Farewell Tokyo

Today marks my final day in Tokyo.
My eyes opened to a dark room. I was inside a mere closet. Nothing surrounding me but tight walls and a thin curtain. I was on top of a simple air mattress covered by thin sheets. Wrapped up in layers of sweatshirts and jackets I climbed out of my meager misshapen bed. Restin was awake and brewing a fresh pot of coffee.
I grabbed a mug and walked out onto the balcony. A seven star between my two fingers I sat looking down towards the hordes of people rushing back and forth below. Grey clouds weighed heavy in the sky, my sturdy bag sat inside waiting for me to give it life and bring it back to its rightful home. Despite this, my mind was entranced by the masses below, rushing by in cars, underneath umbrellas, dressed in coats. Nobody but me realized this was was my final day in this ephemeral country. This was no time to smile, and this was no time to mourn, my mind told me so.
I grabbed my umbrella and left my bag behind, we would reunite in a few hours, before my plane finally left at 12 midnight. I stashed a small paperback deep into my windbreaker pocket, and walked down the stairs. I became part of the rushing crowds, like a pinecone falling into the rapids.
Boarding the subway I made my way towards Harajuku, the place where my journey truly began. I traveled through shop after shop. I was submersed in the world of clothing. Surrounded by high end designers and simple thrift shops I danced back and forth between the two. Finally I came upon a shop carrying items that caught my eye. Immediately i felt irresistible attraction to every inch of fabric in the store. It was as if I had entered a universe filled with clothing that had creeped out my heart unbeknownst to me. I spent hours in the changing rooms testing every bit of clothing. With the small portion of money I had left I finally purchased a jacket I found particularly suiting my taste.
The clock began to tick faster and faster as I wandered through the crowds towards shibuya. My mind was focused on finding simple gifts to bring back to my family. My family that did not denounce me for going on this crazy adventure, my two parents that relentlessly tried their best to support me prior, my wild sister that inspired me, my aunt and uncle that helped me financially with out even realizing it. All of them deserved something befitting for the admirable contributions. They did not realize how each of their actions had impacted me so deeply, and neither did I, till I traveled thousands of miles away.
This is the point where I finally say what needs to be said, so please spare me this tiny moment. I need to thank each and every one of you that is reading this now, every person that read through my blog. I saw your support in my stats, I heard your support in my comments, and I felt your support upon my return. My gratitude for each and every one of you is infinite, without you listening I don't think I would quite understand the significance of my own journey.
Now, back to the Tokyo timeline. After acquiring everything that I needed from the shops of Shibuya (my favorite part of Tokyo) I decided that it was finally time to enjoy some authentic Japanese curry. I searched up and down each and every street, my pathway illuminated in the night by the electronic neon lights of the city. Finally after what felt like hours of meaningless walking, I wandered down a stair case into an underground curry shop.
Beneath the sea of people and the land of a thousand lights I pulled open a glass door into a curry bar. The aromatic smell of spices filled my soul with comfort. I pulled up a seat at the counter and perused the menu. Within seconds a server was standing in front of me awaiting my command. I simply asked for a beer and a #8.
As I slowly sipped my beer while awaiting my meal I felt the eyes of each and every person in the restaurant inspecting me. Their pupils pierced into my soul, I continued staring down at the flat piece of what appeared to be a rose colored slab of marble. Eventually, my mind conceded, I raised my head to look at the faces around me, a group to my left was intently keeping their eyes locked on me. I let out a brief "Kon'nichiwa" in their direction.
"American?" they blurted out in unison, the three of them.
I now evaluated their faces. It was two young Japanese men and a single women with indistinguishable traits.
"Hai" I curtly replied.
"So cool!" they exclaimed with faces that appeared to be stunned with astonishment.
I merely laughed as a plate filled with rice curry and chicken was swiftly placed in front of me. I tightly gripped my spoon and dug into the heaping pile of savory spices. After devouring my meal inch by inch I paid my bill and left, alone.
I caught the subway at around 9:30 back to Koto-ku. On the train I pulled out my paperback. 1Q84, a novel written by Haruki Murakami (my favorite author). I opened the book to the page that I had doggy-eared. It included the tale of "The Town of Cats." According to the novel it was a short story by a german author during the period between World War I and II.
The protagonist was a lone man traveling by train through Europe. When he road the train he would exit at any stop that peaked his interest and stay a few days there at whim, he spent each vacation like this.
One day he was riding the train as it traversed towards a long flowing river. As it came to the station he sensed that the town would have a large supply of fresh fish from the stream, so he decided to leave the train at the next stop. Upon exiting the train he noticed two important details: one, it was only he who exited the train, and two there was no one else at the station. He knew that the next train would not come till tomorrow morning, so he wandered through the sea of swaying green grass. In the town he realized that, much like train station, it was empty. He meandered aimlessly through each shop and restaurant to find no sign of life.
