Japan

Nov. 11 Friday
We ported in Yokohama this morning and got off the ship after an intense passing through customs that involved fingerprints, pictures, forms, and metal detectors. The Japanese are extremely precise.
My preconceptions of Japan before I came were vague images of delicate bonsai trees, stone and sand gardens, geishas and samurais clad in kimonos, Sudoku, and, above all, SUSHI! They were not far off in accuracy—the traditions and culture are very ethnocentric as 90 % of Japan is Japanese by birth. They are an extremely polite, soft-spoken, passive people that won’t tell you “no” to your face.
After getting a little spending yen (and I do mean a little… the dollar has no power in Japan right now), we went to a 100 yen store (like a dollar store at home) and got a few cheap trinkets. Ah, how tight my budget belt is getting! The group was Marcus, Olivia, Charis, Carley, Mary C, and me. Lunch was incredible—this white dumpling of bread with sausage inside and shrimp and chicken dumplings and pot stickers. SO good. We took our goodies to a KFC (because MCA didn’t like the pot stickers). You know you are living in a flat world when the Japanese man sitting beside you is eating Kentucky Fried Chicken and you’re eating with chopsticks. Transfer of cultures at its finest.
We caught the subway to the small amusement park on the pier and rode the Ferris wheel and roller coaster. Later we met my friend Frank Butz in the subway station! Frank is from Ole Miss and is studying abroad for a year in Tokyo, working on his Japanese. We took the Minatuchi Line to Den-en-cho, the area where he lives.
Den-en-cho is an affluent and quaint neighborhood of corner food markets, dance studios, and teahouses. We winded down the dimly lit, clean, quiet streets as flower markets were closing and sake stores were opening. Discarding our shoes before we entered Frank’s house, we slid the door daintily into the wall to reveal a large rug and low lying furniture. He has 8 roommates from Japan so he is immersed in the language on all fronts. He’s doing quite well too—he definitely impressed me with his conversations and made it a lot easier to get around. We would never have found all the things we went to without him!
Piling our backpacks in a corner of his tiny room, we changed for the night and went with some of his roommates (Dice, Natsu, and Toshi) and 2 of his schoolmates from Germany (Christopher and Michael) to the restaurant where they filmed Kill Bill. It was so cool! Dice ordered our food, and taking me back to Ole Miss, we poured our airplane bottles of whiskey in our cokes to save money. Drinking is good in their culture; here you are expected to go out drinking with your boss at least 3 nights a week or it is considered rude. We had great food—edamame, cherry tomatoes wrapped in bacon, chicken kebabs, mushroom caps with smoky chicken filing, thin Kobe beef and potatoes, and chicken and veggie skewers. We didn’t eat a lot because in a big group it is considered rude. There are so many cultural things here that Westerners do that are rude here—taking the dish you ordered and putting it in front of you (you share everything), separating from a group or walking ahead of the group, handing money to the cashier (there’s a small dish that you place it in), crossing your legs in public (we got nailed on that in the subway), blowing your nose in public, sticking chopsticks straight down in a dish (it means “death to you”), eating fast (we were very rude at dinner, I think). When you receive a business card, you take it with both hands face up and bow. Wait until they leave to put it in your front pocket, never in your back because you sit on it. Japan is an advanced country with so many rights for its citizens; respect is their main commodity, so it struck me as odd that many Japanese cited their suicide rate as one of their main national dilemmas. They have the highest in the world, supposedly from overwork and stress. Japanese take everything so seriously, and honor is essential. If they feel they aren’t performing well enough in the work place they get depressed. There is a team that specializes in cleaning up suicides in the subways… it is the only time the trains are ever late, they say. How devastatingly sad.
It is suicide, not homicide or crime, that is their problem. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, and they consider it dishonorable and disgusting to steal. One of our friends left a digital camera in a park at 9 am… we went back at 6 pm when he realized it, and there it was, sitting on the rock where he had left it. Another friend left a shopping bag on a bench in the mall and it was there an hour later. Bizarre! It was wonderful to not have to consciously have my hand on my purse when I walked down the street. I felt very safe all the time.
