Japan 2010 - Day 2: Night Breed
My fellow J-rock lovers will have already noted that the title of this post alludes to a Moi dix Mois song. And, of course, that band will be the focus of an upcoming entry! But it is also a very fitting title for this post, given the events of the day...er, night. You’ll see what I mean.
Anyway, please make sure you’ve read about Day 1 before moving on to this entry.
I didn’t get a lot of sleep my first night; not sure why. Woke up even before my friend, making notes on the trip up to this point. As she readied herself for work, she suggested, since it was early, I might like to watch the sunrise.
What a view. What a sight.
We conversed for a bit, regarding my plans for the day. The idea was to spend a goodly amount of time floating around Ryogoku, exploring the area a little more in-depth. She had a magazine featuring a snippet on the area’s attractions, Including a map, & recommended I take a look at it (it was in Japanese, but there’s still a lot to be said for photos & maps), to get some ideas & a bit of a sense of things. Of course, a big thing in Ryogoku is Sumo. During my last visit, we walked around the Kokugikan, where they have the Basho, or Sumo tournaments - it was closed, as we’d gone on a Saturday, but they also have a Sumo museum there. Thought I might try going to that, for starters. The rest, I’d play by ear.
Didn’t mention it, but I had a headache. I’d woken up with it. I think it was because I got hot when I slept. That happens to me sometimes, esp. in the summer. But in this case, it may have been that my warm & comfy futon was a little too warm. I don’t think we do it with what we call Futons in the States, but a real futon, I learned, is more than just the roll-up mattress, it’s a set. There’s also a pillow, & a comforter. Though not part of the set, there’s also something called a ‘mofu’ (or would it be ‘moufu’?), which is rather traditional, as I understand it. It’s pretty much another blanket, but very thick & plush. You’re meant to sleep under that as well as the comforter, but I woke up sweating under there! For the rest of my stay, I slept on top of it, covered only by the comforter. That worked better. Didn’t even need to use the heated rug, grateful as I was to my dear friend for setting it out for me, in case I needed it.
After she left, I made a few more notes...until my pen ran out. I’d sought to borrow one, but that ended up running out, too (gee, do I write much?). Vowed to stop off somewhere along my travels & buy some pens.
A short while later, my co-host’s alarm went off, one of the cutest sounds I have ever heard. It was this xylophone-type sound, the melody sort of Flintstones-esque, with an Asian twist. I can’t explain it any better than that. We had a brief conversation before he, too, left for work.
My head still hurt, & I was a bit tired yet from getting such little sleep. Had a gander at my friend’s magazine, but thought it best to take an hour or so, to catch up on some Z’s, & hopefully shake the headache, before setting out.
Next thing I know, my phone is ringing. It’s my friend, who asked what I was doing. I told her I’d been sleeping. She sounded rather surprised, & I wondered why. Turns out IT WAS 3:40 PM!!! I’D SLEPT THE ENTIRE DAY!!!
My friend said the stores generally closed around 9 pm, & I ended up getting out around 5 or thereabouts, so I had quite a bit of time to explore, even if it was in the dark.
Had a nice walk around town. Found a vending machine that sold Calpis, & got myself one. :) Also found out they have a Book Off! ^_^ Stayed in there for a while, looking around & enjoying the sound of the shop-workers as they greeted customers in their sing-song manner. I liked the fact that you could go up or down without having to pay for things on each floor (I actually watched some other customers, tho’, just to make sure it wasn’t like the one in Akiba). Found several things I wanted, but had to make some decisions. Got the Malice “Merveilles” book & the Vamps magazine, for a total of, like, 5 bucks! Much like Tower Records the night before, I vowed to go back for some of the things I’d left behind, nearer the end of my trip.
The rest of the time, I basically spent walking around, finding interesting things/places, & taking photos.
Told you Sumo was big here. ^_^
So are eateries...
Plastic food! :) Much nicer than a plain old printed menu.
A drinking establishment. Heard some awesome-sounding traditional-style music coming out of there.
Above & below: the tourist information center.