Finally he resigned himself to making bed up in the town bell tower. From the bell tower he watched the sunset, and when the sun conclusively fell below the horizon and night began to set in, numerous amounts of cats crossed over the bridge making their way into town. They filled the city with laughter and conversation. Dining in the restaurants and singing in the taverns they danced and sang in the darkness of night, their shapes illuminated by the full moon sitting in the sky. And when the sun finally rose again they all disappeared over the bridge.
Astounded, the young man climbed down from the bell tower and searched through the town once more. Still, it remained devoid of life. He grabbed a bite to eat from the leftovers in one of the restaurants and found his way back to the train station. He watched the train stop, but he did not board this time, consumed by curiosity he decided to return to the bell tower for one more night. He wanted to get to the bottom of this town ruled by the cats, how did they come to be, what sort of hierarchy did they have, did they also have some sort of religion, these sort of questions consumed him.
Once again, he watched the the sunset from the bell tower. The cats strode into town, filling all the different shops. However, this night was different, a commotion broke out beneath the bell tower."Something smells funny" one cat murmured, his nose raised in the air sniffing about. "There's some sort of human smell that's been lingering lately," another croaked. "There's not supposed to be humans here," a third cat cried out. A fourth cat croaked "You're right something has smelled different these past few days."
Upon this the cats broke out searching through the towns in groups like vigilante bands. It did not take them long to find that the smell was coming from the bell tower. The young man heard the sound of their soft paws padding up the stairs of the bell tower. Oh no, they've caught me! the young man thought.
The cats appeared to be angry, their sharp claws drawn out of their paws, they scurried up the staircase until they settled into the top of the bell tower. "That's odd," one cat exclaimed "The smell of a human is here, but there is none to be seen." As if surrendering, the cats with drew their claws and turned tail back downstairs in defeat.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't get it, either. He was literally nose-to-nose with the cats in the small space. There was no way they could have missed him. But for some reason they had not seen him. He brought his hand to his eyes and could see it perfectly well. It wasn't turned transparent. Strange. In any case, though, when morning came, he knew he should go to the station and take the next train away from this town. Staying here would've been too dangerous. His luck wouldn't last forever.
The next day, however, the morning train had not stopped at the station. He watched it pass by without slowing down. The afternoon train did the same. He could even see the engineer seated at the controls. The passengers' faces, too, were visible through the windows. But the train showed no sign of stopping. It was as though people could not see the young man waiting for a train-- or even see the station itself. Once the afternoon train disappeared down the track, the place grew quieter than ever. The sun began to sink. It was time for the cats to come. He knew he was irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats he finally realized. It is the place where he was meant to be lost. It was a place not of this world that had been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, would the train stop at this station to bring him back to his original world.
*******
I got off the subway at Kiba station and climbed the stairway to the surface. A single line from the story continued to linger in my mind "It was the place where he was meant to be lost." I continued walking towards the Basketball Cafe (where I was staying). Greeted by Restin and his girlfriend I stayed for one more drink. A simple blue moon. The only American beer they had in the whole bar. I left the empty bottle of my finished beer among the remains of others placed on the balcony. Boarding my final train in Tokyo, I left to the airport with no regrets in my mind.
I made all my transfers but when I finally was nearing Haneda airport I looked at the time. 12:00 my watch read. Panic began to transform my face, perspiration seeping from every pore. I asked each and every one onboard to check their phones, they all read the same.
I dashed out of the metro towards the information desks. The lights in the airport were dim, only a few desks had attendants, the airport had fallen asleep. I grabbed the phone at All Nippon Airways and called United (my airline). I was greeted by an American woman. She informed me that my flight had already left, I looked down at my watch 12:30. The lady on the other end of my line told me my ticket was non refundable and that I had to cough up 300 dollars if I wanted to get home. "Thank you for flying United." She hung up the phone. My mind was filled with terror. With no money left in my wallet, I began to think of all the possibilities for my survival.
My mind came back to "The Town of Cats." Was this the place I was meant to be lost. Tears began to pour from my eyes. I struggled with each breath that I took. Heaving and sobbing, alone. The attendant in front of me stared in dismay. She retreated to her fellow group at ANA. They were all staring at me, pointing, whispering. I was irretrievably lost.
Finally a small young woman approached me from the other side of the desk. Her hair pinned back perfectly, not a piece out of synch. Her wide dark eyes stared into mine. She opened her thin lips and calmly said "Daijogo." "It's going to be ok." She offered me a ticket on the next ANA flight leaving Tokyo directly for LA. Tomorrow, exact same time, 12 midnight. At first I could not comprehend. Then I began to sob more, water poured endlessly out of my eyes. "NO NO NO, It's going to be ok" she tried to exclaim. Finally I told her that these were not tears of sadness, these were tears of joy. I was finally going to make it home.

