Before departing, everybody
needed to attend a mandatory traveling abroad orientation. It was basically
full of common sense rules to follow when visiting a foreign country: don't
walk off alone, don't talk to strangers, and most importantly, don't get lost.
On day 2, I broke all of these rules. Not intentionally, of course. It was out of necessity...and
a small amount of personal desire to explore.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The day started out relatively normal. I woke up at quarter to 5 in the morning. For being so early, it was really bright. The white hue of a cloudy Tokyo morning filtered in through the window, keeping sleep out of reach. It was just as well; I wanted to get up and check things out, and I was just in time to catch Japan's World Cup match against Colombia. I'm not overly interested in soccer. I've a taste for almost all of the mainstream sports, but like most Americans, soccer never really caught on for me. However, the World Cup is different. This tournament is a big deal on a global scale. Of course my reservations lay with the American team, but considering all of the time I've spent studying the Japanese language and culture in the past year I also have a soft spot for the Japanese team.
As all of the World Cup advertisements around Tokyo state: The power of blue!
The game ended up being a lost cause. Like any other South American team, Colombia is difficult to play against. The game started out relatively even, tied 1-1 going into halftime. The second half turned out to be a blowout in favor of Colombia, the game ending in a 4-1 win for them. Aw, poo.
Somewhat dejected over Japan's loss, I decided to go to breakfast. Up until this point on the trip, we've eaten traditional Japanese food; Tonkatsu, sakana and rice. Lots of rice. Breakfast however offered up more familiar food; Bacon, orange juice, cereal, etc. I was completely open minded and prepared to try a whole assortment of different foods, but considering the complications with ulcerative colitis I had to deal with toward the beginning of the year this familiar breakfast was a welcome change of pace.
Today we had orientation, but first we had to travel there. Finally, we would embark out into the streets of Tokyo to see just how this society works. Immediate differences between some of the largest cities in the USA were apparent. People traveled in an orderly fashion. Not much of the population openly smoked cigarettes on the streets. Children helped each other cross the road with adorable organization. And interestingly...there isn't much wildlife here. Visiting New York City many times growing up, I became accustomed to pigeons crowding the streets and skies, coming tepidly close to humans for a chance to grab some grub. But here I noticed very few of them, and the ones I did see seemed to travel alone and not in giant flocks. Interesting.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The day started out relatively normal. I woke up at quarter to 5 in the morning. For being so early, it was really bright. The white hue of a cloudy Tokyo morning filtered in through the window, keeping sleep out of reach. It was just as well; I wanted to get up and check things out, and I was just in time to catch Japan's World Cup match against Colombia. I'm not overly interested in soccer. I've a taste for almost all of the mainstream sports, but like most Americans, soccer never really caught on for me. However, the World Cup is different. This tournament is a big deal on a global scale. Of course my reservations lay with the American team, but considering all of the time I've spent studying the Japanese language and culture in the past year I also have a soft spot for the Japanese team.
As all of the World Cup advertisements around Tokyo state: The power of blue!
The game ended up being a lost cause. Like any other South American team, Colombia is difficult to play against. The game started out relatively even, tied 1-1 going into halftime. The second half turned out to be a blowout in favor of Colombia, the game ending in a 4-1 win for them. Aw, poo.
Somewhat dejected over Japan's loss, I decided to go to breakfast. Up until this point on the trip, we've eaten traditional Japanese food; Tonkatsu, sakana and rice. Lots of rice. Breakfast however offered up more familiar food; Bacon, orange juice, cereal, etc. I was completely open minded and prepared to try a whole assortment of different foods, but considering the complications with ulcerative colitis I had to deal with toward the beginning of the year this familiar breakfast was a welcome change of pace.
Today we had orientation, but first we had to travel there. Finally, we would embark out into the streets of Tokyo to see just how this society works. Immediate differences between some of the largest cities in the USA were apparent. People traveled in an orderly fashion. Not much of the population openly smoked cigarettes on the streets. Children helped each other cross the road with adorable organization. And interestingly...there isn't much wildlife here. Visiting New York City many times growing up, I became accustomed to pigeons crowding the streets and skies, coming tepidly close to humans for a chance to grab some grub. But here I noticed very few of them, and the ones I did see seemed to travel alone and not in giant flocks. Interesting.
