Unraveling

Shinjuku Redux: Getting High in Tokyo

Y'all probably already know I like to get high. Well, in order to get high in Tokyo, we went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where you can get a 360-degree view of the city from 202 meters high (the 45th floor). Free. Of. Charge.

 

Wow, that's high.

 

The lofty second floor lobby.

 

And the view. A little hazy but impressive nonetheless.

 

We like how the view shows you that Tokyo is all jumbled together.  Hardly any straight streets at all.

 

 And our favorite building was the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower.

And then we wandered the crazy streets of Shinjuku after dark.

Later,  back in Kita-Senju, the Girlie showed me this and it made me laugh out loud.

I sure am gonna miss her.

Real Touristing

We have been busy and there are less than 48 hours to go before I fly back to California. We thought it would be a good idea to finally engage in true tourist activities, so yesterday, we headed out on the Tobu-Isezaki train line a few short stops to Asakusa.  Home to Sensō-ji, Tokyo's largest Buddhist Temple, Asakusa is the perfect place for a concentrated dose of Japanese culture that is often absent in most of the rest of Tokyo .

We stepped through the Kaminarimon Gate into the Nakamise Shopping Arcade that leads to the temple.

There's every kind of tourist trinket, and some truly wonderful finds. But the real attraction is the temple and the surrounding shrines.

A five-story pagoda.

 

The Hōzōmon Gate, with giant straw sandals hung on the backside.

 

The exterior of Sensōji itself is under restoration and couldn't be seen. And NO PHOTOS allowed inside the temple, which is quite beautiful.  I paid 100 yen, received a bad fortune, and promptly tied it to a rack, which apparently allows the bad luck to "blow away." Then we wandered the grounds.

 

And headed back down the Nakamise.

Senbei are a specialty sold along the arcade.

 

As are various types of manju. We opted for the fried manju. Pumpkin and sesame. YUM!

 

Once we were done with the Nakamise, we stopped at this traditional paper goods shop.

Such a wonderful variety inside!

You can tell this area is truly a tourist mecca.

 

Rickshaws! This is the only place I've seen them in Tokyo.

 

I'm not sure what she's laughing at.  Maybe he's just told her about this:

 

It's the headquarters for Asahi Beer, just across the river from Asakusa.  The thing on the roof is supposed to be a golden flame, but the edifice is known colloquially as Unku Biru or the "turd building." We walked across the river to take a better look.

 

Hmmmm. I don't know. Flame?  Turd?  I think it looks kind of like a giant sweet potato. 

Crossing back over the river, we could see that the skyline of Tokyo is changing. 

The massive Tokyo Sky Tree is under construction. 

When completed it will be 634 meters tall. On Tuesday, when we passed by the construction site, a sign said the tower had reached a height of 303 meters.

And the staircase at the Asakusa Station showed me what the tower would look like when completed.

Pretty impressive.

Olympic Knitting

We are not watching much in the way of live Olympics coverage. We're not always around when it's broadcast here, except when we were in Tochigi. There, we watched the ice dancing compulsory competition and hours (and hours) of the Japanese women's curling team. (Fascinating! Does anyone understand the rules?)

I do, however, have an Olympics project. And we are, however, picking up all the figure skating on the internet. Thank heaven for the internet.

And progress?

 

Shall we take bets on whether I'll finish before my plane takes off for home on Friday?

More Tokyo

It may be cold here, but signs of spring are appearing on the urban streets.

 

This little plum tree is just around the corner from the Girlie's apartment.

We headed to Shinjuku on Wednesday, to explore Okadaya - another multi-level crafter's heaven. Buttons, fat quarters, trim, yarn, sewing machines, looms, books - almost everything you might want - and across the alley is several floors of fabric. My, oh my. We got kind of lost on the yarn floor, but came away with sensible purchases:

- a cache of Tawashi yarn and pattern book

 

and the yarn to cast on brella's Norwegian Totoro Mittens (rav link). Virtuously, I have already cast on the mittens and they are moving along very nicely, thankyouverymuch.

Odayaka was our only Shinjuku destination, so, as we were a bit overwhelmed by the crush of people and highrises in this commercial district, we opted for a return to Kichijoji. "After all," the Girlie observed, " We're already halfway there." Our destination? Avril, of course! My list was prepared, and we could shop and eat at the pizzeria she had been wanting to try, and maybe even have time for the tofu donut shop.