Day Seven

Today marked my last full day and night in Tokyo. I arose from my air mattress behind a limp curtain to a grey sky covered by ominous clouds. I made my way down to my favorite café and  was able to delight myself with a final delicious chocolate pastry with a café mocha. I walked the streets towards the station, not even my shadow was there to walk beside me today. I took the train to harajuku (my favorite district in Tokyo), I decided today I would begin searching for gifts to bring back to my family. I wandered up and down the crowded Friday streets in the pouring rain, but I did not feel lonely, as one would being totally and utterly alone in a country thousands of miles away from his or her home. The fast paced movement of the people in the streets and the vibrant lights of the shops had the ability to comfort my sensitive soul that had been with out true english communication for over a week. In all, it gave enjoyment for my weary eyes that had been worn out by the brilliance of this nation of lights. I walked through the fashion district of Tokyo, as Harajuku was known, it was a place bursting with energy and the newest styles and vintage thrift shops. Before beginning my "shopping spree" I stopped to get coverage from the rain at a shop that served octopus balls in a nice little basket. The little spheres looked like ebelskeevers, round hot and filled with different parts of octopus, I chowed down on these small delights. After this I began exploring the stores and found out that, despite popular belief  that Tokyo is expensive, the prices were fare and due to the strength of the current American dollar things were cheaper than expected. I spent hours trying on kimonos, jackets and pants of all the different shops. I ended up making only one purchase, but the whole process was a blast and the people at the shops doted on me hand an foot, it was a large change from American shops where employees are less hands on. Crepe stands were scattered throughout the streets of harajuku, and most shoppers were seen with the French delight in hand so I decided I would try out eating a crepe on the go while I walked towards the train station. The delectable food of French origins rested comfortably in my hand as I munched on its crispy edges and fluffy whipped cream towards harajuku station. When I got home I once again indulged myself in even more food, I decided tonight I would try the food of the basketball café, where I was staying. I ordered a filly cheese steak that fused Asian flavored with a Classic American sandwich. I regretted not eating there earlier, for not only was lunch amazing but the whole menu looked diverse and mouth watering. Once I finished my meal I rested and waited for Ken, my japanese acquaintance, who promised to take me out to okonomiyaki. Ken picked me up around 10 o'clock and we zoomed over to the bustling center of Kiba, the streets were filled with laughter and drunk businessmen stumbling about. We went up to the okonomiyaki restraint but to our disappointment the seats were filled. After being rejected we went to the local shrine to bide time until more spots opened up. At the shrine we made our prayers and shot some more photos. While we were at the classic shinto shrine a huge group of buisnessmen showed up laughing and crowing and making their bows and asked Ken to take a picture of them together in front of the shrine, they even asked me to join in their photo! As a posed next them I could smell the alcohol on their breathe, the whole scene was a hilarious sight as I towered over these men, but it was fascinating to see this side of the culture. After the shrine we went back to a smaller less famous okonomiyaki joint and enjoyed having our meals cooked right in front of us as we sat crisscross around the flaming table. The dish ended up looking like a pancake but tasted like a savory omelette with crunchy pork, we ate it hot off the griddle. After dinner Ken and his friend Kahn from Korea and I parted ways for the last time embracing each other. I slept like a baby all through the night.

