Days 23 - 27: Japan

First off, allow me to start off with a warning. This post will be long (16 pages single-spaced). Feel free to skip around as you see fit, friends. Second, as I will do in every subsequent entry recapping a country visit, I will begin by recounting my enthralling adventures and then include a section on my reactions to the culture. If you don’t want to read the entire thing (very understandable), I urge you to focus on the reactions section. It’s my insight instead of my amateur storytelling. And it’s shorter. Okay, away we go!

Day 1 - Yokohama and Tokyo

Nick, Jake and I packed our bags the night before we reached port because we wanted to be able to get off the ship ASAP. We were going to be arriving in port an hour or so later than originally planned, so we wanted to make up for the lost time by being prepared the second we arrived in Yokohama. Unfortunately, our sea (the area of the ship where our cabins are located) was one of the last to be called. The order of the seas being called is clearly predetermined, so why they do not release the order beforehand is beyond me. It would eliminate all the frustration, because one would not sit around hoping to be called each time an announcement is made. In addition, being ignorant to the order makes planning independent travel with friends from other seas difficult, because groups are separated during the disembarkation process, and those off the boat are clueless as to when their travel companions will be called.

Those frustrations aside, I am getting ahead of myself. Nick, Jake, and I met for breakfast about an hour or so before we arrived in port. Jake came with his girlfriend Nancy, who was joining us for our first day in Tokyo. At breakfast we ran into Greg, who asked if he could also join us for our first day. I had no problem with the extra people for the first day, but I was certainly glad we only had three for the bulk of our travel plans. Anything larger would make it nearly impossible to complete such a rigorous travel schedule.

So after breakfast and the aforementioned disembarkation frustrations, we were all off the ship at around 12:30. We immediately set off in search of a train station, as we wanted to get into Tokyo. In addition, Jake, Nick and I needed to find a JR office, which are located in train stations, to get our JR Rail Passes. We had purchased the passes in advance of our voyage, but we had to pick up the actual passes in Japan.

My confusion being a foreigner was immediately apparent. I had never been anywhere in which I am completely ignorant of the language. I have been to Mexico, though it was an entirely “touristy” experience (read: quite English friendly), and I’m somewhat competent in Spanish. So it was befuddling to be in an area with virtually no way to communicate with the people. I had expected the people to be somewhat competent English speakers, but in reality most knew little to none. As a result, getting around was more difficult than expected. Luckily, Jake knows some Japanese (probably about as much as I know in Spanish), which helped us immensely throughout our travels. That said, it took him a while to get his bearings, as he had not spoken in a while. Thus, it took us some time to find the correct subway taking us to Yokohama Station. Riding Japanese subways are an experience in themselves, which I’ll also get to in the reactions section.

Once we got to the Yokohama Station, we immediately went in search of a JR Office. We found one after about ten minutes or so, and left five minutes later with our JR Passes in hand. Somehow, though, despite our late disembarkation and subway confusion, we managed to beat the entire SAS crowd to that office. Literally fifty kids walked into the office during the five minutes we were there. Those latest to arrive had to wait over an hour.

Once we collected our passes, we went to Akihabara, which is known as Tokyo’s “Electric Town.” During our Tokyo research, we heard that it is an enormous nerd haven, with many teens dressing up as their favorite anime characters. Unfortunately, Akihabara proved to be a bit disappointing. The only people dressed up were paid store employees out on the streets. So as fun of a spectacle as they were to see, it wasn’t quite the same as seeing true Anime geeks. Furthermore, the tech stores were not that exciting. I was hoping to see some crazy Japanese innovation; instead the street was like a giant Fry’s. That said, we got some incredible food in Akihabara. We went to a ramen restaurant which was incredibly filling and flavorful and later got Japanese donuts. American donuts don’t even compare. Japanese donuts are less sugary and not as fried, so they were much lighter (and I could eat many more). The breading was much more like a pastry. In addition, they had spectacular frostings like strawberry.

After filling up our stomachs in Akihabara, we took the subway to Shinjuku, which Greg had heard about as a really cool area. Once we exited the subway we knew we were in an area we wanted to be, as it was filled with hip Japanese youth. I think hip Japanese style is hysterical, but I’ll talk about that in the reactions section. The area was really hopping, as the young crowd was obviously out to do some partying.

Our first goal was to get to the Tokyo Municipal Government building, which has a free panoramic lookout from 45 stories up. The view was breathtaking; buildings and lights extended as far as the eye could see in every direction. In addition, the architecture was brilliant. Numerous buildings in the immediate area were distinct and beautiful, as the architects utilized different shapes and unique uses of glass, arches and the like. We spent at least an hour just soaking up the view, and then decided to go back to Shinjuku.

Exploring Shinjuku was awesome. The area was glowing with vibrant colors and bustling with people. At one point Greg asked to get a picture with some young Japanese women, and their reaction was priceless. They were clearly flattered but also embarrassed. They ended up taking the picture, and Greg is grinning ear-to-ear. As we ventured from Shinjuku’s epicenter, we reached the area that attracted Greg in the first place: the sex district. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. There were shops where men could purchase a stall to masturbate to anime pornography. There were numerous strip clubs, each with an English-speaking, typically black male employee vigorously trying to lure you in. It was surreal.

