Meiji Shrine

The first Monday that Jody and I were here was Coming of Age Day, a national holiday here in Japan. With excitement that he already had a day off, we decided to visit the Meiji Shrine, a beautiful complex that sits in a 175-acre forest in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Visiting on that Monday was a great experience, as what seemed liked thousands of Japanese citizens - many of whom were celebrating their entrance to adulthood, had descended upon the shrine. It was so delightful to see all of the young adults dressed in their finest tradiational clothing with the excitement of entering adulthood in their eyes.

Although that Monday was a great, once in a lifetime experience for both of us, I decided to return on my own last week to take it all in with a slower pace.

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The frenzy of my first visit seemed a world away to the quiet afternoon I spent visiting by myself...

{the torii gate at the entrance}

{the entryway to the main grounds}

I was drawn to the tree that was surrounded by Ema - votive tablets visitors write their prayers and wishes on to offer up to the deities of the Meiji Shrine.



Beautiful, isn't it?

A Day in the Woods

On Saturday, Jody and I took a short one hour train ride to hike the 599 meter Mt. Takao. It was a beautiful day with temperatures reaching nearly 50 degrees, so we opted to take the Inari-yama trail to reach the summit.

After taking in the views from the top, we wandered down to the Shinto Shrine to walk around and soak in all the sights. Although we're not always sure what we are looking at, we always seem to gaze in amazement.

With tired muscles and stimulated senses, we caught the late evening train back to Tokyo and filled up on our newest obsession - Ramen. Truly a Japanese staple, Ramen Noodle Soup is so very different than what stocks the pantries of so many college students across the States. We were so tired and hungry, we didn't think to take a picture, so for now read about Brian MacDuckston's obsession here, and I promise to provide my own take on yummy Ramen soon.

{atop the summit}

{the trail}

{the Shrine}

{red expels illness & demons in Shintoism}

Just buzz me in.

I am going to try to paint a picture.
*I apologize for the length of this post, and keep in mind all buttons are labeled in Kanji*

Sunday's weather was beautiful - sunny and brisk... and by late morning it had warmed up plenty for Jody to go for a run. He likes to travel light and only has a small pocket on his running jacket, where he keeps his ipod. As our building has access control and anyone coming in needs a key or has to be "buzzed" up, I suggested we try the latter out. That way, he could run without the jingle of his keys in his pocket.

Fast forward 45 minutes. I heard this chime going off and realized Jody must be downstairs. I ran over to the control panel pictured above and saw his face in that small screen. Now in my mind, I think - "okay, the property manager showed us how to use this...I just need to press the button with the key above it and the doors will unlock."

So that's what I did, but the doors didn't unlock. I couldn't figure out which button to press to actually talk to him and the doors weren't unlocking and I could see him growing frustrated in that little screen so I...

Pressed every button.

Nothing.

So I pressed every button again, including the one that is separate from all the others - pictured below.

Big mistake. Big. Huge.


The alarm for the whole building sounded and I started sweating (that's what I do when I get nervous). I ran out our front door - in my bathrobe and slippers no less - grabbed the elevator and rushed to let Jody in the building.
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Although I really wanted to, I couldn't pretend I didn't press that button. Thankfully, Jody is calm and logical - always.
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As I called the property manager and left a frantic message, Jody had to run back downstairs. The server from the restaurant on the first floor was buzzing up to us, presumably asking if there was a fire and if he needed to rush the early lunch crowd out.

While the alarm was still sounding, I grabbed my phrasebook and we knocked on our neighbor's door. He was so helpful and over he came to silence the sound.

Unfortunately, silencing the alarm doesn't mean canceling the automatic call that had been placed to the police station and soon, a policeman was knocking on our door. Thank goodness Jody's portrayal of the alarm sound and the phrase "No Problem" were understood by Mr. Officer.
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Lesson learned: it happens, laugh when you can. And, of course, don't press that button.

Day of Royalty

{striking Imperial Grounds}

We had tentatively planned for a day trip to Nikko, but with gray skies and the sniffles, we opted for staying local to visit the Imperial Palace and the surrounding area here in Tokyo. Excluding the East Gardens, the grounds of the Palace are off limits to common folk outside of December 23rd and January 2nd. Although I'm sure it would be a great adventure to visit the Palace on one of those days and be part of the madness that surely ensues, our trip there was enjoyable just the same.

I had already noticed the abundance of flowers that continue to bloom even with the cold temperatures in Tokyo, but walking around the gardens I became even more aware of their presence.

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Knowing how frigid and snowy it has been at home, I feel kind of guilty talking about flowers in bloom in January, but hopefully the pictures below will add a little brightness to your day.

{on our walk to the Imperial Palace}

{citrus tree}

{the door leading to the Gardens}

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I can't wait to do it all again with the cherry blossoms at their peak in a couple of months!

