07::Adventure to Japanland, 3.10.06/18
My father and I did some exploring today. We went to a place that he had never been to in Tokyo, Ueno, and then a place that he had explored all to well, Akihabara (home of Electric City).
We got a late start because after two long days at the Disney parks it was extremely vital that I sleep in a bit if I wanted to function properly. It is absolutely amazing to me how completely exhausted I am. But it's not a bad exhausted, it's an accomplished exhausted. It hurts to do anything but walk, I guess it's because I've been doing it so much.
So Ueno was beautiful. There was a big garden there. We walked around it for a bit and saw the cherry trees blossoming. They really are very beautiful, I can see why they are a staple in Japanese art.
Our next stop was the zoo. It was pretty much like any other zoo, but it was cool to see the penguins and polarbears in outdoor enclosures (because it is so freakin cold here!!) I've only ever seen them through an inch of glass. And the kids were so cute at the zoo! There were lots of school groups. They all wear uniforms and the most adorable hats you've ever seen, all bright green.
For some reason there was a 5 story pagoda in the zoo. The first pagoda that I've seen in Japan, actually. Kinda cool.
We went to the Tokyo National Museum.
It had lots of Asian art and weaponry. I know that this may sound ignorant and uncultured but after a while it all looked the same, and I'm really just not interested in asian art. There I said it. I will attribute this to the fact that I never learned about eastern cultures in my florida public schooling, so I have no base knowledge for any of these historically significant artifacts. I am glad that I went though, I learned some cool stuff about the development of acupuncture, and other eastern methods of medicine, and it was cool to see all of the weaponry.
There was a display of some peices by Rogin outside, they were pretty (western).
We also went to the Tokyo National Museum of Science. This was your average, run of the mill science museum, but I had an awesome time because I was with my dad. I love going to science museums with him because he gets so excited and I always learn about something new. This one had dinosaurs! I don't remember the last time that I learned about dinosaurs with him. Also, since it was in Japanese, we made a lot of stuff up. We were histerical.
Outside of the museum we passed by a huge group of people with umbrellas all singing together and sitting on leisure mats (the mats that they all carry with them just in case they have to wait in a long line for something) One at a time they would all walk up to the front of the group and drop something in a bucket. I have no idea what they were all doing, so I took a picture. Maybe some day I'll know.
After the weird singing people, we left Ueno and headed to Akihabara. I understand that there is more to do there than just visit Electric City, but I didn't do it because I could barely move as it was. We walked all around Electric City. It was mind blowing. They say that you can get anything that is electronic that you could ever want in Electric City, and I believe them now. This place was huge. There was nothing but electronics shops selling anything from cell phones to vacuum cleaners to old Macs from the 70's to video games. The complete geeks dream land and something that I will never forget.
We walked through a Pachinco Parlor. OH EM GEE. Japanese people are so insane, and they only surprise me more the longer I am here. If you don't know, pachinco is a gambling game played with ball bearings instead of coins, it's like a slot machine. You put the balls into the machine and try to get them to hit targets, kind of like a pinball machine, but you don't have that much control and it's vertical. I have a pachinco machine at home if you're interested in feeling Japanese some time. The amazing bit is that people spend their lives in these places. There are literally people sitting at machines with stacks and stacks of buckets full of pachinco balls. The employees walk up and down the isles constantly making sure that your current bucket isn't full yet, and if it is they bring you an empty one so that you don't have to stop playing. I looked at the prizes that you exchange your balls for, and it's stuff like dish soap and candy bars. Completely not worth it. Rumor has it though, as my dad tells me, that if you walk down the back alley with one of the prizes you can exchange it for loads of cash. They legally can't do this because then it would be gambling, and that's a no no. So yeah, Pachinco = Crazy! And it was so loud! All of the little balls bouncing around inside the machines produced enough noise to make you go deaf; it was uncomfortable. I don't understand it.
We headed home after Electric City. We at at the garlic restaurant down the street. We don't know what it is really called, but apparently they put garlic in every dish that they make so that is what my dad calls it. It was SO good!
On the way home I stopped at the electronics store near my dad's apt to check on the DSLite situation. It took me 15 minutes to get over the language barrier and find out that they are having a lottery in the morning. They are only getting 30 DSLites, 15 light blue and 15 navy, so I have to be there to get a ticket when the store opens and then there will be a drawing. Wish me luck!!
There are signs all over the shopping center saying that spring has come, but they are freaking creepy!
There's a hippo and he left his hippo parents to go with this elf guy, but if you look in the basket hes carrying, there is an evil little elf guy. And then all around the store in the flower pots, there's the elf guy again.
(some day, this might be a picture of the elf guy, but i used up all of my bandwidth)
I wonder what this means. I can't google it, and no one at the shopping center understands me, so it can't be explained. It will just have to be a mystery I suppose.
Ok, I'm going to sleep. I'll fix the picture problem tomorrow and spend some time blogging about the Disney parks. I hope that all is well back home. I'm coming home soon! Tomorrow is my last full day. I am happy to be coming home, but I really will miss this place. It has been an unforgettable experience.