After some exploring, the group headed back to the train station. There, we (Jake, Nick and I) bid adieu to Greg and Nancy, both of whom were headed back to the ship, and headed to our hotel. It was only 2700 YEN (Editor’s Note: It is about 90 YEN to the USD, but for convenience sake we typically thought of 100 YEN as about a dollar), but it was in the outskirts of Tokyo. We had to take a subway to get there, and struggled to find the hotel as we did not have an address, but only walking directions based off landmarks. The manager did not give us address when we called because it is located on an unknown side street. A few days later, when we stayed in a Kyoto hostel, we had the same experience.

Anyhow, we checked into our hotel and dropped off our luggage. The hotel was a phenomenal value, as we each got our own bed and plenty of outlets to charge up our electronics. Unfortunately, it was far away from nightlife, and the subways shut down at midnight. Thus, the owner correctly warned us, it would take about 2000 YEN each for a cab ride back from Roppongi, where he suggested going out. Still, factoring the cab ride into the cost of lodging, I think we did well.

After resting a bit at the hotel, we hit the road to Roppongi. We stopped at a 7-11 for a light snack and energy drinks (Red Bull, baby!), then headed to the subways. The 7-11s in Japan are funny. Like American 7-11s, they seem to have cheap, high-calorie food, but it is all, not surprisingly, cheap, high-calorie Japanese food. And it was yummy.

Once we reached Roppongi we bought a delicious fried dinner. I got fried shrimp in a brown sauce over rice, Nick and Jake both went with fried chicken over rice. After eating we headed out to take on the night. We started at a Karaoke, where we sang for a half hour. Then we tried to go to 911, which was one of two famous bars in Roppongi. The other is Hyperpanic, but it was closed (which isn’t shocking because we were there on a Tuesday). Anyhow, Jake got carded at 911, which is pretty unheard of in Japan. Sadly, he is like a week away from turning 20, legal drinking age in Japan, so we were out of luck. So instead of checking out the bars we wandered the streets and soaked up the essence of Roppongi nightlife. That essence, it turns out, is hustlers.

Much like the strip clubs in Shinjuku, there are countless bar/club employees trying to lure people into their club or bar. These are typically black, English-speaking immigrants, though we also ran into a delightfully entertaining Irishman who tried to lure us in by repeatedly yelling “TITS!!” at us. I am proud to say I have a video of him. We eventually entered a “club” out of interest, and when we walked in all we saw were seven, scantily-clad Japanese women, who were obviously strippers/prostitutes. Out of impulse, I said “these are all prostitutes, this is awkward,” which thoroughly upset the guy who brought us in. We promptly left.

Next we ran into another hustler; this guy was named Jean-Paul and he was from Brazil. Jean-Paul was hilarious, and I struck up a conversation because I was fascinated with how he ended up in Roppongi doing what he does. Basically Jean-Paul has been all over the world doing this type of work, meaning he is an English speaker who tries to get business from tourists. He said he likes Japan, and showed us pictures of his gorgeous girlfriend. At this point Jake bragged back about Nancy, and before we knew it a half hour had passed. We felt obligated to drink in his bar, which was unsurprisingly empty, though we met JJ the bartender and he was cool.

After a drink at the bar we decided to head home, so we set out for an expensive cab ride. On the way a prostitute was all over Nick, who was politely trying to get her to leave him alone. Afterwards she tried me, and I had none of it. I hit her hand away and kept walking. I didn’t see it, but Nick and Jake tell me her reaction was priceless.

After the cab ride Nick relieved himself, because he apparently was in enormous pain from keeping his bladder filled to the brim. I’ve got a picture of that, too. Afterward, we all made our way back to the hotel happy and tired. But before going to bed, I mustered the energy to upload my photos to my computer. Solid work.

Day 2 - Tokyo

I was woken up at 7:30 the following morning. I was initially very disoriented, yet I regained my energy quickly. After getting ready we checked out of our hotel and took the subway to the Tsukiji fish market, which is one of the most famous in the world. Sadly, we did not get up early enough to see all the fish being delivered to the market, which happens between 5 and 6 am. We did see all the street shops in the market, though, which was fascinating. Cheap tasters were everywhere, and we stopped for many. It was also cool to see all the fresh fish, many of which were being filleted in plain sight, and all the different fish-derived snack products beloved by the Japanese people. Most memorable were packages of whole, dried squid.

We stopped at a sushi place in the market for breakfast/lunch. We chose conveyer-belt, because it is known as the cheapest in Japan. Despite apparently being a lower-scale place, it was the freshest, most delicious sushi I have ever eaten. And I stuffed myself for a little more than 1400 YEN. So if this place had diminished quality, I didn’t notice. The only dish I didn’t like was octopus, which was chewy and unflavorful. I’m glad I tried it, though, because now I can say that I did.

At the meal’s end, I took a poop on a luxurious Japanese toilet. The seats were warmed and, more importantly, it is equipped with a warm water spray to clean your butt once you finish. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever felt. I took a video (for the audio only, you don’t see anything. Sorry ladies), and I’m so glad I did. I re-played it back on the ship and was crying because I was laughing so hard.