Neighborhood

For me, I really start to feel at home when I begin to sense a true neighborhood - by finding the grocery store, recognizing familiar faces, knowing exactly how to get where I'm going everytime I leave the house.

As of today, I know where three different grocery stores are, I have seen the same dog (and I assume same human) three times, and I haven't gotten lost in 2 days.

Here are some pictures of where Jody and I are calling home...in Tokyo.

{our building - we're on the 10th floor}

{our living room/kitchen}

{our view}

{the main shopping street - complete with grocery & dollar store!}

Sumo Day

Sumo (def.; wikipedia): a competitive full contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of their feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally.

Our first weekend in Tokyo just happened to coincide with the first Sumo tournament of the year, held at Ryogoku Kokugikan Staduim, a short train ride from our home. Arriving early to secure our tickets, we had half a day to burn in the Sumida-ku area.

Wandering along the Sumida River we found a flea market and the Asakusa Temple. While soaking up the culture we enjoyed the tasty sweet treats crafted with love (sesame doughnut - yum!)before we ventured west. Because it felt right, we continued our wanderings and happened upon the Monument in Memory of the Victims of the Tokyo Air Raids (WWII), which really deserves it's own entry.

One of the most thrilling things about discovering an ancient yet modern city is finding all of the juxtapositions. A hectic flea market at the entry of a temple, a WWII Memorial just steps away from a shopping center, Sumo wrestlers rubbing elbows with an American girl.

I love Tokyo.





{I wish you could hear the drum coming from this tower welcoming the crowd}

{A (large) handful of the wrestlers}

{Me purifying at the temple entry}



{Asakusa Temple}

Tokyo: Days 3 - 5

Day 3 -We woke early due to continued jetlag, and once again enjoyed a leisurly breakfast and morning at the hotel. We arrived at our new apartment about half past nine to meet the landlord and were introduced to our cute little (450 SF!) space...with amazing views.

Unfortuantely, the Japanese idea of a "fully furnished corporate apartment" is not quite what we expected. There were no dishes, sheets, towels, kitchenware etc.... Fortunately, there is a button in the living room that fills the bathtub with perfectly heated water, the toilet has a bidet and heated seat, and there is a whole room that is dedicated to a shower. It's a small room, but still...

So, my late morning task seemed simple enough - buy sheets and towels, just the bare necessities until the weekend, and so I was off - it couldn't be that hard, right? By the time four hours had passed and I returned home, I had a flat sheet but not a fitted, two towels and a blanket that turned out to be something entirely different. I am still not sure what exactly it was. Without a TJ Maxx or a Target and a car, my day involved navigating the subway system (see below) and a lot of laughing at myself. Those little gueidebooks don't tell you where to buy housewares, naturally.



Day 4 - See day 3. Also, I learned that there's an IKEA walking distance from a stop on the Keyio line.

Day 5 - Pal up with Jody and ride 2 different trains to reach the Keyio line...get off at the IKEA stop successfully and meander through the mouse maze of all that is needed for our new pad. Of course we had to bring all of our purchases back to the apartment via the subway. Although it was a necessity, we're quite grateful we won't have to do it again.


Now I am staring at the beautifully made bed with a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and a warm comforter, savoring fantastic sushi and planning for the day tomorrow.

Sumo Wrestling Tournament? I think so.

We Are Here!

After a full day of airports and planes, we arrived in Japan's Narita airport at 3pm Tokyo time on January 4th. Being 14 hours ahead of our (U.S.) East Coast internal clocks, we caught some much needed zzzz's on the 90 minute bus ride into the big city, to be dropped at a hotel on the bus route. From there, we caught a cab to our new apartment just a few minutes away. Let's call it miscommunication, or to look on the positive side of things, comical - but unfortunately, no one was there to meet us. With our trusty little phrase book (thanks Kelly!) we were able to flag another cab and request to be taken to the closest hotel - not cheap, but nothing too fancy either. Mr. Taxi-Cab driver took us to the beautiful Prince hotel in Shinagawa - that's our view above. Holy Big City Living!!!

As we rose this morning expecting to move over to our new apartment, a bit of disappointment set in when Jody received an email saying that the land owner had taken a holiday today so we would have to hotel it one more night. A bit frustrating for us, but I appreciate that someone is taking a day off in the middle of the week - no shame or blame in that.

After a brief and brisk walk around a few blocks of Shinagawa and a lovely hotel breakfast (with about 50 teen-aged Japanese Volleyball players), Jody was off to work. After a bit of an "Oh my goodness, this is really happening..." moment and a nap, I am feeling less jetlagged by the minute and learning more by the minute as well. I just managed to tell housekeeping not to worry about changing the sheets with hand signals and also to say "Goshinsetsu o makoto ni arigato," or "Thank you very much for your kindness."

Now I am off to discover a few more blocks of this beautiful city on my own...