Day 1: The ship docked in Yokohama, a small city about a half an hour outside of Tokyo. The MV Explorer was greeted by taiko drummers on the dock, celebrating our arrival! Despite my having previously been to Tokyo, I could not resist its beckoning; the moment the ship was cleared I hopped on the subway towards Tokyo Tower. My friends were thankful I had been to Japan before and had a limited but valuable knowledge of navigating the subway system... which certainly isn't easy. Rebecca and I never made it up Tokyo Tower 3 years ago when we visited Japan, so I was eager to see it the second time around. After some spectacular views of the city 150m up, followed by a pleasant lunch, we hopped back on the train towards Harajuku in all its funky glory. It was heartwarming to return to Harajuku, one of my favorite places on earth, and also rewarding to see my friends see it for the first time. We found a shop where everything was 100yen (about $1) and explored the hip, goth, rocker, girlie, everything shops throughout the city. Sunday is the big day for the cos-players to come out, and since we were there on Friday, I only saw a few kids in their full regalia. But Harajuku could be completely empty and its funky alt vibes would still penetrate.
We went back onto the train and headed to my favorite district in Tokyo, Shibuya. We walked the busiest intersection in the entire world, saw the nine-story shopping mall, and ate at a sushi bar! Shibuya is like a clean and more glamorous Manhattan… on steroids. Ashley, Jules and I went bowling at this crazy eight-story arcade and we had a blast watching the locals hang out. We took the train back to the ship, exhausted in the way that only a city like Tokyo can exhaust you.
Day 2: Waking up on the ship would seem to be the same every morning, no matter what country the ship is docked in at that very moment. But waking up in Japan, you can FEEL it. You know you are in the home of samurais, emperors, harajuku girls, capsule hotels, sushi, geishas, intrinsic peace, sky-high buildings, compacted living spaces, and sake. A few girls who were headed to hostels in Tokyo joined Jules and I for lunch (sushi for me, of course) at Shibuya Station. Then, Jules and I hopped on another train bound for Asakusa, another district of Tokyo. We saw the beautiful temple that I had visited years before. We shopped more than we should of, and I joyfully indulged in a green-tea soft serve!
With only a few more hours remaining until we had to be back on the ship, Jules and I hit Shinjuku. Shinjuku is like Las Vegas, New York, Hong Kong, and Shibuya, with Harajuku flair... and then some! It is insane, filled with shops, neon lights and lots and lots of pachinko! Pachinko is this insane Japanese pin-ball slot machine gambling game and the center of its culture lies in Shinjuku. After some hilarious photos in one of those Japanese photo booths, Jules and I found ourselves at a restaurant that promised everything on the menu was only 270yen (less than $3 per dish and drink)! We had to walk upstairs to the restaurant, and when we finally got there, we saw that each table was individually separated by bars! It was like you were eating dinner in a cage! You ordered your food on an electronic menu—it was very futuristic and surreal. Luckily, one of the waitresses spoke Japanese, as the electronic menu was certainly not legible to us. The most exciting dish I ate was fried octopus, with all eight tentacles still attached! We spent way too long in the restaurant, impulsively ordering more food and drinks with the logic that everything was less than $3! It was a blast, but we had to high-tail it back to Yokohama because the ship was leaving!
It was refreshing to not feel compelled to buy souvenirs, as I already bought cheesy Japan t-shirts and the like the last time I was in Tokyo. It was spectacular to return to a country and find it comfortingly the same yet excitingly changed. It makes me long to re-visit even more countries! You know, like Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam and China!
Now, I am back on the ship for today. We reach Kobe tomorrow, where I will be meeting my host family for my overnight home-stay. I can’t wait to experience the reality of Japanese home life!
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