NOTE: I have only converted the travel part of my journal to plain text. That's all that i really had time and server space for. If you want to read the rest of my entries, go here. That link will take you to the most recent entry...
This entry was posted on 2001-04-23
Tokyo
I am still sick (not as bad as yesterday, thankfully), but I was determined not to waste my last full day in Japan. No illness was keeping my ass in bed.
The original plan was to wake up at 9:00am, and be ready for the shops and attractions to open at 10:00am. Didn't happen. I stayed in bed until 10:21am, when I forced myself to get moving. I could have easily slept for another hour. But I'm in Japan, and I don't plan to be back here until at least the winter, though probably not until next summer (hoping to do a summer graduate study abroad). I have 13 hours to sleep tomorrow on the plane. 10:21am and it's time to get moving.
I was pokey. I took a loooong shower, ate a bunch of butter pretzels that I bought at the import store, checked my e-mail, and took forever to pack my bag (today's contents: Tokyo Q, lots of kleenex, Advil and Japanese cold medication, my notebook, and some anti-bacterial hand gel). Finally, at 11:21, I was ready to get moving (I hardly ever take a full hour to get ready).
My first stop was to the American Pharmacy on the other side of town. I figured that they might have some stronger, but legal (remember, Benadryl and certain other cold/allergy medicines are illegal here) cold medicine. No luck. But the pharmacist (who didn't, by the way, although she was supposed to, speak English) convinced me to buy 1800 yen worth of "daytime" Japanese cold medicine. That way, as she so kindly explained, I would be able to enjoy my day.
I swear, if I add up all the money I've spent on medicine over here, I could probably afford a night at the New Otani, Tokyo's swankest hotel.
After my (hopefully last) trip to the drugstore, I headed to Akasaka, "red slope," one of Tokyo's more exclusive neighborhoods. This is where you often see kimono clad hostesses on their way to an appointment (no, stop thinking dirty thoughts, not prostitution). I also wanted to see some of Tokyo's top notch hotels. The New Otani, for example, houses a 400 year-old Tokugawa garden.
I got bored rather quickly with Akasaka. Upscale neighborhoods can only hold my attention for so long. Longing for something edible (I still haven't found much, and I am sick of white rice, tofu, and miso soup), I headed to Hiroo, where the apartments are big and a lot of the foreign dignitaries live. According to Tokyo Q, Hiroo has such a high concentration of foreigners that the ads in the subway station are for Japanese lessons. I didn't see any ads for Japanese lessons, nor did I find anything to eat (not because there wasn't yummy looking food in Hiroo, but because the prices were too high).
I reluctantly decided to head to Roppongi. Since it was day, there'd be no nasty Western men trying to get a fuck with the Japanese women (something that really annoys me about certain foreign men in this country). The streets would be empty, and the restaurants would be offering lunchtime specials.
I settled for Italian, and the food was pretty gross. No, let me take that back, really gross. The highlight of my last real lunch in Tokyo (I'll probably do a stand up noodle stand or something like that tomorrow) was the orange juice, which cost more than the pasta! Oh well, I'm a sick grrl. I need my vitamin C.
Definatley one of the worst Italian meals I've had in Japan, or for that matter, anywhere.
I enjoyed strolling around (not Roppongi, I got out of there and headed to Ginza/Tokyo-eki area as soon as I finished eating). Right now, it's a really exciting time to be in Japan. The current prime minister, Yoshiro Mori, who has a very low approval rating is quitting. Tomorrow, the LDP (the ruling party) will elect a new prime minister. It looks like Junichiro Koizumi, who also has a low approval rating, will be the winner. The Japanese may be the most honest people on Earth, but most of the crime here is organized, through the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) and the politicians. The LDP is very corrupt, but it looks like they'll be holding onto their power.
In other Japanese news, China is pissed at the Japanese government for they granted a visa to Lee Teng-hui, the former president of Taiwan. China views this as the Japanese supporting an independent Taiwan. He came to Japan because he needed a medical checkup (Maybe Taiwan's medical system is not as sophisticated as Japan's? But after the runaround with my own medications, I highly doubt that). Poor guy, though. He arrived at the Kansai International Airport near Osaka. Come on, if you have the honor of coming to Japan, at least do it right and come to Tokyo!