After lunch, we left the fish market to go to Miraikan, Tokyo’s museum of technology and innovation. We had the address, but unfortunately were unsure as to how to get there. Luckily, the Japanese are very helpful, especially with regard to directing tourists. So we asked a gentleman standing alone if he knew how to get to the museum. The man didn’t know, so we set off to the nearest subway station hoping to talk to a JR employee. The man then actually tracked us down, and called the museum, getting us directions. On top of that, he walked us to the subway station we needed to get to. It was incredible. I’ll touch on the incredibly polite, helpful aspects of the culture in the reactions section.

After about 45 minutes in transit, which consisted of subways, a train and some walking, we reached the museum. We also passed the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which is right next to the museum. We decided to try to check it out after seeing the museum, which was the wrong choice because it was closed by the time we tried to visit, around 4:30 pm. I suppose it’s on an earlier schedule to try to sync up, at least somewhat, with America. But I digress (Editor’s note: that is a very pretentious sentence).

The museum was awesome. One of my favorite parts was simply an area of these stations with informative blurbs about emerging technology and a small example. One such blurb was about single-jet ink printing and how it is incredibly accurate. To the naked eye, the example shown was a dot of ink. But when magnified, it became apparent that it was a 4 x 4 row of detailed Japanese characters. Simply mind-blowing.

Another exciting aspect was getting to see ASIMO, which, according to Nick, is one of the most famous robots in the world. Its movements are incredibly human-like, particularly with regard to running and making swimming motions with its arms. It was in constant (though rehearsed) animated dialogue with the presenter, and I really wish I could have understood what they were saying.

The other highlight of the visit was controlling this spider-like eight-legged robot. All we did was control its motion by remote controls, which were adapted PS2 controllers. My controller controlled the right legs, and Jake’s controlled the left legs. Together, we could walk forward, backward, turn left and right, as well as dip the robot (by extending the legs out) and compress it up (sending both legs in). Then we went into a simulator, where we got to “experience life as a robot”. This was a 3D screen displaying video from a camera on the front of the robot, and we sat in chairs which moved in unison to the robot’s body. To our most pleasant surprise, Jake and I again got to control the robot! It was a blast. Our challenge was to try to walk through a Styrofoam archway (a foot high and wide in actual size, but it looked huge on the screen). Unfortunately, we knocked it over. I could have sworn we were completely centered. To make ourselves feel better, Jake and I told ourselves the task was impossible.

Once we left the museum, we went out in search of an ATM to get cash. To my surprise, Japan runs almost exclusively on cash; few places take credit. Even more surprising, it is really tough to find international ATMs. The only consistent place, we found, was the Post Office. So we frantically tried to find a Post Office before it closed at 5:00. We got directions to one ten minutes away, and to our delight we got cash for the remainder of our trip.

After getting cash, we went to Asakusa, which has an “Old Tokyo” flavor. It was a nostalgic spot for Jake, as he had visited Asakusa four years earlier on a Japan trip in high school. When he was last there, he went to a Shabu Shabu dinner, and then said a prayer in the Sensoji temple, which is Tokyo’s largest Buddhist temple. When we got to Asakusa, we set out in search of that very Shabu Shabu restaurant. Shabu Shabu is a Japanese delicacy in which you are served a plate of raw veggies, tofu, and raw, very-thinly sliced beef. At the table is a pot of boiling water, and first you add the vegetables and tofu to create a flavorful broth. Then, you dip in the slices of beef, one at a time, eating them immediately. Because the slices are so thin, they take only eight seconds or so to cook in the boiling pot. You take the cooked slice of beef, dip it in sauce, and then eat it over rice.

After a bit of searching and help from a friendly local, we were able to find that very Shabu Shabu restaurant. Jake is positive it is the same one because of the kimonos worn by the staff. The meal was absolutely delectable, though a bit rushed because we had to catch our train to Sapporo. Aside from the sushi from the Tsukiji fish market, it was my favorite meal. After dinner, we briefly visited the Sensoji temple. The temple was lit up at night, and the view was breathtaking. Jake even got to drop in another coin and make a wish. It was a wonderful way to end our time in Tokyo.

After taking the subway to Tokyo station, we caught our train to Sendai. The ride there was three hours, and we had a fifteen-minute layover to catch our overnight train. Because it was a sleeper car, we had checked with multiple JR employees as to whether or not we could board this train. They all assured us we could indeed board the train, and if we needed to purchase tickets we could do so onboard. This seemed strange to us, but we took their word for it because that same information was independently confirmed by multiple employees.

But when we got to Sendai, disaster struck. We were not allowed to board the sleeper train without tickets, and the ticket office was closed. We were going to have to spend the night in Sendai. Heartbroken, we feared we may not make it to the Sapporo Snow Festival, which we all felt was going to be the highlight of the trip. After getting information about the following day’s train schedule from the JR employee, we decided we should find a place to stay and talk out the situation. Luckily, some friendly, hip teens were in the station, and they led us to a Manga Café in the downtown area. It was only a ten minute walk or so from the station.

