Day 15 Bye bye Japan

22nd October 2008

Bye bye Japan!

Day 15

Leaving Japan, don't feel too bad. Had a Japanese curry mmm...

Am just sitting at Narita airport now using the free internet service here. It actually is fast! Can't upload pictures though so that will have to wait until I get to my hostel in AUSTRALIA!

Woo Hoo!

Day 14

21st October 2008

Last full day in Japan

Day 14

I think the girls in the dorm room next to mine were smoking cannabis this morning. Anyway, I decided to go to Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds today and not do a lot.

It has been a good day and I'm feeling a lot happier than I have been recently. Started to read 'The Cathcher in the Rye' on some grass by the Imperial Palace. It was such a nice day and so peaceful that I fell asleep for a little while. It was getting a little chilly towards the end of the day so I went back to the hostel.

On my way back I decided to visit Sensoji temple again, one of the first places I visited when I came to Japan. It was nice to finish the trip where I started about 2 weeks ago. Not that I had intended to go there, just I recognised the gates when walking around the area by my hostel so went to have a little wander around. It was nice to see the temple and pagoda all lit up in the night time.

This is my last full day in Japan, and what did I do next? Went back to the hostel and watched the movie Miami Vice (how cultural).

Well I leave tomorrow. Am looking forward to going and seeing English signs in places, maybe I wont get lost as much (yeah right). Japan has been fab! And I am gonna miss t-shirt spotting though!

Day 13 Harajuku

20th October 2008

All alone in Harajuku

Day 13

Went to Harajuku today. Got lost on the way. Had to transfer between a subway and train line and ended up in a department store. Don't ask.

Strolled down the famous Takeshita street and visited an art gallery that I had had a leaflet for for a few days. I got talking to the guy who owns the gallery as he was English too and from the Channel Islands I think. Anyway he asked me if he could interview me for the gallery's website! How random! My interview and picture are on there now, click here and scroll down http://www.designfesta.com/02_en/blog/.

Went to Yoyogi Park after, but not feeling too well today. Feel a bit down actually. Apparently it's normal when adjusting to the whole travelling thing.

Back to Ueno (got lost again, surprise, surprise) and saw 3 geishas walking through the street.

The internet is so crap and slow back at the hostel. It really is the worst. When I finally got to check my emails Eli and Kayono had emailed me and I was well chuffed. They have cheered me up so much and made my stay in Japan really something. Don't know what I would have done if I wouldn't have met them!

Day 12, Tokyo

19th October 2008

Day out with Kayono and friends

Day 12

Got to Shinjuku station (Tokyo) this morning still half asleep and very tired. In one of the service stations on the way here though I saw this picture in one of the toilets (see right)-

Got lost (don't ask).

Found my way to my hostel that I am going to be at for the rest of my stay in Japan. It's in Ueno and quite nice.

Remember me saying about the Japanese lady I met in a cafe in Shinjuku the night I was getting the night bus to Osaka? Well we had been emailing each other and I met up with her and her friends today! We went on the water bus down the river in Tokyo, which was cool.

Then we went for some lunch. One thing I haven't already written about is my encounter with chopsticks especially when I first got to Japan. I thought I was using them right, but people in the restaurants would always bring me over a fork or spoon when they saw me using them. Thing is you see is that I've never used chopsticks before, and, well, I didn't know you were supposed to break them. So when they come stuck together at the top what is meant to happen is the person breaks them and uses them as 2 separate chopsticks. I did not know this. The day I found out was when Eli and I went for some food and he broke his chopsticks then I had a moment of realisation. That was why they brought me over forks and spoons in the restaurants, and I thought they were staring because I stood out a bit. Turns out I stand out a hell of a lot.

I decided to tell Eli about this when I saw him break his chopsticks and he thought this was hilarious and even had me demonstrate how to (try to) eat using this method. He said I should tell this story to every Japanese person I meet.

So anyway, Kayono, her friend and I are all sitting around about to have lunch and I decide to tell them. They were in hysterics for ages. Seriously they couldn't stop laughing and even had me demonstrate my little unknown method of using chopsticks that are joined together. Even when I thought they'd stopped, they burst out in hysterics again. My cheeks hurt so much from all the laughing.

When we'd all calmed down and had lunch we went to Harajuku. One of the first things I saw when I got off the train was this-

See the earrings? They are real live goldfish, just swimming around. Two in each bowl. Crazy man!

Went to a shrine near by and saw a lady about to get married. She was wearing a lovely white kimono. Kayono's friend left and her other friend Yuki arrived. We went for Sushi in Shibuya and it was cool.

I ate some raw fish and it was ok, though I knew it was raw fish before I put it into my mouth (not like that octopus incident). Even had a desert (not sushi). It was so much fun in the sushi place and although I didn't go near the hard stuff (squid/fish eggs/livers) I managed quite a respectable bit.

We went to an English pub after. It charged 6 quid a pint! Kayono, Yuki and I chatted about all sorts like different countries we'd been to and all sorts. It was quite sad when we said bye. They walked me to the train station and off I went.