Meeting up with the other schools participating in the
Kakehashi program, over 250 of us crowded into a large room that reminded me of
a school cafeteria. Somewhat long tables were set up in rows, each seating
three students. We were to be given three lectures: one on the history of
Japan/US relations, one on the appeal of 'Cool Japan', and a quick lesson in
elementary Japanese.
First up was Dr. Hyoma Ito from Dokkyo University. He was here to explain to us the relationship between Japan and the US, and go through a brief overview of our history together. A history lesson sounds boring, but it was actually quite interesting. Dr. Ito started with Commodore Matthew Perry's (I know, I know. Matthew Perry.) 'black ships' that first entered Tokyo Harbor in the 1850s and ended with the most recent peace talks President Obama had with the Japanese Prime Minister only 2 months prior to our trip. Squeezing all of that history into an hour long lecture was like taking a crash course in the state of the relationship our country has with Japan, and seriously stressed how important that relationship is to maintaining stability in the Asian and East Asian sections of our world. Like I said, it was very interesting.
After Dr. Ito's lecture, we were treated to a lecture on 'Cool Japan', or in other words, pretty much the exact reason why all of these students became interested in this country in the first place. Dutifully explained by Dr. Takeshi Matsui of Hitotsubashi University, 'Cool Japan' consists of all Japanese pop culture that has seeped into foreign markets and created a bustling manga, anime and music economy for the Japanese. My interests in Japanese pop culture always revolved around video games. I was playing Super Mario Bros. at the age of 4, and I haven't looked back since. Unfortunately, Dr. Matsui's presentation focused mainly on manga and anime, highlighting the stark differences between the manga that's released in Japan and the manga that's released in the US. I always knew that US citizens as a whole are prude and over protective, and one of the biggest appeals of the Japanese culture to me is the fact that they're not afraid to act human.
I have this theory that the Japanese know how to act more human than any other culture in the world, and Dr. Matsui's presentation further hardened this stiff position. Whereas US citizens stop at every chance possible to protect their children from strong sexual content and violence, (except the violence at home, which is rapidly increasing every day) the Japanese seem to understand that this is an adult's world and they know how to put that fact into perspective for their children. Why can't we adopt such common sense practices? Are we to hold up this facade of rainbows and teddy bears for our children to 'protect' them from how the world really is? The facade was put up sometime around the 1950s, and although it has been covered in graffiti and overgrown by ivy we continue to hold it up. Once again, the US proves that it is most comfortable in its own little bubble, ignoring the cultural realities in exchange for fast food and cable TV. As long as we have those we don't need anything else, right?
After Dr. Matsui's enlightening presentation on the state of 'Cool Japan', we got to enjoy another crash course. This time it was in the guise how to introduce yourself to Japanese citizens in their own language. This should be hard wired into each student's head by now, since everybody here is either a minor or major in the Japanese language, but just in case the gap between semesters was too wide this lesson helped get us back in the saddle.
Of course, I knew exactly what to say. You don't get to be this handsome and intelligent by forgetting your teachings. Only movie stars get to do that. The rest of us have to apply and adhere to what we've learned to get ahead.
First up was Dr. Hyoma Ito from Dokkyo University. He was here to explain to us the relationship between Japan and the US, and go through a brief overview of our history together. A history lesson sounds boring, but it was actually quite interesting. Dr. Ito started with Commodore Matthew Perry's (I know, I know. Matthew Perry.) 'black ships' that first entered Tokyo Harbor in the 1850s and ended with the most recent peace talks President Obama had with the Japanese Prime Minister only 2 months prior to our trip. Squeezing all of that history into an hour long lecture was like taking a crash course in the state of the relationship our country has with Japan, and seriously stressed how important that relationship is to maintaining stability in the Asian and East Asian sections of our world. Like I said, it was very interesting.
