Meiji Shrine, Kinokuniya and Disneyland!

Japan Day 2:

07/07/14

Needless to say I was confused (for better word) when I woke up today.

Last night I fell asleep quite late and heard (repeatedly) a little girl knocking on her hotel door and singing "Do you want to build a snue-maarn?!" to her sister. I kinda loved her little Japanese accent but once it ticked past 1:00am and they were still wordlessly dashing about the halls it started to feel a bit less Disney Princessy and a bit more The Shining...

Redrum!

-View from bedroom window, 10th floor.

Waking up to the background noise of talking and shuffling , felt like I was trapped in an anime. It was a bit scary...

I had breakfast on the 25th floor of our hotel, the Shinjuku Washigton.

It was a generic buffet according the the free breakfast coupon and upon entering and for the next 3 and a half minutes I loitered about and murmured "sorry" in Japanese (one of my many basic catch phrases and default mumbles for the trip) until someone spoon fed me how the breakfast joint ran. Line up here. Get food here. Eat here. This is your ticket. 

I was very tired.

I was excited to learn that I could understand what the child beside me was saying. "Hurry up it's raining!" Already my Japanese was improving.

View of my breakfast and the window.

This morning we caught a train to the Meiji Shrine; a place of worship for the Shinto belief.

From my understanding it is a simple belief, traditional to the Japanese and their culture and history. They focus their energy of peace, cleanliness, purity and nature. They have a well, filled with sacred and pure, cleansing water, which you spooned up from wooden ladles and poured over your hands and face. I was one of the very few brave enough to drink it.

Beer and rice wine containers at the shrine. And me.

Meiji is the name of the time period when the emperor Meiji was in reign. He and his wife were, as all emperors and aristocrats were, cultural and artistic. They both wrote poetry, in a particular tradition to Japanese style. It was really amazing to think I was in the place of dedication for a person of absolute significance to the Japanese culture and history as well as a writer increasing the beauty of these of a writer from the Japanese culture and history and his work and this experience will affect my own poetry.

We threw coins into a metal tank, made prayers in front of a priest, and watched a traditional wedding party. It was elegant and beautiful and gave us all a good giggle as the procession ended with a lanky guy with spiky gelled hair and coloured converse who looked like he reeally didn't want to be there anymore.

For 100 Yen I bought my fortune and found all the juicy intimate details about my fate.

"Some are fast, some slow,

But one thing never fails

To pierce through to the final goal:

It is sincerity."

Emperor Meiji knew his stuff. If I'm sincere at heart I'll reach my goals.

Later, we went through the Emperor's Memory museum and saw the most beautiful paintings ever. The artwork from traditional Japanese culture is gorgeous.

After lunch, we walked through Shibuyu in Tokyo and looked in the shops. I spied a Topshop but didn't get to go in which I was so disappointed by. There are all these amazing scents along every road. Infectious from all these restaurants and stores. The popcorn store was the most desirable; it leaked caramel onto the streets and all I could do was drool and use the most powerful willpower ever to not ram down the 80 Japanese locals in the line leading out the street and across the road (not exaggerating) to the front counter.

You're welcome starbucks.

We went to Starbucks and had the most amazing hot chocolate ever!!! On the way we were handed packets of tissues at the train station, assuming they were just like the free water or newspapers that we get in the city.

Apparently they were tissues plastered with advertisements for call girl volunteers. I didn't know this.

I know have at least three packets of tissues asking me to perform papyon jobs for good money.

We called these sex tissues for the rest of the trip.

We went into a bookstore; Kinokuniya. Not going to lie. Spent a loooot of money here. Really don't care.

Over lunch I had managed to rally up three of the group members for a trip to late night DisneyLand!

To say it was an intense experience is an understatement. 

Smells change every 30 seconds.

Curry popcorn.

Doughnuts.

Rice balls.

Cake.

Sweeties

Thick stir fries,

Soups.

Heavy delicious meats.

Crusty pastries.

Generic theme park food.

We went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (where they threateningly had "Dabey Jonesu Locker!!" over the loudspeaker).

The best and scariest ride was splash mountain. Psychologically confusing. Terrifying and yet eerily childish and wild. We befriend some Japanese school girls (...not as dodgy as it sounds) that we met in the line too.

 

It was hard to take it all in, the shops, rides, people.

Everything about the short time in Disneyland was exciting and full of sensory overload. Pastels and vivid colours, sights, sounds, smells!

Amazing!

:)

Flight to Toyko and exploring Shinjuku at night!

Japan Day 1: 

06/07/14

First flight on international.

Today's real test was me walking past the sick that was splayed across the entrance to customs and then having to walk through customs twice and calm myself down. I have a phobia of sick and well done to me for making into the departure lounge. I was rather anxious and overworked and didn't get many hours (hour really) of sleep so I'm banking that I will sleep on the plane.

