Japan Trip: Day 8 - Tokyo
I must have been super tired from the previous day's adrenaline rush, so when I was supposed to wake up at 6am on Monday, I didn't until nanami_hijiri woke me up about 15 minutes later, because her alarm had gone off, but not mine xD I woke up surprised, and noticed that I had set the timer on my phone, but not turned it on. Silly me =P Also, I had plugged my phone the previous night, but didn't realize that it wasn't properly connected, so when I woke up, it was at only 20% -_-”
I pretty much jumped from the futon and quickly got ready because I had a prayer to attend at 8.30am in Tokyo. Oh right, that Monday 12th was Eid, so I had planned to go to Tokyo Camii, Japan's largest mosque that is in Tokyo, to attend the mass prayer.
While I got ready, I left my phone to charge as much as it could, and then nanami_hijiri said she'd drive me to the station too cos unless I sprinted the 2++ km distance, I wouldn't catch the train =P
After being driven to the station and showing my pass to the station officer, I managed to catch the 06:41 train to Shinjuku, then change to the Odakyu (non-JR, so I had to pay) to Yoyogi-Uehara. From there, I was a bit lost about the location, but then I noticed several people looking obviously Muslim walking in one direction, so I just followed those people xD
The mosque was just some 5mnts away, when I got there, it said that the ladies area was downstairs, so I entered and quickly looked for the restroom to cleanse myself (it was in the basement). But when I got back, the ladies prayer room was full already. I couldn't participate in praying, so I retreated and just stood at the back of the room.
It was obviously not the first time I spent Eid outside Indonesia, and also not the first time spending it by myself. But when the religious speech after the prayer came, I felt touched. The speech was held in English, Turkish (the mosque was built by the Turkish community), and Japanese. English version felt normal, Turkish version I didn't care (I've been exposed to this language for a decade in Germany and never liked it, seriously), but the moment the Japanese speech started, I cried. I dunno... it's just surreal? I only understood parts of it but it still tugged my heart T3T
Btw, while listening to the speeches, a girl who came in a small group approached me and asked me in Japanese if the prayer was already done. So I answered in Japanese that it was. I thought it was pretty funny, cos the girls were obviously Indonesian, but they probably thought I wasn't xDDD I still didn't emphasize my nationality to them though =P
This is what the ladies prayer room looked like, btw:
It probably holds some 300-400 persons, but it's still full to the back. And pretty interesting to see various nationalities mingled in there. I saw Middle Eastern, African, Asian... I think there were few Caucasian ladies there too =3
When the session was over, everyone went outside. But because everyone was outside, the sidewalk became crowded, making it difficult to normal people who wanted to walk by. Then, a man from the committee announced that there were food being sold at the mosque's backyard, and that everyone should crowd there instead of the street xD
I went there to see what's available. There was Biryani Rice, Kebab, and other Middle-Eastern delicacies. I pondered between eating there or going to my next destination and eat later. In the end, I queued at the Kebab truck though. It was... futsuu? Not bad, but nothing special either. Maybe cos I'm used to the Kebab sold in Germany that has pretty much everything inside? =P And for 500yen, I thought it was overpriced ^^;
Anyway, after eating, I took some pix of the mosque. This is how it looks like from the back:
Then I walked back to the front and climbed to the 2nd floor, which had been used for men during the prayer earlier. The interior is beautiful. Dominated in blue with lots of beautiful calligraphy. It felt serene in there. I like <3
After taking pix, I walked out, crossed the street, and took a pic of its front:
And then I walked back to the station. It was already 11am, and this day, I'd visit some areas in Tokyo. The next destination would be Asakusa, so I took the metro to Omotesando, followed by another directly to Asakusa.
Asakusa Sta. was being partially renovated, so it was a bit hard to find your way. Thank God for signs though xD I think I got out from North Exit, where I was greeted by this view:
That's Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Building in the distance, with the bridge that connects the 2 areas. To date, I still don't understand what that golden thing on top of the building is supposed to mean. It looks strange xDDD
I walked in the opposite direction, and saw on my left the funky-looking Asakusa Tourist International Center. I entered to ask if they had any means to charge a phone, since my phone was dying. They pointed me to the 2nd floor, where I'd be able to find some plugs. So I went up, and indeed, there was a long table along the window with numerous plugs on it. I was saved xD
While waiting for my phone to charge a bit, I marveled the view from the window. It was right across the famous Kaminarimon. There was a sea of people bustling in that area. Pretty crowded. But what caught my attention more were the rickshaws. More specifically, the men pulling them, fufufu~ How wouldn't I? Those men were mostly young (20s-30s), quite attractive, dressed in black shorts that looked more like bike shorts =3 They wore something that looked like ninja shoes too xD Those guys would approach people and offer (read: persuade) their service to people passing by. Even when most of the time, people would decline their offer, they'd still do their work with a smile. I thought they looked really sexy while doing their work =3
I managed to charge my phone to around half after lounging in the area for almost an hour xD I thought it was enough, so I went back downstairs. And then, from the front of the building, I took this pic of Kaminarimon:
After crossing the street, I didn't go straight from Kaminarimon, but took a detour instead, since the area was too crowded. I went to the right, found a konbini, bought some juice, and walked from there. The side streets were much more quiet, with some humble stores selling all sorts of souvenirs, which I supposed would be cheaper than in the main street. I checked out some, but since I wasn't really intending in throwing money around, I only bought a fridge magnet, which my mom collects at home xD
After the detour, I finally arrived at the Asakusa complex from the side. It was crowded with both local and foreign tourists! But I managed to take some nice pix:
Since it was already 2pm, I walked west towards Ueno Sta. through the Shin-Nakamise shopping street. I saw many people eating enormous melon-pan, and indeed, the shop was right there. It cost 300yen, I think? I was quite tempted to buy one, but in the decided to just continue walking =P
Midway, I saw a humble supermarket. I walked in while thinking what I should cook for dinner. I mean, nanami_hijiri had made me food the weekend before, so I thought I'd make something in return that evening. In the end I bought some potatoes, and found some Kitkat and matcha powder to take home xD
From Ueno Sta., I rode towards my next destination: Ikebukuro. I didn't expect Ikebukuro Sta. to be so big! It's very easy to get lost in there with all those passages and shops.
