From Ramen to Pork Pies

Day Four: Thursday 13 April 2006

After waking only had time to pack and spend half an hour on the free hotel internet before we had to make our way to the airport. I sent a group email to friends with a short description of our Tokyo stories and checked out my flickr page and saw Kklarence's comment on my ferret saver photo. Took the 1 hour local rapid JR train to the airport. Spent our last remaining yen on a present for Maddog - a set of sake shot glasses with erotic japanese illustrations. Checked in without hassle and boarded our first BA leg, 1.00pm flight to London. Not too impressed with BA though. They gave away my vegetarian meal to someone else, and had to prepare another one for me. And I had to sit next to a very obnoxious Nigerian businessman who stuck his elbow into me for the entire flight. He also thought he was being discriminated against when I got a random customer survey form and he didn't. He wasn't even sitting in his allocated seat - he should have been in the row infront next to the couple with a child. I watched movies pretty constantly - Pride and Prejudice, Transamerica and The Producers. Only managed to get in a couple of half hour naps, so it was a long 12 hours.

Landed in London at 5.30pm local time, but it was much later according to our body clock time. Tube to Maddog's place in Clapham North. We bought our first London lager and sat outside the Clapham North Pub to wait for the Dog to show up after work and take us back to his place. Drank more beers and caught up on all the news. Gave Maddog his present, which he loved, and we listed to the CD I bought in Tokyo - "Pussy Cannibal Holocaust". He had a present for me too - a pack of pork pies! Which we all shared while drinking away the rest of the evening, till we crashed around 10pm.

Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, Tokyo

Laputa Robot, originally uploaded by haruspex.

Day Three: Wednesday 12 April

After breakfast we took the train out to Mitaka to go see the Ghibli Museum. The building itself is incredibly funky. The outside is all rounded walls in coloured render with stained glass windows of Ghibli film scenes. We had booked our tickets before we left from a Japanese tourist agency in Melbourne - as they limit the number of people who can visit each day.

Inside, the main hall was open 3 stories up to a skylight and central propellor fan. Rooms to the side had exhibits - recreated animation studios and sets from the films, and there were many nooks and cranies to explore and narrow spiral staircases that ascended inside a metal cage. Tiny doors led to tiny rooms with a sole tiny stool. And throughout was wooden floors and staircases with iron balustrades. It was awesome and thrilling to be there.

On the roof is a life size robot from Laputa, and we got in the queue to take photos of ourselves with it. The only disappointment was that only little children were allowed to play inside the life-sized Catbus. The entrance ticket included a viewing of an exclusive Ghibli animation short. The one we saw was very apt - a girl hiking through the countryside, leaving gifts of apples for the nature spirits. The sound effecs - of rain, wind, running water, eating and gulping - were all made with vocal sounds.

I tried not to go too crazy in the gift shop - I bought some stickers, a soot sprite pin, a little white totoro keychain and some postcards. Also bought 2 pins (a Kiki cat and a Laputa pirate - to send as presents to M and M). After soaking up the atmosphere a little more and watching the adorably cute tiny Japanese children go crazy, and taking dozens of photos (of the outside allowed only), we sadly left, visiting the giant Totoro in the gatehouse on the way out. Walked back to Mitaka Station along the side of the canal through Inokashira Park and had lunch in Mitaka at their "Freshness Burger" chain.

A couple of train stops away was Kouenji - which had many little streets and laneways full of boutiques and vintage clothing stores. There was also, weirdly, the highest density of hairdressers that I'd noticed anywhere in Tokyo. If you wanted a rockabilly haircut - this is where you would come. The most awesome store was called "Ugly". They had loads of mexican wrestler t-shirts and stuff. There was on shirt I wanted soo badly - but I restrained myself. Across from Ugly was "Chocolate Chiwawa", which had crazy toy dispensers out the front - one which had plastic poo and the other had dismembered body parts. Other shops we checked out were Trick STar, Base ( a punk record store where I bought a CD of all girl punk band Anadorei, titled "Pussy Cannibal Holocaust". Another cool punk record store was called Boy Records - which was up a tiny staircase in a triangular shaped building in Zakaya Alley (bar alley). Baroque was a bit like Polyester in Melbourne for one one half of the store, and the other half was full of Japanese porn DVDs.

It was getting dark and the tiny bars looked inviting, except we were still shy about not speaking the language. So we headed back to Ueno and went to our favourite local noodle bar for gyoza and miso ramen.

Our last full day in Tokyo. Three days is definitely way too short - we'll have to come back again some day.

The patient is hopeless

The patient is hopeless, originally uploaded by haruspex.