After dinner we took the subway to the Shibuya district for the busiest and most fun night life in Tokyo. Shibuya crossing is one of the most famous intersections in the world—the thick concentration of people flooding across the street from 3 different directions is truly a sight to behold. Shibuya is kind of like NYC’s Times Square—huge lit up billboards, lights everywhere, and an atmosphere that gives you an energy you can’t describe. We went to a Nomihodai place for drinks—you pay about $15 for an appetizer and get all you can drink for two hours. The booth we were in was secluded by thin tapestries and light wood walls on both sides. It didn’t have a hole in the middle for our legs—you either sat Indian style or stretched your legs out to join the people opposite the table from you. We played the Question game, the handslap reverse, and Zooma Zooma. It was great.
About 4 am we went up to Love Hotel hill to check out the legendary hourly themed rooms. We couldn’t look in at one without booking, but I loved seeing that sketchy alley with the bright pictures of castle and heart shaped beds.
Next to the subway to see the opening of the Fish Market. That was a surreal experience. Bright lights, tiny Japanese men running with buckets everywhere, pushing you out of the way, giant four foot tunas being cut by power saws, everything under the sea squirming and crawling in water or frozen on ice, displayed for the grocers and chefs. As the sun came up we watched the big fish auction. Men gave high fives and got really excited when they won a big one. Carts zoomed through the alleys at ridiculous speeds around us and 3 would have taken me out if people hadn’t tugged me out of the way just in time. The market was huge and we lost our bearings, so Frank asked a guy driving a cart if we could hop on the back of his empty trailer. We ended up holding tightly to each other’s backs as we weaved in and out of the alleys as we stood on the back of the cart. Great end of the night.
At about 630 am we started to crash fast. All we wanted was a soft place to lay our heads. Actually it didn’t have to be soft… a corner would have probably been ok with everyone at this point. We went to the top of this classy hotel lobby, but after we found out it was $200 a night we just sat on their couches. When we felt the eyes of the concierge begin to boar into the back of our heads, we shuffled back to the streets to try again.
We decided to try Love Hotel Hill again but after tying to sneak all 6 of us in at about 10 different places we concluded that that plan wasn’t going to work. Trudging back to Shibuya crossing with aching feet, we opted for the second story of Starbucks overlooking the crossing. Sleep pulled at our coattails and slumped us in a mush of bodies together on the floor. While Carley, Mary Chandler, and Charis commentated on the plentiful fashion, from the extremely chic business people to the crazy Hinjuku Goths, Olivia, Frank, Marcus, and I dozed. When the Starbucks barista made us sit on stools, we decided we were officially being hobos. At 10 am the 3-5th floors opened, which contained a big music store and café, so the nomadic herd moved again. I listened to the New Moon soundtrack with these wonderful surround sound headphones and went into this blissful, euphoric state when I heard Bon Iver and St. Vincent’s new track. Charis, Carley, and I bought it for $15 and each paid $5.
We then decided we couldn’t make it any longer and went to Frank’s apartment to get our stuff and find a hostel. We had stayed away from his apartment before now. He had gotten kicked out of his first apartment because his drunk American friend had accidently gone naked into his Japanese roommate’s room in the early morning and the guy was NOT ok with it. Japanese people are very reserved and private (except for the blatant display of porn in the form of Manga, a comic strip magazine of a big-breasted Japanese super hero. I didn’t see any of it, but I heard that men read it all the time on the subways. It seems to clash with their polite, reserved culture, but there are some weird fetishes here. Hello Kitty for example, and the baby doll fashion statement of a lot of young girls.)
Anyway, Frank had to move and we didn’t want to get him kicked out again, but the minute we sat down on his floor we slept for five hours. At 5 pm we all woke up refreshed but couldn’t believe what we just did. He then helped us find a capsule hotel and bid us farewell… that sweet Southern boy gave me his jacket when I got cold, went with Charis to buy flats when her heels couldn’t hold her any longer, waited on us for everything, and always made sure we were having fun and were ok. It was so wonderful to see him! Had an incredible time.

