Trip to Tokyo
Today was an eventful day, which will go down in our family history as the first day that we took a trip to Tokyo - if you don't count the bus ride through Tokyo when we landed in Japan on Oct 17th, and we don't since we stayed on the highway the entire time and we were jet lagged out of our minds. We were planning to go just to Yokohama this weekend, since it's fairly close to Yokosuka but further than anywhere else we've tried to go on our own. Then, towards the end of the week, we got an offer from one of my coworkers to go with him and his girlfriend (a native) up to Tokyo for the day. Without much hesitation, we accepted.
We got started a bit after 9am today and took the Keikui Line train from Yokosuka-Chuo station up to Shinagawa, which is one of the busiest train stations in Japan. Shinagawa has more train platforms than I could try to count in the limited time that we were there, but having a Japanese tour guide made getting through the station fairly easy. From Shinagawa, we hopped onto the Yamanote Line, which circles the city, to the Harajuku exit.
At the Harajuku stop, we got off the train and ate lunch at an incredible (and relatively inexpensive) sushi place directly across from the train station. The sushi bar actually had a conveyor belt that went around the bar. Chefs inside the bar area continuously cut up fresh sushi plates, amongst other fun treats, and put them onto the conveyor belt. Bar dwellers simply grabbed whatever plates we wanted food from and ate as much as we wanted. When we were done, the server simply counted the plates and gave us a tab based on the number of plates we ate. When the dust settled, we counted 10 sushi plates, a bowl of miso soup with crab meat, and a dessert plate - not bad for two twenty-somethings and their toddler.
After lunch, we headed over to the Meiji Shrine, which was only a stone's throw away from the restaurant and train station. We were very fortunate to be at the shrine today. On November 15th, the Japanese have a holiday/festival called Shichi-go-san, which celebrates children that turn either 3, 5, or 7 years old during the year. For girls, the 3rd and 7th birthdays are celebrated and for boys, it's the 5th birthday. On Nov 15th each year, children within those ages are dressed in traditional kimono outfits and are blessed at the shrines. Anyway, good fortune must have been with us today, because it appeared that many young children were at the Meiji Shrine today doing a "dress rehearsal" for the upcoming festival. We saw quite a few youngsters dressed in their best kimono outfits - very cute. We also had the good fortune of witnessing the procession of not one, but two, weddings. Up above is a picture of Josh at Meiji Shrine near some flowers, compliments of a coworker of mine. Click to enlarge the image.
After visiting Meiji Shrine, we hopped back on the train for the Shibuya station - but first stopped to get a picture of the Japanese youth in their non-conformist outfits. There's a spot right near the Harajuku station where these kids hang out for hours on end, dressed to express their own unique styles, as you can see from the photo I've included. This stop on the Yamanote Line reminded me much of Times Square in New York. 
In fact, right outside of the station, there's an intersection that is considered one of the busiest intersections in the entire world. At one point, all the vehicle traffic gets a red light so that pedestrians can have a chance to walk from any direction to any direction across the crosswalk. And just about every time, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people trying to cross the street.
That area of town is also home to the Chu-ken Hachiko statue (aka - the faithful dog Hachiko statue), where we stopped for a family picture.
The story of Hachiko is a sad, but beautiful traditional Japanese tale. As legend goes, Hachiko was a young dog who was very loyal to his master. The master took the train to work every day, and every day when he got off the train, Hachiko was waiting for him at the station. One day, the master died at his work and hence never got on the train back home. However, for the next ten years, Hachiko continued to go to the train station to wait for his master and sometimes would sit in the same spot for days at a time. After ten years, Hachiko finally passed away in the exact spot where he last saw his master alive. The statue was erected in the dog's honor in 1934. If you want to know more about Hachiko, do a google search - he's got quite a few fan sites out there in many different languages.
Our trip back to Yokosuka was faster than I figured it would be, thanks to the help of the express train on the Keikui Line from Shinagawa back to Yokosuka-Chuo. All in all, we walked about 4+ miles today and we're tired. But Josh was a trooper even though he missed his nap and about five minutes after his head hit the pillow tonight, he was out like a light.
We got started a bit after 9am today and took the Keikui Line train from Yokosuka-Chuo station up to Shinagawa, which is one of the busiest train stations in Japan. Shinagawa has more train platforms than I could try to count in the limited time that we were there, but having a Japanese tour guide made getting through the station fairly easy. From Shinagawa, we hopped onto the Yamanote Line, which circles the city, to the Harajuku exit.
