Nov 1 Arrival – I’m so tired now, but too excited to fall asleep. We are in Tokyo at last! I have been dreaming about Japan since seeing old samurai movies with my father, and was obsessed enough to major in the language in college. But I don’t just want to see old things, I want to experience the living, dynamic culture.
Narita International Airport, Tokyo
Paul has his own reasons for wanting to come. Starting a career in landscape design, he wanted to see famous Japanese gardens in person. So with our combined interests, Japan was a logical choice for our honeymoon.
origami exhibit, Tokyo Narita airport
The plane flight was long, and it was a relief to stretch our legs on the ground. Customs and immigration went smoothly at Narita Airport, though I was afraid that we would get pulled aside for questioning when Paul made a few snide comments under his breath about the very serious attendants with white gloves who pointed to where we needed to go. I bust up laughing. From the glares in our direction I think it must have been against the rules to be enjoying ourselves! Fortunately there was no problem.
Keisei Skyliner train arriving at Nippori station
We took the Keisei Skyliner to the Keisei Ueno Station. We both stared out the windows at the darkness, which at first was dotted with little lights from houses, then increasingly became filled with neon. There were huge cement apartment buildings which made us think of beehives. It looked like some Eastern European housing project, but those cramped apartments are where a huge percentage of the population live.
Keisei Ueno Station
We got off the train at Ueno and found our hotel with little difficulty, it was so close to the station. The Mitsui Garden Hotel Ueno looked good on the website, and even better in person. We were relieved that the staff spoke fluent English. Granted, I studied Japanese, but never really had a chance to practice much.
Mitsui Garden Hotel Ueno
Our room was lovely, larger than we had expected and with a decent city view. We were so glad we had picked this hotel for our honeymoon first night. We dropped our luggage off and took a shower, bathing away the sweat and aches of travel. Paul kindly offered that we could stay and rest, but I knew that he was just as eager to explore as I was, so I suggested a short walk.
Ueno, Tokyo
We didn’t have a goal, just strolling through the streets. It was loud and had a unique smell, not really bad, but foreign. Maybe a blend of sea air and gasoline and cooking oil. There were signs hung vertically on the buildings covered with kanji characters, and even a lot of English ones.
Ameyoko, Ueno, Tokyo.
People bustled in all directions, most of the men in business suits and most of the women balanced on slender high heels. We only saw a few foreigners, and those stood out. It is not that everyone else looked alike, but they all were Asian. Some were tall, some short, some had hair bleached a reddish blond with tons of makeup, others walked stooped over with age. There were several homeless old men who had carefully set their shoes to the side and were resting on cardboard boxes.
Down the Road from Ueno Station, Yamashiroya
The language flowed over and around us and I thought to myself, “These people are speaking Japanese.” And I had a little panic attack because I could not understand a single word. There was a very lively shop called Yamashiroya which had six floors of toys, figures, model kits, character goods, iPhone kawaii covers and games. Glass cabinets are packed with an amazing assortment and you could easily find something for any anime or Japanese toy brand in the store. We resisted as this was only day 1 but made a note to come back.
Yoshinoya
We finally turned back toward the hotel, taking our time, looking in shop windows and watching the people on the street. We talked about dinner, but did not feel like anything fancy. We settled on Yoshinoya, which is a Japanese fast-food chain that serves donburi, we ordered the thinly-sliced beef on rice. It was much better than our usual idea of “fast food,” and it was exactly what we needed. The free refills of barley tea were especially nice after the long plane ride.
Yoshinoya beef donburi
The staff welcomed us back when we returned to the hotel. Now for a few minutes to unwind before going to bed. I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings!
photos by:
IsabelleAcatauassu &
K Comandich,
Paul Trafford,
David McKelvey,
{Amy_Jane},
Iñaki Pérez de Albéniz,
ivva,
Takoyaki_King,
Keng Susumpow,
‡ M ‡
