ready smile and a respectful attitude goes a long way to making your trip a whole lot more pleasant for everyone, especially if you’re in a fix. It’s not a bad thing to be able to say “Sumimasen” (Excuse me) and more importantly, “Arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you).

a tree in autumn flames

12 days in another country may seem a long time. At least I thought so, at the beginning.

But when it was almost time to come home, there was deep feeling of nostalgia, and a sense of dissatisfaction that I haven’t seen enough.

That of course, depends if you liked the country of course, but it goes without saying that I have always liked Japan.  I’m not sure how I would feel if I had to stay here for a year working, but 12 days was apparently still too short to see everything I wanted to see and experience although I got to do many of the things I wanted.

I’ve been to Takayama, and walked it’s narrow streets for 3 days, admiring specially preserved buildings, and the beautiful Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine. I’ve seen two world-heritage sites, Shirakawa-go and Nikko Toushougu. I’ve stayed in a 4 and 1/2 tatami room at  Minshuku Sosuke where I slept in a futon, took numerous baths, and walked around in a yukata. Wandered around Asakusa Senso-ji both day and night.

I’ve frozen my fingers off staring at the natural wonder of the Kegon no taki near Lake Chuzenji. I’ve ridden just about all kinds of transportation from buses to Shinkansen to local futsuu trains, as well as one 1500 yen taxi ride. I’ve dodged bicycles on crosswalks and sidewalks, been carried by a tide of people at rush hour. Missed my train. Almost missed my train.

I’ve been to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, and marvelled at the careful attention to detail that’s been given to Miyazaki-san’s vision. You have to be awed by the little things that draw from your own experience of his films, like the stained glass windows adorned with Totoro, Mei, Kiki, and Jiji; the trompe l’oeil of geckoes and key rings; fabulous and whimsically decorated rest rooms, and the mechanical soldier from Laputa gazing solemnly from the rooftop garden. This is a place where childhood imaginings are considered wonderful and precious, and where people can appreciate the growth and process of animation from zoetropes to the modern methods of film-based production.

I’ve seen a special exhibit of Rinpa Masters at the National Museum at Ueno park, and feasted my eyes on the beauty of nature painted on silk and paper, cedar and lacquer.  Ogata Korin’s Wind and Thunder gods rode the sky in a space of wood and silken screens, and imagined white elephants and rhinoceros, their folds and noble expressions made real with the elegant sweep of a brush.

I’ve browsed the shelves of Mandarake, and the 6 floors of figure heaven at Kotobukiya, Akihabara. Gone shopping for art materials at Itoya（いとうや） and Tokyu Hands.  Wandered around bug-eyed at the designer labels down at Ginza and Omotesando. Waded through the unending stream of people down Takeshita-dori in Harajuku and enjoyed the different kind of design sense that people have. Stood beside Hachiko in Shibuya and watched the flash and flicker of neon and LCD as night crept over the city. I’ve shared seating with old women, sake-soaked salarymen, backpackers, highschool students, fashionably dressed office-ladies and shibuya boys and girls.

I’ve been to Tokyo Design Week, and had my eyes opened to how far ahead the Japanese are in terms of exploring creative product design, and user-experience, even at the student level.

I’ve also had filled my stomach with the different flavors – Hida-beef yakiniku, street food like mitarashi dango, korokke, and taiyaki. Really good ramen and udon, tonkatsu and curry.  Indulged in japanese cheesecake, strawberry cake, and a mont blanc.  I’ve feasted on ekiben on a train.  Scraped by mealtimes with onigiri and pre-packed supermarket food. Drowned my thirst in Pocari Sweat. Gotten lost countless times in Tokyo and Ueno station.

I can say with satisfaction, that I have done these things, and filled my days in the spirit of a desire to taste with all my senses what Japan is all about. I’m also proud to say that I’ve never eaten at  a McDonalds, or a Starbucks, or any restaurant that I can find back home.

When I was last in Japan, I was terrified of making mistakes, being laughed at, and getting lost, so I had no confidence to even shop by myself. I’m still a little nervous about certain things, and I’ve never gotten the courage to go drinking alone at an izakaya (partly because it’s not safe for a girl to get drunk by herself in a strange place), but knowing the language now, even as rudimentarily as I do, has given me a so much more freedom and confidence.

