Tokyo 東京

amandagoss
Jul 24, 2016
4 min read

As a group we spent a day sightseeing. We started in Shibuya (渋谷), at the famous Hachiko Statue. This is the statue of the loyal dog named Hachiko. According to a famous story, the dog waited for his master every day in front of Shibuya Station and continued to do so for years even after his master had passed away. According to Japan Guide it is one of Tokyo's most popular meeting points. After that we headed to Ginza (銀座), most famous for it's upmarket shopping. We were given some free time here and although most the shops were out of the price range for us university students, Starbucks wasn't, so we headed there for coffee. To our surprise we learnt that this Starbucks was the first one in Japan! Unlike in Australia, Starbucks is a popular coffee chain with shops all throughout the country.

Then we went to Tokyo tower and even though it was slightly cloudy we were still able to appreciate the views. I think the main excitement came when we all saw the One Piece store at the tower. What was even crazier is that there was a mini theme park inside the tower dubbed "Tokyo One Piece Tower". It was built to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the One Piece anime. Unfortunately we didn't have time to check it out whilst we were visiting.

It was then onto Asakusa (浅草). Asakusa is famous for Sensoji Temple (浅草寺), the oldest temple in Tokyo. According to Japanese legend, in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kan'non (the goddess of mercy) out of the Sumida River (隅田川) and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kan'non. The temple's symbol is the Furai jin-mon (Gate of Wind God and Thunder God) adorned with a large red paper lantern that bears the inscription "Kaminari-mon" (雷門) meaning Thunder Gate. At Asakusa we had a traditional Japanese lunch of Udon and Soba noodles.

The last place we went as a group was Akihabara (秋葉原). Akihabara had arcades, technology and anime shops everywhere you looked. The group I was with checked out a few of the arcades before heading to Roppongi (六本木) to visit a hedgehog cafe. Hedgehogs are called ハリネズミ (Harinezumi) in Japanese so it was appropriate that the cafe was named Harry's. In the cafe you pay a door fee to be able to hold, feed and play with the young hedgehogs for half an hour, while in there you can help yourself to teas and coffees. So Jackie, Dom, Dom's host Alisa and myself went inside to meet some hedgehogs. I was really surprised that Alisa, a local didn't even know that this cafe existed until I mentioned it earlier in the day! This was on my bucket list of things to do in Tokyo and I was so excited to be able to go there. The hedgehogs were so adorable and going to the cafe was the highlight of my day. After visiting the cafe it was time for me to return home.

The next few days were spent with our host families. My host family was so lovely. There was my host mum (お母さん) Yuko, my host dad (お父さん) Hitoshi and my host sister (姉) Naomi. I spent the first day with Naomi exploring the local area. The local shopping centre had on some events and a little market on the bottom floor. It was great and I got to try lots of Japanese food. I even tried natto (なっとう). According to my hosts this is the Japanese version of Vegemite. So it is thought that only Japanese people enjoy eating it! Essentially natto is fermented soybeans. I found it rather bland in flavour, the texture also was really strange. Both slimy and sticky at the same time. I didn't dislike it but it wouldn't be my first choice of things to have for breakfast. Later that day Naomi and I met up with Aiden and his hosts Mari and Naoko. We then went to a bookshop, where I bought a book which was full of interesting animal facts. Later in the evening we all headed to a an awesome group meeting. This is where local families who host international students/ or are interested in other cultures come to play games, sing and practice other languages.

The next day was spent in Harijuku (原宿), this area is known for the shopping. It is also where you will see shops catering for some of Japan's more unique fashion trend. Including Lolita, Kuroi Niji, Kogal and Oshare kei. You can also get some of the best crepes in Japan here. Most of the time we spent in Harijuku was spent on Takeshita Street. It was so busy due to a mix of it having really cheap shopping, being a weekend and it being a popular tourist destination. I also had tempura for the first time in Japan, it was delicious. Later that evening we went to the Pokemon Mega Centre in Ikebukuro (池袋). Ikebukuro reminded me a lot of Brisbane on a Friday night. All the shops were open, there were people everywhere and there were also street performers out and about.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we were in Tokyo around Tanabata, so my host mum who is a teacher, showed me the presentation she puts on for her students. It was beautiful watching her tell the story of the star crossed lovers, whilst matching it to vibrant pictures that glowed in the darkness. It is definitely something I will never forget.

Then before I knew it the whirlwind that was my time in Tokyo was over! I must say I was sad it had all come to an end. But what I will miss most about Tokyo are all the wonderful people I met while I was here.