Golden Week fun

May 07, 2008 23:57

The weekend following exams was a holiday here in Japan, known as Golden Week. It's really 2 holidays that occur so close together they just get made into one long holiday. In any case, it meant time to hang out with friends before many of them head back to the U.S. Very sad, that. It's going to be so quiet at the school this summer! Still, there will be good people hanging around. And now, the details of the weekend.

Saturday I actually didn't do anything, I was too busy sleeping off the semester. Sunday I went out with a bunch of people to Ikebukuro and Odaiba (which, for those that don't know Tokyo, is just about on opposite sides of the city; my train pass got a workout these last few days). Did some shopping, but didn't buy anything myself. We also went up to the top of the Sunshine 60 building, but it was too cloudy to get very good views. A smaller group of us tried to go see a movie in the evening, but it was sold out, so we just sat and chatted over coffee for a few hours.

Monday we were back in Shibuya to see the movie, but weren't able to get tickets until the 4 pm showing. Controversial film + one cinema in all of Tokyo showing it = very long lines. The movie is called Yasukuni, about the Tokyo shrine of the same name that has been a source of political tension because it is also the national war memorial. A few years ago, in particular, there was trouble because the Prime Minister of Japan would go there on the anniversary of the end of WWII to pay his respects, which offended Chinese, Koreans, and also some Japanese who were either anti-war or felt it violated church-state separation for a PM to go in his official capacity. I found it interesting insofar as I learned a lot about the controversy, and it was fairly thought-provoking, but the feared protests (they had police posted inside and outside the theatre) never materialized. In any case, while waiting for the movie Jhon and I went back to (super-crowded) Odaiba and went through the maritime history museum there. I'm a big fan of ships, and it was interesting to see Japanese sailing ships compared to the Western style I'm familiar with. Dinner was out in Kitazawa, a semi-suburb and the place I intend to live if I move to Japan long-term (I loved the vibe there), for soup curry, and Indonesian dish done Japanese-style. Very tasty, very spicy.

Finally, I spent my birthday in Kamakura, a coastal town on the far side of Yokohama famous for it's temples, especially the Great Buddha, an 11.4-metre bronze statue that's been there since the 1200s. It was originally housed in a temple, but the temple was destroyed in a tsunami several hundred years ago and was never rebuilt. The town also served as Japan's capital under one of the shogun families during the 1200s. A very pretty town, and it was nice to see the ocean again. I haven't smelled salt air since last summer up in Rügen. There's actually more of the area I'd like to see, so I'll probably head back down there some other weekend. In any case, my pictures from yesterday are here. Later I met Jhon in Yokohama, and he very kindly treated me to dinner in Chinatown. We also went to the amusement park (where that Ferris wheel in my earlier pictures is located) and we did a few rides. Haven't been to an amusement park in a while, either, but they're always fun. A birthday well spent, in my mind.

This coming weekend I'll be in Hiroshima, then it's back to work. Got to enjoy my vacation while it lasts.

japan, friends, movies

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