Lost in Translation

My brother came to visit Japan!!
Dani and I left after class on Thursday to catch the Shinkansen (bullet train) up to Tokyo! It took three hours and we danced to the noises coming from my ipod. We arrived nearing the last train of the day, so we split up and I hopped on a train to take me to meet my brother at our hostel in the area of Asakusa. We were planning on having him meet me at the train station, but we ended up at different stations with the same name. Thus, I arrive at midnight with a large and heavy backpack and had to find our hostel alone in the cold. After an hour and ten minutes, five 7/11's, one hotel, and a lot of turns down random small streets (Japan doesn't believe in street names) I finally was brought out through the back door of a Family Mart (eek!) and the worker pointed down the street and there was the pink sign of the hostel! I was so thankful I wasn't sleeping on the street that night.

Our first day we spent in Ueno Park. We saw Hell's Gate, which is featured in many anime, a giant whale, and spoke to a homeless man about American politics. We then walked through Senso-ji Temple and enjoyed the night lights. This was the main area I was lost in the previous night and so I knew the buildings quite well. However, it was very safe even at midnight and I never was worried about stranger's approaching me.

On Sunday we went to the Ginza district and looked around one of the busiest intersection in the world. Very cool to see that many people crossing the street! On this day we saw Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo International Forum with it's beautiful glass building, and the Imperial Palace Gardens. We aren't allowed inside the Palace because the Imperial family still lives there, but the walk was very peaceful with giant skyscrapers all around. I never noticed until John David mentioned it to me, but Japan is very quiet considering it's one huge city on an island. Cars don't honk, people don't yell (except for the foreigners), and everybody is very respectful. On Sunday, we also visited Akihabara, the electronics district, where we saw the latest computers and lots of bright signs.

Sunday we went to West Shinjuku and looked around the skyscrapers and downtown business area. We also went to the Meiji Shrine and later the Harajuku District. Harajuku is known for the Japanese crazy fashions and I was hoping for some really good pictures of the gothic lolita look. It ended up being a constant traffic jam, but I did get to see a couple Harajuku girls. We also went to Shibuya and saw the Statue of Hachiko. The statue is based off a true, but sad story about a loyal dog who waited for his master at the train station for more than a decade after his death at work.

Monday, might have been my favorite day, as well as my brothers. We went to an island via monorail that had a great view of Tokyo. I wanted to go to the Toyota factory, but it was closed so we headed over to the National Museum of Science and Industry. We saw the famous robot that moves like a human does and he showed off all his talents in front of the crowd. The museum was very informative, and even a little above my head, but I enjoyed how hands-on it was and seeing 'Japanese' technologies. We then met Dani and got back on the Shinkansen to Osaka!

A very fulfilling and busy four day weekend!