Duty free though.... What is it again? I spent like $9 AUS on scorched almonds and a packet of snakes (which I really mainly bought to makes this Instagram)

#imsofunny #whyamisingleagain

Also, I couldn't resist okay, it was two for $20 and they will be and are currently, very useful. 

Neck Pillows; Don't mind my little toy in the middle...

We are over the coral sea and its beginning to get like the clouds are trying to have sex with the plane. Tenderly, which I'm thankful for as I'm not well suited to motion, combined with meaty foods (or any I suppose).

I fell asleep literally while we were flying over Mascot, Sydney and woke up at Queenland border I think, deciding the best option would be to watch frozen first (trying my hardest ever not to sob at the first 10 minutes) and then to watch Divergent immediately following.

So far it's not been such a shamble or ordeal a I thought, the take off was smoother than the take offs I've had from flying Sydney to Hobart. One thing flights attendants are not at a loss for is serving drinks or snacks. There was a coffee cart every 45 seconds and we were only in economy. 

We got cute little segregated meal items and a very very very frozen Weis Mango bar for our "mid-flight-but-more-like-are-you-hungry-yet-it's-only-11am-though-meal".

There was a choice of beef or chicken (chicken obviously) and then all these little mini salads off pasta, noodle, watermelon.

mmmm Yum.

Packaging was a struggle. The opening I mean. With everything. Mainly the adorable and mildly spicey Japanese crackers that we were offered 4 minutes into the flight, but everything is airtight sealed.

Went to the toilets on a plane for the first time as well. It's fricking horrifying, why does it have to make that sound?! 

I'd almost finished sobbing my eyes out at the end of Divergent (no spoilers, I cried in the saddle club so I'm a sensitive one), when they switched the lights on ending the quite calm dark time and brought us lemon scented warm towels. One thing I will say though is Hannah Montana had every right in the book to be cross when he Mammy (whatever..) brought he "aeerplane headphones!" for a visiting gift. They are sooo annoying! 

They hurt and slip off and just when you get them right the clouds hump the bottom of your plane and you spill all your green tea and need to mop it up, whist simultaneously everyone wants to talk to you or offer you warm towels or orange juice. 

I didn't comprehend how excited I was until the plane touched the Tarmac and I couldn't keep still. As we were driving the plane to safe exiting our tour guide leaned over and translated the overhead talking. It was an oncoming typhoon warning. 

Just process that. First overseas trip, already slightly anxious, and upon landing, an oncoming typhoon. 

So yeah do be warned. Everything is fine though, we are at the moment no where near it.

Shinjuku Train Station.

Generic Tokyo with loads of bikes.

We had an hour and a half train trip to our hotel in Tokyo, Shinjuku, on the Narita Express from the Airport. On the train they had a menu for actual "food" food like sandwiches and rice balls and meaty meals and ice cream!

I got 'Toppo' which are like Pocky (if you know what that is). Basically a thing pretzel stick filled with chocolate. 

Great shot, you're such a pro photographer.

Excitingly I was able to navigate throughout the streets of Tokyo alone (and successfully) after we all split off for dinner plans. 

Admittedly I got kinda lost and ended up by buttered and packaged "flapjacks" at our hotels Family Mart because I couldn't find a shop but still-Yay!

Hope you enjoyed reading :)

Exciting Trip to Japan!

Hello there,

Wow! Time passes reeeally really fast. I can't believe it's already July and so many things are creeping up on me. I'm about to have one busy year...

I am so excited I am setting off for Japan tomorrow for a week for an international study tour run by my University degree's program. Our tour will start in Tokyo and we will travel for a week, visiting shrines, temples, museums and places that the uni and tour director would find, "culturally and historically significant." 

How intellectually stimulating.

I'm excited as our tour will be visiting Nara, Hiroshima and Kyoto as well, places I've only dreamt about going to before this. I'm especially excited for the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo as this is one place I've been dying to see!

As this is also a unit/subject for my course at uni we have been given some interesting readings to help us along the way. Even though it could sound a little boring so far I'm super excited to read them and hope that I can use them to understand Japanese society, culture and history over there.

I learnt a very little amount of Japanese in high school so fingers crossed that will help me through the week!

*books*

Other fun things are the sushi I guess :P yumm!

A present from my friend for my travels!

In September I will be going on exchange studies to the UK for a semester as well! I'll be studying in Central Central for the rest of the year and traveling on and off before and after semester. I'll be doing some really cool things over there (literally it'll be like 4 degrees or something >< ), so do be sure to keep checking out what I'm upto!

Tomorrow I will be stepping out of Australia for the first time ever and by next January I will have been to 10 or more. That is just phenomenal to me! I feel super lucky and thankful to have been given this opportunity.

....

Packing is not the most fun thing in the world I've realized and I really ought to get back to it. I'll be posting updates on my travels here on my blog as well as on twitter and instagram. Check them out if you feel.

https://twitter.com/RubyLeighTonks

http://instagram.com/rubyleightonks

 :)

Thanks for reading!