It's Chuseok in Korea! This means many things. First, the appearance of beautifully colored hanboks everywhere. Secondly, gold-fabric-wrapped, giant boxes of unnecessary things like spam and olive oil. and Finally, a long break from school! Kaitie and I (with the help of many others) planned a three day, packed full of adventure, trip to Tokyo, Japan from Wednesday until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Here goes nothing!
4:00pm left Sangdong station for the airport
5:20 check-in and security
6:30 dinner: Kaitie and I observed the priorities of Asian airports versus western airports. It is surprisingly difficult to find a place to grab some food in Incheon Airport, but if I wanted to buy a few coach purses or Prada sunglasses, I'd be all set. Whereas in let's say, Philly airport, there are bars and restaurants all over the place but if I needed to buy something really nice (not a cheap "I came to Philly and got you this t-shirt" t-shirt) then I would have to walk for a bit. This goes the same for little convenience stores. Just shows where interests differ across the world- anywho, back to us.
8:30 board the flight!
11:30 land in Japan...uh oh...the subway ends at 12:06. We herd into the line at immigration tapping our feet to run to the subway after getting through. As we are waiting we meet Claire and her friend who shows us to the station and tells us how to make it home. We are relieved to hear that we will be able to make it to Ueno station without having to catch a cab, which we heard are incredibly expensive. We hop on the train to our first stop and quickly transfer over to the JR (major line) to get to Ueno. This is the slowest train in the history of trains. We got about 2 stops in 30 minutes. We are both incredibly tired as it is about 12:45am, and we just want to get to our hostel.
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Our new best friend for the next 3 days
Side note: in the subway system, the boxes next to the stations with numbers on them represents the fare due to pay to get to that particular station. That doesn't take into account transferring to different lines however...just a tip! |
Then....the subway stops and won't go any further. We get out and assume we will be closer to our hostel than the airport so maybe the damage wont be too detrimental. $150 later, we are dropped off at a mini-stop where the desk-man from our hostel runs down the street to pick us up and lead us to our room. $150! I know. I couldn't believe it. We have been so spoiled in Korea. Next time, I will just pay more for the flight to get there at a reasonable time where I can take the subway all the way to my destination. Take note those of you who will be traveling there!
We fall into bed ready to put this day behind us. I refused to let this hiccup mess up the trip so hakuna matata!
We stayed in Oak Hotel located about a 10 minute walk from Ueno station (
http://www.oakhotel.co.jp/english/). The rooms were nice and the staff even more so! They had lockers to put our important things, computers, a common area, and tons of maps! If anyone is headed out to Tokyo (after taking my flight advice) you should check out this place!
Thursday, September 19th
Waking up a bit late we headed out on our first solo subway trek. Despite being a bit nervous after the night before, we were pleasantly surprised by how easy and fast it was. Must have just chosen the wrong train. We made a rule this first day, that if either of us saw something or some place we wanted to go check out, all we had to say was "adventure!" and the other would have to follow no questions asked. It worked out pretty well! We found some pretty interesting streets and stores using this strategy. I would recommend it to others!
Our first stop of a busy day was Shibuya, located on the other side of Tokyo from us. Here we began by grabbing a bite to eat at a French restaurant. Yes, the first food we had here was French. Don't judge.
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| chicken, nuts, apples, cheese (ahhh!), tomatoes |
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| Delicious chocolate mousse dessert |
I was told by Alex Teacher that Japan has excellent pastries and desserts. From this first taste, I knew she wasn't joking. It melted in your mouth and then I melted onto the floor in a puddle of chocolate heaven. After leaving the restaurant we wander around the mall area nearby and then begin the adventure to find the Tokyo Hands building which is basically a place to find absolutely anything you may ever need in your entire life...ever. As we walk through the street, we must look lost. A very nice Japanese man asks us if we need help and he steers us in the direction of Tokyo Hands (straight...slope slope slope...right...Tokyo Hands). After finding the slope slope slope and making a few more turns we find it and got lost for a few hours inside while being buried by stationary and stickers.
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| Found it! |
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| So many stickers! |
After a few hours we realize that it is not humanly possible to see the building in one day, let alone an afternoon. We tear ourselves away while we still can and ask where we can find the famous Harajuku Street. Along our walk we are approached by several Japanese people asking if we need any help. Either everyone is just very friendly, or we look like we are from Mars coming to Earth for the first time. Kaitie made the find-of-the-century and spotted the Disney store down a small alley way to the next main road. Of course the detour was made.
