More Japan happenings
So, aside from seeing Triceratops, I also did other things in Japan. =)
I went with my brother and we didn't kill each other. I didn't even want to kill him, haha. Hopefully he felt the same about me!
We stayed in Nagoya > Osaka > Ito > Tokyo.
So Nagoya was pretty nice. I think this is my third time being there. It's usually been for 2 days, and it's always been for concerts? LOL. First visit was for Sakanaction back in 2014, then Da-ICE in 2015, and now Triceratops in 2016.
I actually never cared much for Nagoya. I think my brother really liked it and I kind of enjoyed it this go around. Maybe it's because we didn't do much of anything.
1) Nagoya castle. One of my brother's goals was to see a castle, so went there. I'm glad I'd been so I didn't feel obligated to check out all floors of the museum. He didn't care to either, so it worked out. =)
2) Vintage Paradise. I was on the hunt for a pair of raw denim jeans for women. I figured they wouldn't have them (and they didn't), but I didn't want to email and ask because I kind of wanted to go out and see everything they had. It was a pretty cool place. I ended up buying this coin pouch: https://ues.shop.japaneseselvagejeans.com/goods_en_usd_114.html. It goes well with the only designer handbag I own (a small denim Coach cross body clutch).
I am really starting to wonder about Japan's leather/denim scene's facinsation with Looney Toons and Peanuts. I don't think there's any Looney Toons merch anymore here in the US, and barely any Peanuts stuff I see.
3) Food. I usually just find a random place to eat, but my brother wanted to focus on food so I tried to do better research on tabelog.
- Yamamoto-ya Honten for miso udon. I found out I'm not a fan of miso udon. It's okay, because we both also ordered the 元気ジュース which came with the waiter awkwardly standing in front of us shaking up the drink. For. Ever. It was so awkward and hilarious I didn't know if we were supposed to start clapping or chanting something. The juice was GREAT though. Me and my brother joked about going back just for that.
And I wish we did, because Triceratops ate there the next day. Ugh. Off by a day. What's with Nagoya and these almost-encounters? I totally could've met Da-ICE last year too. Guess I need to keep picking Nagoya concerts.
- Maru-ya Honten for hitsumabushi. So expensive but so good. I love eel. It was a different way to eat it and all good, but I'm sure I'd still be happy with eel rice bowl. Haha.
4) Triceratops!! No need to go into that one again. =P
Osaka for... Osaka and access to Kyoto. I think I'm the only person that doesn't LOVE Osaka. This trip didn't change my mind either. We didn't do much here.
1) Osaka Aquarium. My brother likes fish and even though he said he didn't really care to go, I'm glad we went. It was pretty neat. Really crowded, but pretty neat. I think he enjoyed it.
Outside of the area, they had street performers. A guy was juggling fire. I got a new camera that does slow-motion capture and tried to get some of that action. I think I got a pretty decent video somewhere, I've forgotten to go through the videos already. Whoops.
2) Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto. I'd never been and my brother wanted to see a temple so.... Yeah. I'm not big on architecture or seeing temples... But it was neat and shiny. And insanely crowded.
3) Dotonbori. Just to walk and shop. I thought my brother would be impressed. He wasn't. Just a crowded shopping street. XD
4) Samurai Jeans main shop. I bought my first pair of raw denim jeans here. I really was hoping to get a pair in Nagoya so I could wear them to the first Triceratops concert, but it's okay I didn't. Samurai has a Geisha line for women, so I grabbed on of these: http://www.samurai-j.com/lineup/jeans/ga0510lxxii/index.html. I totally love the plaid pockets and button fly. The weight is a bit heavier than I originally wanted, but the fit was really good (they are one wash, so shouldn't shrink much I hope!)
I initially had my heart set on http://www.purebluejapan.jp/archives/5880 from Pure Blue Japan (purple fades!!) but didn't want to risk not getting as good of a fit.
If these turn out well, then I'll for sure look at grabbing a pair from Pure Blue Japan and possibly a Samurai denim jacket in the future. =)
Ito for Jogasaki coast.
1) Jogasaki coast. That's really the only reason I wanted to go to Ito. It was so beautiful. I love love visiting different scenic places in Japan. I don't know why I keep going to the big cities when I know I enjoy the opposite. Must be the lure of concerts.
2) Sunrise at Orange Beach in Ito. Just happened to do this. We went out for some ramen the night before, realized it was close to the beach, so I asked my brother if he wanted to get up and walk to the beach for the sunrise. He said why not, and so we did. It was really nice.
It's funny, we grew up off the water, but I don't think either of us has ever made it out to see the sunrise at home. I'm glad we got up early for this though.
Tokyo for... concert and Tokyo? I'm having a hard time remembering exactly what we did. I really didn't have plans for this trip other than TRICERATOPS and JEANS so I was pretty much done.