At the Harajuku stop, we got off the train and ate lunch at an incredible (and relatively inexpensive) sushi place directly across from the train station. The sushi bar actually had a conveyor belt that went around the bar. Chefs inside the bar area continuously cut up fresh sushi plates, amongst other fun treats, and put them onto the conveyor belt. Bar dwellers simply grabbed whatever plates we wanted food from and ate as much as we wanted. When we were done, the server simply counted the plates and gave us a tab based on the number of plates we ate. When the dust settled, we counted 10 sushi plates, a bowl of miso soup with crab meat, and a dessert plate - not bad for two twenty-somethings and their toddler.
After lunch, we headed over to the Meiji Shrine, which was only a stone's throw away from the restaurant and train station. We were very fortunate to be at the shrine today. On November 15th, the Japanese have a holiday/festival called Shichi-go-san, which celebrates children that turn either 3, 5, or 7 years old during the year. For girls, the 3rd and 7th birthdays are celebrated and for boys, it's the 5th birthday. On Nov 15th each year, children within those ages are dressed in traditional kimono outfits and are blessed at the shrines. Anyway, good fortune must have been with us today, because it appeared that many young children were at the Meiji Shrine today doing a "dress rehearsal" for the upcoming festival. We saw quite a few youngsters dressed in their best kimono outfits - very cute. We also had the good fortune of witnessing the procession of not one, but two, weddings. Up above is a picture of Josh at Meiji Shrine near some flowers, compliments of a coworker of mine. Click to enlarge the image.
After visiting Meiji Shrine, we hopped back on the train for the Shibuya station - but first stopped to get a picture of the Japanese youth in their non-conformist outfits. There's a spot right near the Harajuku station where these kids hang out for hours on end, dressed to express their own unique styles, as you can see from the photo I've included. This stop on the Yamanote Line reminded me much of Times Square in New York. 
In fact, right outside of the station, there's an intersection that is considered one of the busiest intersections in the entire world. At one point, all the vehicle traffic gets a red light so that pedestrians can have a chance to walk from any direction to any direction across the crosswalk. And just about every time, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people trying to cross the street.That area of town is also home to the Chu-ken Hachiko statue (aka - the faithful dog Hachiko statue), where we stopped for a family picture.
The story of Hachiko is a sad, but beautiful traditional Japanese tale. As legend goes, Hachiko was a young dog who was very loyal to his master. The master took the train to work every day, and every day when he got off the train, Hachiko was waiting for him at the station. One day, the master died at his work and hence never got on the train back home. However, for the next ten years, Hachiko continued to go to the train station to wait for his master and sometimes would sit in the same spot for days at a time. After ten years, Hachiko finally passed away in the exact spot where he last saw his master alive. The statue was erected in the dog's honor in 1934. If you want to know more about Hachiko, do a google search - he's got quite a few fan sites out there in many different languages.Our trip back to Yokosuka was faster than I figured it would be, thanks to the help of the express train on the Keikui Line from Shinagawa back to Yokosuka-Chuo. All in all, we walked about 4+ miles today and we're tired. But Josh was a trooper even though he missed his nap and about five minutes after his head hit the pillow tonight, he was out like a light.
posted by Unknown | 9:18 PM
5 Comments:
Mike,
We are still waiting for pictures... you keep talking about them (i.e. we stopped to take a picture next to Hachiko) but alas, there are none posted on the website. Sounds like a successful first trip into Tokyo though. I remember when Ryan and I went to Paris the first time... we must have traversed the city 5 times and walked 10+ miles, so I can relate to your tiredness. :)
Cassie
Sounds like your trip to Tokyo was a success! The first time I visited the Hachiko shrine I was impressed with not only the simplicity of the story but the uniqueness it represents with regards to Japanese philosophy. In my travels here in the States I have yet to come across any such shrine or testament to a dog, with the exception being those of police and fire dogs.
Anyway it is good to hear that the three of you are adapting to your new surroundings and have begun to embrace the Japanese society. I am sure the next few years will fly by quickly and you all will come away from the tour with great personal growth.
Chris and I are doing well and continue with our remolding effort on the house. We hope that getting settled into your new residence off base will be as seamless as possible. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your adventure when you get the chance to pots them.
次にまで。安全があり、賢くがクリス及びI のためのJosh を抱き締めることを覚えているありなさい。
Respectfully
Alan & Chris
Mike.
It seems that I still can’t spell. Or maybe it is just the dyslexic side of my brain that was engaged. Anyway Chris and I would rate see the pictures posted vise having them in pots.
Oh yes and then there is the word rather.
Pictures will be coming soon... Alan, thanks for clearing up your spelling snafus. I was wondering why you'd want us to put our pictures in pots. I added a picture today of Josh and I think I have found a way to post more to the site, so I will try tonight if I have time. These next few days will be busy with signing the lease, buying a car, moving into the new place, etc.
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