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| kids at heart |
After indulging in some good old fashion fun we continue the walk to Harajuku. The architecture of Harajuku is really incredible. Expensive shops line the street as well as endless crowds of people.
We walk by an alley way and see a line of people waiting to go into a restaurant called "Eggs and Things". Apparently it is a famous pancake restaurant. People will wait sometimes for 3 hours before getting a table. We didn't really have the time for that though I'm sure the pancakes are worth it. Instead, we got a caricature!
No time to rest, we walked around Harajuku a bit more and then hopped on the train again for Shinjuku. This is where we found the place I was super excited about while researching this trip! The Alice in Wonderland Restaurant! For those of you who want to visit, find the basement of the Odakyu HALC building. It is a bit of a maze, and honestly the people who work in the HALC building don't even know where it is. We had to ask multiple sources, however we would not be discouraged. We finally found it where an automatic door painted like a book slid open to welcome us to the front desk of this fantasy land.
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There, the mad hatter introduced us to our waitress (Alice, of course) who sat us in the Queen of Hearts area. This restaurant is completely, head-to-toe themed from the story. Nothing looks like a plain, old, boring restaurant (and all other restaurants from here on out will be just that; plain and boring). Alice came by and rattled off information about the menu in rapid-fire Japanese as we smiled an nodded throughout. The menu looks like a story book and each dish is named after a character or part of the story. I ordered the caterpillar sushi (not sure that was what it was called, something more creative I'm sure) and Kaitie ordered the Cheshire Cat tail pizza. We ended with the butterfly toast dessert plate. With glasses of sangria in hand we were amazed by the incredibly creative dishes that were served to us.
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| the lovely Alice |
Everyone was so sweet there. The experience definitely didn't disappoint and I would absolutely go back to try more dishes next time (hint hint, anyone want to go?).
After dinner we walked to the government building to get a free night-view of the city around us. Coincidentally we met up with our friends Sara and Ben who had arrived earlier that day! Small city...except not at all...
We decided to call it an early night that night. Threw on our complimentary traditional robes and curled up to prepare for the next busy day!
Friday, September 20th
Today's plan included Asakusa area, the Sky Tree, and Ryogoku for Sumo wrestling! We started out early to Asakusa to check out the market area as well as the Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon Temple). On our way there we stop in a beautiful pottery store lined wall to wall with gorgeous tea-cups, tea-pots, chopsticks, spoons, and any other porcelain items you can think of!
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| teacup building |
Then we enter the touristy shopping heaven. This small street is lined with shops selling any trinket and treat you could ever want to bring home to loved ones or coworkers (cough...what?). On a bit of a sensory overload, we slowly make our way down, making purchases here and there to send home or bring to school this week.
When you get to the end of this street the area opens up to the Asakusa Kannon Temple. The history of this temple is as follows. In 628, two brothers went fishing and caught a statue of Kannon (the goddess of mercy) in their net. The chief of these brothers' village recognized the importance of this and created this temple to honor the statue. It then became the oldest temple in Tokyo, at which Buddhists could worship Kannon. The temple itself is beautiful. Out of everywhere I've traveled (and seen temples) each place has offered a different style and focus. Korean temples have the gorgeous, bright, colorful painted ceilings as well as blue roofs. Thailand covers every surface with gold, or shining jewels. Japan however has a simpler beauty, using a rich red color with the black roofs. The use of the gold metal work on the black doors is so elegant.
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| The smoke from this basin cleanses you and heals you of any ailments you may have. |
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| Lit a candle for Granddad |
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| A door along the road- beautiful! |
After walking around the temple, it was time to finally find something I've been looking forward to since planning this trip...that's right. SUSHI! Japan knows how to do sushi. I've heard there is nothing like the real deal. Walking around we find a rotating sushi bar and venture inside for a taste. Kaitie isn't a sushi lover (more for me hah), but she did try some on this trip which I am SO proud of her for doing! We didn't convert her (there's still time), but trying it is a huge step. The waiter handed me an English menu and I dug in. May the food photos commence, please control your drooling, I don't want to be the cause of malfunctioning computers (or grossed out family members).
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| Non-fatty Tuna |
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| Squid |
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| Shrimp making its way around the conveyer belt |
Okay, wipe your mouth.
After being sufficiently stuffed and happy we began walking towards the Sky Tree. On our way we passed the Asahi Beer company with its hard-to-miss building sculpture. It is supposed to represent the foam on top of a freshly poured beer, but I'm not sure that's what it looks like exactly.
