Unfortunately, today was a lot less eventful than yesterday. This morning I slept in quite late...had lunch...and then met up with my friend to go see a movie (I know, not very "touristy," but you have to remember I'm going to be here for two whole months").
We saw the Spiderman 3 movie and then met up with a set of other friends (from canada) for a dim sum meal. After dinner we went played some cards and then went back out to a club called Mix.
Like I said, today was pretty uneventful. Tomorrow we're planning on going to the Silk Market which is a very popular flea market.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Day Four
This morning I woke up around 6am and headed out to Narita airport. I boarded my plane on time and flew to Beijing. Not too eventful besides the new friend from London that I made (Ashvin). We talked almost the entire three hours of the flight and we could've probably talked for another three.
When I got to Beijing it took about 45 minutes to get through customs. Once I had my luggage I booked a cab to get to my hotel. Unfortunately, there is a lot of construction going on so a 20 minute cab ride turned into a two hour cab ride.
As soon as I got to my hotel I got situated and ran down the street to Wu Mart, (the equivalent to Walmart). I bought some toiletries and then got ready to meet up with my friend Luting. Luting showed up around 6pm and we met up with some other friends to go to a Beijing Duck dinner. Dinner was excellent.
After dinner we went to a club called Babyface. It was an "experience," to say the least. It's now 4am (Beijing time), and I'm going to catch up on some much needed sleep.
When I got to Beijing it took about 45 minutes to get through customs. Once I had my luggage I booked a cab to get to my hotel. Unfortunately, there is a lot of construction going on so a 20 minute cab ride turned into a two hour cab ride.
As soon as I got to my hotel I got situated and ran down the street to Wu Mart, (the equivalent to Walmart). I bought some toiletries and then got ready to meet up with my friend Luting. Luting showed up around 6pm and we met up with some other friends to go to a Beijing Duck dinner. Dinner was excellent.
After dinner we went to a club called Babyface. It was an "experience," to say the least. It's now 4am (Beijing time), and I'm going to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Day Three
Yesterday was so much fun I ended up crashing into bed around 10pm, right after dinner at my new favorite ramen house. I woke up this morning a little before seven and got to getting ready. Once again, I did the AM/PM breakfast and jumped on the train to start my last full day of adventuring throughout Tokyo.
First stop was Hama Rikyu Gardens which are situated right on the bay of Tokyo. The gardens used to serve as a hunting ground to Japanese shoguns. All in all, there wasn't a whole lot to see.
So after a quick tour I ran next door to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. The Tsukiji Fish Market is known for its chaotic cargo, vehicle, and people traffic. It was suggested to me that I try the sushi. Despite the hour, 10am, I couldn't pass the opportunity. I ended up shelling out 20 clams, or 2,000 yen, for a preordained sushi meal. The waitress didn't give me any chopsticks so I used a toothpick to stab at my raw fish...unsuccessful. She then demonstrated that I needed to use my fingers...great. The first piece I ate was squid, the same kind and texture as the squid I'd used as bate the last time I went to go deep sea fishing. Needless to say the experience was an "experience." Toward the end of my meal I met a Japanese woman who had family in Tucson (for my reference).
After my sushi breakfast, I walked around the port districts, specifically the Ginza District. The Ginza district is home to a plethora of upscale restaurants, stores, and clubs. It's supposedly the equivalent to New York's Fifth Avenue. On my way out of the district I browsed at the newest Sony technology at the Sony Building.
Next stop was Ueno. I knew there wasn't much in Ueno except for it's Ameyoko market, filled with small markets and endless amounts of worthless poo, but I wanted to buy some souvenirs for the family (skip this section if you don't care about what I bought). I bought brando and me ties with matching handerchiefs (pimp white with cool shadow designs on them). I also bought Evie a stylish Hello Kittie shirt. I walked around another 15-20 minutes and stopped off at the Hard Rock Cafe Ueno before I left.
My next and last visit of the day was to the Asakusa Kannon Temple. The temple was built in the early 7th century and has been brought down by a multitude of earthquakes, bombs, and fires. Now restored, it consists of the temple, its imaculate entry gate, and an endless row of small shops called Nakamise-Dori. I finished off my souvenir shopping here (again skip next section).
Evie this applies to you cause the package I sent has a shitload of gifts in it. Here's the list of gifts and who gets what.
Mom- Book bag and yellow glasses case
Dad- Sandals (cause I'm sure he didn't want anything,and they're cool there are two pairs one for brandon or me and one for dad)
Brandon- One of the pimp ties (whichever one he wants)
You- The hello kittie shirt and that's it (hello kittie shit is expensive here)
Me- Whatever's left (make sure you find the braclet, it has a small pinhole on the large bead, put it up to light and you'll see a small image through it).