After Dr. Ito's lecture, we were treated to a lecture on 'Cool Japan', or in other words, pretty much the exact reason why all of these students became interested in this country in the first place. Dutifully explained by Dr. Takeshi Matsui of Hitotsubashi University, 'Cool Japan' consists of all Japanese pop culture that has seeped into foreign markets and created a bustling manga, anime and music economy for the Japanese. My interests in Japanese pop culture always revolved around video games. I was playing Super Mario Bros. at the age of 4, and I haven't looked back since. Unfortunately, Dr. Matsui's presentation focused mainly on manga and anime, highlighting the stark differences between the manga that's released in Japan and the manga that's released in the US. I always knew that US citizens as a whole are prude and over protective, and one of the biggest appeals of the Japanese culture to me is the fact that they're not afraid to act human.
I have this theory that the Japanese know how to act more human than any other culture in the world, and Dr. Matsui's presentation further hardened this stiff position. Whereas US citizens stop at every chance possible to protect their children from strong sexual content and violence, (except the violence at home, which is rapidly increasing every day) the Japanese seem to understand that this is an adult's world and they know how to put that fact into perspective for their children. Why can't we adopt such common sense practices? Are we to hold up this facade of rainbows and teddy bears for our children to 'protect' them from how the world really is? The facade was put up sometime around the 1950s, and although it has been covered in graffiti and overgrown by ivy we continue to hold it up. Once again, the US proves that it is most comfortable in its own little bubble, ignoring the cultural realities in exchange for fast food and cable TV. As long as we have those we don't need anything else, right?
After Dr. Matsui's enlightening presentation on the state of 'Cool Japan', we got to enjoy another crash course. This time it was in the guise how to introduce yourself to Japanese citizens in their own language. This should be hard wired into each student's head by now, since everybody here is either a minor or major in the Japanese language, but just in case the gap between semesters was too wide this lesson helped get us back in the saddle.
Of course, I knew exactly what to say. You don't get to be this handsome and intelligent by forgetting your teachings. Only movie stars get to do that. The rest of us have to apply and adhere to what we've learned to get ahead.
A little aside here, as we were checking out the displays I was getting checked out myself. A group of three Japanese schoolgirls (Japanese schoolgirls!) passed by us. One of them slowed down, turned directly at me, stopped and stared. I couldn't discern her age, but it didn't matter. She was probably much too young...but still! Its not every day you get checked out by a Japanese schoolgirl. One of the people I was with turned to me and said, "Look at Joe, gettin' checked out!", so I turned to her and replied, "Meh, she probably just thinks I'm Daniel Radcliffe or something."
The last piece on our itinerary for Day 2 was to visit Sensouji Temple and its accompanying outdoor arcade shopping mall. Finally! A chance to buy things! Typical American abroad, only interested in being a consumer. Go figure, but I can't deny all of the cool stuff they have here.
This is the part where I began to break the rules. The
desire to get out and explore on my own was too great. After all, we only had
an hour to visit the temple and the
shopping mall. Dragging these other blokes around would only have slowed me
down. I'm glad that I went alone. Being dropped into a foreign country to
explore by your own devices is something every American should do. Sure, it's
not the safest thing to do, but it
provided me with a sense of excitement I haven't felt in years.
I spent all of 5 minutes at the temple. It was a great photo opportunity, and I got some quick shots of it, but what I really wanted to do was explore...and shop. I think the two go hand in hand sometimes. I sneakily departed from the temple by myself, running into the arcade giddy in anticipation of the hunt for goodies.
Blood pumping and nearly breathless, knowing our time was short I zoomed in and out of the tiny shops frantically looking for anything Pokemon or Nintendo related. To my surprise, I found some right off the bat! My first purchase in Japan was a giant set of Pokemon cards that were Charizard themed. Hell yeah.
I wanted more. What I had found was but a taste of what was out there, and I knew that by showing a little initiative I could find all of it.