We decided to walk close enough to the tower to get a good picture with it in the background instead of paying the $30 it would take to go up to the top. We might be cheapos, but we are okay with it.
According to the website, from which I am quoting, The "TOKYO SKYTREE is designed in an original color, "SKYTREE White",
representing harmony with the surrounding scenery, its name and the
design concept: "The creation of city scenery transcending time: A
fusion of traditional Japanese beauty and neo-futuristic design". Not sure how much harmony with the surrounding scenery is happening, but nonetheless it is a rather impressive structure. At 634 meters high (yes also from the website), the Sky Tree was the tallest tower in the world...in 2011...Well done Tokyo!
From there we took a lovely stroll down the Sumida River to Ryogoku where we would meet with a group of friends to the Sumo Tournament! As we walked we saw signs for sushi boat cruises down the river at night where you could sit...on a boat...and eat sushi...Next time that's happening- who's with me?
Onto Sumo! We arrive at the Kokugikan, the sumo stadium and make our way in to find our seats.
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In the middle of the stadium is a square platform made of clay with a rope circle in the middle. Around the platform are rows of mats for spectators to watch the match up close and personal. I would be a bit wary of these seats as I saw several wrestlers go flying off the platform (flying is a loose term) and rolling (not a loose term) into the crowd. Pretty sure having one of those guys land on you is not a comfortable, nor pleasant-smelling experience. Depends how involved you want to get though, so I'm not discouraging you! Seated way above the danger of being turned into mush, we watched the matches take place between the giant men. According to some trading cards that one of the guys in our group purchased, some of these wrestlers are over 6 foot 5 and weight over 160 kilos! Big guys to say the least. As Sumo is Japan's traditional and national sport, the wrestlers still follow traditional practices and motions during the match. They start by doing several rounds of squats and leg raises then going back to their corners for more chalk to throw (its actually sand to purify the ring, but we liked to pick the winner based on their impressive chalk-throw...that or their circumference). Once both wrestlers are in their stance and place both hands on the mat the match is on and they proceed to push each other with terrifying power until the other either steps out of the ring or touches the ground with anything but the soles of his feet. Those 5 to 10 seconds of the match are exhilarating! It just takes quite a long time for them to actually fight.
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| Those robes cost over $4,000... |
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| Almost as intimidating as the real thing... |
The sumo wrestling was surprisingly one of my favorite parts of the trip! When else am I ever going to see something so traditional and well known? While I won't become a regular sumo watcher, it was great to experience it in person this once! After the tournament finished we headed off to Roppongi Hills, a more western area of Tokyo, to grab dinner with the group.
The restaurant we found had a wide selection of food options, so we hoped everyone could get a little something they wanted. I opted for some lettuce, avocado, and shrimp wraps, while some other members of our group went a more adventurous route with raw horse meat, chicken gizzards, and other various animal body parts. Thanks but no thanks.
The bar that evening was a small British pub and it had Pimms! I thought of you mum and had a couple to celebrate. Hope you felt me thinking of you via Pimms!
Taking the last subway home, Kaitie and I dropped into bed for the last time that trip!
Saturday, September 21st
The plan for this final day was to explore a market in Ueno called Ameyoko that has shops with food, clothes, trinkets, and anything else you could want.
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| Wedding Komono |
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| One of the entrances to the market |
Some more souvenir shopping and pastry tasting! How could we resist these?
Oh right....we didn't...
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| An apple cheesecake tart from the gods |
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| cute little panda cookie with chocolate filling |
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| horrible...absolutely disgusting...(shovels more into mouth) |
From there we met Sara and Ben in Akihabara which is Tokyo's Electronic Market area. Anything and everything electronic can be found here from the little plastic bit on a spark plug end, to LED lights, to spy cameras. What I found more fascinating was the sheer amount of game rooms. And by rooms I mean buildings designed purely to hold games....claw games, multiplayer games, strategy games, mario cart, and any other video game you could want. As we walked through one, I saw some people who looked like they frequented the area a bit too often to lead normal lives. I'm sure they are lovely people though!
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| Before Sara kicked butt in Mario Kart |
We walked through one game building, stopping to do a silly photobooth session. This photobooth in particular makes your skin smoother, eyes bigger, and you can add lipstick as well as thousands of other cute stickers onto your photos at the end.
Adorable. We each got to keep two (Ben said he was perfectly fine with not owning any of the photos, despite being very photogenic!). We walked around the area taking in the colorful signs and maid cafes. In a maid cafe, apparently you can have these waitresses treat you like they are your personal maids at home, not like you are a patron in the cafe. You can ask them to spoon-feed you your pastry or even massages as you enjoy your time there. Unfortunately the one we went into cost $10 just to sit there without ordering food yet. Again, the money-savers in us couldn't justify this experience despite the unique opportunity. Perhaps next time.