In the end, I turned googlemaps on to search Animate Ikebukuro, which was the main thing I wanted to see there xD I had gone up from the wrong exit, so it was a bit of a detour =P But I found it!
Animate Ikebukuro was... big. And crowded. There were girls in all ages, from school girls to cosplay-wearing ones. The first floor had mostly Utapri, since that's what's in at the moment =P I checked pretty much all floors, saw KENN's photobook (which I had been wanting since it was announced), but I realized I didn't have enough cash in my wallet, hahah ^^; Then I saw SideM strap kuji, which a friend in Indonesia wanted. But it was kuji and she wanted only Touma... ^^;
In the end, I walked out Animate and looked for the nearest 7 Bank ATM. Found it at Seibu (I think?), withdrew some money, went back to Animate, bought the book, bought the strap, then walked around a bit. There were some duty-free shops, but you're required to purchase >5.000yen in order to apply. I knew I wouldn't buy that much =P I found some Kitkat varieties, so I only bought those xD I also dropped by BookOff next to it. Saw Backstreet Boys' most recent CD (which isn't available in Indonesia, tsk), so I bought that too xD
Originally, from there, I'd go to either Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building because I wanted to see either place by night, but I was already tired, and thought about the long way I still had to take to get home, so I just headed to Ikebukuro Sta. and returned to Fukaya.
And yeah, I was greeted by Tokyo rush hour! So full! I obviously didn't get a seat. I only got one when it was already past Ueno...
I got back at nanami_hijiri's at 8pm or so. Made dinner, showered, had dinner, then went to bed. So tired... ^^;
I pretty much jumped from the futon and quickly got ready because I had a prayer to attend at 8.30am in Tokyo. Oh right, that Monday 12th was Eid, so I had planned to go to Tokyo Camii, Japan's largest mosque that is in Tokyo, to attend the mass prayer.
While I got ready, I left my phone to charge as much as it could, and then nanami_hijiri said she'd drive me to the station too cos unless I sprinted the 2++ km distance, I wouldn't catch the train =P
After being driven to the station and showing my pass to the station officer, I managed to catch the 06:41 train to Shinjuku, then change to the Odakyu (non-JR, so I had to pay) to Yoyogi-Uehara. From there, I was a bit lost about the location, but then I noticed several people looking obviously Muslim walking in one direction, so I just followed those people xD
The mosque was just some 5mnts away, when I got there, it said that the ladies area was downstairs, so I entered and quickly looked for the restroom to cleanse myself (it was in the basement). But when I got back, the ladies prayer room was full already. I couldn't participate in praying, so I retreated and just stood at the back of the room.
It was obviously not the first time I spent Eid outside Indonesia, and also not the first time spending it by myself. But when the religious speech after the prayer came, I felt touched. The speech was held in English, Turkish (the mosque was built by the Turkish community), and Japanese. English version felt normal, Turkish version I didn't care (I've been exposed to this language for a decade in Germany and never liked it, seriously), but the moment the Japanese speech started, I cried. I dunno... it's just surreal? I only understood parts of it but it still tugged my heart T3T
Btw, while listening to the speeches, a girl who came in a small group approached me and asked me in Japanese if the prayer was already done. So I answered in Japanese that it was. I thought it was pretty funny, cos the girls were obviously Indonesian, but they probably thought I wasn't xDDD I still didn't emphasize my nationality to them though =P
This is what the ladies prayer room looked like, btw:
It probably holds some 300-400 persons, but it's still full to the back. And pretty interesting to see various nationalities mingled in there. I saw Middle Eastern, African, Asian... I think there were few Caucasian ladies there too =3
When the session was over, everyone went outside. But because everyone was outside, the sidewalk became crowded, making it difficult to normal people who wanted to walk by. Then, a man from the committee announced that there were food being sold at the mosque's backyard, and that everyone should crowd there instead of the street xD
I went there to see what's available. There was Biryani Rice, Kebab, and other Middle-Eastern delicacies. I pondered between eating there or going to my next destination and eat later. In the end, I queued at the Kebab truck though. It was... futsuu? Not bad, but nothing special either. Maybe cos I'm used to the Kebab sold in Germany that has pretty much everything inside? =P And for 500yen, I thought it was overpriced ^^;
Anyway, after eating, I took some pix of the mosque. This is how it looks like from the back:
Then I walked back to the front and climbed to the 2nd floor, which had been used for men during the prayer earlier. The interior is beautiful. Dominated in blue with lots of beautiful calligraphy. It felt serene in there. I like <3
After taking pix, I walked out, crossed the street, and took a pic of its front:
And then I walked back to the station. It was already 11am, and this day, I'd visit some areas in Tokyo. The next destination would be Asakusa, so I took the metro to Omotesando, followed by another directly to Asakusa.