Fat count: still 8
We got a late start because after two long days at the Disney parks it was extremely vital that I sleep in a bit if I wanted to function properly. It is absolutely amazing to me how completely exhausted I am. But it's not a bad exhausted, it's an accomplished exhausted. It hurts to do anything but walk, I guess it's because I've been doing it so much.
So Ueno was beautiful. There was a big garden there. We walked around it for a bit and saw the cherry trees blossoming. They really are very beautiful, I can see why they are a staple in Japanese art.
Our next stop was the zoo. It was pretty much like any other zoo, but it was cool to see the penguins and polarbears in outdoor enclosures (because it is so freakin cold here!!) I've only ever seen them through an inch of glass. And the kids were so cute at the zoo! There were lots of school groups. They all wear uniforms and the most adorable hats you've ever seen, all bright green.
For some reason there was a 5 story pagoda in the zoo. The first pagoda that I've seen in Japan, actually. Kinda cool.
We went to the Tokyo National Museum.
It had lots of Asian art and weaponry. I know that this may sound ignorant and uncultured but after a while it all looked the same, and I'm really just not interested in asian art. There I said it. I will attribute this to the fact that I never learned about eastern cultures in my florida public schooling, so I have no base knowledge for any of these historically significant artifacts. I am glad that I went though, I learned some cool stuff about the development of acupuncture, and other eastern methods of medicine, and it was cool to see all of the weaponry.
There was a display of some peices by Rogin outside, they were pretty (western).
We also went to the Tokyo National Museum of Science. This was your average, run of the mill science museum, but I had an awesome time because I was with my dad. I love going to science museums with him because he gets so excited and I always learn about something new. This one had dinosaurs! I don't remember the last time that I learned about dinosaurs with him. Also, since it was in Japanese, we made a lot of stuff up. We were histerical.
Outside of the museum we passed by a huge group of people with umbrellas all singing together and sitting on leisure mats (the mats that they all carry with them just in case they have to wait in a long line for something) One at a time they would all walk up to the front of the group and drop something in a bucket. I have no idea what they were all doing, so I took a picture. Maybe some day I'll know.
After the weird singing people, we left Ueno and headed to Akihabara. I understand that there is more to do there than just visit Electric City, but I didn't do it because I could barely move as it was. We walked all around Electric City. It was mind blowing. They say that you can get anything that is electronic that you could ever want in Electric City, and I believe them now. This place was huge. There was nothing but electronics shops selling anything from cell phones to vacuum cleaners to old Macs from the 70's to video games. The complete geeks dream land and something that I will never forget.
We walked through a Pachinco Parlor. OH EM GEE. Japanese people are so insane, and they only surprise me more the longer I am here. If you don't know, pachinco is a gambling game played with ball bearings instead of coins, it's like a slot machine. You put the balls into the machine and try to get them to hit targets, kind of like a pinball machine, but you don't have that much control and it's vertical. I have a pachinco machine at home if you're interested in feeling Japanese some time. The amazing bit is that people spend their lives in these places. There are literally people sitting at machines with stacks and stacks of buckets full of pachinco balls. The employees walk up and down the isles constantly making sure that your current bucket isn't full yet, and if it is they bring you an empty one so that you don't have to stop playing. I looked at the prizes that you exchange your balls for, and it's stuff like dish soap and candy bars. Completely not worth it. Rumor has it though, as my dad tells me, that if you walk down the back alley with one of the prizes you can exchange it for loads of cash. They legally can't do this because then it would be gambling, and that's a no no. So yeah, Pachinco = Crazy! And it was so loud! All of the little balls bouncing around inside the machines produced enough noise to make you go deaf; it was uncomfortable. I don't understand it.
We headed home after Electric City. We at at the garlic restaurant down the street. We don't know what it is really called, but apparently they put garlic in every dish that they make so that is what my dad calls it. It was SO good!
On the way home I stopped at the electronics store near my dad's apt to check on the DSLite situation. It took me 15 minutes to get over the language barrier and find out that they are having a lottery in the morning. They are only getting 30 DSLites, 15 light blue and 15 navy, so I have to be there to get a ticket when the store opens and then there will be a drawing. Wish me luck!!
There are signs all over the shopping center saying that spring has come, but they are freaking creepy!
There's a hippo and he left his hippo parents to go with this elf guy, but if you look in the basket hes carrying, there is an evil little elf guy. And then all around the store in the flower pots, there's the elf guy again.
(some day, this might be a picture of the elf guy, but i used up all of my bandwidth)
I wonder what this means. I can't google it, and no one at the shopping center understands me, so it can't be explained. It will just have to be a mystery I suppose.
Ok, I'm going to sleep. I'll fix the picture problem tomorrow and spend some time blogging about the Disney parks. I hope that all is well back home. I'm coming home soon! Tomorrow is my last full day. I am happy to be coming home, but I really will miss this place. It has been an unforgettable experience.
Fat count: still 8