Breakfast

Octopus balls

At the shrine

Okonomiyaki 

Day Six 六 Hidden Gems of the City

I woke up this morning with the sun shining through the windows into my eyes. This was the first time the sun touched my face in days, I was prepared to explore the beautiful parks of japan. It just so happened that to day was the day I planned to meet up with Ken (my Japanese friend I met the first day). It was as if the sun knew today was the perfect day to break through the clouds that had been covering the restless city for days. I got myself ready and headed to the nearby plaza to enjoy a small meal and a Starbucks (which is totally more refined here). As I waited for Ken I used the time to update my blog about the night before. When Ken was ready to go we hit the road and headed for Kinshicho (Kinshi city) via bus. It was my first time riding in the bus, I was able to enjoy the view of all the shops and restaurants that passed by. Kinshicho is a quaint city in eastern tokyo, when we got off the bus we toured the local park. While walking through the park I was astonished to see all the cherry blossom trees were holding on to the last of there pedals. Today marked the end of hanami, cherry blossom season. The trees began to turn green and brown, camouflaging themselves among the other greenery in the are. After the park we headed to the nearby my mall, Ken and Hamaza (his friend from Hokkaido) were hungry. Ken let me try some of his delicious Nagasaki champon, a dish that combined many different types of seafood with a peculiar but delicious sauce and crunchy fried noodle. When they were finished the three of us made our way down to the bustling arcade at the base of the mall. We went into a Japanese photo booth, the camera took our picture and then edited it so that our eyes were bigger are faces trimmer and our bodies thinner, it made us into the perfect men. It was a very interesting part of japan that we rarely ever see in America, but it was so much fun drawing all over our photos, an amazing mini adventure. After we finished up in the photo booth we took a short walk over to Kameido Temple. The small little temple was buried in between buildings and restraunts with a beautiful red arch peeping its head out into the back alley of an empty city street. As we entered the temple they tried to explain to me what Kame meant in English but I was struggling to understand, as soon as I set foot in the shrine I immediately understood what they were trying to say. Kameido comes from the word Kame meaning turtle, the temple foregrounds was essentially a giant pond with elegant red pathways arching over the water from island to island. The water was as still as a mirror, on the rocks  scattered through out the shrine sat real living breathing turtles basking in sunlight, and underneath the shimmering swam giant karp and koi of all colors. Once we crossed the glowing red arches we arrived in front of the fairly sized temple. In front of the green roofed shrine, which added more to the imagery of turtles, was a small booth with water squirting out of a turtle statue into a chest high, small, table of water with giant green ladels weaved like baskets resting over it. Kengo taught me how to properly use the spoons to wash myself before approaching the shrine. First I doused my left hand with water, then my right, followed by pouring a little into my left hand and rinsing my mouth, after that I washed the shaft of the spoon itself, for each action I scooped a cup of water out of the chest high fountain. After cleansing myself I climbed the steps to the alter and made a proper prayer, first I bowed my head twice, through a coin into the alter, clapped twice, and bowed once again. It was a meticulous spiritual experience, but a powerful one none the less. Next we hopped on the train towards another shrine near Ueno. Once again Ken and Hamaza tried to explain what this shrines speciality was however when we got there it explained itself. The shrine was hidden among giant trees, when we passed underneath the towering red arch in the from it revealed a gigantic area surrounded by a small creek and in the center a humongous temple. On the left was a hillside covered in a line of head high red arches, the created a beautiful long pathway along the hill. We wandered underneath these reverent arches filming videos and shooting photos to our hearts content. Following our photo shoot we walked to Ueno park. In the center resided a gorgeous lake covered with boats shaped like swan bumbling about. This scenic park elegantly depicted the the beauty of tokyo, a fast past city holding hidden gems of peace within its towering buildings. While exiting the park we past through a corridor of stands selling all sorts of authentic Japanese treats, even fresh fish! After that we wandered through Ueno square, a crowded market place tightly packed between tight alleys lot by lanterns. I stopped and bought a delicious skewer of fresh red strawberries to enjoy while observed the iridescent life with in the walls of Ueno. Catching yet another bus, we road to sky tree, the tallest building in all of tokyo. The purple lighted building burst through the clouds, slender an elegant it reminded me of a giant redwood tree misplaced among these smaller buildings. Ken showed us all the best places to view the tower for free, he himself used to be a tour guide at the tower. Finishing up our day we went to a soba restaurant and chewed down on the most delectable noodles, a traditional Japanese. We finished our day by taking the bus for a final stretch back to Kiba and parted ways with giant embraces. I am truly greatful for the amazing day he showed me in this beautiful city, covered in parks and driven forward at a break neck pace by technology. 

