For those wondering what on earth 'samui' means, it's simple. It means 'cold,' which was the weather yesterday and has been for the past week or so. Honestly, it hasn't gone over 55 degrees here and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm still in Kansas, Toto.
Yesterday was, to put it bluntly, absolutely amazing. With the WIC (Waseda Internation Club) all of us who wanted to got to go on a 'Tokyo Tour'. Or one of two Tokyo Tours. As it was, I went on the Asakusa and Akihabara tour. And MAN was it fun. Starting in Akihabara (the tour left at 11:30 in the Amdizzle), we, all 30 of us) crammed into the small upstairs of a restaurant and had lunch. Which was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. Sitting about 8-10 to a table, no bigger than an average computer desk, we had food prepared in front of us by, no joke, us. The wait staff showed us what to do and, with the help of the Japanese students from the WIC on the tour with us, we managed to make monjayaki, okonomiyaki, and other yum yums.
After that, which was awesome and delicious and fun, we hopped back on the Subway and traveled to Asakusa. If you're wondering why we didn't spend more time in Akihabara, it was because lunch took around an hour and half to get through. This was because we were over 30 people and because it was a long meal. Starting with monjayaki, then okonomiyaki, then some potatoes and spicy sausage, and another round of monjayaki for fun.
So, after a few more subway rides and introductions (we all got very good at saying 'hajimemashite' [nice to meet you *used to begin introductions*] and 'yoroshiku onegaishimasu' [nice to meet you or please be kind to me *used at the end of introductions*]), we traveled to Asakusa. Asakusa is one of the older parts of the city. Host to a large temple, shrines, and lots of shopping and food, the section was pretty much throbbing with activity. That, and we saw more foreigners there than anywhere else in Tokyo. Because of all the historical stuff and shopping, it's pretty much a tourist trap.
There, we were allowed to explore and investigate. Which we did happily, easily running into our friends yet again and then all traveling, en mass, to get some of the most delicious snacks I've ever had. Known as 'melon pan' 「メロン パン」 it's a sort of bread or pastry snack which is both hot (thank god because we were all so cold) slightly sweet, and fluffily delicious. I know that's technically not a word, but, given the circumstances, I hope you'll let it slide. And, not only is it delicious, it's cheap. The bakery we were in was actually famous for it, working in a small shop and literally a hole in the wall. However, it's fame was obvious as there was a never ending line outside the door and everyone seemed to want to get their own portion of 'melon pan' before leaving. It's something I would happily take back to the states with me and eat every day. Though I doubt they'd ever taste as good.
So we explored, enjoyed, and then, after a ton of group photos, hopped on the subway yet again, and traveled to komagome (I think) for another round of Ohanami. Which, originally, all of us were dreading, but which turned out to be better than any of us had expected. The city is host to one of the most spectacular gardens I've ever seen, with beautiful trees, bushes, grounds, landscaping, and, especially, lighting facilities. This was key as we were there at night, around 7:30 pm to be exact, and looking at Sakura in the dark isn't nearly as impressive as when it's lovely and sunny. However, the trees illuminated in the darkness were actually more impressive and breathtaking. The blossoms stood out in stark contrast to the darkness and the whole place seemed to take on a kinda of ethereal presence.
To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. I wish I could give you guys a good idea of what it was like with pictures, but my camera isn't that great in the dark and most of the images came out blurry. Also, a photograph could never really express what it was actually like to be there. It would be like trying to compare a piece of construction paper to a Monet.
After we froze ourselves looking at the pretty flowers, our group finally returned to Takadanobaba for either a farewell or dinner party. Give you three guesses which I chose to do and, considering there's only two options, none of them should count. :P
And thus began my first experience eating Japanese style Italian food. We went to the local Italian restaurant (which I annoyingly can't remember the name of) for a dinner of yum, friends, and good spirits (not the alcohol kind). Since we had basically been doing nothing but eating all day wherever we went, I wasn't particularly hungry, therefore ordering a DELICIOUS but small dish (again, can't remember the name. I'm gonna go back, because it was both good and CHEAP and find out the name) which consisted of rice, a cream and cheese sauce, and meat sauce over that. Basically yum in a bowl/crock place thing. By the time we finished dinner it was late and, after spending another twenty minutes with all of my new Japanese friends clammoring to get my number, I bid them farewell amid many cries of 'KYOUTSUKETE!' [be safe!] Bed never felt more lovely.
Now, in case you are wondering why I titled this entry as being cold, it's because it was. Freezing, white stiff hands, runny nose, and convulsive shivering cold. Honestly, when I packed to come here, I didn't expect to be entering the same weather, if not cold, from what I left in Maine. And I mean it. Talking with all my new Japanese friends (yes, I've finally made some Japanese friends), they've all said that this is unusually cold for Japan and, typically, it's a lot warmer and the weather is a lot nicer. Zannen desu ne? [too bad, right?] I'm already thinking of investing in a sweat shirt or two and may, if the price is right, invest in a jacket as well. I have a trench coat but, for those group trips and traveling excursions, a simple jacket might be worth its weight in gold. Or cold, which ever way you want to weigh the benefits.
As for my Japanese friends, I have a suggestion to make for anyone who comes to Japan. DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH while you're here. If you want to, it's very easy to get by just with acting naive and only speaking in English. However, communication takes a long time and, though a lot of people here DO speak English, a lot of other people don't. So, if that's not incentive, I'll give you some more. While I've been here, I've been speaking both English and Japanese and, as much as I can, trying to speak in as much Japanese as possible. Of course, I made a lot of friends yesterday who also spoke English, but about half way through the day I began making more Japanese friends. End result? For almost the entire rest of the day I was speaking in Japanese. If anyone says repetition is ineffective, hit them, because they're wrong. The more I've been speaking Japanese and only hanging around Japanese people, speaking in Japanese, the more I'm learning. Also, a perk from this, you feel much more comfortable. It can be incredibly intimidating hearing everyone around you only speaking in a language you can't understand, if not scary. However, if you immerse yourself in it, you begin to pick up on manners of speech, words, intonations, and conversational cues you'd never get in classes. To top it off, your own Japanese gets a lot better. It may seem like the norm to speak more Japanese than English here, but, surprisingly, I've seen a lot of people speak more of their native tongue than Japanese. I've only had about a year and a half, but I'm pretty much doing everything to only speak in Japanese, only using English when someone looks at me like I've grown a second head.
Also, I've never been more thankful for my habit of gesticulation. As one of my friends, who has had almost no Japanese, it can sometimes be like a game of charades.
So, that's my update from yesterday. Today I have a bit of time and may FINALLY write about bathrooms and toilets and showers or other such topics. However, I figure I might give it a few hours before I shove something else down your throats.
Again, for those who didn't pick it up, I love Japan. Even if it is crazy cold. :D
Ai out-
No comments:
Post a Comment