Day 3 - Sendai and the Sapporo Snow Festival

So there we were, the three of us, sitting despondently a dirty Manga Café. For those of you who don’t know, a Manga Café is a weird Japanese phenomenon. One basically pays to spend time there, and there are many things to do. One can surf the web, read Manga, watch movies (I am unsure if they are exclusively anime), and, as we did, sleep in these pseudo rooms upstairs. It is also equipped with bathrooms and a shower. A real cultural oddity.

The mats were small, the pillows were gross, and the floor was hard. We talked it out, and decided we had made far too great of an investment to not go to the festival. So we agreed to wake up at 5:00 am the following morning, and purchase all of our tickets to and from Sapporo. On the ride back, we expected to have to pay 9100 YEN for a sleeper car ticket. All other trains would be included in the JR Pass, but we wanted tickets in case we needed to secure a reserved seat. Also, we agreed that we were allowed to be upset that night, but the following morning we had to leave with high spirits. Travel, as with most things in life, is what you make it.

Nick went straight to bed, but Jake and I were too upset. We decided that if we were staying in Sendai, we at least wanted to get an idea of what it had to offer. So we walked around the downtown area talking. We talked about women, love, life, and all that jazz. Jake actually goes to Chapman and knows my ex-girlfriend (as an acquaintance), and I shared with him about my breakup and what it’s like to be heartbroken, which is something he has never experienced. It was our first deep conversation, and I felt like I knew him much better at its conclusion.

Sendai is actually a pretty cool city. It is has about a million people, and is located on the northern end of the main island. The downtown scene was young and active, though Jake and I were merely observers.

After we walked and talked, Jake wanted to stop at a McDonald’s close to the Manga Café for a small snack. He got a cheeseburger and fries, and I tried a bit of each. It was noticeably better than in America. I also liked the menu, which had items like “The Big America New York Burger.” New York is not famous for its burgers, but Jake explained that the Japanese people believe New York is the most famous and glamorous part of America. Which is weird, because everyone knows that, in actuality, the most famous and glamorous part of America is the Bay Area.

At McDonald’s we met a Canadian and two Welshman who were in Japan teaching English. This was exciting for Jake, who hopes to do that once he graduates college. These guys gave it a stellar recommendation, saying they absolutely loved it. When we told them they were leaving to Sapporo in the morning, the Canadian insisted we grab some Ramen there, as Sapporo is famous for the best Ramen in Japan. We thanked them for the recommendation, and I informed the Canadian that despite the unstoppable Marleau-Thornton-Heatley combo, America would be taking the gold in Vancouver. Jake and I returned to the Manga Café at 2:00 am, where I spent three hours uncomfortably drifting in and out of sleep.

We woke up at 5:00 am with renewed high spirits. We were going to see the Snow Festival! But first, we had to get tickets and complete a vicious travel schedule.

Our first good news of the day came when we learned we did not have to pay anything for our tickets, both to and from Sapporo. The overnight trains returning from Sapporo were not sleeper cars, so they were included in the JR Pass. By the time we got all of our tickets, it was around 6:00 am, and we had 37 minutes before our first train. We grabbed some snacks and got on board. Our first train left Sendai at 6:37, and arrived in Hachinohe at 8:37. In Hachinohe, we boarded an 8:52 train to Hakodate, which arrived at 12:02. Then we took a 12:25 train to Sapporo, which arrived at 3:43 pm. All told, we rode the rails for 9 hours and 6 minutes. It didn’t feel quite that long, though, because we all spent each ride drifting in and out of sleep. That was actually a weird experience, because I am certain I was dreaming while at the same time semi-aware of my surroundings. I suppose my body needed the REM sleep so badly that I got some despite being half-awake.

It was snowing we got off the train in Sapporo, and despite our ravenous appetites we decided to head straight to the festival. I insisted on stopping at a convenience store to get a Sapporo beer, though, because I had to. Beer in hand, we reached the Sapporo Snow Festival and immediately knew we had made the right decision to continue there despite our setback. The ice sculptures were some of the most incredible things I have ever seen. We admired this magnificent, fifty-foot high ice sculpture of animals for twenty minutes or so before our hunger got the better of us. So we decided to get some ramen. It was a good time to stop for food anyway, because the festival is best at night with the sculptures lit up.

We got directions to a ramen shop a few blocks from the festival and chowed down. I got a huge bowl of ramen and an order of gyoza, which are Japanese pot stickers. The soup was so warm and delicious; we could not have picked a better meal for snowy, twenty-degree weather.

Refueled and warm, we hit the festival. The sculptures were honestly too magnificent to try to describe in words, so I will let my pictures and videos do the talking for me. What I can add is that it was snowing on-and-off, which made the whole event seem almost magical. But while we were there, we realized that we still would get to see the entire Snow Festival, while saving 9100 YEN on an overnight train. Plus, we got to see the city of Sendai and experience the craziness that is a Manga Café. The only things we missed, due to lost time, were visiting the Sapporo Chocolate factory and eating at the Sapporo Beer Garden, which offers one and a half hours of all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink. As awesome as that would have been, seeing the extra city and saving the money was just as cool of an experience, if not cooler.

We spent around two and a half hours marveling at the sculptures, an experience we did not have to rush despite the lost time. The sculptures included several massive, wonderfully detailed structures, hundreds of smaller sculptures (several of which were quite impressive), and an international contest section, in which the pieces were larger than most small sculptures but much smaller than the main attractions. The winner came from a Thai team, and it was magnificent. But again, my words pale in comparison to the photos.

