Wandering Shinjuku

Today I was just wandering around Shinjuku with no set plan on what to do and see. I did go to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building that has two publicly accessible observation decks. Each observation deck is on the 45th floor of the north and south towers of the building. Tokyo was fairly hazy but I managed to get some good pictures showing how large the city is and the densely packed buildings. But there are a few places in Tokyo to escape the noise and the people, such as the Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park.




I was also able to get a picture of the Imperial Palace grounds.




I tried to get a picture of Mount Fuji but it was just too hazy. I can see Mount Fuji from my apartment in the early morning but I have to lean way out the window and look around the corner of the building. So here is a picture of where Mount Fuji would be if I had been able to see it from the observation deck.





While wandering around I found the first and only KrispyKreme. It looks like the Japanese love their donuts because the line outside the door was 4 rows deep. I have seen some long lines at the local Tim Horton's but I don't think I would ever need a donut so badly that I would line up for an hour to get one.




After wandering the streets a little I came across an electronics store called Yodobashi Camera. It was 5 floors of computers, cameras, MP3 players, televisions, stereo equipment, CDs and DVDs. I had never been in anything like it. The local Best Buy or Futureshop back home do not compare to Yodobashi at all. The only way to describe would be to take a Best Buy, double the floor space, now stack 5 of them one on top of the other, have different music blaring from every area of the store, and cram it full of people and electronics. I saw a lot of computers and cameras that were the same as back home. Even the prices were fairly similar. I kept wondering if they were hiding the really cool Japanese electronics from the foreigner in the store.

I have realized though that I would like to get a smaller camera. The one I have is great, it's just that it is a little large and I find it looks a little intimidating when trying to capture "street shots". It is a great tourist camera but if I want pictures of everyday life on the streets, in the stores, and on the trains of Tokyo I need something a little smaller.

After wandering Shinjuku I headed back to Nishi-Ogikubo but I got on a train that was a "special express" and it would not be stopping at my station. I got off at the Nakano station and noticed a sign for a Yakitori restaurant. The lesson I learned today is, "when ordering do not always rely on the pictures, it may not be what you expect."

I am here

I arrived at the Narita Airport in Japan right on time. The flight over from Vancouver was great and didn't seem like 10 hours at all. Unfortunately I have no pictures of Narita Airport or the journey into Tokyo. The airport was an hour long blur of disembarking, getting baggage, passport control, customs, finding the cell phone rental counter, finding a currency exchange, finding the JR office to exchange my rail pass voucher, and then dashing for the Narita Express (N'EX) train that travels to Shinjuku station. The journey on the train took approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes through the Japanese countryside into Tokyo. I had clear instructions given to me by the company that I have rented the apartment from so I had no issues at all transferring from the N'EX train to the local train that travels from Shinjuku to Nishi-Ogikubo station.

After being shown the apartment by Makoto, the company's representative, I was on my own to explore Tokyo. A minor internet connection problem in the apartment led me to head back on the train to Shinjuku to see if I could find an internet cafe to let family and friends know that I had arrived. My first impression of the Shinjuku area at night....some sort of bizarro Disneyland. It was great! People, music, noise, huge digital billboards, and lights and neon signs everywhere. After grabbing a quick meal I managed to find an internet cafe full of Japanese Manga (comics), video games and books. I had to overcome the fact that the computer was running Japanese Windows XP but managed to get a couple of readable e-mail messages off. After wandering around Shinjuku a bit more I headed back to Nishi-Ogikubo on the train. I managed to purchase a few things from the local grocery store beside my apartment building and headed back to the apartment by about 10pm and fell asleep completely exhausted.

I have learned one thing from my first night in Japan. It really is not that hard to get by even with almost no ability to speak or read Japanese. When entering and exiting the train stations, I just watched what everyone else was doing to pay for their fares. When paying at the grocery store checkout, I just watched what the people in line in front of me were doing and copied them despite the fact that the clerk was talking to me in Japanese the whole time. It boils down to "just do it". Don't think about it or worry about it, just follow what everyone else does and everything will be fine.

I have posted a few pictures on Flickr from my flight over the Rockies and my stay in Vancouver. Clicking a picture will take you to the Flickr album.


Flying over the Rockies.



My hotel room in Vancouver.



I was right at the airport and could watch the planes take off and land but could barely hear them with the windows closed.



Vancouver airport has one of the best looking departure terminals I have ever seen. Most terminals are as interesting and comfortable as the waiting room in a hospital.