Osaka and Tokyo

After a good 2 miles of walking around wandering the town looking like a foreigner of course I finally ran into a couple of locals who could speak pretty good English. I tried to find my hotel on my own and it just wasn’t happening. Tokyo is way too big and clustered with building after building and streets going every which direction. The couple had quite the sense of humor. I had a pair of Roclite 288’s hanging from one of my bags and he said, “We race around the city for your shoes”? I’m sure he would have demolished me because I had no idea where I was. Passed out on the bus ride to Tokyo and arrived in a vibrant city filled with hundreds of people walking particularly fast. I was caught off guard waking up to such a busy area. I walked around with my eyes big, lights gleaming all over the city, TV’s up high on the side of building playing music videos, and of course being that Japan is so technologically advanced, everyone it seemed was either using or holding some form of technology whether it was an ipad, iphone, laptop or handheld video game. The city looked very much alive and reminded me of a faster paced New York City. I quickly found out that in Japan you drive on the left side of the street like in England.
 
After almost getting hit I made the proper adjustment or rather I just found a better way to get around without worrying about cars. In downtown Tokyo there is an under ground system of sidewalks that link up with the rail way station and shopping malls throughout the city. Even down there I found that you had to stick to the left side of the sidewalk or else people would stare at you like a foreign object, which I was, in a sense. After finally getting in to my hotel room I wanted to crash almost immediately after the long day of traveling totaling around 17 hours! I decided I’d get out and try my first hand at REAL Japanese cuisine. I saw a place on the way in that I heard was pretty good so I stopped by. I drew attention instantly as I stared around waiting to be served a menu. Someone finally comes up to me and in broken English says, “Put money in machine and press what you want.” I thought it was neat and I probably looked like a little kid in a candy store as I was smiling uncontrollably pressing button after button the machine followed by a printed ticket you then hand to the waiter and shortly after, WHAM there is your meal. I guess this is the Japanese way of fast food? I couldn’t tell you what I ordered but I know this first serving (Pictured) I got was some type of miso with chicken and vegetables, some I’ve never tried before or heard of, but as always, I love trying new things so I was more than eager to dive into something I couldn’t even pronounce.

I woke up early overlooking the city while I indulged in a variety of American and Japanese breakfast foods. I couldn’t help but notice that Tokyo is very bizarre. One minute it’s a zoo, then completely quiets down and all of sudden around 8AM or so, people are coming from everywhere, doors clanging, people running around in nice business suits, brief cases flinging and high heels clapping along the sidewalk. I must say I felt way out of place wearing sweat pants and a running jacket in Tokyo. It seemed everyone was dressed to impress. In all honestly, over 90% of the people I saw between 8AM and noon were in nice suits. Regardless of the fact that I was an American I brought even more attention to myself dressed up like a runner.

On the way out I noticed my room was the only room without a newspaper): I knew exactly why. The night before I joked with the receptionist that I could speak Japanese fluently and she looked at me with shock and said, “Really”? I then tried to say the one thing I knew, names of food and “Thank you”. She laughed and tried to teach me how to pronounce the words correctly. It took a while. It was obvious I wouldn’t be reading a Japanese newspaper so I guess that’s the reason you see my room was left exempt.

さようなら