After admiring the sculptures, we watched the snowboarders. Yeah, they built an enormous snowboard jump and landing, seventy feet high in all, and had a snowboarding show. No big deal. The snowboarders were not world-class by any means, but they were doing flips and spins and the crowd was loving it, which was good enough for the ol’ Maxwell.

To cap off the day, we grabbed some eats from stands at the festival and went up to the Sapporo TV Tower. The TV Tower is a famous landmark, and has a panoramic lookout from a couple hundred feet in the air. While waiting in line, Jake struck up a conversation with a Japanese family. When we explained the SAS program and our Japan travel schedule, they thought we were crazy.

After waiting about a half hour, we got up to the lookout. The view was simply stunning. We could see all the big sculptures, the snowboard ramp, and the brilliant lights. We couldn’t have closed the day better.

Exhausted from the day’s adventures, we headed back to Sapporo Station to catch our 10 pm train. It arrived in Aomori at 5:39 am. For whatever reason, though, the train was boiling hot. Like easily upwards of 80 degrees. I was sweating heavily, and I had disrobed to just a t-shirt, jeans, and socks. It was really tough to sleep due to the heat; I spent the majority of the ride on the “out” phase while in-and-out of sleep.

The ride wasn’t too bad, though, because we met a couple of cool dudes from Australia who were effectively making the same trip (we were both going to Tokyo, but only we were then continuing to Kyoto). They were taking advantage of an incredible program in Australia in which one works for a year instead of going to college. Provided you make more than the minimum threshold during your year of work (I believe you need to make at least $24,000), you literally have to spend money. And at the year’s end, if you have less than $6,000 to your name they will pay for your college education. I believe the theory is to prove you can both earn a living and then use your earnings to help fuel the economy. But these guys decided to spend 6 weeks in Japan traveling and having fun. One of them literally had about $2,000 he had to spend. Boy oh boy am I jealous. Japan would be just incredible if money was no object. So I chatted it up with them for a while, and they recommended a cool spot for Kyoto nightlife.

The second train was a quick one; it left Aomori at 5:52 am and arrived in Hachinohe at 6:48 am. After a really short layover, we left Hachinohe at 6:55 am and arrived in Tokyo at 9:51 am. Then we caught a 10:03 am train from Tokyo, and arrived in Kyoto at 12:48 pm. All told, we took four trains from Sapporo to Kyoto, and it took nearly 15 hours. But we made it, and it was all worth it to see the snow festival.

Day 4 - Kyoto

The plan was to check into our hotel right when we got to Kyoto. There, we would shower and clean up before doing the whole “be a tourist” thing. Unfortunately, we did a terrible job finding our hotel. It took over an hour, despite being within ten minutes from the station by foot. The only bright spot during that period was lunch, where we had tempura udon. As much as I loved the tempura udon at the Sushi House in Town and Country, this lunch made me realize they need some damn cooking lessons. The udon was so flavorful and the noodles so tender. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

When we finally found the hotel, we saw that the front desk was closed, meaning we could not check in until that night. This was a huge bummer, because I really needed a shower. That aside, we simply headed out the door to see some sights.

We started with the Nijoju Castle, which had been strongly recommended to us by Rina, a Japanese foreign-exchange student on the ship. The Castle was quite neat; it was used back when Japan still had dynasties and it was where the Shogun called home when he was not in Tokyo. The Shogun also conducted business there with feudal lords. The architecture was quite pretty, as were the gardens. As illustrated by the indoor decoration and the garden landscaping, Japanese culture stresses the beauty of simplicity. Rooms were furnished with the essentials and minimalistic art. The gardens were green and beautiful, and there was a small pond of water with a small, elegant waterfall. I enjoy this style of landscaping much more than American or European landscaping, which, in my opinion, seems too crowded.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Castle, though, was its defensive impenetrability. For starters, it’s located on high ground. Then it is surrounded by a 40-foot moat. At the inner edge of the moat is an enormous stone wall, probably 30 feet high. Nothing short of a massive army could penetrate this thing without modern weaponry. It was cool.

After visiting the Castle, we went to the Shinjo Shopping Street, which was another recommendation from Rina. The size of it was astonishing. Shinjo Street was the main drag, and it went on for probably six or seven blocks. But the shopping area also extended three or four blocks north of Shinjo Street. So the entire shopping area was between 18 and 28 square blocks.

Looking at the stores, it was interesting to see how Americanized Japanese fashion has become. I was hoping to buy a hat, but it was hard to find anything that one couldn’t find in America. Jake and Nick each picked up a few trinkets, but I left hatless. Not to say the trip was a failure, though. Far from it. We saw this awesome, three-story mega-department store, which had everything: hilarious sex toys (a tea cup with boobs, boob stress balls, the list goes on), porn, goofy sunglasses, stuffed animals, a huge selection of watches, and fashionable clothing. I’m leaving many things off the list, but you get the idea. We also got a small bite at KFC, just to try it. Like McDonald’s, it’s significantly better in Japan. The chicken more peppery and spicier; I liked it a lot. And as we were walking into KFC we met a crazy Japanese lady who kept referring to Jake, in Japanese, as her grandson. So overall a pretty sweet time.