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| Because two Sega buildings almost next door to each other is necessary... |
Of course the next thing to do is to grab some food...what else would we get than more sushi? (Sorry Kaitie). We went back to Ameyoko to find another rotating sushi bar, where Sara would try her first full pieces of sushi (she had a taste the previous night). More sushi pictures, you're welcome!
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| Mine too! What a coincidence! |
At this restaurant, if you didn't see what you wanted on the conveyer belt already you could ask the chefs to make you whichever piece you desired! Here I tried a new one- flounder fin, which was creamy almost, and really delicious! Overall, the best sushi I had here was the tuna. Not only is the bright red color beautiful, it is such a thick piece of fish that just melts in your mouth! Okay, getting a bit carried away. I ate way to much here, and wanted to try more, but knew that walking would be difficult if I did. We had the rest of the evening to get through and taking a sushi-induced nap would not be permitted.
Heading to Tokyo station next, Kaitie indulged me by trying to find Jiro's restaurant from the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". Based on my research I knew the general area and with a bit of 007 work with my phone map and the street map we managed to find it!
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| Please let me in... |
Unfortunately it wasn't open. Though I saw someone in the kitchen preparing for the night perhaps? Either way, it was so cool to just go see it! Even the little hallway around the corner where one of the sons prepared the seaweed for the rolls. So cool! I'm such a dork. Thanks Kaitie for putting up with that side journey!
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| ceiling in Tokyo Station |
Tokyo Station is one of the prettiest subway stations I've seen. The outside is all brick and white trim. Reminded me a bit of Hood (but different...) The surrounding buildings are fancy as well! We wandered around the station for a bit and then went on a mission to find a shabu shabu restaurant. Korea has shabu shabu, which is a boiling broth in which you cook meat, veggies, and eventually rice and noodles in a three course adventure to being overly stuffed. It is originally a Japanese dish, therefore we wanted to try to have it for our last meal here. Without wifi (what did people do before smart phones?) we decided to go into a hotel nearby and ask a concierge to help us find a restaurant. From Tokyo station we walked next door to the Tokyo Station Hotel. If you want to come here and splurge on a place, this is where to go. Just the entrance was breathtaking. We were shown to a very sweet woman who sat us down and proceeded to call around to shabu shabu places nearby. There was a slight misunderstanding where instead of a 1,000 Yen budget ($10ish), she thought we had a 10,000 Yen budget ($100). Therefore the place she found would be a bout $80 bucks each person. We kindly declined as she tried a different place.
It was then she asked us what our room number was. OOps...As soon as she heard we were not in fact guests of the hotel, she handed us a pamphlet for the building next door and walked us nicely out of the door! No harm done, as we weren't exactly the clientele she is used to. On our own we walked the opposite direction than the swanky hotel district and found a small hole-in-the-wall place to have some Japanese fried rice and famous ramen noodles. Not the healthiest but ramen originates in Japan, so we had to try some!
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| Salty pork ramen |
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| A ramen vending machine....? |
After stuffing ourselves once again we wandered through the station and then back to Ueno to get ready to head home! Getting back to Oak Hostel around 8 we lied down to rest a bit until 10:30 when we would make our way back to the station and to the airport for our 6:30 am departure! Sleeping on a bench in the airport wasn't too bad as the Haneda Aiport is really quite nice! Groggy and sleepy we check into our flight and wait to board as the airport wakes up for the day. Landing in Incheon around 8:30 and then finally getting back to Bucheon at 10:45 it was a long journey back. Again, next time I might just spend more on a ticket so that we can have a bit more of a reasonable journey to and from the airport. It makes for a much more pleasant trip when the transportation to and from flights isn't rushed or at odd hours of the night. Oh well, you live and you learn.
Overall, such a wonderful trip! I'm so glad Kaitie and I decided to take on Tokyo as our next adventure together. After short trips like this, you always wish you could have a few more days, and I definitely do. I want to return to see things I didn't get to see in Tokyo as well as go out of the city, down to Osaka perhaps! So many more things to do and see. We packed this trip full of adventures.
Back to work this week! Looking forward to telling my students about our trip as well as hearing about their Chuseok break! Until next time
xoxo
Korean of the post:
모험의 시간!
(mo-heom-wi shigan)
"Adventure time!"
