Tokyo- Day 1

Japan Blog Entry July 2, 2010

By the time Pete and I arrived to our hotel last night, we were exhausted. We were warmly welcomed and told that we could reserve time in the spa. It was 6:45 (meaning that we had been traveling door to door for 22 hours straight- modes of transportation included NYC taxi, airplane, Japan airtran, Japan subway, and walking). There was an open spot at 7pm and we signed up. We put our stuff in our room, very small but charming and incredibly comfortable sleeping mat. We went upstairs to the private Jacuzzi and let cold water run over our faces and heads before exchanging foot rubs and relaxing in the hot tub.
We then showered and dressed for dinner. We decided to just roam the streets until we found something. The area we are in is safe and quaint. Very quiet in comparison to New York, with lots of alleyways and side streets to wander. It took a while to find an open restaurant, and once we walked in, all eyes were on us. The manager hurriedly walked over and informed us “We serve horse meat only. Do you understand??” We politely backed out, and were quickly turned away from two other restaurants because they only accept cash. Both of us were pretty hungry at this point, and asked a local to point us in the direction of an ATM. We were sent to 7-11. The ATM wasn’t working, so out of desperation we scanned the 7-11 aisles for something for dinner. We settled on rice balls and soup with stuffed cabbage and seaweed for dinner. Then, of course, the 7-11 didn’t accept our cards either. In a final desperate thought, I realized we had been trying with Mastercards and I had a Visa. Thank you Visa, Japanese ATM’s like you! We were able to buy our meals and head home. We were asleep by 9pm Japan time (Americans, you were just starting your day at that point).

We slept ten hours solid, and woke up ready for adventure. We were the first to breakfast, and enjoyed eggs and toast while studying maps and planning our day. We were out the door by 9:10. We had planned a walking route of approximately 5 miles, that included a lot of neighborhood walking, as well as some sightseeing. We walked along Kappabashi Street and I roamed in and out of countless cooking and food stores. Pete mostly studied our Japan book and practiced his Japanese phrases. We marveled numerous times at how lucky we were to find each other and to get to be on this trip together. We then visited the Drum Museum. It has drums from all over the world, and you are allowed to play most of them. Bongo Pete came out, as well as Steel Drum Pete, Xylophone Pete, and Tumba Pete. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to enjoy an a/c break.
We then headed towards the Temple, but I had to stop and get Japanese street food- yes, steamed pork buns! Oh my God, so tender and juicy and flavorful. It was getting to be about noon, so it was HOT, and we made it to the Temple. It is called Senso-ji and it is a shrine built to honor a 6cm golden statuette that two fisherman found in 638 AD. It is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy, and locals come and throw coins in front of it and pray. Pete and I wandered around a bit, people watching and Pete gave me a brief history of the relationship of Japan and the rest of the Asian continent. We decided it was time for lunch.
For those of you who haven’t been to Asakusa, Japan, let me describe how challenging this can be. The restaurants are very small, often look closed, and not a single sign in English to let you know what kind of food it is. Some have photos or plastic depictions, but it is always a gamble. So, Pete and I got very lucky to stumble onto a Ramen house. It was small, only 4 tables and the bar. The waitress didn’t speak English, so we just pointed at a patron’s bowl and nodded yes. The next thing we know, two steaming bowls of ramen were served. They were AMAZING. This was Pete’s first Ramen experience, and I think it ruined him for life. Definitely some of the best soup either of us have ever had.