Stopped in a couple of konbini (convenience stores), got something to eat & a couple of pens. My friend had given me some language-related advice to help me avoid the slightly embarrassing language-barrier moment I’d had on my last trip: some of the food you get in konbini is meant to be heated. And the store clerks will offer to microwave it for you when you pay for it. Last time, I got something I wasn’t aware was meant to be served warm, & didn’t recognise what the clerks were saying when they offered to heat it; it took a while before I understood. The advice came in handy, ’cuz one of the things I’d gotten, they offered to heat!
That was in one konbini (I forget which one - there are lots!); in the other, I picked up an onigiri (can’t remember what kind it was - I used to always get hijiki when Chiyoda in NYC was around, but they didn’t have that kind in this konbini) & some potato salad (I can’t recall what, in our later discussion, we figured might make it taste so different from the US kind - maybe the Japanese mayonnaise? - but it’s really, really good!). Picked up a couple of pens, one for me, one for my hosts. Scoped out the sweets, as well - cookies, cakes, candies - but decided I already had enough food for the evening.
Walked around a bit more, & took more pics.
This was actually an animated sign/light. Little white lights came down like it was snowing.
Hello Kitty’s advertising home loans these days.
The sign says, “Cleaning”. I’m guessing dry-cleaning. I just like my kanban (these kinds of signs; stop-signs & the like would be hyoshiki), & the cute rabbit.
One of my favourite spots; you can just feel the...age, the history, the tradition...the idea that the place has seen generations of people, heard their laughter, felt their joie-de-vivre...it’s old but vibrant, still existing in this modern age - it’s one of the things I love about Japan, you can be in the midst of skyscrapers but peek in between buildings or around a corner, & it’s like a winding path into a hidden world, little slices of the old life, or nature...I prob’ly sound like a complete baka (idiot), but words fail me when I try to describe the things I feel in places like this.
This street was just so pretty!
Afraid that my hot food would soon be cold food, I eventually made my way back to the apartment, & had what would be my only meal of the day: the hot dish (I couldn’t read it, but later learned it was kimchi with rice & veggies; it was nice, not overly spicy or anything), the potato salad, & Calpis. Saved the onigiri, thought it might do for breakfast the next day.
Got tired, so I curled up in my wrap & dozed for a bit, until my friend came home. My co-host was back soon after, & once again, we stayed up rather late, talking up a storm. ^_^
Next up, Day 3!!
Anyway, please make sure you’ve read about Day 1 before moving on to this entry.
I didn’t get a lot of sleep my first night; not sure why. Woke up even before my friend, making notes on the trip up to this point. As she readied herself for work, she suggested, since it was early, I might like to watch the sunrise.
What a view. What a sight.
We conversed for a bit, regarding my plans for the day. The idea was to spend a goodly amount of time floating around Ryogoku, exploring the area a little more in-depth. She had a magazine featuring a snippet on the area’s attractions, Including a map, & recommended I take a look at it (it was in Japanese, but there’s still a lot to be said for photos & maps), to get some ideas & a bit of a sense of things. Of course, a big thing in Ryogoku is Sumo. During my last visit, we walked around the Kokugikan, where they have the Basho, or Sumo tournaments - it was closed, as we’d gone on a Saturday, but they also have a Sumo museum there. Thought I might try going to that, for starters. The rest, I’d play by ear.
Didn’t mention it, but I had a headache. I’d woken up with it. I think it was because I got hot when I slept. That happens to me sometimes, esp. in the summer. But in this case, it may have been that my warm & comfy futon was a little too warm. I don’t think we do it with what we call Futons in the States, but a real futon, I learned, is more than just the roll-up mattress, it’s a set. There’s also a pillow, & a comforter. Though not part of the set, there’s also something called a ‘mofu’ (or would it be ‘moufu’?), which is rather traditional, as I understand it. It’s pretty much another blanket, but very thick & plush. You’re meant to sleep under that as well as the comforter, but I woke up sweating under there! For the rest of my stay, I slept on top of it, covered only by the comforter. That worked better. Didn’t even need to use the heated rug, grateful as I was to my dear friend for setting it out for me, in case I needed it.
After she left, I made a few more notes...until my pen ran out. I’d sought to borrow one, but that ended up running out, too (gee, do I write much?). Vowed to stop off somewhere along my travels & buy some pens.
