旅程! Itinerary!

With 14 days before I leave for Japan, I decided to put together an itinerary because I know how easy it is to get distracted in Tokyo. I've got work and then activities I consider to be "blog fodder" like pachinko, usagi to cafe, etc. It's not set in stone because that's not how I like to travel so I don't have it planned to the hour or minute. I know something completely unexpected and awesome could be lying in wait around any corner. But, I also realize that if I linger somewhere or get too distracted, I'll miss out on the other activities.

I've set aside days for shopping (work) and days for sightseeing. There are places I want to revisit (Asakusa, the Origami Kaikan) and places I missed out on last time (Imperial East Gardens, Kamakura). The itinerary can be found here, and it includes my flights and (humble) hotel info. Suggestions? Comments?

秋葉原! Akihabara!

Ah, "electric town", though Akihabara literally means "field of autumn leaves". But as most of you know, it's where to find electronics, video games, anime and other otaku goods - and of course, Maid Cafes. I just happened to find a flier from just such a cafe called MaiDreamin I got while in Akihabara on my last trip there and the video below at the same time.




Above is a video starring Kirsten Dunst singing a cover to the Vapors' "Turning Japanese". The video includes footage of Dunst dancing through the streets of the Akihabara district in Tokyo dressed as a colorful princess. It was done for the "Pop Life: Art in a Material World" exhibition featuring Takashi Murakami who is famous for his "superflat" style of paintings.

一円九！109!

Ah, the iconic 109 (ichi-maru-kyuu) building in Shibuya, mecca of the ギャル (gyaru or "gal") culture in Tokyo. This was one of the top items on my list of things to see while in Tokyo, but due to my traveling schedule, it had to wait 9 days into my trip. I wanted to devote as much time as possible to Shibuya and all its wonder. At 109, you'll find an ecclectic array of clothing, accessory and shoe stores along with cafes and nail salons.

Some of you might not be totally unfamiliar with 109. If you played "The World Ends With You" for the DS. You might recognize it as the "104" building in the game. And yes, the game is laid out almost exactly like the real Shibuya - building fascades and all. I was pleasantly surprised and able to (sadly) navigate my way through all the streets without any problems because of it.

I stood at the entrance for a moment to let the fact that I was standing at the portal of all things cute and trendy sink in. Once inside, we decided to go to the B2 floor and work our way all the way to the top. It's 10 floors consisting of about 12 stores apiece - a daunting task I was more than willing to take on. A complete list of stores can be found here.

I can't do much in the way of purchasing clothing for myself because Japanese sizes are a lot like binary: 0's and 1's only. But I did manage to find a lot of cute accessories at very reasonable prices.

Only 20 more days until I can go back and I promise to do a very thorough sweep of each floor grabbing as many photos and notes as I can for those interested in going.

おりがみ！Origami!

With less than month to go before I leave for Tokyo, I'm trying to pick topics that I know I will revisit more specifically once I am there. Today is origami! It's certainly not all that unfamiliar or quirky, but it is certainly uniquely Japanese especially since it seamlessly blends the old and the new. For example, there exists Hello Kitty paper and origami Pikachu patterns. (I wonder if folding a thousand cranes out of Pokemon paper will tear a rift in the space-time continuum?)

I enjoy the art of origami because it is so versatile. (Good quality) paper can be very forgiving and easy to work with. Also, the limited use of glue and scissors does not violate any sacred origami code and isn't considered "cheating". Origami is also not limited to paper, as you can see above.

I made this project with a kit I purchased from the Origami Kaikan in Tokyo. Earlier during my trip, I asked if there was anything like a craft store nearby and one of the tour guides modestly said there's an origami store right around the corner from our hotel. "Store" was quite an understatement. It turned out to be a "cultural treasure" established in 1859 and was originally a store for dyeing and manufacturing "washi" papers.

So, not only was it the most amazing store with everything I had been searching for (in terms of origami supplies) but also impressive galleries, classrooms and workshops. The shopkeepers were incredibly nice and thrilled that there were westerners who enjoyed origami (and spoke some Japanese). There was also an elderly man there who was more than willing to sit with us, make small talk all while folding origami tigers and roses for us without even looking down once. He joyfully handed them over to my friend and me as gifts in mid-sentence.

Unfortunately, that was my final day in Japan and my flight left later on that day. I could have easily spent an entire day there. I'll be sure to devote more time to my visit next time!

ようこそ！Welcome!

I find this fitting as a welcome for you, dear reader, as it welcomed me once in I arrived in Japan. After a seemingly unending 12 hour flight from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Tokyo, enduring customs and immigration, meeting up with the rest of my party, taking the hour long trip on Keisei Skyliner from Narita Airport to Ueno Station and finally taking a 10 minute taxi ride to the Tokyo Garden Palace Hotel in Ochanomizu, this gentle image in the lobby soothed my cranky and exhausted soul. It sank in that I had at long last made it to Japan and was only minutes away from a bed and shower.

For those of you not familiar with the above subject matter, allow me to explain. In Japanese folklore, rabbits live on the moon where they make mochi - a festive treat made of glutinous rice. This derives from interpreting the pattern of dark patches on the moon as a rabbit using a mortar making the yummy and sticky goodness that is mochi. This heavenly bunny is referred to as "tsuki no usagi" (rabbit of the moon) or as the *drum roll* jade rabbit.

So, ようこそ (youkoso) to my blog about my exploits in Japan, a land where old and new, cute and bizarre intermingle at every opportunity.