Entrance to Kameido Shrine

One of the two bridges in the shrine

Shrine if many arches

Hamaza on the left Ken on the right

Last cherry blossom in Ueno park

Kameido temple, kind of looks like a turtle ^_^

Photo booth

Ueno square

Tokyo tower

Day 5 五 A Lesson in Generosity

Today i woke up around 2 pm even though I went to asleep at 11 the night before, I figured my body must still be in relaxation mode from the bath house yesterday. It was another rainy day here in Tokyo, this day was raining especially harder than the last, I got up and walked across the street, sat down at the café and enjoyed a nice Japanese pastry. Once again I had know prior arrangements for the day, but while enjoying my café au lait I decided I would go see akihabara. Akihabara is known as geek central. I took out my umbrella and made my way there on the heibia line. Upon arrival I was a little uneasy, I didn't know where to begin so once again I wandered the streets. The first place I ended up in was a gigantic electronics store packed with the most up to date technology from brands such as sony, Mac, windows, and more. Then from there I dropped into an arcade, it was 6 levels tall, each level filled with a different type of gaming. First and second level consisted of prize games, one that involved a claw. I walked around these floors for 30 minutes and not a single person won a prize, I saw someone try over 15 times and still not get a prize, the hooks here were very different than in America and definitely did not grab even half as hard as ours do (which is still very little by the way). I was happy to be an observer in this situation rather than prey for the machines. I walked up to the third floor, it consisted of shooting games. The fifth floor held more button pressing oriented games, ones I simply can not properly describe to you because I did not try the games and I had never seen anything like it. All I can say is they were stand up machines with control pads made up of 5 rows of 5 squares each and the were pressed rapidly to light up the screen in a plethora of bright colors. The sixth floor was just your average gambling machines with a dash of Japanese media intertwined in them. After that I walked into a store selling anime, for those of you who don't know it's a stylistic Japanese cartoon. I perused the first floor for 15 minutes, the images were a range of cute and bold all cover art was intricately designed in its own original way it was like walking through an art gallery. I hiked up the ad covered staircase to the second floor where people were playing intense card games at table similar to Pokemon and yugioh. Giant showcases of cards stood on the right side of the room, displaying hundreds of cards with an assortment of anime characters and monsters. The third floor was empty the walls were just covered in posters, but I when I got to the third floor I was shocked and a bit embarrassed to see porn everywhere. I quickly turned around and went back down stairs. I began to walk the streets in search of a restaurant. The delicious smell of Japanese food flooded the streets of akihabara, the choices were endless. I almost walked into a maid café, a place where the waitresses dressed up in somewhat comical French maid outfits and served the customers with cute smiles and tried to be as animated as possible. I felt bad for all the maids standing on the freezing cold streets in such small outfits just to try and draw in clients, but I decided I wanted a real sturdy meal so I kept walking. As I crossed the street a women next to me asked are you English, I replied American. She explained to me that this was her first day in japan and she didn't know anyone here, she came alone, similar story to mine. I offered to show her around but first I needed dinner so we began walking together. Turned out she was 26 and from England, we got along really well and it turned out that she too read Haruki Murakami, my favorite author from japan. As we passed by a yakitori, grilled chicken on skewers, we were called in by a group of old Japanese men that were drinking. The place had a very friendly atmosphere so I decided I would try it out. Another customer who spoke a tiny bit of English helped us order, we started of with chicken and leak skewers, a beer for me and a wine for Mary (my British friend). As we were eating an Australian man with a broad build walked in and was happy to see fellow foreigners there, so he began ordering for us, he explained that this was his favorite restaurant in all of tokyo. The skewers kept piling up on the table as two old Japanese men from the table next door migrated over to the table we were standing at. They began to order us sake and we all yelled Kumpai as we swallowed down our drinks. The food here was delicious, like none that I've ever had before, it all had its own unique Japanese flavoring to it, there was chicken wing on a skewer and then minced chicken on a skewer and then even little Japanese sausages on a skewer that had crispy skin with an inside that melted in your mouth. The Japanese men kept trying to teach us Japanese and I was doing my best to follow along while enjoying this amazing meal and moment. The Australian man told us stories of his country and the giant animals that inhabit it. Two Japanese men and three foreigners that had never met before enjoying spectacular food and drink, the entire scene felt as if it were taken right out of an anime. The mood never slowed down, it felt as if the world were moving at a break neck pace with us standing at the center in a still moment watching the rapid action of the Japanese streets fly by outside. The Australian man offered to take us out for another drink at a near by pub, we obliged. As I asked for my bill the waiter told me it had already been paid by Wata-chan, the small 60 year old Japanese man who spoke only a little English, he even had two kids of his own around my age, he was the first to start eating with us, my jaw dropped. I had never been treated with such kindness from a random stranger, it was so unexpected, I am eternally grateful for the generosity of Wata-chan. The group made its way over to the pub in the freezing cold, Wata-chan, Ben (the Australian), Mary, and I. I enjoyed a pint of beer and Mary ordered another wine, we filled the place with laughter and conversation once again. The food here was a Japanese take on British food, Ben ordered us thick cut bacon and pizza. The pizza consisted of thick, light fluffy crust with cheese and basil, it was also my first time trying thick cut bacon, the flavor blew my mind. I checked the time, it was 12:20, I left in a hurry to reach my train, but I was unsuccessful. I came back to the pub with my held hanging low, but I was met by the warm comfort of my new friends who cheered me up and promised to get me home safe. We enjoyed ourselves until the pub closed. After the pub shut it's doors Wata-chan, once again, treated us to a 24 hour Japanese seafood shop. In the front we picked out the shellfish that we wanted to eat and the water brought the plump shells to our table and laid them out on the miniature grill in front of us. Wata-chan ordered a full plate of a diverse spread of different sashimi on a beautiful plate, and Ben ordered us some more beer. Wata-chan and I delicately ate the sashimi together as our shells cooked, Ben and Mary didn't really take a liking to seafood so it was just the two of us eating while the others drank to their hearts content. I found out that Wata-chan lived a simple life as an engineer for mistsubishi, this only made me more impressed with his generosity. We finished our meal with full bellies, I embraced Wata-chan as we said good bye, I had never met such an amazing man in all my life. Ben took Mary and I home in a taxi. When I got to my place it was 2:30 am and then bottom floor door was locked but the cafés lights were on up stairs. I climbed up the side of the building to the balcony of The Basketball Café, I was met by Restin's smiling but surprised face. I made pleasant conversation with Restin and then passed out in my bed. 