I'm trying to be sensible, people.  I could have bought much, much more, but then I'd have to carry it back. Suitcases only hold so much and I am only one little middle-aged lady.

The pizza at La Befana was good and the pasta and salad were delicious. I know, pizza in Tokyo? But sometimes you need a break from all the wonderful sushi, udon, and rice, know what I mean? Sadly, we did not make it to the tofu donut place until after it closed.

Yesterday, was a stay-at-home adventure, waiting for the kerosene delivery man and photographing the plum blossoms at the beginning of this post. I am really relishing the "home base" I have here in Kita-senju and the opportunity to view the everyday life of a neighborhood.

Today we will venture into Nishi-Ogikubo, to find a bakery and shops that are new to the Girlie. We also aim to return to Kichijoji for tofu donuts. And tomorrow we head out of Tokyo to Tochigi , to visit the Girlie's host family from eleven years ago and teach a cooking class.

Sayonara for now!

A Study in Contrasts

Yesterday we headed for Harajuku, street fashion center of Tokyo, and stopped in at this warm and inviting place.

 

The tiny shop (most of the shops are tiny in Tokyo) is on the second floor.

The Lace Center has their own line of high-end and beautifully-made garments. The owner speaks English. We had a lovely time chatting, and referred her to Lacis in Berkeley, of which she'd never heard.

Just down the street, the Girlie pointed out these trousers hanging outside a shop.

I wish I had somebody I could buy these for. Not.

More Ghibli

I forgot to say anything about the short films shown at the Ghibli. Miyazaki is a genius. The museum shows short anime films several times an hour. Your museum ticket allows you one, and only one entrance into theater. The newest film, Mouse Sumo, is the one we saw. IT WAS A SCREAM! I didn't need any translation. Everything was obvious from the way the story was told visually. If you ever get a chance to see Mouse Sumo, GO! you won't regret it.

Bright Spots on a Rainy Day

It may have been miserable, cold and rainy yesterday, but we had sunshine in our hearts. Who could not, when your day includes a visit to the Ghibli Museum? The museum was designed by Hayao Miyazaki, and reflects the attention to detail that you can see in all of his anime classics. If you are unfamiliar with Miazaki's work, I suggest you rent a copy of My Neighbor Totoro and watch it (the Girlie recommends the subtitled version every time) immediately.

We took the train to Mitaka Station and waited for the bus at stop #9.

Pretty soon, the special yellow bus came for us.

In short order, the bus deposited us at the museum.

 

Darlings, who wouldn't love a museum where Totoro is waiting for you in the ticket office? 

 

It's a charming building.

 

As you can see.

 

And that, my friends, is the extent of my photos. Photographs are not allowed inside the museum, and with my big DSLR there's just no surreptitious photography possible. So we put our umbrellas in the rack and our bags in a locker, which left us free to roam the place unencumbered. Despite the crowds (with TONS of little kids) this was an inspiring experience. I really liked the permanent exhibits that show Miyazaki's studio environment, where original watercolor studies, storyboards and sketches are thumbtacked to the walls.  You go through the whole process of animation, right through the painting of the cells and how they are photographed. Really, really inspiring.

But that's not all.  The museum's restaurant is excellent, even if you have to wait an hour like we did (though I did wish for the knitting project that was in my bag in the locker). The portions are generous and the food is fresh and tasty. We both ate the grilled chicken breast with pilaf. The pilaf was full of veggies: lotus root, sweet potato, onion, carrot, and mushrooms - very generous with the mushrooms. My, oh my that was delicious. And then on to the amazing desserts. The Girlie had talked up the strawberry shortcake (which was tall) and so that's what she had.  I had the (warm) apple tart, which was scrumptious, and I'll try to duplicate it when I get home.

A rather soggy walk through Mitaka Inokashira Park led us to Kichijoji, a little late to really do the craft-supply-shop tour we'd intended.  But the Girlie was really keen to show me a special yarn shop she'd discovered. Avril turns out to be just my cup of tea. It's the parent company of Habu, yes that Habu. I knew I recognized the yarns, but it wasn't until I saw Avril's website that I was certain. I didn't really buy anything, but we're planning on going back to Kichijoji on Friday and I have already made my list of things to ask about.

Our final stop was Yuzawaya, a multi-story craft supply emporium. Bright lights, tons of stuff - cool stuff - I would think under the most conducive of circumstances this store would be OVERWHELMING. I knew it would be, but it's worse that Best Buy or Costco because I WANT TO BUY SO MUCH THAT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START (think Michael's plus Joann's on steroids). All I bought a was a basic knitting and crochet book that shows in photos what a particular symbol on a Japanese pattern chart is directing you to do.  Highly recommended by the Girlie. And I think we will be going back to Yuzawaya again, too, when it's not the end of the day.