A short while later, my co-host’s alarm went off, one of the cutest sounds I have ever heard. It was this xylophone-type sound, the melody sort of Flintstones-esque, with an Asian twist. I can’t explain it any better than that. We had a brief conversation before he, too, left for work.
My head still hurt, & I was a bit tired yet from getting such little sleep. Had a gander at my friend’s magazine, but thought it best to take an hour or so, to catch up on some Z’s, & hopefully shake the headache, before setting out.
Next thing I know, my phone is ringing. It’s my friend, who asked what I was doing. I told her I’d been sleeping. She sounded rather surprised, & I wondered why. Turns out IT WAS 3:40 PM!!! I’D SLEPT THE ENTIRE DAY!!!
My friend said the stores generally closed around 9 pm, & I ended up getting out around 5 or thereabouts, so I had quite a bit of time to explore, even if it was in the dark.
Had a nice walk around town. Found a vending machine that sold Calpis, & got myself one. :) Also found out they have a Book Off! ^_^ Stayed in there for a while, looking around & enjoying the sound of the shop-workers as they greeted customers in their sing-song manner. I liked the fact that you could go up or down without having to pay for things on each floor (I actually watched some other customers, tho’, just to make sure it wasn’t like the one in Akiba). Found several things I wanted, but had to make some decisions. Got the Malice “Merveilles” book & the Vamps magazine, for a total of, like, 5 bucks! Much like Tower Records the night before, I vowed to go back for some of the things I’d left behind, nearer the end of my trip.
The rest of the time, I basically spent walking around, finding interesting things/places, & taking photos.
Told you Sumo was big here. ^_^
So are eateries...
Plastic food! :) Much nicer than a plain old printed menu.
A drinking establishment. Heard some awesome-sounding traditional-style music coming out of there.
Above & below: the tourist information center.
Stopped in a couple of konbini (convenience stores), got something to eat & a couple of pens. My friend had given me some language-related advice to help me avoid the slightly embarrassing language-barrier moment I’d had on my last trip: some of the food you get in konbini is meant to be heated. And the store clerks will offer to microwave it for you when you pay for it. Last time, I got something I wasn’t aware was meant to be served warm, & didn’t recognise what the clerks were saying when they offered to heat it; it took a while before I understood. The advice came in handy, ’cuz one of the things I’d gotten, they offered to heat!
That was in one konbini (I forget which one - there are lots!); in the other, I picked up an onigiri (can’t remember what kind it was - I used to always get hijiki when Chiyoda in NYC was around, but they didn’t have that kind in this konbini) & some potato salad (I can’t recall what, in our later discussion, we figured might make it taste so different from the US kind - maybe the Japanese mayonnaise? - but it’s really, really good!). Picked up a couple of pens, one for me, one for my hosts. Scoped out the sweets, as well - cookies, cakes, candies - but decided I already had enough food for the evening.
Walked around a bit more, & took more pics.
This was actually an animated sign/light. Little white lights came down like it was snowing.
Hello Kitty’s advertising home loans these days.
The sign says, “Cleaning”. I’m guessing dry-cleaning. I just like my kanban (these kinds of signs; stop-signs & the like would be hyoshiki), & the cute rabbit.
One of my favourite spots; you can just feel the...age, the history, the tradition...the idea that the place has seen generations of people, heard their laughter, felt their joie-de-vivre...it’s old but vibrant, still existing in this modern age - it’s one of the things I love about Japan, you can be in the midst of skyscrapers but peek in between buildings or around a corner, & it’s like a winding path into a hidden world, little slices of the old life, or nature...I prob’ly sound like a complete baka (idiot), but words fail me when I try to describe the things I feel in places like this.
This street was just so pretty!
Afraid that my hot food would soon be cold food, I eventually made my way back to the apartment, & had what would be my only meal of the day: the hot dish (I couldn’t read it, but later learned it was kimchi with rice & veggies; it was nice, not overly spicy or anything), the potato salad, & Calpis. Saved the onigiri, thought it might do for breakfast the next day.
Got tired, so I curled up in my wrap & dozed for a bit, until my friend came home. My co-host was back soon after, & once again, we stayed up rather late, talking up a storm. ^_^
Next up, Day 3!!