If you ever meet a small old Japanese man in Tokyo please show him my gratitude. I learned so much about generosity from this man, and I will use it to guide my life. The people in this city are the most helpful and caring people you will ever meet in your life and we should all take after there example. 

I'm sorry for not posting a day late but as you can see, I've been caught up in the fast pace life style of Tokyo, the city of that never sleeps.

A small glimpse of akihabara

Anime shop staircase

I thought this wall of cards was Kawaii!!! (Cute in Japanese)

The men that joined our table and brought us endless laughs. Wata-chan is on the far left. Mori-chan is on the far right, he treated us to a plentiful amount of sake and acted as out translator

The amazing Australian man who treated us to a great time at the yakitori shop and got me home safely.

grilling our dinner

Me Wata-chan and Mary

Day Four 四 Plunging into Japanese Culture

On my fourth day I made a journey of epic proportions. Restin, my host, had an amazing cup of coffee ready for me when I woke up. I enjoyed my cup of coffee again while sitting out on the balcony gazing at drizzle that was coming down on the streets. After that, I had a nice breakfast at the bakery and cafe across the street. They have a large assortment of baked goods for the lowest prices and I got a delicious chicken sandwich unlike any I've ever had before from the café next to the bakery. After that I went back home to make plans for the day. I used tokyocheapo.com to give me some help on finding a good Sentō (Japanese bath house). I ended up deciding on nu land, a large bath house with an onsen, Japanese hot spring. At the time I didn't realize how far away the place was from where I was stayin, it was on the farthest opposite side of Tokyo. I bought a ¥600 open train pass and went on my. I got off at the Nihonbashi station and transferred to the asakusa line, but I ended up getting stopped going through gates. I was very confused, but I found out the asakusa line wasn't part of tokyo metro, it was under toei transportation, and my pass that I had just spent ¥600 on was invalid here. So I had them upgrade the pass for ¥400, this allowed me to take as many trains I wanted on either line. I ended up getting on the wrong platform though, my mistake cost me 45 minutes, not that I was in a rush or anything, but my mistakes this day just kept adding up. I finally got on the right train, it flew over the town of Ota-ku the sight was absolutely beautiful, I saw plenty of cherry blossoms and houses, the coolest part were the number of graveyards in this city. Around 10 tiny graveyards rested at the side of this train line, each with its own beautifully unique design. When I got off the train I once again my pass wasn't valid here, even after the ¥400 upgrade, another blunder. I had to pay ¥200 more to pass through the gates. I wandered the streets to Nu Land, the sento, for about 2 km in the rain. The city was on the far outskirts of tokyo, once again there were no tourists, businessman and college students were walking at break neck speeds al through out the tight streets of Ota-ku. There weren't many big stores, just small restraunts, the streets smelled of freshly cooked ramen and steaming hot pork. I arrived at the bath house, I had studied up on the rules and removed my shoes put them in the locker and bought my ticket for ¥600, turns out I could have saved ¥140 if I brought my own towel which tokyocheapo failed to mention. In the locker room I dropped every last article of clothing on me and entered the giant room of baths bare naked in front of 20 other random naked Japanese men. This took boldness and bravery, but I was focused on following on all the rules of the sentō. Before you can enter the baths you must completely wash yourself, I pulled up a stool in the line of sitting showers and filled up a basket with hot water an poured it over my head, this was the first time hot water touched my body for days, the sensation was exhilarating. I completely scrubbed myself down and shampooed my hair. I cleansed my entire body and then proceeded to entering the first bath. The water was bubbling and sizzling hot but no jacuzzi could ever relax you as this giant bath did. After that bath, I headed over to the black bath, the water was pitch black, you couldn't see the bottom, and there was a fountain on the side with dark colored water pouring out of it into this steaming hot bath. My next bath was the onsen, the outdoor hot spring bath. This was by far my favorite, I laid my body down in the boiling water and enjoyed the beautiful setting surrounded by bonsai trees and bamboo walls. While out there I had a pleasant conversation with a middle aged Japanese man, he told me it's rare to see foreigners in these baths. After I finished exploring all 8 baths I squatted myself down again at the group of showers with mirrors and scrubbed myself for thirty minutes. I left the baths cleaner than I had ever been before, my soul cleansed as well. On the train home I had to pay another ¥200 making my total journey ¥1400, the cost easily could have been cut down but I learned from mistakes and overall had an amazing day, an experience I will never forget. I once again fell asleep on the train, but luckily this time it wasn't the last line, I made it home at 11:30. I would be lying if I said I didn't have the longest... Hair there ;). Thank you to all my followers for showing support. I'm out for now.

