The One Where Kerk Did A Phenomenal Job Documenting Japan: Part 3

(From http://oftendropschopsticks.blogspot.com)

Last one, honest, then I promise I'll shut up about Japan already.


After having some 'but-will-I-ever-see-you-again?' moments with Kyoto, we caught the Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo. The speed and punctuality were incredible (if these trains are ever late it's by mere seconds).

Rice paddies and mountains whizzing past. We were going so fast we couldn't look out the window without getting dizzy.

Bullet train arrival in Tokyo. The train seats are now rotating around so that no riders ever have to face backwards!


Where are a couple of gals on a budget to stay in a booming metropolis like Tokyo? How about the Tokyo Hilton, courtesy of Oprah Winfrey?!

We're totes classy like that.


The day we left Chicago, Mans and her sister went to Oprah's show and the gift was a Hilton stay anywhere in the world! We are SO not used to five-star hotels, we walked in all sweaty and didn't know how to react when the bellhop insisted on taking our backpacks. We reveled in the bathtub and city view but made sure not to touch the minibar.

Breakfast over Tokyo. Thank you, Oprah!

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which we of course called Wayne Tower.

Views from the top of Wayne Tower.


But what trip of ours would be complete without a typhoon?! (Seoul and Jeju, I'm looking at you! Fortunately, the typhoons always hit at the end of the vacation). Despite the downpour we ventured out to Shibuya- the first thing we saw was Hachiko Crossing, the world's busiest pedestrian intersection.

We watched the light change as cars stopped and the street became a moving mass of umbrellas.

Now this probably would not have happened if it weren't raining (or maybe it would have because I'm me), but there were SO many people, at one point I followed someone with a maroon umbrella who it turned out was not Mans. I felt like a little lost kid, no cell phone, no command of Japanese, and I couldn't find my friend! I ended up climbing up on a wall and waving until Mans spotted me.

At Shibuya, this statue commemorates Hachiko, Japan's most faithful dog. (Think Richard Gere movie).

In trying to keep out of the torrential rain we ended up in a French cafe, a 'European' cafe, what we quickly realized was a sex toy shop, and shoe stores but mostly,

The comic book sections went on forever and were being carefully pursued by all types of people from old men to school boys to high power businesswomen.

Japanese fashion is outstanding-- stilettos and sparkles, hot-pants and hello kitty, bleached blond, extended, artfully shaved and bee-hived hair!

Fur leg warmers in a typhoon...hey, to each her own.

So our last night in Tokyo we decided to try out some new styles.

Teased up, spiked out and eye-lined.


The Hilton was within walking distance from Shinjuku, the area where 'Lost in Translation' was filmed.

Neon streets

For dinner, what else?

The Seasonal Chef's Special.

We explored the Shinjuku area in the rain until we heard English music trickling out from an underground bar.  The bouncer stopped us and tried to communicate something-- we thought it was about a cover but when we handed him money he didn't take it. He finally shook his head and motioned for us to go ahead. We walked in to see:

Young Japanese folks dancing to Michael Jackson with PERFECTLY in sync choreographed dance moves.

We joined in along the edges where people glanced at us oddly, but mostly ignored us. We then noticed...

That's the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat and Alice herself were there too. We approached a few people shyly and pieced together that we had crashed a production of Alice in Wonderland's cast party!! That's what the bouncer had been trying to tell us! Whoops. They were nice enough not to kick us pushy foreigners out, so we had a beer and watched the actors sing along to every word of 'The way you make me feel.'

Our last day in Japan was a morning of more strangers being kind to us. After spending way too much time trying to act independent the trip motto had become, "For the love of God, just ask someone!" First we checked out the Edo-Tokyo museum, where they offered to stow our bags and gave us English headphones that automatically gave you a translation when you came near things in the exhibits. I was also incredibly impressed with the museum's accessibility for visitors with disabilities.

We're just a couple of big kids. I suffered major CCM homesickness!

A Kabuki theater exhibit!? Be still my foolish, theater-geek heart!

The women at the front desk wrote down detailed directions about trains to take to the airport. I guess we can't follow directions because we still ended up on the slow train and sprinted to catch our flight. But the staff at Koren Air ran with our bags and ushered us through the staff security line so we just made it!


In Japan we discovered,

Mans actually likes real mochi.

Taxi drivers only wear full suits or tuxes and white driving gloves. Pink! Pink cab!

And more Oreo products than I've seen in my entire life.

For me, Japan was a glimpse back in time, an assault by neon, a love affair with soup, a trip down the rabbit hole. And constant affirmations of stranger's kindness toward two lost girls in backpacks who keep calling out 'thanks!' in Korean.