Didn't have time enough to post on the blog so this is like a short version of what I've been up to in Japan, far from everything, from notes I wrote each day (seriously, my memory is that bad). Just to give you a taste. The summing up of everything I'm missing right now (home again) is coming in the next post, wrote it all on the airplane.
Yodobashi: 7 floors of technology. I want a cell phone like the ones here!! And pimp them with all the cutie stuff you can put on!! I want I want!! And the Mac Books, it's not that expensive, if you compare to what it costs in Europe, but the price is still more than I can manage. The Air Mac Book is amazing, I'm definitely saving up for one of those... Or just wishing for one as Christmas gift... Hmm.. Anyways, hoping to find some tax-free importable stuff that can be adapted to Western standards in Akihabara.
otaku! otaku! akihabara - the geeky nerd ghetto number one, technology and manga heaven.
after the yodobashi place in Yokohama, i went off in Minatomirai, to look at the shopping mall in the Queen towers. Disappointment. Just expensive upscale stores for like elderly people. only old ladies going around shopping there. went to the landmark tower and to a book/music store (tsutaya). bought anime, gothic lolita and pop teen magazines, hehehe, fashion inspiration. the shojo mega magazines are amazing, i wanted to buy all of them. going to buy more in akihabara - not only technology heaven, also heaven for all anime otakus.
Went up in the landmark tower, looked at the amazing view, you can see all over Yokohama, plus a bit into Tokyo (the buildings disappear in the horizon, no end to the civilization), usually you're supposed to be able to see Fuji-san, but the smog blurred the horizon too much. (I never got to see Fuji-san!!)
sitting up there in the tower, looking out at the big big world, and bittersweet anime music playing in the background (i just had to buy the cd), i felt so incredibly small, kinda overwhelming how brilliant it all is... all the people out there, going about their business, millions and millions, billions. no end. rushing, living. i think i was sad, cause we are so much more than ourselves, and still we are never able to connect with that, we only see our own lowlife problems and never think of the greater whole, how big the world is, how insignificant we are as individuals (and still we are all we have, there is no one else, so alone, I am my own world, its all in the mind, almost.) Just mindblowing.
want to download japanese music so badly!! jpop is just funny, jrock can actually be good. just to immerse myself in the culture even more.. want to post all photos and the purikura pics...
grocery shopping is so fun, everything is superfresh and you can find all sorts of freakishness, love it. and they're so good with the packaging, everything looks nice or cute or really cool.
Akihabara - slight disappointment but i found out afterwards where i really should have gone which was the anime center, missed out completely on that. i bought a yukata, geta and tabi at Laox so it was still worth it. plus i got to see some of the extraordinary technology they have, for everything. i was crying cause i couldnt buy the cell phones.
Asakusa - waow, i should have gone here the first day, like a huge gate into this street with beautiful sakura ornaments and lots of merchant stalls selling everything touristy you could wish for. the senso-ji temple was too crowded, but this was before i saw kamakura and meiji so i still thought it was kinda nice. bought a random prayer to hang in the prayer rack. it said something about meeting a wealthy person that would help me. heh.
Chinatown then shopping in shibuya. Lots of shopping, never tire of it. but this day it was mostly g buying stuff. i only bought nars striptease lipgloss and orgasm rouge. found all the cool places in shibuya and met some gangsta people:
"you're a rocker, arent yah"
like "hell yeh dude"
"so you like elvis an tha kinda stuff?"
"nah man, tha's too old school for me"
Tokyo national museum was very nice, a little smaller than i thought, but found really nice paintings by Hokusai, and the kimonos were simply beautiful.
Office view from g's dad's office - imperial palace (not very interesting, not even the garden, but seeing it from here atleast spared me from going there and geting disappointed) and Manouchi (the business area of Tokyo, uptown place with lost of suits running around, cool to see it like this). Would have loved an office view like that haha... Lunch with g's parents at a really nice restaurant. Tempura, noodles, miso soup.
Can't really keep track of which days I did what but yeh...
Onsen with g's mum, so amazingly relaxing. I love onsen!! Just lay around and chill in hot spring water, soak for hours, talking about nothing. Salt scrub, herbal steam sauna, sitting down at the beautiful wooden stools to shower with creamy shiseido shower lotion, treatments, Dr Fish, thai-massage, shiatsu, all other kinds of massage, zipping around in your yukata, traditional japanese food buffet, sitting down at low tables, sake (kanpai!), back to the hot springs. Pure Pampering.
Feel a constant craving for sushi and nice white rice. want some sweet sake too. wont be able to go back to sweden. will not be able to eat either rice or sushi there.
ill miss all this too much.
Kamakura - seriously i wanna live there, the most beautiful and tranquil place I've ever been to, its better than Rivendell. the amazing wooden temples, simple yet so enchanting, the mysterious nature surrounding it all, climbing in the mountains, kami shrines, incense and flower offerings at the graves... This is like living in the Otori Tales. (and if you haven't read the Otori tales you should!)
Ramen - only around 60SEK for a HUGE bowl of ramen, whatever kind of topping you want. and slurp as much as you can, that's how ramen is supposed to be eaten. the people who were cooking (they were all standing right behind the counter you ate at) shouted happy encouragements to eachother, clapped their hands and whatnot, have no idea what they shouted but it sounded really happy. you got top mood just by sitting there listening to them while slurping.
After Ramen place we went karaoke. Basically not so much about the singing (don't worry about your singing voice, everyone just shouts and screams anyway) but more about the chugging of beer or "cow piss" (kaupis?). CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! XD Then again, it dependend on who you went there with. With fun guys, karaoke was hilarious. (yeh we went karaokeing three times)
sankeien - beautiful traditional gardens - just taking some photos (putting them up somwhere, myspace maybe), encountering a geisha on one of the red bridges, and finding my dream home. Unfortunately it was some sort of preserved War Lord's place and i suppose they wont sell historical artifacts.
meiji-jingu: mighty, very mighty. liked this temple very much, just because of the mysterious air, magical forest surrounding it (yoyogi park), the dimly lit lantern beckoning just outside the gate at dusk...
"The night was uneasy, even the weather didn't want tomorrow to come"
Harajuku bridge (jingu-bashi) - failed taking photos of all the cool people there. too many gaijins littering about, clicking cameras and looking stupid. didn't want to be a part of that so joined in the murmurs of passing natives "gaijin baka ne". too shy to ask if i could take pictures too.
Ginza - just expensive, not my favourite place in Tokyo.
Sukiyaki - extremely delicious, definitely one of the best food experiences here!
Uni is my favourite sushi.
Last day was shopping and eating ALOT at World Porters (shopping center) in Yokohama. Packing all my stuff, had to borrow an old hobo suitcase since i didn't have enough space in the one i brought. easter dinner with family, interesting to see people get drunk (akvavit!). karaoke in shibuya (again). what i enjoyed most at karaoke (take of your shirts!!) was Red hot and fall out boy haha XD and ofcourse the last song, the last song is always the best one, people are drunk, semi-naked and screaming worse than ever. wondering if stina had the same karaoke experience with kana? heh
No sleep.
Early up to sunlit YCAT bus trip to Narita.
Half-asleep. Hungover.
Sushi breakfast at Narita.
I suck at goodbyes.