The other thing I’ve realized is that T was right – travelling alone expands your world inside and out in an unprecedented way.

It can be lonely sometimes, difficult and stressful, but I’ve learned how to deal with these things myself more calmly than I had believed I could.  Perhaps I can deal with the loneliness better than most.  More often than not, it was a loneliness out of wanting to share something wonderful with someone and despite this, I’ve found myself more often than not, enjoying being alone in a city full of strangers.

I wonder why.

What have I taken away from almost half a month indulging my wanderlust then? For better or for worse, the most apparent thing to me is it’s awakened in me a kind of restlessness, as well as a taste and a hunger for more.

A parade featuring representatives of the different eras of Tokyo, wound its way from east of Senso-ji to past Kaminarimon.  A wide variety of beautifully-costumed individuals entertained the crowd that lined the streets near the front and towards the end of the procession route.

kaminarimon

tokyo jidai matsuri

crane dance

children in costume

It’s not called the festival of the ages for nothing – it started at 1:30 pm, and ended before 4pm, with periodic performances along the route of procession.

100 percent design

Today was time set aside for trolling the Tokyo Design Week exhibit at Jingu-Gaien, so I hopped on the Ginza line to Gaienmae at around 9:20 am.

It’s a saturday, and people are out in time for when the shops open so there were a lot of people on the train although the crowd thinned out past Ginza.

One thing to remember if you’re going to take this route to Jingu Gaien, is If you find yourself passing Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on your right, you’re going the long way around. The shorter, more direct route is once you get out of the Gaienmae exit, veer towards the left, following Aoyama-dori.

Aoyama-dori is a bigger main road and will be hard to miss. You should be walking in the direction of Nihonbashi, and you should pass Cafe growna growna Tokyo on your left. After a few minutes you should eventually find a straight, tree-lined avenue on your left, Ichou Namiki, that you can follow to Jingu Gaien.

The entire vicinity is a sports complex, so while I was there there was the sound of roaring from the crowd of whatever game was being played at the time.

Lots of people already lined up to get in, and having pre-registered, I just had to show them the printed QR code I was assigned, and I got my pass and goodie bag.  Among the freebies was a directory of the exibitors and a miniature of the Tokyo Design Week’s logo.

There are different groups of exhibits. These are the ones I saw: 100%futures (student exhibit), 100%design, 100%professional, as well as the container ground exhibit and Blickfang. I checked out some of the container exhibits first, which were very interesting, including a few that featured interactive elements and sound design.

container exhibit

epos card

chocolate bling

that's not paper

What was very cool though was the student exhibit, where you could see just how solid the students’ grasp of design concept and ideas as well as execution. Some of it actually looked good enough to buy from a store.

creative college of design exhibit

joshibi university of arts and design exhibit

Kaist graduation projects

fuzzy chairs from a student exhibit

All in all I had a really good time of it. I have little or no pictures of 100%design exhibits and none at all of 100%professional though, because the professional exhibit prohibits photography and so do most of the stalls in 100%design. Some of the exhibits I really liked were the ones for Haru, Supercent, Maruja Fuentes‘ leaning holds, and Lightly, which had some beautiful acrylic bowls cut in lace doily inspired designs.

I ended my stroll around the exhibit at around 2:30 pm, satisfied and quite awed with what I’ve seen. I also came away with a bit of loot after browsing the small the small design kiosks that were selling all sorts of interesting little items, I bought a felt flower ring by Mixco for 800 yen, and some very cool sakura-shaped coasters in pale lavender, gray and black for 350 yen apiece.

For more images of Tokyo Design Week, check out my photostream.

]]> http://mouseinastorm.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/tokyo-design-week-exhibit/feed/ 0 mousingerz 100percentdesign container exhibit epos card chocolate bling tyvek creative college of design exhibit joshibi university exhibit Kaist exhibit fuzzy chairs http://mouseinastorm.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/getting-lost/ http://mouseinastorm.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/getting-lost/#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:32:29 +0000 mousingerz http://mouseinastorm.wordpress.com/?p=183 ]]> The day I got back to Tokyo, I had arrived at Tokyo Station via Shinkansen right smack in the middle of rush hour.

