Adventures on the Archipelago: Part One

Greetings,

After eight days we survived three amusement parks, one hundred subway journeys, two cross-country rail trips, six blisters, twenty mosquito bites, and enough heat and humidity to make us sell our souls for five minutes in an air conditioned room - in retrospect, probably not the best call.

We're back from Japan, and after passing out for a couple hours, and vegging in front of the tv for a couple more, we've recovered just enough to bring you Part One in the Japan series.

We left last Saturday on a warm summers evenin' on a train bound for nowhere, we met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep. Oh wait, wrong blog entry. Anyway, we started our eighteen hour trek to Tokyo on a train from Ulsan to Busan, where we caught a ferry to Fukuoka (we still have no idea how to pronounce this, but we think it's something like Foo-koo-oh-koo-ah....or maybe Foo-koh-kwa...or who knows). After the 3 hour ferry ride, we made our way to the train station, and what we witnessed there would change our lives forever....

(The famed Japanese bullet train, aglow in all its majesty.)

Yes, the bullet trains are real, and they're spectacular (I think we've used this joke before, which either shows how tired we are, how much we suck as writers, or how truly spectacular this joke is). Anyway, the bullet train (shinkansen) was a great way to travel. The seats were huge, the cabins were clean and quiet, and the train crew bowed to us everytime they entered or left our compartment. And above all it was fast, getting us across the country to Tokyo in only about 6 hours.

After arriving in Tokyo we made our way to our hostel, which was in a quiet part of the city (if such a thing is possible), right next to a large temple complex (Senso-Ji). The temple you see behind Shayne in the photo was originally built hundreds of years ago, but like most of Tokyo, it was destroyed during WWII, and was rebuilt only recently. Even so, you wouldn't be able to tell, as it looks and feels just many other older temples we saw on our trip. Behind Shayne you can just make out some incense smoke; many people come to the temple regularly to wave the smoke over themselves as they believe it will bring them good health. We did so too, but to no effect.

Another view of the temple complex, this time of the five-storied pagoda - towering over Asakusa, the neighborhood in Tokyo we were staying in. Shayne believes that this is one of the biggest pagodas in the world, even though he doesn't have any proof. But I (Jo) have personally seen much bigger in Barcelona. And somewhere, somehow, Jason Harmon could also tell you that he has seen much bigger and better pagodas in his time. Okay, that was an inside joke, we'll admit, but we have so little to keep us amused, so please indulge us this one time.


After exploring the temple by our hostel, we made our way to the Imperial Palace. The palace itself is closed to the public except for 2 days per year, so we had to make do with the gardens. This, however, was just fine with us as the gardens were as beautiful as they were extensive. This picture above is the two of us in front of the palace moat. You can't see them in this photo, but the waters are actually filled with man-eating sharks, crocodiles, and piranhas with lasers. The Japanese are so cool.

This is Jo in the palace gardens. Nuff said.


Shayne next to the Tokyo Dome, where thousands of people were camping out to get tickets to a baseball game of all things. For those of you who enjoy wrestling, martial arts, or the Tokyo Giants, you will appreciate the significance of the Dome.


In what was perhaps the best surprise of the trip, we stumbled upon this gem just outside of the Dome. For 1,000 Yen each we had the privilege of enjoying the Thunder Dolphin and screaming and clapping along with two dozen excited Japanese teens. The coaster actually went through the mall it was attached to, and although not the scariest ride we've ever been on, it was one of the coolest.


After the Dome and the Dolphin, we made our way to Shinjuku (one of the busier areas of the city), for a self-guided walking tour. Although really beautiful, this area would be better enjoyed by travelers who have more money than our debt-ridden selves. Along this particular street (closed to traffic on weekends), we found Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's, Armani, and Hermes. We also found a huge bookstore with a large English language section, where we bought a few coveted paperbacks - a rarity in Asia.


This is definitely one of the coolest neighborhoods in Tokyo. It's a small entertainment district with dozens of alleys just like this one, filled with small bars. Although completely deserted during the day, it is filled with regulars in the evenings. Something cool to note, is that outside of these bars you can find old rock n' roll posters that, if in better condition, would probably be worth a fortune.