After my field day of gift buying I mailed out everything so I don't have to drag it around for the next two months. I was completely exhausted by the end of the day...again, and took the trains back to my hotel at Chidoricho. It's raining like nobody's business and I've never felt so close to lightning. I swear I saw a little japanese man get zapped down the street...(just kidding). Love you guys, tomorrow I leave for Beijing, I'm meeting up with my friend Luting Lei and she's going to be my tourguide until the rest of USC arrive.
First stop was Hama Rikyu Gardens which are situated right on the bay of Tokyo. The gardens used to serve as a hunting ground to Japanese shoguns. All in all, there wasn't a whole lot to see.
So after a quick tour I ran next door to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. The Tsukiji Fish Market is known for its chaotic cargo, vehicle, and people traffic. It was suggested to me that I try the sushi. Despite the hour, 10am, I couldn't pass the opportunity. I ended up shelling out 20 clams, or 2,000 yen, for a preordained sushi meal. The waitress didn't give me any chopsticks so I used a toothpick to stab at my raw fish...unsuccessful. She then demonstrated that I needed to use my fingers...great. The first piece I ate was squid, the same kind and texture as the squid I'd used as bate the last time I went to go deep sea fishing. Needless to say the experience was an "experience." Toward the end of my meal I met a Japanese woman who had family in Tucson (for my reference).
After my sushi breakfast, I walked around the port districts, specifically the Ginza District. The Ginza district is home to a plethora of upscale restaurants, stores, and clubs. It's supposedly the equivalent to New York's Fifth Avenue. On my way out of the district I browsed at the newest Sony technology at the Sony Building.
Next stop was Ueno. I knew there wasn't much in Ueno except for it's Ameyoko market, filled with small markets and endless amounts of worthless poo, but I wanted to buy some souvenirs for the family (skip this section if you don't care about what I bought). I bought brando and me ties with matching handerchiefs (pimp white with cool shadow designs on them). I also bought Evie a stylish Hello Kittie shirt. I walked around another 15-20 minutes and stopped off at the Hard Rock Cafe Ueno before I left.
My next and last visit of the day was to the Asakusa Kannon Temple. The temple was built in the early 7th century and has been brought down by a multitude of earthquakes, bombs, and fires. Now restored, it consists of the temple, its imaculate entry gate, and an endless row of small shops called Nakamise-Dori. I finished off my souvenir shopping here (again skip next section).
Evie this applies to you cause the package I sent has a shitload of gifts in it. Here's the list of gifts and who gets what.
Mom- Book bag and yellow glasses case
Dad- Sandals (cause I'm sure he didn't want anything,and they're cool there are two pairs one for brandon or me and one for dad)
Brandon- One of the pimp ties (whichever one he wants)
You- The hello kittie shirt and that's it (hello kittie shit is expensive here)
Me- Whatever's left (make sure you find the braclet, it has a small pinhole on the large bead, put it up to light and you'll see a small image through it).
After my field day of gift buying I mailed out everything so I don't have to drag it around for the next two months. I was completely exhausted by the end of the day...again, and took the trains back to my hotel at Chidoricho. It's raining like nobody's business and I've never felt so close to lightning. I swear I saw a little japanese man get zapped down the street...(just kidding). Love you guys, tomorrow I leave for Beijing, I'm meeting up with my friend Luting Lei and she's going to be my tourguide until the rest of USC arrive.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Day Two
It was a lot easier getting up this morning than I thought it would be. I ended up getting out of bed around 7am and drank some tea, (our hotel supplies hot tea, robes and slippers free of charge), before I showered and planned my day's itinerary. As I headed to the train station I got breakfast at a local AM/PM convenient store, lol!
Next I jumped on the Tokyu Ikigawi Line and made my way to inner city tokyo. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do once I got there but my Tokyo guidebook gave me a few ideas. I ended up walking to the Imperial Palace Gardens from the Tokyo rail station. The gardens are adjacent to the "actual" Imperial Palace and are surrounded by a hundred foot wall and moat. The gardens were beautifil, filled with indeginous flowers and trees, as well as creeks and fish ponds. After visiting the gardens I walked around for a good hour just getting a sense of direction and soaking in the atmosphere. As I did this I came across the Tokyo Theatre House and the Japanese Supreme Court.
Around 11:30am I jumped on another train to go to Shibuya, known for it's abundance of shops and restaurants. It was in Shibuya that it started raining. I didn't buy anything, but I did develop a new respect for the Japanese culture. I window shopped and took some cool pictures of all the buildings and street shops. I also grabbed a little lunch before heading up to Harajuku, aka Fashion District. Harajuku is know for it's Takeshita St. where there a lot of small clothing stores, each unique its own way. Unfortunately, because it was raining there weren't that many people out. Supposedly, Harajuku is usually filled with outrageously dressed teenagers. I only saw a handful.
