One Very Long Escalator

As I firmly grasped the handrail during my descent, I could only think of how unfortunate it would be if I happened to tumble down all of those stairs...

Fireflies in Shibuya

Although I also reserved Thursday morning for recuperating, I was ready to get back to the Tokyo nightlife by late afternoon. I met up with Yuca at the station once she got out of work and we started heading south from the station. Our destination for the evening was the Shibuya Fureai Botanical Centre, as it was the final night that we could view fireflies at that location. Firefly watching is very popular in Japan, albeit in the less urban areas where they are easily found. Since Tokyo is hardly an optimal place for fireflies to live, a small mini-habitat was set up in the botanical garden for the fireflies to mate. No photographs were allowed in the pitch black room, but I doubt my camera would have been able to get a good shot anyways. Having grown up in the Adirondack mountain wilderness, watching (and catching) fireflies wasn't a new experience. However, the fireflies in Japan are a bit different than ones in the northeastern United States. The Japanese fireflies floated around around the room like tiny balls of light, drifting too and fro as if they were fairies. In contrast, the fireflies that I grew up with don't have a constant glow, but instead blip around (making them very hard to catch). On our way out of the building, Yuca expertly explained the features of the fireflies to a group of exchange students who had trouble making sense of the all-Japanese documentary video that had been playing before the exhibit.

With a successful firefly viewing experience under our belts, Yuca and I proceeded northward in search of food. I wasn't particularly picky about dinner, so we eventually settled on a small "hamburg" restaurant. I'm embarrassed to admit that up until writing this post I assumed that a hamburg dish was supposed to be a hamburger sans bun (what an unfortunate bit of American mentality). In reality, it is the Japanese variation of a Salisbury steak dish. Regardless, it was delicious, as can clearly be seen by Yuca's smiling face below:

A Night of JLP and Doughnuts

After bandaging up my feet the best I could, I hopped on a train to Kichijoji for a reunion of sorts. During my time studying abroad, I was part of the Japanese language program at my university in which a lot of great friendships were formed amidst the never-ending waves of tests and assignments. Although most of my fellow classmates were one-year exchange students like myself, several had chosen ICU as their university and as such were still in the area. After meeting Matt and Olive Ohannah at the station and grabbing a quick dinner, Matt was insistent that an obscure doughnut shop north of the station should be our next destination. With Matt leading the way, we walked for about ten minutes, past numerous shops, restaurants and convenience stores, until we reached a dimly lit residential district. At last, the doughnut shop came into view, a faint glow in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the size of the store was much smaller than I had originally imagined. With enough space in front of the register for only one or two customers, we waited outside to order with a small line forming behind us. Interestingly enough, the shop opened at 10pm, long after many of the nearby shops close for the day.

I purchased a rather large vanilla doughnut, which was absolutely superb. Compared to the bizarre cruller burger I had earlier, I think it is safe to say that this was infinitely better.

We munched on our doughnuts as we walked back to the station to catch the last train, continuing to catch up and share the happenings of the past two years. All in all, it was a great night and I was glad to have had the opportunity to meet up with them.

MosDo: What Am I Even Eating?

My adventures in Asakusa in Shinjuku yesterday resulted in a lot of great photos that I am rather proud of. Unfortunately, there were also consequences for walking the perimeter of Shinjuku Station and weaving through the temple grounds. I woke up this morning with the most painful, blistery feet I've ever had the misfortune to have. Today would be a day of rest. After hobbling to the nearest convenience store to buy bandages (\100 for a hundred bandages is a pretty good deal!), I continued down the street and decided to stop at MOS Burger. While fast food chains like McDonald's and KFC are very popular in Japan, there are several local chains that provide rather stiff competition. MOS Burger, a burger chain known for their rice patty burgers and special chili sauce, was midway through a collaborative campaign with popular doughnut shop Mister Donut. As a result, I soon found myself purchasing a bizarre hybrid doughnut burger that would never be seen on sale in the US.

Why I make these purchases is beyond me. Perhaps it is inherent curiosity that fuels my drive to make these decisions. In any case, the interesting combination of French cruller and chorizo that sat before me just had to be eaten... and so I ate. Somehow, the flavors complemented each other rather well. The cruller bun wasn't as sweet as I was expecting, so perhaps that contributed to making it edible. While I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a mistake to have ordered this Frankensteinian concoction, but I don't think I'll be eating it again anytime during the remainder of this trip.

Tokyo Skyline

While I previously highlighted Shinjuku's bustling nightlife, there are some benefits to visiting during the day as well. Determined to get some nice shots of the city, I hopped onto the Tokyo Metro, leaving tourist-swamped Asakusa. As a major business center, Shinjuku has the world's busiest train station. According to Wikipedia, the station has 36 platforms and well over 200 exits. With that in mind, it's no surprise that I found myself wandering around, lost for the umpteenth time. I eventually reached an exit, but as luck would have it my target destination was located in the other direction. Not wanting to navigate the busy station corridors again, I decided to walk around the station instead.