Asakusa Sta. was being partially renovated, so it was a bit hard to find your way. Thank God for signs though xD I think I got out from North Exit, where I was greeted by this view:
That's Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Building in the distance, with the bridge that connects the 2 areas. To date, I still don't understand what that golden thing on top of the building is supposed to mean. It looks strange xDDD
I walked in the opposite direction, and saw on my left the funky-looking Asakusa Tourist International Center. I entered to ask if they had any means to charge a phone, since my phone was dying. They pointed me to the 2nd floor, where I'd be able to find some plugs. So I went up, and indeed, there was a long table along the window with numerous plugs on it. I was saved xD
While waiting for my phone to charge a bit, I marveled the view from the window. It was right across the famous Kaminarimon. There was a sea of people bustling in that area. Pretty crowded. But what caught my attention more were the rickshaws. More specifically, the men pulling them, fufufu~ How wouldn't I? Those men were mostly young (20s-30s), quite attractive, dressed in black shorts that looked more like bike shorts =3 They wore something that looked like ninja shoes too xD Those guys would approach people and offer (read: persuade) their service to people passing by. Even when most of the time, people would decline their offer, they'd still do their work with a smile. I thought they looked really sexy while doing their work =3
I managed to charge my phone to around half after lounging in the area for almost an hour xD I thought it was enough, so I went back downstairs. And then, from the front of the building, I took this pic of Kaminarimon:
After crossing the street, I didn't go straight from Kaminarimon, but took a detour instead, since the area was too crowded. I went to the right, found a konbini, bought some juice, and walked from there. The side streets were much more quiet, with some humble stores selling all sorts of souvenirs, which I supposed would be cheaper than in the main street. I checked out some, but since I wasn't really intending in throwing money around, I only bought a fridge magnet, which my mom collects at home xD
After the detour, I finally arrived at the Asakusa complex from the side. It was crowded with both local and foreign tourists! But I managed to take some nice pix:
Since it was already 2pm, I walked west towards Ueno Sta. through the Shin-Nakamise shopping street. I saw many people eating enormous melon-pan, and indeed, the shop was right there. It cost 300yen, I think? I was quite tempted to buy one, but in the decided to just continue walking =P
Midway, I saw a humble supermarket. I walked in while thinking what I should cook for dinner. I mean, nanami_hijiri had made me food the weekend before, so I thought I'd make something in return that evening. In the end I bought some potatoes, and found some Kitkat and matcha powder to take home xD
From Ueno Sta., I rode towards my next destination: Ikebukuro. I didn't expect Ikebukuro Sta. to be so big! It's very easy to get lost in there with all those passages and shops.
In the end, I turned googlemaps on to search Animate Ikebukuro, which was the main thing I wanted to see there xD I had gone up from the wrong exit, so it was a bit of a detour =P But I found it!
Animate Ikebukuro was... big. And crowded. There were girls in all ages, from school girls to cosplay-wearing ones. The first floor had mostly Utapri, since that's what's in at the moment =P I checked pretty much all floors, saw KENN's photobook (which I had been wanting since it was announced), but I realized I didn't have enough cash in my wallet, hahah ^^; Then I saw SideM strap kuji, which a friend in Indonesia wanted. But it was kuji and she wanted only Touma... ^^;
In the end, I walked out Animate and looked for the nearest 7 Bank ATM. Found it at Seibu (I think?), withdrew some money, went back to Animate, bought the book, bought the strap, then walked around a bit. There were some duty-free shops, but you're required to purchase >5.000yen in order to apply. I knew I wouldn't buy that much =P I found some Kitkat varieties, so I only bought those xD I also dropped by BookOff next to it. Saw Backstreet Boys' most recent CD (which isn't available in Indonesia, tsk), so I bought that too xD
Originally, from there, I'd go to either Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building because I wanted to see either place by night, but I was already tired, and thought about the long way I still had to take to get home, so I just headed to Ikebukuro Sta. and returned to Fukaya.
And yeah, I was greeted by Tokyo rush hour! So full! I obviously didn't get a seat. I only got one when it was already past Ueno...
I got back at nanami_hijiri's at 8pm or so. Made dinner, showered, had dinner, then went to bed. So tired... ^^;