1) More jeans shops. So I had told my brother that I wanted to check out clothing places so I could get a pair of jeans, but since I already bought my pair in Osaka, I was kind of done. He kept saying "I thought you wanted to go look at jeans" though, and I realize now it was probably because he started to take a liking to the places.
We hit up Hinoya and Americaya. Since I wasn't looking for anything in particular, we just browsed. I really liked Americaya, more to see and people were much more friendly too. Was kind of ignored at Hinoya, but hey, wasn't going to buy anything any ways I suppose?
My brother got a pair of Kojima Genes at Americaya. And because they were friendly I almost was tempted into buying a jean jacket (well, and I really like the style of the jacket too). But they didn't have my size. It was funny, because I tried on the small and it wouldn't even close, so the shop keeper looked for a large. They didn't have any, but he handed me another size (extra large) and that one just swallowed me and he laughed. I'd definitely go back to browse next time I'm in Tokyo. Maybe they'll have my size next time. =)
2) Shinjuku/Harajuku/Shibuya. Pretty much got off at Shinjuku, checked out Shinjuku Gyoen, shopped around Shinjuku station. Walked to Harajuku from there - did Takeshita street and crepes. Went browsing along Omotesando... Ended up in Shibuya with more browsing.
Happened upon a Levi's store. I'm not sure what it is - but the Levi's here in the US do not look anything like the ones in Japan. Actually, all the jeans looked really good in Japan. I can understand Tsuyoshi's obsession a little bit more now. (And I feel kind of bad, I think my brother is reading up on jeans now, since when we got back to the US, he told me he had watched a Levi's documentary. LOL.)
Hm, yeah, I think Tokyo stay was pretty boring. Just shopping and concert. I hit up usual places (like Trio in Akiba) and the same spots (Meiji Jingu)... But it was a long week so it was good to not be too busy. Plus, final night in Japan was Triceratops!
Actually, I kind of got myself a bit depressed in Tokyo. I've been tossing the idea of running away to Japan for the last 3 years. After my first visit, I decided that maybe it wouldn't be the easiest place to be (at least Tokyo). But after subsequent visits, I started to think, hey, maybe a year or two would be really good. Plus my Japanese really needs help.
This trip I kind of thought - huh, maybe this isn't a good idea to move here. Which, is kind of what I've been building up my life for (smaller apartment, ditched a lot of my things, I'm wearing more skirts/dresses to work to try fitting in with Japanese wardrobe (silly, right?), been doing a serious skin beauty routine because I've always felt so self conscious in Japan) and now I'm kind of like, uh, do I even want this?
But it's OK. I'll get this figured out. =)
I went with my brother and we didn't kill each other. I didn't even want to kill him, haha. Hopefully he felt the same about me!
We stayed in Nagoya > Osaka > Ito > Tokyo.
So Nagoya was pretty nice. I think this is my third time being there. It's usually been for 2 days, and it's always been for concerts? LOL. First visit was for Sakanaction back in 2014, then Da-ICE in 2015, and now Triceratops in 2016.
I actually never cared much for Nagoya. I think my brother really liked it and I kind of enjoyed it this go around. Maybe it's because we didn't do much of anything.
1) Nagoya castle. One of my brother's goals was to see a castle, so went there. I'm glad I'd been so I didn't feel obligated to check out all floors of the museum. He didn't care to either, so it worked out. =)
2) Vintage Paradise. I was on the hunt for a pair of raw denim jeans for women. I figured they wouldn't have them (and they didn't), but I didn't want to email and ask because I kind of wanted to go out and see everything they had. It was a pretty cool place. I ended up buying this coin pouch: https://ues.shop.japaneseselvagejeans.com/goods_en_usd_114.html. It goes well with the only designer handbag I own (a small denim Coach cross body clutch).
I am really starting to wonder about Japan's leather/denim scene's facinsation with Looney Toons and Peanuts. I don't think there's any Looney Toons merch anymore here in the US, and barely any Peanuts stuff I see.
3) Food. I usually just find a random place to eat, but my brother wanted to focus on food so I tried to do better research on tabelog.
- Yamamoto-ya Honten for miso udon. I found out I'm not a fan of miso udon. It's okay, because we both also ordered the 元気ジュース which came with the waiter awkwardly standing in front of us shaking up the drink. For. Ever. It was so awkward and hilarious I didn't know if we were supposed to start clapping or chanting something. The juice was GREAT though. Me and my brother joked about going back just for that.
And I wish we did, because Triceratops ate there the next day. Ugh. Off by a day. What's with Nagoya and these almost-encounters? I totally could've met Da-ICE last year too. Guess I need to keep picking Nagoya concerts.
- Maru-ya Honten for hitsumabushi. So expensive but so good. I love eel. It was a different way to eat it and all good, but I'm sure I'd still be happy with eel rice bowl. Haha.
4) Triceratops!! No need to go into that one again. =P
Osaka for... Osaka and access to Kyoto. I think I'm the only person that doesn't LOVE Osaka. This trip didn't change my mind either. We didn't do much here.