The arcade was bigger than I anticipated. Much bigger. I think it was because it had no boundaries, and seamlessly blended in with the streets of Tokyo. It was stimulation overload. Surrounded by bright lights, new and interesting smells, and of course a language that I really only understood 25% of being thrown at me from every direction. This is why I came here. This is what I wanted. To experience a new place on the other side of the world, filled with bizarre and strange things to unwrap and understand. I think its safe to say that Day 2 completely justified being hauled off in a cramped chicken coop for 12 hours. I also finally got a chance to stretch my lingual muscles. At this point in my Japanese studies, I really only know a couple of important phrases to get me around. This was my first real chance to put them into action, and put them into action I did. "Credit card de harate mui des ka?" (is it alright to pay with a credit card?) It turns out at the particular shops I visited today, it was.
The arcade had an interesting layout. Consisting of a zigzagging pattern of streets and side alleys, I needed to mentally prepare points of reference so I could find my way back to the group on time. This wasn't very difficult. Do I have a good sense of direction, or is traveling within the immediate vicinity of where you're supposed to be just far too easy? As it turns out, I didn't travel within the immediate vicinity of where I was supposed to be. I went farther than I was supposed to, partly because I was unprepared for the confusing layout of the arcade and how it merges with the main streets of the city. I also went farther than I was supposed to because I wanted to. No, I needed to. In a relatively small area compared to the rest of Tokyo, the arcade around the temple provided a nice dry run of exploration.
All of the shops were very small. It felt like I was too big. Walking into them, it was very cramped. Each store lined its walls from top to bottom with cool and appealing products. Today, I was going to give my shiny new credit cards a chance to spread their wings and fly. I also gave them a chance to put me farther into debt than I already am, but hey, I'm an American. Living off of debt is the way of my people. Surely I could teach the Japanese how to do this. It isn't very difficult, except the part where Citi Bank takes your thumbs for not paying your bills on time. That part I would let them figure out on their own.
I spent all of 5 minutes at the temple. It was a great photo opportunity, and I got some quick shots of it, but what I really wanted to do was explore...and shop. I think the two go hand in hand sometimes. I sneakily departed from the temple by myself, running into the arcade giddy in anticipation of the hunt for goodies.
Blood pumping and nearly breathless, knowing our time was short I zoomed in and out of the tiny shops frantically looking for anything Pokemon or Nintendo related. To my surprise, I found some right off the bat! My first purchase in Japan was a giant set of Pokemon cards that were Charizard themed. Hell yeah.
I wanted more. What I had found was but a taste of what was out there, and I knew that by showing a little initiative I could find all of it.
The arcade was bigger than I anticipated. Much bigger. I think it was because it had no boundaries, and seamlessly blended in with the streets of Tokyo. It was stimulation overload. Surrounded by bright lights, new and interesting smells, and of course a language that I really only understood 25% of being thrown at me from every direction. This is why I came here. This is what I wanted. To experience a new place on the other side of the world, filled with bizarre and strange things to unwrap and understand. I think its safe to say that Day 2 completely justified being hauled off in a cramped chicken coop for 12 hours. I also finally got a chance to stretch my lingual muscles. At this point in my Japanese studies, I really only know a couple of important phrases to get me around. This was my first real chance to put them into action, and put them into action I did. "Credit card de harate mui des ka?" (is it alright to pay with a credit card?) It turns out at the particular shops I visited today, it was.
The arcade had an interesting layout. Consisting of a zigzagging pattern of streets and side alleys, I needed to mentally prepare points of reference so I could find my way back to the group on time. This wasn't very difficult. Do I have a good sense of direction, or is traveling within the immediate vicinity of where you're supposed to be just far too easy? As it turns out, I didn't travel within the immediate vicinity of where I was supposed to be. I went farther than I was supposed to, partly because I was unprepared for the confusing layout of the arcade and how it merges with the main streets of the city. I also went farther than I was supposed to because I wanted to. No, I needed to. In a relatively small area compared to the rest of Tokyo, the arcade around the temple provided a nice dry run of exploration.
All of the shops were very small. It felt like I was too big. Walking into them, it was very cramped. Each store lined its walls from top to bottom with cool and appealing products. Today, I was going to give my shiny new credit cards a chance to spread their wings and fly. I also gave them a chance to put me farther into debt than I already am, but hey, I'm an American. Living off of debt is the way of my people. Surely I could teach the Japanese how to do this. It isn't very difficult, except the part where Citi Bank takes your thumbs for not paying your bills on time. That part I would let them figure out on their own.