Outside onsen

Inside

Tokyo Midnight: a cautionary tale

Last night I went to roppongi, a part of tokyo known for its night clubs. I roamed all over and kept getting hassled by people asking me to come up to their club. Well, the first time it happened I didn't really realize what was going on. A large man who spoke English came up to me and told me I could enter his club for ¥3000 I told him no way would I pay that much, then he said ¥2000, and then ¥1000. When he realized I wouldn't budge he invited me up to view his club for free, I curiously obliged. I began to get nervous once we were in the elevator going up to the club, but I knew worst case scenario I could defend myself, plus japan has a lot of security cameras and policemen everywhere, however they're notorious for not showing a lot of compassion towards foreigners. The doors of the elevator opened to a small desk at the entrance with a host. I walked past the curtains to look at the dark little lounge inside, empty of people except for two couples, I immediately walked out. When I asked for the elevator they kept offering more deals, I kept denying, my heart started beating faster and harder, It was all I could hear. I still don't know if it was fear or embarrassment, regardless, I didn't like the attention. Finally, they offered me a free beer and I considered it and took then up on the offer just to get them off my back. The manager of the club had a female host sit down with me at my table, I kept quiet and did not indulge in conversation, only thing I said was I have girlfriend, the rest were all one word answers, more like grunts than actual words. As I drank my free beer, partly out of fear but mostly because I knew how they use people to get you to buy more drinks, I don't like that kind of bs. I finished my beer in a hurry and rushed out the door saying I was on my way to meet my friend. I got out safely and free of charge, another blessing that I am grateful for. I wandered around some more and people kept coming up to me trying to get me in their clubs, but this time I was ready. I would just use their time and play games with them, I already knew I wasn't going to oblige to any of their terms, I just wanted to see how low I could get them to go. I kept looking for a place with a nice vibe, but no matter where I looked all the clubs were empty because it was a Monday night. I ended up at green land club, I heard it was popular and it offered unlimited drinks for an hour and a half for only ¥1000. I went down into the club, there was only a few people, I started off with a Long Island iced tea and sat down at a table with some guys from France , they were very nice and very interesting it was actually enjoyable, but my goal in that club was to get my money's worth of drinks. After my tea I had the waiter bring me a margarita, it was a semi-decent drink that they usually charge ¥600 for. Proceeding my margarita I got a nice Guinness, possibly my most enjoyable drink that night. I kept a cool head the entire time and was enjoying myself and all the drinks this club has to offer, some drinks I wouldn't even finish because honestly these were very cheaply made drinks. By 11:30 I had drank about ¥5000 worth of drinks, yes that's $50 worth of mediocre alcohol, but I only paid $10. I don't think this club realized I had been raised to get the most out of "unlimited" as I can, honestly a part of me was surprised they didn't cut me off after my fifth drink. I still remained level headed but I was a little groggy and tired, but not nearly drunk. I made my way to the subway as quickly as possible, I ended up getting mixed up with the lines and I missed the last train on the heido line, but luckily the oedo line could bring me to where I wanted to go as well. I got on the last train just in time and took a seat, I suddenly woke up and was at the end of the line, I missed my stop. I used my last bit of battery to get an idea of which direction to go, but it didn't last long, all I knew was that my place was 3.2 km away. After the first 30 minutes of walking rain began to pour from the sky and the winds began to blow the chill straight into my bones, I was only wearing a shirt, a flannel, and ripped blue jeans. I wandered the freezing wet streets for over 2 and a half hours in the dark constantly getting my directions mixed up, which was a first for me and honestly I am embarrassed to even admit it, I usually never get lost. The only thing I had to keep me warm and moving was piping hot vending machine coffee, the best part of tokyo is the hot vending machines （≧∇≦）. I finally arrived into my somewhat warm bed at 3 a.m soaked and drained of all energy. Once a again I hope you guys use this story as a warning, it was a pleasant blunder on my part but it involved risks I would not want to take again.