1) Osaka Aquarium. My brother likes fish and even though he said he didn't really care to go, I'm glad we went. It was pretty neat. Really crowded, but pretty neat. I think he enjoyed it.
Outside of the area, they had street performers. A guy was juggling fire. I got a new camera that does slow-motion capture and tried to get some of that action. I think I got a pretty decent video somewhere, I've forgotten to go through the videos already. Whoops.
2) Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto. I'd never been and my brother wanted to see a temple so.... Yeah. I'm not big on architecture or seeing temples... But it was neat and shiny. And insanely crowded.
3) Dotonbori. Just to walk and shop. I thought my brother would be impressed. He wasn't. Just a crowded shopping street. XD
4) Samurai Jeans main shop. I bought my first pair of raw denim jeans here. I really was hoping to get a pair in Nagoya so I could wear them to the first Triceratops concert, but it's okay I didn't. Samurai has a Geisha line for women, so I grabbed on of these: http://www.samurai-j.com/lineup/jeans/ga0510lxxii/index.html. I totally love the plaid pockets and button fly. The weight is a bit heavier than I originally wanted, but the fit was really good (they are one wash, so shouldn't shrink much I hope!)
I initially had my heart set on http://www.purebluejapan.jp/archives/5880 from Pure Blue Japan (purple fades!!) but didn't want to risk not getting as good of a fit.
If these turn out well, then I'll for sure look at grabbing a pair from Pure Blue Japan and possibly a Samurai denim jacket in the future. =)
Ito for Jogasaki coast.
1) Jogasaki coast. That's really the only reason I wanted to go to Ito. It was so beautiful. I love love visiting different scenic places in Japan. I don't know why I keep going to the big cities when I know I enjoy the opposite. Must be the lure of concerts.
2) Sunrise at Orange Beach in Ito. Just happened to do this. We went out for some ramen the night before, realized it was close to the beach, so I asked my brother if he wanted to get up and walk to the beach for the sunrise. He said why not, and so we did. It was really nice.
It's funny, we grew up off the water, but I don't think either of us has ever made it out to see the sunrise at home. I'm glad we got up early for this though.
Tokyo for... concert and Tokyo? I'm having a hard time remembering exactly what we did. I really didn't have plans for this trip other than TRICERATOPS and JEANS so I was pretty much done.
1) More jeans shops. So I had told my brother that I wanted to check out clothing places so I could get a pair of jeans, but since I already bought my pair in Osaka, I was kind of done. He kept saying "I thought you wanted to go look at jeans" though, and I realize now it was probably because he started to take a liking to the places.
We hit up Hinoya and Americaya. Since I wasn't looking for anything in particular, we just browsed. I really liked Americaya, more to see and people were much more friendly too. Was kind of ignored at Hinoya, but hey, wasn't going to buy anything any ways I suppose?
My brother got a pair of Kojima Genes at Americaya. And because they were friendly I almost was tempted into buying a jean jacket (well, and I really like the style of the jacket too). But they didn't have my size. It was funny, because I tried on the small and it wouldn't even close, so the shop keeper looked for a large. They didn't have any, but he handed me another size (extra large) and that one just swallowed me and he laughed. I'd definitely go back to browse next time I'm in Tokyo. Maybe they'll have my size next time. =)
2) Shinjuku/Harajuku/Shibuya. Pretty much got off at Shinjuku, checked out Shinjuku Gyoen, shopped around Shinjuku station. Walked to Harajuku from there - did Takeshita street and crepes. Went browsing along Omotesando... Ended up in Shibuya with more browsing.
Happened upon a Levi's store. I'm not sure what it is - but the Levi's here in the US do not look anything like the ones in Japan. Actually, all the jeans looked really good in Japan. I can understand Tsuyoshi's obsession a little bit more now. (And I feel kind of bad, I think my brother is reading up on jeans now, since when we got back to the US, he told me he had watched a Levi's documentary. LOL.)
Hm, yeah, I think Tokyo stay was pretty boring. Just shopping and concert. I hit up usual places (like Trio in Akiba) and the same spots (Meiji Jingu)... But it was a long week so it was good to not be too busy. Plus, final night in Japan was Triceratops!
Actually, I kind of got myself a bit depressed in Tokyo. I've been tossing the idea of running away to Japan for the last 3 years. After my first visit, I decided that maybe it wouldn't be the easiest place to be (at least Tokyo). But after subsequent visits, I started to think, hey, maybe a year or two would be really good. Plus my Japanese really needs help.
This trip I kind of thought - huh, maybe this isn't a good idea to move here. Which, is kind of what I've been building up my life for (smaller apartment, ditched a lot of my things, I'm wearing more skirts/dresses to work to try fitting in with Japanese wardrobe (silly, right?), been doing a serious skin beauty routine because I've always felt so self conscious in Japan) and now I'm kind of like, uh, do I even want this?
But it's OK. I'll get this figured out. =)