Japan Day 1 - The Man in Japan!

Kon-ich-iwa!

こんにちは!

      I am writing this sitting in my cousin's posh apartment in downtown Tokyo. Yesterday, however, when I arrived, I had no idea how in the world I was going to find him in one of the most densely packed cities in the world. I woke up at 5am to the sound of the ship's engine screeching to a halt. I rolled out of my cabin bunk bed and rushed up to the ninth deck to see us pull into Yokohama, Japan. 

     It was pitch dark outside and freezing cold. The silhouette of the moon was slowly dipping behind one of the modern buildings of the port city of Yokohama. Water lapped against the side of our ship and I couldn't help but grin at my first view of the Land of the Rising Sun.

I grabbed breakfast around 7am and at 7:30am heard drums playing outside. I rushed with my friends to the top deck and witnessed an amazing drum performance by traditional performers. It was awesome to watch the sun rise while listening to the slow beat of these gigantic drums.

    Next up was immigration. It was a lot of waiting in line, getting our bags checked and showing identification. Then came currency exchange...$50 for about 5,560 yen (about equivalent). Afterwards I packed my things, said goodbye temporarily to my friends and headed off seeking Yokohama Train Station. I took a free shuttle and arrived at the station about ten minutes later.

   The station guide showed me how to take the JR Train to Tokyo for about 450 yen ($4.00 USD). I bought a one-way ticket and hopped on with a few fellow Semester at Sea "SASers" and we took a 45 minute train ride to Downtown Tokyo. 

    On the train ride I observed how homogenous Japanese society seems to be. Although there is little difference in race or ethnicity, different styles of dress, hair, makeup and personality add much diversity to the peoples. I watched a proud Japanese father playing with his baby daughter and could't help but smile...relationships between father and daughter, parent and child, transcend all geographic differences. Regardless of where you are in the world, love is the same.

   I watched baseball fields pass by outside the window. Baseball is a huge sport in Japan. Once I arrived, I looked around for my cousin. It wasn't hard to find one of the only African Americans in the station. My buddy Lincoln joined Cousin Leslie and I as we grabbed some sushi. We drank green tea and ate eel, fish eggs, salmon, and several other unrecognizable fish. Of course, it was accompanied by rice. On the whole it was delicious.

Yum!

     Next we headed out into the extremely manicured and organized center of downtown Tokyo. By comparison, New York is extremely dirty. We hopped on the Hato Bus tour guide and drove near the imperial palace. During the heyday of the Japanese economic boom, the Imperial Palace (3.41 square kilometers) was estimated to have a real estate value equivalent to that of the entire state of California. 

    We then passed the prime ministers palace, finally arriving at a huge temple area. We got out, passing ladies in ceremonial kimonos and smelling incense in the air. We approached a bright red gigantic structure with traditional architecture. I walked up the steps and completed a religious ritual, tossing in 100 yen and then bowing twice and making a wish before entering. I'm not allowed to tell you my wish...otherwise it won't come true.

Not bad, eh?

     Next we walked down this packed alleyway with vendors selling their wares. It still smelled like incense and easily three thousand people passed by in less than five minutes. I bought a beautiful hand-crafted pair of chopsticks for 860 yen. Men walked by wearing Utaka's (Male kimonos) and I saw a small zen worship area. 

     We stepped aside into that peaceful area and discovered a tree that those of the Shinto religion worship as a god. There was a small fountain and someone was completing a religious ritual with water. One thing that I love about Japan though, is that the mystical is always juxtaposed with the modern. In the background, above the shinto shrine, you could see the gleaming metal spires of the Skytree, the world's tallest Radio Tower. That awe-inspiring visage would be our next destination.

        In thirty minutes we were at the Skytree base. We all (about thirty people) shuffled into a large elevator. Once the doors shut, my ears began to pop. It hardly felt like we were moving until I read an electronic sign that showed we were moving up at a rate of 300 meters/minute. Finally the doors swung open and boom...all of Tokyo sprawled out before me. From the panoramic windows of the Skytree, I could see the entirety of this massive city extending for miles. Several large rivers cut through the city like blood veins in a beast and webs of bridges crossed over them with cars and trucks populating the streets like tiny blood cells. The majesty of Mt. Fuji sat on the distant horizon, supervising the city like a dissatisfied god. The city of Tokyo is both alive and beautiful.

We went further up on the elevator, reaching the top floor (635 meters up - double the height of the Eiffel Tower). Slowly the moon began to rise. To be completely honest, I began to cry a little, in awe of the beauty and the fact that I had accomplished my dream of seeing Tokyo, Japan in the grandest way. Thank You so much to everybody who supported my dreams and helped me make this voyage possible. I will never forget these moments and promise to give back to others in a powerful way in the near future.

    For whatever reason, they were also playing the iconic Star Wars theme music on the top floor, so that did not help my feelings of emotional nostalgia. Disney was doing a cross-promotional marketing thing and had stormtrooper models and lightsabers all over the place. So, I took a picture with Kylo Ren's lightsaber....because I'm still such a kid:

May the Force Be With You

   Then we went back downstairs. Up next was Shibuya Crossing, the busiest crosswalk in the world. Every green light up to 3,000 people cross the street. It is Tokyo's version of Times Square. 

     My cousin took me to one of his favorite restaurants, styled like a Harlem Diner. They served classic Chicken and Waffles :) but I decided to go with Salmon and Avocado. However, I still went for a Triple Berry Waffle for dessert! At this point I was dead tired and ready to crash. I took the train home back to the ship, exhausted yet thrilled and excited. 

    Afterwards I wandered around Yokohama for a solid twenty minutes before finding a taxi cab back to the ship. It cost 2,300 yen (too much) so next time I'm going to walk. Approaching the ship, I watched someone who shall not be named shotgun a beer. It was hilarious. Once back onboard. I shared my adventures with my friend named Anusha, who was born in India but grew up in Dubai. She shared with me that she had gone to Tokyo for a Field Lab and watched an awesome play in Japanese about a Samurai who betrayed his country and committed suicide. 

      On that pleasant note, I finally went to sleep.

      But the next day I went 3,000 meters in the air to Mt. Fuji....