Day 2 was beginning to wind down. On the way to dinner, the
issue of visiting Akihabara was brought up. For the uninitiated, Akihabara is the capitol of 'Cool
Japan'. Located in the heart of Tokyo, Akihabara was originally on our itinerary. However,
the day before departed it was brought to my attention that Akihabara was
yanked from the list of places we were scheduled to visit.
Wait. Huh? We were just given a lecture on 'Cool Japan', and suddenly we're not going to the center of the place that makes Japan so cool? Needless to say, all of the Kakehashi participants were devastated over this. For most of us, Akihabara was going to be the highlight of the trip. The cultural and historical aspects of Japan are interesting, but really, we came here to satisfy all of our insatiable otaku urges.
This problem needed to be fixed. Bledsoe sensei, the Japanese language professor accompanying us knew how important a trip to Akihabara would be and tried as hard as he could to give us some free time there.
A plan was put in place. We would eat dinner as quickly as possible, get back to the hotel to drop off our things and then board a train to Akihabara. Things went as smoothly as we could muster them, but unfortunately we left later than anticipated. Most of the shops and attractions in Akihabara closed between 8 and 11PM, and by the time we got there it was near closing. My personal quest on this trip was to obtain a Japanese exclusive 3DS. After all, the Japanese get all of the cool exclusive models. We get the leftovers. Knowing Akihabara would have many video game shops, this was my chance to nab one.
The group I was with was dead set on going to this place called 'Don Quixote', a multilevel shopping complex topped off by a Maid Cafe. On the way, I saw what I wanted: a video game shop filled to the brim with Japanese gaming delicacies. As we passed by the shop I noticed that they had all manner of 3DSes. I had to get one. On the inside, I drooled a little. My inner otaku was ready to burst out, but we were instead heading to a Maid Cafe. While the Maid Cafe was appealing to me as well, I knew it would get in the way of fulfilling my personal quest. So what did I do? I broke the rules. Again. This time at night, and in an even brighter and stranger place than that afternoon.
Quickly departing from my friends going to Don Quixote, but not before assigning a place and time to meet back up again, I raced back to the shop I had seen earlier. And as it turns out, I got there just in time.
Wait. Huh? We were just given a lecture on 'Cool Japan', and suddenly we're not going to the center of the place that makes Japan so cool? Needless to say, all of the Kakehashi participants were devastated over this. For most of us, Akihabara was going to be the highlight of the trip. The cultural and historical aspects of Japan are interesting, but really, we came here to satisfy all of our insatiable otaku urges.
This problem needed to be fixed. Bledsoe sensei, the Japanese language professor accompanying us knew how important a trip to Akihabara would be and tried as hard as he could to give us some free time there.
A plan was put in place. We would eat dinner as quickly as possible, get back to the hotel to drop off our things and then board a train to Akihabara. Things went as smoothly as we could muster them, but unfortunately we left later than anticipated. Most of the shops and attractions in Akihabara closed between 8 and 11PM, and by the time we got there it was near closing. My personal quest on this trip was to obtain a Japanese exclusive 3DS. After all, the Japanese get all of the cool exclusive models. We get the leftovers. Knowing Akihabara would have many video game shops, this was my chance to nab one.
The group I was with was dead set on going to this place called 'Don Quixote', a multilevel shopping complex topped off by a Maid Cafe. On the way, I saw what I wanted: a video game shop filled to the brim with Japanese gaming delicacies. As we passed by the shop I noticed that they had all manner of 3DSes. I had to get one. On the inside, I drooled a little. My inner otaku was ready to burst out, but we were instead heading to a Maid Cafe. While the Maid Cafe was appealing to me as well, I knew it would get in the way of fulfilling my personal quest. So what did I do? I broke the rules. Again. This time at night, and in an even brighter and stranger place than that afternoon.