A bloody marry and a Mai Tai from the night, both weren't that great.

My delicious $6 dinner I enjoeyd before I went to Roppongi. This meal was the highlight of my night. You cooked it while you ate it.

Day Three 三 A Day of Relaxation

Today is my third full day, Monday April 6. I'm writing this entry at 5 pm because I've already had such a wholesome day. I got out of bed at about 11:30, Restin, my host, had a delicious cup of coffee ready for me. I enjoyed it while sitting on the deck above the street looking over the life below. It was a beautiful sunny day here in Tokyo and people rushing back and forth between the station and who knows where. It was there I decided I would take today slow and cut back on the spending of the yen, not that I've spent much at all, but I figured its good to save as much money as possible. After my coffee I went to the amazing bakery across the street and got a beautiful designed chocolate pastry for only ¥200. Once I finished my meal I skated over to the nearby Kiba park. Words nor pictures can encompass the entire beauty of Kiba park. I was absolutely stunned at how majestic it was. The land was covered in Sakura, cherry blossom trees, greenery, and families enjoying time together. Everything at the park was spotless, and a smile was resting on all of the faces. Sakura pedals blew in the wind, descending to the ground like snow, and creating a beautiful pink cover over the ground, the sight was absolutely spectacular. I fell asleep underneath the Sakura trees listening to the group of old people enjoying this charming Monday by singing in the park in a little circle. I woke up and decided to go the market to grab an iced green tea. In the market I noticed the astonishing price differences between meat and fruit. Watermelon was ¥1080 where as four chicken cutlets was only ¥400 and a full plate of sushi was as little as little as ¥350. With green tea in hand i paced myself on my skateboard back to the park. I crossed over the canal the on the beautiful bridge in the center of the park, and took another rest on a bench. I was confronted by an old man that began to make conversation with me entirely Japanese, he spoke no English at all, I just listened and nodded my head to what he was saying. He talked about America, and the Sakura trees, as well as calling me handsome. I told him we was great, in Japanese of course, he laughed and blushed and a little while later we parted ways. While we were conversing we kept getting the funnies stares, I don't think this was a common occurrence. I headed back to the café, my home, and that is where I am writing this from now. I've decided that the greatest part about Kiba park is the lack of tourists, like I said in one of my other posts Kiba is not in the center of Tokyo and hence is less well known and has a different social environment all together. The park wasn't crowded up by tourists it was made to be enjoyed by the people living there, not to mention that I had never even heard of Kiba park from any of my guide books. I'm going to take a nap now and after I'm going to have dinner and then go to a pub in roppongi, I've only spent ¥300 so far today and was very satisfied. Kiba is awesome!

The center of the south side of the park where I fell asleep.

Pictures really don't do it justice, but here is the pedal covered floor of the park

Super fresh strawberries in the market

One of my favorite canals in Kiba

My attempt at capturing the beautiful bridge in the center of Kiba park, as you can see it started to rain later on in the day