This entry was posted on 2001-04-21
Tokyo
This is going to be a short entry because I feel like shit. I am sick. Really sick. In fact, when the pharmacist took one look at me, he immediately grabbed three bottles of medication for me and gave me a bottle of "genki juice" (genki means well/happy) for free. I need to go to sleep. I need to take my medication. The last thing I need to be doing is writing a journal entry.
The day didn't start out so bad. Sure, it was raining and cold (that could have contributed to my falling ill), but who cares about the weather if "museum hopping" is on the agenda? After stopping by the discount sale at the station (it's really time to start thinking about gifts for friends and family back home -- chopsticks and Japanese lacqureware make perfect presents!), I caught a train to Ueno.
Ueno has a split personality. On one hand it consists of this beautiful park with Tokyo's best museums. On the other hand, since it's in the northern part of Tokyo, many newcomers from Tohoku settle there. It retains some of Tohoku's rustic and rural charm. It is psychologically so far from Shinjuku and Shibuya. Anyway, I was planning on walking around the Shitamachi (downtown during the Edo period) and then hitting some of the museums.
Since the weather was so crappy, I skipped the Shitamachi (I have seen "old Tokyo" in Asakusa) and headed straight for the park, home to the museums.
I poked around the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art for a while. Lonely Planet was right -- there was a lot of wasted space and the exhibits were not up to par. Luckily it was free.
Then I headed to the Tokyo National Museum, which is Japan's equivalent to the British Museum. I was not interested in the archeology or the exhibits from Egypt, so I headed right to the Japanese art. I spent a good hour looking at the elaborate kimono and Kabuki costumes, calligraphy, lacquareware, and paintings. The 120 yen was well worth the admission fee (I showed them my expired student id to get the student rate. Hey, if they let it slide, so will I. Besides, I didn't feel too guilty knowing that I'll be a graduate student in the Fall).
I got a lot of my present buying out of the way in the basement gift shop. A lot of my good friends like art, so a Japanese art book would make an excellent gift. I even bought myself a book of prints of Hiroshige's Tokkaido Stations collection.
I decided to skip the Museum of Western Art (I can see that at home, and besides, the Bridgestone Museum of Western Art near Tokyo-eki is much better) and the science museum (I hate science museums at home. Why would I like them here). My museum day was over.
I took the subway to Aoyama, one of Tokyo's most exclusive areas where all of the foreign diplomats live. Aoyama is home to Kinokuniya-suupa, Tokyo's most upmarket grocery store. They stock a lot of import foods because diplomats wouldn't want to eat regular Japanese food, would they? I enjoyed looking at the familiar products from home (and the high prices!) and some of my favorite treats from Australia (no Tim Tams, though), and Europe.
Near Kinokuniya, I even found an organic/natural food store. That was the first time I've seen one of those in Japan.
That is when I started feeling ill. My throat was still sore. My head throbbed. I couldn't stop sneezing. And despite the cold weather, I was sweating. I came back here an took a nap.
I can't possibly be sick, I thought. This is one of my last days in Japan. Determined to get better (and to have some fun), I headed out to the pharmacy and to find some food. I should've trusted my gut instinct and just gone to the pharmacy next door. But nooooo, stupid Karen had to go to a "fun" area of Tokyo. Bad idea.
You already know that the pharmacist gave me heaps of medicine. He was very helpful and I had a very good Japanese night, so I was able to (in detail) explain my symptoms.
After that I should have come back here and gone to sleep. But noooo, Karen was hungry and couldn't settle for picking up something to eat at the convenience store.
After lots of looking, I happened upon an Italian restaurant.
The wait for my food was long and all I wanted to do was go to sleep. I scarved down the meal, caught the train back, and came "home."
I feel so ill. I am going to upload this entry and go to bed. Tomorrow I am supposed to go to an onsen in the mountains, but we'll have to see how I feel.
Mata ashita! Jaa ne!
(Sorry this entry is crap. Really, I am. But I really just want to go to bed.)