1st stop: Tokyo, Japan

Narita Airport
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Japan was just the beginning of my 3 month tour of Asia-Australasia.  I landed in Narita airport 14 hours later after leaving JFK.  I met up with my two friends at the tourist desk & exchanged some money into yen.  Most of their ATM's do not accept American cards.  Citibank is one of the few.  I was tired, but buzzing with energy by the fact that I was finally in Japan...this was another world.  It was early evening when we got there & still had to figure out how to get to K's Backpackers in Asakusa via the subway system.  Luckily, they provided a map on their website.

crossing the street in shi-BU-Yeah!
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The subway system can be difficult at first, but makes sense afterwards.  The ticket machines & color-coded maps are in english, but the maps can be a bit confusing.  The best bet is to buy the minimum fare & just adjust when you leave from your departing station (Don't throw out your ticket!).  Also, there are different lines: the JR, the tokyo metro, & the toei lines.  & you can't buy one pass for all.  If you switch, you have to buy another ticket.  All in all, there were enough signs in english to get us by.  The directions given were adequate.  Upon arrival, we got the first taste of Japanese culture...take off your shoes before entering a home...as should be everyone's culture.  We took off our wet shoes & put on the provided slippers.  Staff was very friendly & spoke great english.  The common area consisted of a small kitchen, living area, & computers.  It was nice & quiet.  The lift took us up to our ever-so-clean, but small, triple.  The room consisted of a bunk bed & a single bed, clean linens, & a small TV.  There was barely any room for our huge bags, but we managed.  Our pristine shared bathroom on our floor consisted of separate stalls with shower, shower/tub, high-tech toilets with built in bidet & warm seats, & outside sinks.  We met up with a friend & set out for a mini guided tour of Shibuya & Shinjuku & our first Japanese dinner.  My first thoughts, "this place is clean!"  I really didn't think with the hussle & bussle of Japan, that it could possibly be kept so clean.

this place is clean!

the subway
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We wandered the streets of Shibuya & marveled at the bright neon lights & lively people.  We gave regards to the statue of Hachiko.  The story goes that this loyal dog waited everyday for his owner to return home from work until one day, his owner never returned after falling ill on the job.  Hachiko returned to this spot for ~10 years waiting for his owner, until his death - something like that.  Talk about man's best friend!  Shibuya is a major nightlife district, especially for the young.  If I had to classify the Japanese style of dress, I would say they are put together...in their own unique way.  It ranges from skimpy short skirts with thigh high stockings, to mismatched harajuku-style, to clean business-wear.  The only one wearing sweats was me.  I felt like such a bum, but I had no room in my bag for nice clothing for this weather.  It was ~50 degrees.  My first japanese dinner wasn't bad.  I unfortunately can't remember the name, but they had a variety of reasonably priced asian dishes on their picture menu.  I believe I had one of there chicken/rice/egg concoctions.  The atmosphere was laid-back, young, & hip with wooden thai-style decor & benches where you have to take your shoes off before getting in.  The waitress was very nice...limited in english...but its easy to communicate with pointing & a smile.  We walked around more, marveling at the lights & pretty things to eat.  You're not even hungry, but the food is too cute to resise.  We stopped in probably the only R&B/HipHop bar in shibuya.  It was a very divey hole in the wall...very crowded & thuggish...but everyone was having a great time.  We decided to cut the night short, because of exhaustion & the the subway was going to close soon (~12AM).  Shibuya station was ridiculously crowded!!  But, for some reason, we were able to maneuver with ease.  There's not much frustration, pushing, & shoving like in NYC...it was organized chaos.  We returned to the hostel ~40 min. later exhausted, but excited for the next morning.

K's common area
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The next morning was thankfully clear & cool.  We set out for breakfast & hopes to see the fashion craze in Harajuku.   To our disappointment, we couldn't find any harajuku kids!  Our guide didn't clearly point out where they'd be, & we assumed we'd find a crowd & would just follow it.  Instead, we settled for breakfast at an internet cafe called "360 cafe", which has 36o degree views of Harajuku.  I had a poached egg/ham/rice bowl & a cappuccino.  By the way, I love the coffee in japan.  Its always fresh & strong.   There's also free internet use if you buy food.  We continued exploring the Harajuku area where we many found cute boutiques to satisyfy any fashionista's taste.  We walked along the crowded avenue of Omote-sando dori...a more commercial street where you can find many western stores.  We explored "kiddy land" toy store, a multi-level japanese fao schwartz...with floors dedicated to cutesy sanrio-type cartoon characters.  Touristy shop, "Oriental Bazaar" sells many touristy japanese arts & crafts ranging from mini ninja & sumo dolls to a variety of kimonos.  We continued to walk & walk until nightfall & the lights of Shibuya were turning on...more shopping was done.  We shopped in this mall called Shibuya 109, which seemed to cater to a population of blond, high-pitched, heavy makeup wearing girls in hooker boots & mini skirts.  Don't get me wrong...it sounds slutty....but the girls actually look cute in it...not cheap.  BUT, if they wore these outfits in the US, they would be mistaken for street-walker within minutes.  Shopping in Tokyo is not as expensive as i thought it'd be.  For quality and unique clothing, you pay reasonable prices...which would be much more expensive in NYC in my opinion.  I bought a one-of-a-kind coat, that would easily cost $200+ in the US...for much less.  It was so difficult to resist buying more, but I had 3 months of travel in warmer weather ahead of me and no room in my bag.  Coats are my weakness, so it was a must-buy & thank god for my very thoughtful friends that offered to take whatever I bought home with them.  We continued to explore Shibuya till we had dinner consisting mainly of rice & meat in a bowl & headed back for the night.

Hachiko
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The next morning was sunny & cool.  We explored the neighborhood of Asakusa.  It was a 10 min. walk from K's.  We had our first taste of sushi at this busy little sushi train restaurant a couple blocks away from Kaminarimon gate.  It was delicious & so cheap!  Prices ranged from $1.75-$5 per plate.  Each plate is color-coded & at the end of the meal, they have a special scanner that scans the plates & a total is added up in seconds.  A receipt is printed out & you take it to the counter.  The bill came out to about $40 for 3 people that ate a lot!  We stopped by the Starbucks for some coffee before heading to the gate.  The prices are pretty much the same, but the service is great.  Like in most businesses in Tokyo, they take such pride in their work.  They alway keep busy between customers & tend to you quickly with a big smile & much gratitude.  We entered the brightly colored Kaminarimon gate with the giant red lantern & walked down Nakamise Dori.  The line of stalls leading to the temple are selling anything from redbean-filled treats to solar-powered waving cats.  Sensoji temple at the end of the row of stalls was not the most spectacular, but it is the oldest temple in Tokyo & still a must-see.  The temple & pagoda were under construction.

brekkie in harajuku
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We briefly explored the Ginza area just to get a quick taste of Tokyo's 5th Ave.  As usual, I couldn't afford anything.  We then went to Ikebekuro to check out another mall.  Nothing special there.  We ended the night with an OK dinner at a diner-type restaurant with plastic food replicas in the window.

The next morning, after checking out, we had a western-type brekkie down the street at a denny's-type chain restaurant.  We then headed for Ueno park.  It was a nice stroll to the National Museum.  We did a brief walk through to view some Japanese art & textiles.   Many of the exhibits were closed, but we got the jist.  We quickly picked up our bags & headed for Kyoto.