January 10, 2013
Breakfast was Mos Burger's cheese burger (with a tomato and some sort of Japanese version of chili). While I don't like to eat hamburgers while I travel, especially in a place like Japan. Mos is a chain of uniquely Japanese burgers that came highly recommended by several people. It was actually pretty good for a cheap bite.
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple (original temple built in 645), and only a short walk away from my hostel (and Mos Burger). Walking around, I took several typical shots - one of the gate, the temple, the pagoda. Realizing that everyone who had ever walked these grounds with a camera had taken these same shots, I switched my lens to allow for more close up detail, and began looking for shots that had never been taken. I think I got a few unique ones (not all of them are).
A comfortable subway ride transported me from Tokyo's oldest symbol of antimaterialism to the height of Japanese consumerism: the Ginza neighborhood. Filled with department stores (
depaato) and designer brands, I walked through one depaato and quickly left. What an unnecessary building filled with unnecessary items at unnecessary prices. NEXT.
I took the subway to Meguro, which I read was pretty and worth a stroll through. And stroll I did. The map in the book did not cover the area that I was in, so I did some aimless wandering through this San Francisco-esque, chic, urban-suburban hybrid neighborhood and stumbled upon what looked to be an ideal ramen shop. Not a chain, a maintained but not pristine exterior, reasonable prices, completely filled with locals (Japanese salarymen to be specific), and delicious smells permeating the walls. Well, all the indicators were right! I ordered some random ramen and got exactly what I was looking for, an unbelievably tasty bowl of ramen - this one with white broth on one side and dark broth on the other (it looked slightly reminiscent of a yin-yang).
Happy, I continued forward in an attempt to find the Tokyo Photography Museum in nearby Ebisu. I got crazy lost and wandered through some beautiful park. An inviting furniture shop filled with modernized antique items beckoned me inside, and I asked the really sweet young woman how to get to the museum. She printed me out a Google Map and I was on my way!
Ebisu was shockingly gorgeous - what Boston or Georgetown in DC would look like if it were built today - modern, yet with a very generous usage of brick.
The ¥1000 ticket to two of the three exhibits was a worthy investment in the confidence it instilled in my own artwork. The majority of the images are the types of photos that I would be embarrassed to put on my Facebook Wall, let alone the walls of a museum. There were two sections within the exhibits, however, that really struck me. The first was a series of photographs of the artist when she was a child at different places, but she had photoshopped a current image of herself into the photo so that it looked like she was there at the time. Really cool. The second was a series of edgy, colorful photos following a transgender drag queen in Chongqing, China. Very well done, very interesting.
After the museum, I went to an Excelsior Cafe for Maple Royal Milk Tea, played some Tetris, and then went to Harajuku. As I walked out of the train station and toward the shopping area, someone tapped me on the shoulder to say hello. Who was it? Beth that I had met at the monkey onsen! SMALL WORLD.
Beth on the left
Everyone in Japan is super fashionable as is, but Harajuku has long been known as the home of the fashion-forward Tokyo teens. I was so overwhelmed with potential photographs, that I hardly got any, and instead stared blankly and blatantly at passersby. What seems to be in fashion right now: dyed hair (light pink, light blue, light grey, or bleached blonde), beanies pulled down just a little over the head so that there is a large fabric bump sticking up, thick scarves, oversized and super cool jackets, and a fluffy fusion between clown pants, pirate pantaloons, and harem trousers. As for women's makeup, it's either nothing on the eyes, or far too much (fake lashes aplenty), and light neon colored blush (think of a typical pack of office highlighters). This look, which I did not capture in a photograph unfortunately, would be best described as 1980s meets 2980s meets Wild West vagabond. Kind of like
this but without the crutches.
After a few times around the backstreets, I went to Shibuya to meet Anya at the famous
Hachiko statue. From there we went to the world's highest grossing Starbucks for coffee, a macaroon, some good conversation, and a view of one of the busiest intersections in the world.
Terrible photo from Starbucks
We decided to find a restaurant next and stumbled upon this trendy place that had a contemporary take on traditional dishes. We got gyoza wrapped in chicken skin, pork yakisoba, and cheese and mochi okonomiyaki. I had a shochu and lemon, she had apricot wine. Everything was out of this world and we got away with spending $20 each.
Anya is known for her incredibly accurate tarot card readings, so I asked her to do one for me. We settled into a cafe, got some pastries and warm drinks, and she pulled out the cards.
Five different readings were all linked - either with the same few cards or the same two suits - and were eerily accurate. More to come on that.
Sufficiently freaked, we walked back to the station to split off. I was trying to figure out where the entrance was for the Ginza line (Anya was to take the JR line), when some middle aged man ran over and eagerly offered his assistance. I asked where the Ginza line was and he pointed down one direction and said he was actually going there and he'd take me. He was a little pushy, and I hadn't had time to say goodbye to Anya, so I told him I'd walk in that direction afterwards, that he should go one, and thanked him. At first I had thought he was being as friendly as everyone else has been, but his intenseness piqued my intuition not to trust him. I thanked him again and told him to go on after he insisted. He finally walked away. Anya leaned in and said not to trust him, I agreed. As we finished chatting and saying our goodbyes, I noticed the man hadn't gone in that direction and was still standing around looking for prey to scam. I walked to a station employee and asked where the Ginza line. It was in the opposite direction of where the man was trying to take me. F*cker. Thank god for gut feelings!
The rest of the way to the hostel was smooth.
Such a great last night in Japan!!!!!