11/21 Sat.
Started this day at 5 pm. Found the capsule hotel easily—It was an easy 30 minute subway ride. The capsule hotel was the coolest thing… We bought our room from a vending machine for 3000 yen ($30) and put our shoes in a locker in exchange for plastic slippers. Our capsule was literally a bed in the wall that you climb into. They were very cozy and spacious though; you could sit up and there was a TV and radio. We ate dinner at an incredible Italian place and I had the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life I think—prosciutto and mozzarella, thin crust. I wanted to do a little dance around the restaurant it was so good. Baskin Robbins ice cream after! Caramel apple flavor, a new one. Back to the hotel for the craziest bathing experience I’ve ever had. We put on our blue kimono style pajamas provided in our lockers and flopped up to the 9th floor to the ladies washroom. Once inside, we took off all our clothes and went into the communal washroom which consisted of four removable showerheads and buckets that you could sit on. After getting squeaky clean you could get in the huge hot tub. It was amazing. We felt fresh and wonderful and sleepy; the minute my head touched the pillow in my little cubby I was gone.

11/22 Sun.
I was woken up by Australian girls giggling and taking pictures right outside my screen. They obviously didn’t think people were sleeping in them because their forearms kept coming into my bunk, clamping themselves to the wall for a cute picture. The temptation was just too strong… I grabbed her. She screamed and jumped off as I rolled the screen up and said, “Well hey y’all, where are y’all from? Want me to take a picture of you?” Didn’t regret that move one bit. So fun.
That day we wandered around our area—Asakusa—to see what we could see. We got coffee and toast with butter and jam at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall place and saw a big temple. Met a really cool girl, Lea, who had just graduated college and was traveling the world solo. So cool. Hawaii was her first stop, and after Japan she’s headed to China, so opposite of us. From Oklahoma. Went to Denny’s for wifi and then to a sushi go round restaurant with her. The sushi, mostly sashimi, was placed according to price on different plate patterns and served in twos. The plates go around and around on a small conveyor belt in front of you and you just grab what you want. SO good.
Ok, I have to talk about the toilets. After the squatters in India and China, they came as a shock… the toilet seat is heated! It’s also electric and has about 4 buttons with options. You’ve got the water squirter for a nice, refreshing clean feeling, and you can adjust the pressure, the blow dryer (in case you feel climate friendly and don’t want to use toilet paper), and the automatic hand that wipes your butt for you. Ok, joking about the last one, but seriously! They were nifty.
After lunch walked around a bit more, hit up Starbucks, and headed to Tokyo station to figure out the overnight bus. The bus to Kobe was booked, so we went on the one to Osaka, which is 30 minutes away from Kobe. We ate at a noodle bar where you order and pay for your meal by pictures on a vending machine. You give your ticket to the cook and they give you hot green tea made from green powder while you wait. I had a big bowl of chicken, egg, rice, and cilantro for $4.50.
Our double decker bus departed right at 11:39 pm on the nose and we popped our seats back and our footrests up immediately. Pretty comfortable, actually, but I still couldn’t sleep. The thing reminded me of Stan Shunpike’s Midnight Express bus in the 3rd Harry Potter… what was it called? The purple one with the crazy driver… more magical than “Midnight Express,” right? Killed 2 ½ hours with HP6 on Charis’s computer.

11/23 Mon.
Arrived in Osaka dog tired… the plans to explore the city quickly turned into plans to see the back of our eyelids on the ship. Quick 30 minute subway to Kobe straight back to our rooms.
At 2 we emerged again and Olivia, Kate, and I walked around Kobe for a while. Big city with great shopping. Too bad it’s all way out of my price range right now. Chinatown, on the other hand, was a much better option. Olivia impressed us with her Chinese and we got little dumplings from the cute stations.
Later we took the train to a hot springs in a quaint tiny town about 30 minutes away. I feel like I’m back in the Delta with everything being 30 minutes away! Add 30 naked Japanese women to the equation and the spa was basically the same as our community bath the other night. We shed our clothes in the locker room and walked into the steamy community baths to sit on a bucket again and shower thoroughly before our soak in the springs. I’ve never seen that many naked women in my life. I’m very comfortable with my body now though; modesty’s out the window and my friends and I have bonded, to say the least.
As we walked through the narrow, winding street, the cold crisp night air felt welcome to our warmed insides. The baths were definitely a cultural experience. It’s crazy how bathing together is just a part of life there… it’s so natural to them. Made me wonder why Westerners have so much stigma attached to nudity; it’s automatically over-sexualized. The Japanese women seemed very comfortable in their skin and happy with the way they are. I wish their attitudes could be exported and swallowed by American teenagers.

11/24 Tues.
Our trip to Japan would not be complete without at trip to Kyoto, the keeper of beauty and culture. There are over 2000 shrines and 17 temples in the city and surrounding areas. Kyoto is home to one famous, illusive keeper of culture that baffles the mind of the Westerner—the geisha. Their refined grace flows easily as they daintily pour tea, light cigarettes, perform and sing with delicate instruments for a select group of Japanese businessmen behind the closed screens of tea houses. They are not prostitutes, but arrangements can be made with the highest bidder… and the bids get very high. Said to have dwindled in numbers to only 1000 in the world, geishas and maikos (their apprentices) appear one moment in quiet streets and stone paths and vanish in another. Their illusive tendencies make you wonder if you just hallucinated. The pale white faces and tightly wrapped silk kimonos linger tangibly in your mind only for a second before they too swirl into mist, impossible to capture. We were lucky enough to see 3… I think. I recommend reading and watching Memoirs of a Geisha… wonderful and fascinating true story.
Autumn in Kyoto flattered the city with brilliant shades of yellow, crimson, and green. Leaves of golden ginkgos leaned over swooping tiled roofs of temples and homes and bright red maples dipped their leaves into still lakes. We walked along the Philosopher’s Path, a quiet stone path that wove with a stream and the woods. As we meandered, we passed beautiful temples and small family-run shops. We ended up at the Nin-jo Castle right before it closed for the day and ran through its cold, empty rooms. The one attraction in the sans furniture palace of Berber carpet were the beautiful walls of gold-leafed murals depicting cranes, cherry blossoms, and women. The grounds were extensive and beautiful in their simplicity as well.
We cut it really close on time in getting back on the ship in Kobe, making a dramatic dash in the rain from the subway with 3 minutes to spare. We made it with no dock time though! Literally squeezed everything we could from our incredible time in Japan. It’s difficult to say because they are all so diverse and wonderful in their own ways, but I think Japan might have been my favorite country.