Walkways spanned across the busy streets, cars zooming by below. Even outside the station it is fairly easy to get lost if you are unfamiliar with the area. Luckily, I was headed toward the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, headquarters of the governing body for Tokyo's 23 wards.

Soon enough the government building was in sight. While hardly the tallest building in Tokyo, it was still a respectable height, towering over me as I approached. I entered through the main entrance, underwent a quick bag check, and took the elevator to the 45th floor of the south tower. At the top of each tower is an observatory, allowing one to look upon the seemingly never-ending city.

My ultimate goal was to see the Tokyo sunset, but as it was still a bit early, I succumbed to hunger and ate a passable spaghetti carbonara while I waited. I was hardly alone in the observatory, as many others had also planned their visit around the sunset, setting up camp along the western window panes.

I soon found myself among them, taking several shots of the southern and eastern views before settling down beside a pillar with perfect view of what was about to occur. As there isn't any point in trying to describe a sunset, I hope the following set of photos is enough to at least capture some essence of my experience in the observatory:

The Best PSA

Giving new meaning to the phrase "elephant in the room"... Thanks, Tokyo Metro!

Braving Asakusa

Just about every touristy destination has an epicenter where the most popular attractions are located (e.g. the Statue of Liberty in New York City). As for Tokyo, I consider the Asakusa district as somewhat of a ground zero for tourism. Having spent a year studying abroad, I typically avoided the crowded parts of the city, preferring to experience the local culture. Yet on this overcast Monday I found myself on a train bound for Asakusa, having decided to make this a photography day and allowing myself to lapse into tourist-mode. Upon arriving at the station, I was soon in search of a sushi restaurant I had read about online. Glancing quickly at the sign and confirming the name, I stepped inside what I mistakenly assumed to be the shop.

It turns out that the conveyor belt sushi shop I was looking for has a second location, without conveyor belts and standing room only. Extremely flustered, I decided to stay and eat despite being the only customer in the shop. As the sushi chef prepared my order in silence, I made a mental note to pay more attention to any future signs I come across. That being said, the sushi was very good.

Across the street from the sushi shop stood the Kaminarimon ("Thunder Gate"), one of the main entrance gates to the grounds. Statues of two protector deities, the gods of wind and thunder, were displayed on the gate's front while a large red and black paper lantern hung overhead. Rickshaw drivers stood nearby, offering to take photos of tourists in hope of winning over a potential customer. Foot traffic was reduced to a sluggish pace, as those passing through the gate had to navigate around the numerous photo ops. Finally weaving my way through the last few groups, I reached the Nakamise shopping arcade.

Countless cramped shops selling various souvenirs and trinkets lined this passage leading to the temple. I surprisingly discovered a store selling film, a rarity in today's digital world.

Several of the businesses specialized in the sale of ningyoyaki, small snack cakes typically filled with a red bean paste. While some people dislike the taste of red bean, I am rather fond of it and opted to buy a bagful for later.

As these cakes are a very popular souvenir, it was unsurprising to find out that they were made on site to meet customer demand. The machine used to assemble the snacks however was very impressive, whirring away as it continually spewed out individually packaged cakes.

After making my purchase, I decided to take a slight detour from the crowded main road, slipping into a peaceful nearby alley. In the distance loomed Tokyo Skytree, a broadcasting tower and tallest structure in Tokyo. Construction of the tower had just finished before I left the city two years ago, so it was a fairly unfamiliar sight to me.

I continued to wander back toward the temple, taking photos of whatever caught my eye along the way:

Sensoji, the main attraction of Asakusa, is Tokyo's oldest temple. The temple complex is very picturesque; next to a five-story pagoda sits Hozomon, a large ornate gate which leads to the inner grounds.

I ran into two Japanese women who asked me to take a photo for them in front of this gate. After doing so, one of the ladies was insistent on returning the favor, and so began a five minute photo shoot while she kept on trying to get the "perfect shot." In the end, she had me make a peace sign... It was that final photo that she decided on, informing me that it was "truly the Japanese way."

After the photo ordeal, I took a quick peek inside the inner complex. Affixed to the back of the gate were giant sandals, meant to ward away evil spirits.

Several people were gathered around an incense burner, fanning some of the smoke towards themselves (doing so is supposed to bring one good health).

I climbed a short flight of steps and walked inside. The atmosphere of the temple interior was serene; groups of people were scattered throughout with their heads down in silent prayer.

After having my fill of Japanese temple culture for the day, I began a roundabout route back to the station:

Reaching Nihonbashi Bridge, I was met with a much clearer view of Tokyo Skytree, along with the Asahi Beer Hall. The Asahi building, supposedly shaped like a goblet of beer with a perfect head on top, is often referred to as "Golden Poo" by the locals. Regardless of what it was supposed to resemble, it made for a very interesting landscape shot.