Rush hour in tokyo is no joke. The rivers of people that stream through the stations and pack the trains is something else.  With a trolley plus heavy backpack, camera bag and tote, it was going to be a major pain to try and swim through that mess so after 20 minutes of trying to wait it out, I took a 1500 yen taxi ride to Ueno station, and took the Hibiya line to Minowa. I got out of Exit 3 as the instructions said, but after that I took a wrong turn in the opposite direction and ended up wandering some small dimly-lit back streets with an impending feeling of doom and a desperate need to use the little girl’s room.

Lesson is, print out the damn map >.<.  It’s no good as pdf unless you’ve got a blackberry and it’s in your phone.

Calling the hotel saved the day though, and although I had to walk roughly a kilometer back to the train station where I started, and then another half-kilometer in the opposite direction that I had gone, I finally found Andon Ryokan tucked as advertised, opposite a willow tree.

By the time I got there it was a bit past 9pm, and I was dead exhausted so I dumped my things into my tiny room and promptly passed out.

Andon Ryokan is not a bad place, but bang for buck I preferred Oak Hotel for accommodations in Tokyo. If you were looking for a ryokan-type experience, Minshuku Sosuke in Takayama was closer to it.  Andon in comparison is more of the botique-type hotel with a ryokan-type flavor. Oak Hotel had a better location as well, just off Asakusa-dori with a convenience store within 50 meters, and a straight bee-line to Ueno station and the Inaricho station on the Ginza line.

shirakawa-go

Would you believe, that I almost didn’t go?

I woke up that morning at 6 am and checked the sky, which was gray, cold and slightly wet, like yesterday’s.  I snuggled down into my futon and said ‘screw it. there’s no taking good pictures in this kind of light.’ So I took my time, had some excellent breakfast, and puttered around in my room with some hot tea. Then I opened my window around before 9 am, lo and behold, the sun had come out.

Without hesitating, I packed up my gear and hot-footed it to the Hato bus terminal beside the JR train station. Unfortunately, I had just missed the earlier bus so I had to wait it out for the next one.  To kill some time, I took a walk down to the Nara-supported temples just 5-10 min away and was back at the station in plenty of time, after viewing some enormous mums, and a variety of saru-bobo dolls hung as offerings at the temple.

The round-trip ticket has an open time for the return trip, so you can decide for yourself when you’ve had enough. The bus ride to Shirakawa-go is 50 min. through beautiful mountain scenery and some amazingly long tunnels.  It reminded me of the time we drove to Bergen from Oslo, but these tunnels were much wider.

When we got there, it had turned somewhat cloudy again although the sun would show itself quite frequently.  The valley and tree-filled landscape really is beautiful, and you can almost understand the Japanese obsession with viewing natural beauty through the four seasons, if you have places this pleasing to the eye.

かかし

gassho-zukuri farmhouse

Shirakawa-go is a world heritage site, and many of their buildings are over 100 years old, built in the gassho-zukuri style, with a thatched roof, and a loft for what was previously a traditional silkworm cottage industry.  The rustic charm of the entire village is really appealing, although you are also acutely aware of the artificiality of the setting – it’s still pretty much a tourist place, and the plethora of souvinir shops packed with local delicacies and souvinirs, snack bars and kiosks make that apparent.  The fact that the 200 yen for a tiny cup of coffee is the same price as coffee at a small shop near the Takayama station is somewhat comforting at least.

There’s no reason people won’t happily pay for all this though, because of how accessible and well-maintained this place is for the viewing and appreciation of visitors.  Plus with the coming of fall, the colors are particularly beautiful, even when it’s cloudy and rainy.

It all reminded me slightly of Baguio back home, except that there has been greater funding and effort to perserve this kind of place as well as make it convenient for visitors to come and see.

the view overlooking the valley

There’s a viewpoint overlooking the valley that takes 15 minutes to climb up a paved road, and naturally at the top you’ll find the toursit bus parking lot, restrooms, and a souvinir and coffee shop.  There’s also a site that had the remains of an old castle, but there’s nothing there now except for a small shrine and a stone marker.

There was also an outdoor architectural museum of sorts which I had to run through quickly so I could catch the bus back to Takyama in time, but that was also interesting and beautiful, although much less lived-in looking that the actual village.