River Walk

One of my major occupations over the past few days in Tokyo has been trying to stay warm. Some of you from colder climates than I'm used to may scoff, but when the indoor temperature routinely falls below eight degrees Celsius we Californians are freezing our butts off. Currently, at 7:48 a.m. I'm wearing long underwear, pajamas, two pairs of wool socks (hand knit, of course), a cashmere turtleneck vest, a cashmere robe (thank you  Mr. Celia), and a cashmere shawl. I discovered last night that I can pull the shawl collar on my robe up to cover my ears.  Now only my nose and my hands remain icy cold this morning. We are conserving kerosene because the next delivery doesn't come until Thursday. I'm really looking forward to the Girlie waking up in a few minutes and turning on the heater.

Yesterday, the only sunny day so far, we climbed the steps up the levee and walked by the Arakawa River.

What a joy to feel the warmth of the sun! It being Sunday, everyone not already out on a Valentine date was engaged in some kind of physical activity.  The Girlie tells me unicycling is popular.

 

And there were dozens of baseball teams training on both sides of the river.

 

But I was not prepared for this.

 

Dude. He wasn't the only one.

 

Hardcore. Really. It wasn't that warm out. I can only imagine what the water was like. Makes me shiver just to think of it.

The Kita-senju neighborhood landscape is varying shades of buff and grey.

 

The Girlie's apartment is up a steep flight of stairs.

It's right next door to my nephew's grandfather's house.

As you can see, most of architecture in this neighborhood is utilitarian in nature. Windows are frosted because the houses are so close together. And just about everyone sticks to the ubiquitous shades of buff and grey. You can imagine my delight when we observed this.

Roll on, neighborhood nonconformist, roll on!

Hearting Tokyo

It's Valentines Day, and all over Japan ladies are giving their gentlemen chocolates. That's the convention here. All this week the mall nearby has been crowded with women shopping for Valentine treats at special counters set up just outside the entrance.

 

Also, just inside the entrance.

If this celebration seems one-sided, do not despair. On March 14 the practice is reversed and the gents are expected to return the favor to all the ladies who have given them chocolates.

The Girlie and I are feeling a little lonesome without our men. But the Beau left a little surprise for us in his closet before he left for Puerto Rico. A blue bag with little choco presents for each of us. Now I suppose we'll have to return the favor on March 14.

Today it's sunny but still quite cold.  Our plan is to avoid the choco-fueled crowds out on a date.  That means no trains and definitely not Harajuku, which is already crowded enough on a normal Sunday. We think we'll take advantage of the sunny weather and go for a walk by the river. The weather forecast for the next three days is rain, rain and rain.

Tomorrow, the Ghibli Museum.

The Land of Tomorrow

I know it will not surprise you that I am seriously jet-lagged. Waking up at 4 a.m. Feeling sleepy in the middle of the afternoon. And so on....

Tokyo is different from any other place I've traveled.  I've been here before, but only for a few days eleven years ago. I don't remember much about this place except for crowded trains and an overwhelming sense of disorientation. What I see now is a very modern city, with few trees or other greenery, that's been built on an ancient network of streets and pathways. There doesn't seem to have been a master plan for development here. Everything is at odd angles. Not many streets run straight for any considerable length, and as many buildings as possible are crammed into every available space.  The Girlie lives in Kita-senju, an older area of the city, which is not generally on anyone's top ten list of tourist attractions. But it's a very entertaining spot nonetheless. I am, after all, quite interested in how people really live. And there is plenty of everyday life here to see.

It's bitter cold this time of year and few houses are heated with more than a small kerosene heater. And insulation? Fuggeddabouddit. But the malls are generously heated. We spent most of yesterday, which was a national holiday, wandering the crowded local shopping malls next to the railway station. We were the only Caucasian people we saw all day. You can imagine how many stares we got. I've had this experience before, but it is always keenly felt. We are "the other."

I will spend most of my trip here in Kita-senju, venturing out for day trips with the Girlie. Today it's Kameari, which is almost directly east of here, where the Girlie tutors a young boy in English. And then on to the Ario Kameari mall, where we might see a movie.

I know, seriously exciting. But I'm here with the Girlie. That's all that matters.