Back in the subway station when we were trying to find the right exit to begin the walking tour, Jo asked a young lady at an information kiosk which way to Kabuki-Cho. The info clerk began to giggle loudly while repeating the name, and then pointed us in the right direction. We assumed at the time that we had said the name of the neighborhood incorrectly, thus amusing her. We realised later, however, that Kabuki-Cho is the name of an infamous red light district in Tokyo, where places like "Honky-Tonk Ladies" (pictured above) abound. One picture cannot capture the essence of this place, but it was loud, crowded, and filled with vice....glorious vice.


After Kabuki-Cho, we were feeling pretty fatigued, and wandered into one of the more reasonably priced restaurants. For the record, Tokyo is as expensive as the rumours, and a small plate of sushi usually goes for $30 or more. With a little perseverance, however, the traveler can find a budget meal that will actually fill you up and that doesn't taste like hospital food. This meal (pictured above) was damn tasty. Tempura shrimp, green peppers, and onions over rice, miso soup with hand-made soba noodles, and some sort of shredded radish salad. Yummy.

Alright, most of you are probably familiar with this sight. Every movie, tv show, and magazine that has a Tokyo reference always shows this particular intersection in Shibuya. This is the Japan's answer to New York's Times Square, and it was every bit as cool as it looks. You are literally surrounded by hundreds of billboards, giant tv screens, and enough neon light make even Las Vegas jealous.

Another view of the intersection. Every few minutes, the traffic is stopped in every direction, and the whole area is flooded with thousands of pedestrians crossing the street and going to who-knows-where. In fact, we're convinced that many of them do nothing other than cross the street for hours on end, as we're at a loss for where so many people can be going. By no means does this picture accurately depict the sheer number of people in one small area, but perhaps if we had one of those fancy panoramic lenses, we could have done this scene justice. In order to avoid this problem in the future, please send $5 c/o the Shayne and Jo need a better camera fund.

We spent the next day at Tokyo Disney, which is almost an exact replica of the California park...except of course for all the women in kimonos. Yes, women actually wear kimonos as regular clothing in Japan. At first we thought it was a gimmick for the tourists, but no they're really everywhere. We took this photo in Tomorrowland, and we're not sure who was giggling more: the Japanese girls, or Shayne.

All in all, Tokyo Disney was a worthwhile experience. We've been on most of the rides before, but somehow hearing pirates speak in Japanese made the Caribbean cruise that much cooler. Also, we think that some of the rides have been enhanced from their California cousins. Space Mountain, for instance, was much longer and (if possible) more fun. If you happen to find yourself in Japan, we highly recommend Disney as one of the stops on your itinerary.


The next day we took it easy and explored some of the calmer Tokyo sites: this first one was a small children's park near our hostel. There's probably a lot to be said about a cart full of toddlers in a park, but we've been writing this blog entry for the last hour, and have nothing. So please insert your own witticisms and insights here. Good luck, and God speed.


Later we made our way to the National Museum to take in some culture. Although Jo enjoyed the various displays of laquerware, screens, kimonos, and fine art, Shayne only came alive during the Samurai exhibit, where he chased the other patrons with his wooden sword and shouted out Japanese samurai warrior gibberish. After twenty minutes of Jo apologising and explaining the situation to the museum guards, we were allowed to continue to the next exhibit.


Out of about 100 pictures of priceless Japanese art and artifacts, for some reason we decided to bring you this one. Enjoy.


The final attraction we hit that last day in Tokyo was a buddhist cemetery. The Japanese really know how to honour their dead, as every gravesite was decorated with a stone shrine, bonsai trees, and often small statues. As well, most graves have the tall wooden sticks that you can see in the picture above, which commemorate death anniversaries. The cemetery was immensely beautiful and presented a softer side of Tokyo that we were fortunate enough to see.

Well, that wraps up our first 4 days in Japan. Stay tuned in a couple of days for the shocking conclusion to this epic saga.

Will Joanna ever find her long-lost twin? Will Shayne finally learn the truth of his past? And will a single blog be written that doesn't contain a reference to Seinfeld? Find out next episode. Same blog time, same blog channel.

Cheers,
Shayne and Jo