I finally managed to tear myself away by around 2pm, when the rain was coming down more steadily.  I picked up a tiny cellphone-strap saru-bobo doll as a memento, but apart from pictures, a cup of coffee and korokke, I didn’t really buy anything else.

For the rest of the images, check out my photostream.

hilltop view

Trying to describe how beautiful the mountain areas are around Takayama is difficult for me. I spent only 3 days there and already I’ve fallen in love with this little town that’s slowly being wrapped up in Autumn colors.

my room at Minshuku Sosuke

yes it's a tatami room

To get to Takayama, you have to take the Shinkansen to Nagoya, and change to the Wide View Hida that runs all the way to Shin-Osaka.

The Wide-view Hida

I booked a room at Minshuku Sosuke, a good 8 minute walk away from the JR Takayama station. Minshuku are traditional inns that are like a cheaper, simpler version of it’s more sophisticated cousin, the ryokan.  Like ryokan, they’ve got communal baths and lavatories, and have no in-room toilets.

My room was a simple 4 and 1/2 mat room overlooking the neighboring parking lot. It had no internet access, but it had a heater, a low table and cushions, as well as a tea set for whenever I want a hot cup. There was a TV, but I never used it.  Like my earlier hotel, they provided a yukata as part of the amenities.

Unlike fancier places, where they make your room for you, in a minshuku you’re expected to fold away your futon properly every morning, since it’s customary to use your room as a living area during the day.  It was small, but cozy, and somewhat spartan, but it felt strangely enough like home, away from home.

my room by day

It helped of course, that the minshuku I stayed at felt and looked like a real house. Minshuku Sosuke’s building was a farmhouse transplated to it’s current location, a generation or so ago, and the original hearth is still used in the common sitting area. You’d be surprised at how large the place actually is, since it accommodates around 13 rooms, as well as the common lavatories and toilets, and the wonderful sento (separate for men and women).

I must admit that I’ve gotten really spoiled by being able to take a nice long soak in steaming hot water after a long day of walking. Now that I’m back in Tokyo, at a place where you have to reserve the jacuzzi ahead of time if you want to use it, I feel like something’s missing at the end of my day.  Being able to freely waltz into the bath at the end of the day was a luxury I suppose.

Despite Takayama being a fairly small city, I only got to see a fraction of what they had to offer. The weather wasn’t too good so I forwent the walking trails and the other temples. I was however, able to see the old merchant and private houses under special preservation status, the architectural museum, and the festival floats as well as the Sakurayama Hachiman shrine and the Yatai Kaikan museum.

I was there on a sunday so there were busloads of people who came in for a full day tour, and it gave the narrow streets of the old merchant houses with it’s array of snack stalls, food and sake and various crafts and local goods for sale, the lively air of a small festival.

tourists at sanmachi

Of the local fare available, I was able to sample a bit of Hida beef yakiniku, the special local miso, and of course little things like mitarashi dango (at 70yen a stick!), taiyaki, and a strange sweet treat that came in cubes and seemed like a cross between souffle and marshmallow.  Minshuku Sosuke also offers breakfast and dinner separate of the room charge, and for sure, dinner is definitely excellent bang for buck. It was a pity I was just strangely too full to finish all of what was served, and the miso was delicious.

sashimi of river fish and shrimp

More tomorrow on Shirakawa-go.

Oak Hotel is a tiny brick-facade building just off Asakusa-dori, and a 5-8 min walk from Ueno Station, and I think it’s a really good place to stay despite the lack of an in-house restaurant or meals with the rates.  It’s got everything anyone will ever really need if you’re going to be spending most of your time outside, trolling the streets, and it’s comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep.  The pillow (singular) on the bed is a bit strange, being partly filled with some sort of buckwheat or beans, but I slept surprisingly well on it.

home sweet mess

I arrived yesterday at Narita around noon, and took the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno station. It was a good hour’s ride, on a pretty comfortable train given that there weren’t a lot of people travelling at that time and it was practically empty.

headache

gray day

The bad part was that I had arrived with a bit of a headache from lack of sleep the night before, compounded by the fact that the dweeb at the window seat just refused to put down the shade throughout the entire flight, so I didn’t catch enough zzs on the plane.  Kung fu Panda on the movie menu wasn’t enough to dissolve the throbbing ache, so I carried that all the way to my hotel. By the time I got there I had missed lunch – a very bad thing to add to the already miserable package I was, so I ended up begging off on my arrangement to meet with K-san whose SMS for some reason I never got while I waited in and napped in the hotel. I ended up nursing a bout of hyperacidity that night, but luckily it all wore off by today.