Quickly departing from my friends going to Don Quixote, but not before assigning a place and time to meet back up again, I raced back to the shop I had seen earlier. And as it turns out, I got there just in time.
As I entered the shop, they were beginning to close down.
They closed at 9, and it was 8:55.
Whew! Just in the nick of time. And then I saw it. The 3DS I had my eyes on
months prior. A Final Fantasy themed black and gold design that just begged me
to make it my own. In the world of gaming, and especially with Nintendo, (of
which I am a huge fan) Japan gets all the cool stuff. I mean all the cool stuff. This was my chance to partake. The men at the shop didn't speak much English. They knew
how to say the essentials. 'Ok', 'sign here', and 'very good'. That was about
it. Conversely, my Japanese wasn't that great, and in this moment of childlike
giddiness everything I learned had suddenly flew out the window. I just
couldn't contain myself.
I consider myself to be a generally well regulated human being, maintaining my cool and keeping a level head. After all, being level headed was part of what put me on this trip to begin with. But now...oh no. Surrounded by so many cool games in the heart of the land that created them...it was just too much. I decided to speak with my wallet instead of my of my mouth. After all, aren't credit cards a universal language? I saw the JCB sign that Discover Card told me to look for. It indicated that my card would be accepted. I handed it to the man behind the counter, and he ran it through the machine. I waited.
...and waited. And...waited. Apparently there was something wrong. The card wasn't going through. Oh no! It couldn't be! I finally found what I was looking for, and a logistical error would prevent me from obtaining it! But I came prepared. I had another card. And it worked! Walking out of the shop with the gift to myself that I wanted...no, deserved, I ventured out into Akihabara to see what else it had to offer me.
As it turns out, Akihabara had so much else to offer. Once again, I was in stimulation overload. There were even more cool things to digest here than there was in the shopping arcade at the temple. Stores filled with anime and manga products, I went into full otaku mode. This time I slowed down a little. Since this portion of the trip wasn't part of the Kakehashi schedule, I wouldn't be reprimanded for being a tiny bit late. However, there was no need to worry about being late. I was actually right on time. After visiting a handful of stores and wasting some of my money attempting to win UFO claw games, I decided to go to the Maid Cafe and meet back up with my group members. I climbed to the floor it was on and entered the cafe's lobby area. I looked around, confused. I didn't see my fellow Kakehashi participants. The woman dressed in the sexy maid outfit behind the counter approached and asked me what I wanted. "Did a bunch of gaijin come through here?" I asked. She smiled. "Hai! Are you with them?" she asked. (she spoke decent English) "Yes, I am." I replied, somewhat embarrassed and somewhat proud. She led me to them.
In a Maid Cafe, you are the master. The maid must obey your wishes. Each of them was a cute little Japanese girl dressed in the sexiest maid outfit possible without revealing too much. They wait on you unlike any waitress back in the states and obey your every command, as long as that command fits within the guidelines of the cafe. (which were actually pretty strict) You couldn't randomly take pictures of the maids, which I found to be pretty strange. That's part of why people come to a place like this, right? You did however get to take one picture with them in which they posed with you in a number of optional poses. In the pictures you could act like animals, (cats, bunnies, bears, etc.) or pose with various props the maids had on hand. Fake samurai swords and other...unmentionables.
It was all very fun, but unfortunately I arrived too late. Just before finding my group in the cafe, they had ordered their drinks and photos. I was too late, but I didn't care. I would trade the experience of the Maid Cafe for my shiny new Japanese exclusive 3DS and the experience of wandering around on my own any day. After all, I learned more wandering this particular block of Akihabara by myself than I would have ever learned commanding a maid to draw Hello Kitty in the foam of my coffee.
Oh, and by the way, I witnessed a man enter a 'porn booth'.
Located in inside one of the shops in Akihabara, he discreetly entered a tiny
personal sized area covered with pictures of sexy naked anime girls. Yeah. They
have those here. Although I'm not surprised in the least, I couldn't help but
wonder what he could be doing in there?
Just kidding. I know exactly what he was doing. And God bless Japan for people and places like this.
Just kidding. I know exactly what he was doing. And God bless Japan for people and places like this.
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