Enough news. I take it you are bored by now.
After my little walk (with much time to contemplate the wonders of Japan) I headed over to Tokyo-eki. Seriously, I had no plans of riding the shinkansen. I just wanted to take a picture with the shinkansen. You'd think that after all these times in Japan, I would've snapped one photo of myself and the shinkansen. But no. Never. I always thought I'd like too corny, too much like a tourist. Since today was my last day with a valid JR pass, it was now or never (well, not until next time). I used my pass to gain access to the platform. I asked a nice shinkansen cleaning man to take my picture in front of the train. He found the perfect spot (by the nose of the train) for me to stand and snapped the picture. Ahhh, me next to a beautiful bright white and blue Hikari. Was I ever in heaven?
Being next to the shinkansen made me want to ride it. Since it was my last day here, I gave into my urges. Besides, I needed a farewell ride. I boarded my favorite train in the world figuring that I could get off and turn around at Shin-Fuji, the stop closest to Mt. Fuji. Since it was a clear day, I'd have a picture perfect view of Fuji from the train. A shinkansen whizzing past Mt. Fuji. Now, if only there were still sakura blooming, that would make the perfect "symbols of Japan" picture.
My little plan worked. I got off at Shin-Fuji (which by the way is the most boring shinkansen station that I've ever been at, and trust me, I've been in a lot of shinkansen stations), exited the station, took a few minutes to stare at Mt. Fuji, and went back to the station to catch the next train back to Tokyo.
I had the unfortunate luck of getting onto a carriage with a group of school children returning from a holiday. I wanted to sleep, but the school children were too loud. Oh well.
At the terminus, Tokyo-eki, I left the train. I silently said goodbye knowing that my future holds many more shinkansen rides.
Since I still am officially sick, my nap was past due. I had planned to use the train ride back as my nap, but that didn't happen. I came back here, took a nap and a bubble bath with bath beads from the Body Shop (Yes, they have the Body Shop here in Japan. And unlike its American counterpart, the Japanese Body Shop is not discontinuing my favorite shampoo, so I stocked up.)
Time to go out again.
I spent my last night out in Tokyo in Shibuya, an area that I have grown extremely fond of. I love its youthfulness. You don't see too many drunk salarymen in Shibuya. Instead, you see lots of crazy young Japanese (according to Lonely Planet, if you're over the age of 25, you're too old for Shibuya) having a good time. Of course I can't drink now (I don't even want to think about how alcohol may mix with Japanese cold medication), but I can still people watch, walk around, and see the bright lights and the neon of Shibuya one last time. I've also grown fond of the Hachiko statue and the people who hang out around it (Hachiko was the dog of a professor at Tokyo University who lived near Shibuya. He would loyally meet his owner every night at Shibuya station. One day the professor died at work. Hachiko continued to wait at the station for his master until his own death, 11 years later. The people of Shibuya were so touched by this that they built a statue of Hachiko, the small Akita dog.).
After a brief stop at Tower to pick up a few last Japanese books and a book to read on the plane, I headed back here. I have a shitload of things to do tonight (mainly pack). Tomorrow I need to be out of here by 10:00am, but I don't need to leave for the airport until about 1:30pm (to be on the safe side). I am going to ask to leave my luggage while I do some last minute souvenir shopping.
I am really sad to be leaving Japan. But I stand by my old mantra: I will be back soon. And now I have graduate school, which means studying more Japanese language and culture, to look forward to. Being here in Japan reinforces to me that I chose the right major. For me, Japanese studies is a perfect fit.
To everyone who kept up with my travel journal, thank you. Thanks for reading. I hope that you learned a little something about Japan. And if you ever want to visit Japan, feel free to contact me. I can give you tips of good places to stay, must-see cities, and restaurants that serve up delicious food. I can also provide you with more information about the shinkansen than you would want to know! And if you are planning on studying abroad or working here, I can give you information about living in Japan. After these three weeks, plus my many other stays in Japan, I truly have seen most of this amazing country. I've traveled around Hokkaido, been at the bottom of Kyushu, made my way through Tohoku, explored Kanto and central Honshu, lived in Kansai, and spent much time in Western Honshu. Although I may not be Japanese by birth, I really feel like this is my country.
Jaa ne, Nihon. Kaeroo to omotte imasu...
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