I started the day by picking up a Pasmo card, and heading for Shinjuku to Yodobashi Camera to check if they had the cover for the bottom of our D300, but unfortunately I found out that they didn’t have it (gasp!) and it was more likely the service center would.  Luckily, that was not that important a piece, so am going to bypass the trouble of going there. It was my first time to use the JR Yamanote line – we normally took the Metro last time we were here, and I like the fact that you can see the city as you go past.

The view from Shinbashi station

There was no rain today, which was great, but the weather was still a strange mix of muggy and cool.  The jacket I brought was just all wrong – too warm to wear inside the stations where it’s an average 27 degrees.  One makes do however, and it wasn’t all that bad, while you’re up above ground.

On my way to back from Shinjuku, I came across these clowns at the Ueno station:

Oooh. Tengu?

LOL. They do a good job hamming it up for pictures.

JR Ueno station is one of the biggest stations in Tokyo, with lines from the provinces terminating at it. It’s the weekend, so hordes of people just come streaming through from everywhere.

JR上野駅

This was where I also got to exchange my JR Rail pass. Below is one of two exchange counters, near one of the exits, opposite a really cute flower shop.

JR exchange counter at Ueno station

After that I headed off to Ginza, to check out Itoya, a 9-floor stationery shop that redefines the term, considering how much stuff they’ve got related to paper. The top floor was where I got most of what I needed, but I had to hold back because I’m still heading for Takayama and I’ve still got to fit a trolley into a coin locker when I go.  They’ve got beautiful materials for people who are into 書道　and the paper is just fantastic. Expensive, but fantastic.  I find it curious that there’s still so much of a market for stationery here when everyone is so used to dashing of mail through phones and email, but they’ve got a great selection for people who still think it’s worth it writing something meaningful by hand.

Ginza is a shopping street alright, and all the impressive high-end brands are there lining both sides of the street, which has been closed off to traffic perhaps because it’s a saturday, with umbrellas and chairs set out in some places.

Anyway, I have to soak and get into bed. Tomorrow I head off for Takayama on the Shinkansen at 6:20 in the morning, and I can’t afford to wake up late.

For those interested, the rest of my photos are in my flickr account.

I was worried about waking up, especially when the alarm tone is a bit too discrete and I’ve had about 2 hours of sleep the night before, but through some miracle I got up on time.

I finally leave today – my flight is at 8am so upon some advice, I was here at a little past 5am, around 3 hours before my departure. Thanks to some lucky breaks, I’m waiting here with internet access and free food in the Northwest Lounge.  Not very many kids here, so the noise level is kept to a minimum. Getting to your designated gate is really all about lining up – I must have lined up 5 times before I cleared immigration.

My cats are going to be boarding at my parents while I’m gone, and I’m really going to miss them. I have separation anxiety every time I have to leave them for long periods of time, but it’s usually not that bad, and I get over it within a day or two.

I’m still worried about how much weight I’ll be carting around, especially since I plan to buy a few things to bring home, and I have no way of weighing my luggage before I go home. Believe me, paying for overweight luggage is a killer   Thank goodness the guy who checked me in said that what I checked in was relatively light.  The weird thing about it was that he couldn’t tell me exactly how many kilos I was carting around because the scale was broken . Yay.

I really didn’t get much sleep last night, but surprisingly I’m not that sleepy. I was worried about T because he was really heavy-lidded driving me to the airport. It’s around 4 hours to Narita, and I can always catch up on sleep on the plane. He SMSed me soon after though that he had gotten back to the Fort safe and sound, so all is well.

I’m still wondering whether I forgot anything, but well, there is a limit to how much worry and anxiety you should be having over things that don’t include your money, your passport, and your ticket.

Anyway, hunger calls. I’m going to grab myself something to eat.