After shopping, we walked back to the hotel. The walk was longer than we estimated; it took a little over half an hour. Once we got back, though, we were ecstatic to learn that we would have a private shower and toilet. And the place was very reasonably priced; we each paid roughly 3300 YEN. I cannot describe how wonderful this shower was. It was the first time I had gotten to use soap and shampoo on the trip, and the water hot, high-pressure water felt magnificent. After resting up, the hotel manager, who spoke great English, gave us recommendations for an evening out on the town. Before we left, we took advantage of the hotel’s free nightly sake, enjoying two shots each (the equivalent of one drink). We then took a cab into the downtown area, where we had been recommended a sushi restaurant with one dollar plates.

After the cab dropped us off, though, we had a bit of difficulty finding the place. So we asked an older Japanese couple, who it turned out were also tourists. But, like everyone, they went out of their way to help us. The gentleman spoke English, so we walked and talked. When they heard we were American they got very excited, which is typical in Japan. Again, something I’ll discuss in the reactions section. But we eventually found the restaurant and took a picture with the friendly couple. Then we all gorged on some delicious sushi. All told, the bill was about 2700 YEN.

Bellies full of rice and fish, we began to wander the streets. We saw a lot of people out, but not on the move. Most people were standing and talking. We figured this was a bad sign, guessing there was little to do. After wandering a bit, we went into a convenience store to warm up. It was quite brisk out, to say the least. There we grabbed some more Japanese snacks, which are incredibly delicious. I love chocolate, and Japanese chocolate is very rich and creamy. In addition, they are huge fans of strawberry-flavored candy, and they most certainly do that flavor right.

In the store we met James and Brianna, two Americans studying abroad in Kyoto. So we asked them to recommend a bar or a night club. Unfortunately, the places with which they were familiar had little going on. But they were nice and the conversation was pleasant, so I figured I’d throw them a line in the ol’ blog.

We ended up spending about an hour in a random bar we found on the street. It originally had two Japanese women in it, but they left a few minutes after we arrived. So we all shared a few drinks and stayed about an hour, talking mostly about Japanese culture and fashion. I knew before the trip that Nick was a smart guy, but it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Jake is such an insightful, interesting dude. Since he goes to school only an hour from Oxy, I’m really going to make an effort to retain him as a friend.

By about 1:30 we were exhausted, so we decided to call it a night. We wanted to hit up Mr. Donut for the aforementioned amazing donuts, yet, sadly, it was closed. So we took a cab back to the hotel and I crashed.

Day 5 - Kyoto and Kobe

I was woken up at 6:40 am by Jake. I had set an alarm, but there was no way in hell that little thing was waking me up. Just as a general note, our travel team did a great job waking each other up and staying on schedule. It was usually me who was up first, but each time I slept through the alarm either Nick or Jake picked me up.

Waking up was hard, though. It was the first time I was just brutally tired. My eyes kept closing. I could barely pack my things and make the walk to get Jake back to the train station (he had an SAS trip that day, so he had to get back to Kobe early). All through breakfast (delicious, tender sautéed beef over rice) I feared I would crash. But with food in my stomach and the cool Kyoto air on my face, I came back around. Nick and I then took the bus to see the Kinkaku-ji Temple, colloquially known as the Golden Temple. The bus ride was much longer than expected; it took probably 45 minutes. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, because we met some Chilean tourists with whom I spoke in Spanish. One was a gorgeous woman named Daniela who gave me her business card. If I ever make it to Chile, senora, you will be mine. As pleased as I was to have gotten her number, though, I was significantly more pleased with the quality of my Spanish. I was really able to hold a conversation with these people. In fact, they even thought I knew enough Spanish to get around Brazil (which speaks Portuguese, not Spanish) without a problem. After the bus ride we got a picture with their tour group, though Daniela isn’t looking at the camera. Bummer.

The temple was marvelous though. We got there early, so it was quiet and not crowded, which made the atmosphere very serene. Again, I’ll have to let the pictures do the talking for me, because I cannot describe the beauty of the scene in words. But in short, the highlight is a Golden Pavilion located right on the water. In one word, it simply looks majestic. And again, the grounds are covered in beautiful, simple gardens. After we walked the entire site, Nick and I went back to the Golden Pavilion to soak up the view one last time. But by this time, it was packed with tourists. Instead of quiet and calm, it was hectic and loud. I’m glad we visited early, because had we come later we would have entirely missed the true beauty of the Temple.

Then we took the bus to the Toji Temple, which is near the Kyoto station. The Temple was very cool, it has a spectacular roof with numerous levels. Unfortunately, we had little time before our train to Kobe. So Nick and I didn’t even enter the grounds, we just walked around and snapped a few pictures. As we headed back to the train station, I thought about how I wish we had had more time in Japan. I most certainly could have used an extra day in both Tokyo and Kyoto, at the very least, and I never even got to see numerous other, supposedly terrific, cities such as Nara and Osaka.