Day Two: Tuesday 11 April 2006

Slept in till 10am without hardly realising, since our hotel room is almost pitch black with the shutter closed. Sandwich and coffee for breakfast (not very Japanese!) at a "French" chain coffee shop called DuTour. Then off to Asakusa to see the Buddhist Sensoji Temple. The oldest temple in Tokyo, built in 628. Bought a random I Ching fortune. R got a great one, but I got the exact reverse:

No. 59 BAD FORTUNE
Your mind is unsettled wondering to leave or to stay. All your deeds and works are both indefinite, suffering from so many troubles. The moon want to be clear and brilliant but dark clouds come to cover it. Your mind doesn't stay sill and will loose right way.

*Your request will be hare to be granted. *The patient is hopeless. *The lost article will not be found. *Let's stop building a new house and removal. *Stop starting a trip. *Stop marriage of any kind and new employment.

Not a very good omen for someone on the 2nd day of a 6-month overseas trip!

Taking the train to Yoyogi, the rain start to come down quite heavily. We walked to the Meiji Jigu Shrine, built in 1920 to commemorate the reign of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. To enter you have to walk down a path through a forest of cedar trees. In the rain and mist it was all very Totoro. We definitely needed a big leaf on a stalk to use as an umbrella. It was all so beautiful and serene.

It was a completely different scene at nearby Harajuku. We walked along the famous Takeshita Dori - the colourful laneway packed with teen and fashion stores - including lots of punk, goth and lolita clothing stores. Lunched at the Double Tall Cafe on Omotesando (mexican on rice - again not very Japanese).

More window shopping down Meiji Dori. Found the Pink Dragon rockabilly store with crazy interior design mentioned in Tokyo Damage Report - the website which we're basing much of our Tokyo itinerary on. Wandered around Shibuya a little more before taking the train back to the hotel, to drink some Kirin beer, upload some photos to flickr and write up my journal.

Day One: Tokyo

Yanaka Cemetery, Tokyo, originally uploaded by haruspex.

Monday 10 April 2006

The plane landed in Tokyo at 6.35am. It was a chilly 12 degrees. The train to Ueno took about one hour and cost 1,000 yen (about $12). We had booked our hotel (The Oak) on the internet but couldn't check in till 3.00pm - so we dumped our bags there and wandered out to Ueno Park. The height of the cherry blossom season was the previous week, but thre were still some late bloomers and we took photos, along with loads of othr tourists. The park also had a lot of homeless people camping out in little tent cities, plus various museums, a lake and temples. The weirdest sighting was a guy feeding the stray cats bowls of 2 minute noodles. We visited the Toshogu Shrine and the Kiyomizu Kannodo Temple. Walking around the boat pond we saw the Soffitel hotel "Christmas Tree" tower.

Heading back towards the station we explored Ameyoko Street - packed with little stalls selling everything - including dried squid and fish. Walked along the train line towards Nippori to the Yanaka Cemetery. Really cool graves and tombs. The weather stayed pretty dismal - overcast and cold and spitting rain. Walked back to the hotel through Ueno Park, stopping for lunch of ramen at a noodle bar on Asakusa-dori. I had the Wakame Ramen, full of spinach and a bit of pork.

Back to the hotel to check in properly and have a hot shower in the teeny tiny bathroom - about the size of an airplane lavatory. We got funky japanese robes and slippers to wear though.

After dark we took the train to Shinjuku. The Japanese train system is so effecient and on time. Plus they have heating under the seats that keeps your bum warm. Neon craziness in Shinjuku. Wandered around the Kabukicho area. Found the Disc Union record store with a whole level of Japanese psych and underground CDs. Wandered into the red light district - all very seedy. We hung around the entrance of the Shinjuku Station, in front of the big TV screen to people watch. A lot of guys are going for the half bleached, feathered mullet look. Back to the hotel and in bed by 10pm. It was a very full day, and still a bit hard to believe this is the first day of our 6-month trip.

BlueBells

with bells on, originally uploaded by haruspex.

At the Toshogu Shrine, Ueno Park, Tokyo

Toshogu Shrine

Toshogu Shrine, originally uploaded by haruspex.

Monday 10 April 2006
Tokyo

The original shrine is said to have been built in 1627 by the warrior Todo Takatora, to enshrine the deified Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toshogu) - first shogun who wrested power away from the Emperor and established Edo as the capital.
The name "Toshogu" is a royal title which translates as "Light of the East" or "Sun god of the east".
The Haiden is the main structure and the hall of worship. This is where the priests and shrine maidens participate in the ceremonies of the Toshogu.

Tokyo Cherry Blossoms

Tokyo Cherry Blossoms, originally uploaded by haruspex.

One year ago today (9 April 2006) we were on a plane to Tokyo.
I've revisiting my photos and finally getting round to touching them up with photoshop.