Tokyo (1st Day)

After about an hour or two of sleep, I left my apartment at 7:15 am in the morning so I could meet my good buddy Decky at Shin Osaka by 7:30. What normally was a 20 minute walk ended up taking about thirty minutes for some reason; perhaps it was because it was the last time I would make that walk from Higashimikuni to Shin Osaka and I wanted to take in all the sights. Either way I was late meeting Decky but we still made it to our platform on time. Since it was my last trip in Japan for a while, I decided to take the Shinkansen or "bullet train." Decky informed me that it moves at 200 k.p.h. and it took us approximately two and a half hours to get to Tokyo. The ride was silent and smooth and the sights were amazing. At one point, to the left, right out the window almost, was Mt. Fuji. Someday I would like to hike it.

(Decky and the "bullet train")

(Mt. Fuji from the window)

We arrived in Tokyo around 10:30 and went to Shibuya, the largest of the cities. We didn't get much of a chance to explore since we were meeting a friend. Also, there seemed to be a lot of shopping centers and malls, not exactly my cup of tea. However, I did get my picture with a famous dog which I now forget the name of. The dog reminded me of Lassie. After meeting up with one of Decky's friends we went to a famous street close to a giant arena where Kiss would be playing that night. On the street, which was filled with shops, we got crepes. I ended up getting a caramel, pecan, and ice cream crepe - it was quite delicious.

(Famous dog and Justin)

(Me eating a crepe with little success at the end.)

(I took this picture just to show all of the different subway lines in Tokyo. Decky, who is Japanese was struggling to figure it out, imagine if I had to by myself. Those are all the lines compared with perhaps 7 or 8 in Osaka. It was quite overwhelming.)

After eating Ramen for lunch we had some time to kill before Pepe (that was his nickname, his real name was Iipe) got finished voluntering. We ended up going to an island of sorts which housed Fuji TV, a minuature statue of liberty, and had a great view of the Rainbow Bridge. Additionally, there was a beach where we spent some time just relaxing. I must add a little story at this point. Well, nevermind, it was one of those where you had to be there; but, Decky got ice cream at a shop and before he even took a bite it landed on the ground. Poor guy. While we were at Fuji TV there was a famous comedian outside participating in some show. We hung out there for a few hours before heading to my favorite place - Tokyo Tower!!

(Decky and the Rainbow Bridge)

(Fuji TV in the background)

(The group surrounding the famous comedian right in front of the station.)

Pepe met us at Tokyo Tower and we headed up to the observation platform. Once we got there we decided to go to the "special" lookout which was a 100 meters higher or so and cost an extra 600 yen I believe. Nevertheless, the view was breath taking and it was amazing. All you could see was lights, lights, and more lights. There was a 360 degree view of the city and it was absolutely amazing. We ended up taking the steps down which was around an 8 minute walk or so. It was a lot of fun and a great view!

(Me and Pepe in front of Tokyo Tower)

(Me and Tokyo tower right before the sun went down.)

(The tower at night. It was spectacular.)



(View of the city)

(Another view of the city - AMAZING!!)

(Me and Pepe at the top of the tower. We were trying to get the city lights in the background with no success.)

(Walking down the steps)

After the Tower we went to a sushi restaurant with Pepe before heading back to his place to spend the night. When I first met him he was carrying a guitar on his back so it was time for him to prove that he could play. Once we got out of the station close to his house Decky and I convinced him to play a song. So, we stopped right in the middle of the street and he busted out his music. I didn't understand a word he said but he could play. I asked if he had a CD but said he just played for fun. Before bed we went to a public bath, my first time at one of those. Beforehand I tried to get Decky to explain to me what to do but there was definitely a lack of communication. So, while I was in the shower, some strange guy had to show me how to do everything even though I had two friends with me - thanks guys! The bath was rather relaxing and it was something I would recommend. I would actually think about opening one in the United States as it seems like a good place to hang out and chat with people, something I think older people would really enjoy. That was all for the first day. We went back to Pepe's apartment and played some Nintendo 64 before hitting the sack. For one day I must say I got to see a lot of places!

(What a baller - Pepe rockin' out!!)

(A little scandalous but Pepe wanted a picture since it was my first time in a public bath and for some reason we had to flex! This one's for you Pepe!!)

Hope everyone is doing well. I will try to get Day #2 up some time soon. For those of you interested, I passed the intial phase of my Teach for America application. I have a phone interview on Monday so keep your fingers crossed. I also started applying to be an RED which is someone who supervises RAs. Also, I got an email from a company in Harrisburg in regards to an internship - Thanks Uncle Rusty. So, I will keep you updated as all of the processes move along. Take care, Love you guys, and keep smiling!!