Once we got to Kobe, we set out in search of a Kobe steak. The hotel manager in Kyoto recommended a restaurant in a mall right near the Kobe train station, so Nick and I ventured there. Upon exiting the train station, I was struck by Kobe’s beautiful architecture. In particular, there were two brilliant, blue skyscrapers which reflected the clouds in the sky. The restaurant proved a bit difficult to find, tough, as we had to pass though one mall to get to the mall we wanted. It was an incredible mall, though, perhaps the prettiest I have ever seen. It had a huge, glass roof, beautiful sloping escalators, and even a small pond. All inside.

Once we found the restaurant, though, which took a bit of searching, I learned it would take at least 11000 YEN for a big Kobe steak. And I didn’t want to pay 4000 YEN for a little dinker. So we decided to eat elsewhere, eventually settling on a buffet for a little over 2000 YEN each. It was a great choice. Unlimited sushi, dumplings, fresh crab, and even pizza. Not to mention dessert, which included ice cream, a selection of cakes, and a chocolate fountain. And to top it off, the restaurant overlooked the water. It was a wonderful, relaxing way to top off a hectic, amazing trip.

And as the cherry on top, when we returned to the ship there was a souvenir stand. They had super tacky Japanese headbands. My motto has always been that if you can’t find authentic, go as tacky as possible. So I grabbed a couple headbands, and can now check Japan off my list of places to get headgear.

Reactions to Japanese Culture

First and foremost, Japanese culture is very, very conservative. It is tradition-based and strictly rule-driven. There is a significant emphasis placed on appearances and honor. Jake, our resident expert on Japan, explained that if you lose your job and/or fail to succeed in Japanese society, you are disgraced. You lose face and are viewed as a failure. Jake told us that the Japanese have a very black and white way of looking at the world. There are good guys and bad guys. Good guys succeed and bad guys fail. Good guys follow the rules and bad guys do not. This was probably best illustrated by the train rides we took with reserved seating. Strangers would sit next to each other on an otherwise empty train. That’s simply where they were told to sit.

As part of following the rules, people are told to conform. I don’t mean to sound racist, but I see why there is the stereotype that all Asians look the same. It is not true by any means, but it certainly seems that way if you are only seeing people in passing. During a span of five minutes in a subway station, you will see 10 middle-aged men of the same build, with the same hairstyle, wearing the same kind of suit, and carrying the same kind of briefcase. It’s surreal. I would say around 85% of adults dressed in black. The conformity extends to technology, as virtually everyone even has the exact same cell phone model.

Earlier, I mentioned what an experience it is to ride a Japanese subway. In my mind, subways are the quintessential example of how isolated the culture is in Japan. It is not just that the passengers are extremely quiet (usually even silent). It is the fact that nearly every passenger is buried in a cell phone, iPod, book, or newspaper. At Miraikan, one of the new technology blurbs spoke of glasses which played “private videos” directly into the eyes of the viewer. The blurb compared this “video player for your eyes” to “a music player for your ears.”

I feel like Jake put it best when he described life in Japan as a somewhat “robotic lifestyle.” You wake up, you work very hard for incredibly long hours, and then you go to sleep. People are identified by their job and their social status, not their personality. One’s social circle typically consists of family and a couple friends from work. I told Jake that I’m very outgoing and enjoy striking up conversation with strangers on public transportation. “People don’t really do that here,” Jake informed me.

The strict rules, the societal pressure, and the social isolation cannot, in any way, be good for the psyche. The world is not black and white. People are not simply good or bad. People are not meant to be constrained to such strict rules. Humans are social creatures; people should not be so socially isolated. Although it is not readily apparent, I believe many of the people are not happy. That is why, despite the high standard of living, the suicide rate is sky-high in Japan. Many people simply cannot handle the pressure.

Despite the isolated culture, people are incredibly nice and helpful, as also previously mentioned. Every single person whom we asked for directions made a sincere effort to help us. Several people made phone calls to get directions for us. Numerous others walked us to our destination to ensure we didn’t get lost.

The two most notable interactions were with the gentleman who helped us find Miraikan and the teens who helped us in Sendai As previously noted, we asked the gentleman who eventually helped us if he knew the location of the museum. He did not know, so we started walking to the nearest subway station. He then tracked us down, called the museum, took down a complicated route, and even walked us to the correct subway station. To make it all even more absurdly friendly, the subway station was simply five blocks straight ahead. But he insisted on walking us there.

When we asked the teens for help in Sendai, they walked us to the nearest Manga Café. But instead of simply dropping us off there, they accompanied us inside and helped us get sleeping quarters, ensuring we were aware of the price and time regulations.

Clearly, though there are the obvious aforementioned negatives, the tradition-based culture also has many positive aspects. Because so much stress is placed on appearances and politeness, Japanese are incredibly helpful to strangers. Jake said that assisting someone who asks for help is viewed as a sense of duty in Japan. Certainly, the world would be a much better place if more cultures adopted that attitude.

Though the people were very polite and helpful when approached, they were also surprisingly apprehensive toward foreigners/whites. During one train ride, I sat in an aisle seat of a three-seat row. A Japanese man sat in the window seat. Eventually he reached his stop, leaving me sitting in the aisle of an otherwise empty row. It was a non-reserved car, so people could sit where they pleased. Each time the train stopped, I sat up and drew in my legs, indicating that people were welcome to join my row. Even when the car became fairly full, people avoided sitting in my row. Many people chose to sit in middle seats, make a three-seat row full, rather than sit in the window seat of my row. A while passed before a young man sat in my row. I’m not sure if he joined because he was young and less apprehensive or if it was due to the fullness of the train car.