After leaving Harajuku I headed up north to Shinjuku, the district known for its numerous skyscrapers. The rain put a damper on the visit but I was still able to see most of the district and buildings. The district even has its own little Times Square with elegant shops and restaurants. By the time I left Shinjuku, I was exhausted so I just came straight back to the hotel...but not before getting lost for the first time!
The train system here is pretty easy to get around on after your first couple trips. Unfortunately I was a little careless and didn't notice that the sign for the train line was opposite to the electronic display beneath it. Anyways, it didn't take me too far out of the way but I'm pretty exhausted again. I'll probably go get some dinner now and read a little tonight. Tomorrow I plan on going to the Technology district and the infamous Tokyo fish market.
Next I jumped on the Tokyu Ikigawi Line and made my way to inner city tokyo. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do once I got there but my Tokyo guidebook gave me a few ideas. I ended up walking to the Imperial Palace Gardens from the Tokyo rail station. The gardens are adjacent to the "actual" Imperial Palace and are surrounded by a hundred foot wall and moat. The gardens were beautifil, filled with indeginous flowers and trees, as well as creeks and fish ponds. After visiting the gardens I walked around for a good hour just getting a sense of direction and soaking in the atmosphere. As I did this I came across the Tokyo Theatre House and the Japanese Supreme Court.
Around 11:30am I jumped on another train to go to Shibuya, known for it's abundance of shops and restaurants. It was in Shibuya that it started raining. I didn't buy anything, but I did develop a new respect for the Japanese culture. I window shopped and took some cool pictures of all the buildings and street shops. I also grabbed a little lunch before heading up to Harajuku, aka Fashion District. Harajuku is know for it's Takeshita St. where there a lot of small clothing stores, each unique its own way. Unfortunately, because it was raining there weren't that many people out. Supposedly, Harajuku is usually filled with outrageously dressed teenagers. I only saw a handful.
After leaving Harajuku I headed up north to Shinjuku, the district known for its numerous skyscrapers. The rain put a damper on the visit but I was still able to see most of the district and buildings. The district even has its own little Times Square with elegant shops and restaurants. By the time I left Shinjuku, I was exhausted so I just came straight back to the hotel...but not before getting lost for the first time!
The train system here is pretty easy to get around on after your first couple trips. Unfortunately I was a little careless and didn't notice that the sign for the train line was opposite to the electronic display beneath it. Anyways, it didn't take me too far out of the way but I'm pretty exhausted again. I'll probably go get some dinner now and read a little tonight. Tomorrow I plan on going to the Technology district and the infamous Tokyo fish market.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Day One
I couldn't sleep last night． I don't know if it was the Fresno heat keeping me up or my anxiety．This morning my mom and sister drove down with me to Los Angeles to see me off．As soon as I sat at my gate I made quick friends with a Japanese student from UNLV, We talked for awhile before the flight and exchanged contact information after we grabbed our luggage. As soon as I had my belonging I jumped on the train for an interesting navigating adventure.
The countryside between the Narita airport and Tokyo was beautiful. Rice patties and sparses of forest filled the space between community developments. I finally found my hostel, (Ryokan Kangetsu), after a good hour of travels and laid down with a hot cup of tea. The economic and cultural differences here are amazing. After I settled in I went out to grab some food. The district I'm in is very quiet compared to the inner city but the restaurants still stay open late. During dinner I met an Australian man named Ian and we discussed our travels for a good hour. I now plan on catching up on some sleep so that I can have a good day tomorrow. Night!
The countryside between the Narita airport and Tokyo was beautiful. Rice patties and sparses of forest filled the space between community developments. I finally found my hostel, (Ryokan Kangetsu), after a good hour of travels and laid down with a hot cup of tea. The economic and cultural differences here are amazing. After I settled in I went out to grab some food. The district I'm in is very quiet compared to the inner city but the restaurants still stay open late. During dinner I met an Australian man named Ian and we discussed our travels for a good hour. I now plan on catching up on some sleep so that I can have a good day tomorrow. Night!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Entry Log
So it's just past midnight and officially "Day One" of my Crazy Asian Summer. I'm a little anxious but mostly just excited for my travels. My flight leaves from Los Angeles and I'll be in Tokyo by tomorrow afternoon. Please feel free to comment on the blog. Also, if you have any questions on how blogs work leave your email and I may be able to answer a couple of them. Love you guys!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