Another striking aspect of Japanese culture is its incredible efficiency. But although efficiency is typically thought of as exclusively positive, in this case it is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is magnificent. Japan’s infrastructure is supremely well-conceived. The public transportation goes all over the country and can accommodate millions of people. The people themselves lead their lives far more efficiently than Americans. They use public transportation, they consume less, and they waste less.

But on the other hand, it is this efficiency which creates the stifling culture. Personal interaction is eliminated and replaced with automation whenever possible (this fits in with the isolated culture). At many restaurants, even, patrons purchased food on a machine. It honestly seems quite feasible to me that one could go a few days in Japan without a single meaningful interaction.

In fact, my insight on efficiency made me think back to an article I read in sociology last year. The article discussed the “McDonaldization” of American society, meaning American society has been making a transition to efficiency best illustrated by the business model of McDonald’s. McDonald’s boasts one of the most efficient business models in America. Every process that can be automated has been automated. Millions have been spent learning how to microwave its products to the perfect millisecond. Even the employees have been mechanized, as cashiers and drive-thru workers are forced to read from a script. The author’s point was that as society becomes more efficient, people will become more mechanized. As a result, their freedom and creativity will be stifled. This phenomenon can be seen in Japan, as the more efficient society has a more mechanized citizenry.

When I raised this point to Jake, he emphatically agreed. He added: “Ever notice how Japan rarely creates anything novel? Their specialty is to take a novel idea and to make it more efficient; to perfect it.” Jake’s point seems true to me. Japan didn’t invent the car or computer, but some of the world’s finest car companies (Honda and Toyota) and computer companies (Toshiba) are Japanese.

Switching gears (since we just talked about cars, get it?? Goddamn I’m hysterical), one thing Japan prides itself on itself on is its cleanliness. For good reason. I rarely saw garbage on trains, and never saw it on the streets. The whole country was seemingly sterile. So it made absolutely zero sense to me that many bathrooms had no soap. Seriously. A country takes pride in being exceptionally sanitary, yet if someone takes a shit in a public toilet they have about a 20% chance of finding soap.

Earlier I promised I would discuss Japanese fashion, so I’ll do it here. It is fashionable for men to be what Americans would consider “feminized.” The ideal body type for males is to be very lean, to have long, styled hair with plenty of body, and to dress in tight clothing. It seems odd, because popular Japanese culture is Americanized in so many ways. Though American fashion has feminized men to some degree (with regard to hairless bodies. Effin’-ay), it has also masculinized them in other aspects (more muscular bodies).

One thing I absolutely love about youth culture in Japan, though, is that it rebels against many of the stifling aspects of present culture. Adults dress conservatively, mostly in black. Youth fashion is all about color, flair, and individuality. In Sapporo, while it was snowing and in the 20s, young women walked around in skirts. The youth are rebelling against the pressure to conform to a mechanistic lifestyle. They go out in large groups, stay out late, and value what is different, rather than what is the same. And if our interaction with the group of teenagers is any indication, they have retained the friendly and helpful aspects of the culture. It’s inspiring to see, I hope the youth movement has a serious impact on Japanese culture.

The final thing that I told you, dear internet friends, that I would get to is how the Japanese seemed to love Americans. Yes, they are apprehensive toward white people in general, but if you strike up a conversation and prove you are friendly, they are always very excited to meet Americans.

While we were leaving Kyoto, Nick raised a very interesting point. He simply asked “how could we be at war with these people?” The Japanese are so polite, courteous, timid, and reserved, particularly toward Americans. And, as I just mentioned, they seemed to genuinely like Americans. We dropped two Atomic bombs on largely civilian populations a mere 65 years ago. Yet they seem to like us. So how on earth could the country have been so rabidly nationalistic? Imperialistic? Or become Kamikaze bombers with an attitude of never surrender?

Nick and I could think of three possible explanations (therefore readers should regard the remainder of my writing as hypothetical). The first is that the War greatly transformed the people of Japan. In such a scenario, losing World War II greatly humbled the country. Previously, Japan had a snobby, holier-than-thou attitude with regard to foreigners. But losing the War changed that attitude. And America’s influence in Japan’s rebuilding process probably also aided in that change.

The second is that wartime transformed the people. In such a scenario, Japanese culture has always dictated its citizens be polite and reserved toward foreigners. But world events and government propaganda transformed the people into militant nationalists willing to die for their country.

The third is that there is a lot going on under the surface. Though everyone seems very friendly yet shy toward foreigners, appearances may not be what they seem. Perhaps the Japanese have a strong, yet secret dislike of foreigners.

Personally, I believe it is likely a mixture of the first two. While the war likely humbled the country, tradition dictates reverence toward the government. During WWII, Japan had a military dictatorship. So the reverence toward the government was even more intense. Thus, the citizens responded dramatically to wartime propaganda. Combine the propaganda with an egocentric world view, and you’ve got yourself some rabid nationalists who believed owning every piece of the world’s land was their right.