Recently, we've taken many trips (of all kinds: day trips, work trips, two day trips) and seen a lot of beautiful fall leaves and crazy outfits. In November we had the opportunity to travel to Gero (with another teacher and good friend of ours) for a kid's Christmas event. Though a month early, Stephen was the skinniest Santa in history. The kids loved him! Afterwards, we went to one of Gero's many renowned hot springs to cleanse ourselves of the hyper holiday spirit and germy five to eleven year olds. We purchased a wooden pass, also a beautiful souvenir, good for three visits to the area's famous onsen. It was only 1200 yen, which is surprising as the springs include spa-like amenities.
Last weekend, to my supreme delight, Stephen surprised me with a three-year anniversary trip to Yokohama, Tokyo, and Tokyo Disneysea. We woke up at five-thirty on Sunday morning to catch the Shinkansen and were soon walking down the promenade of Yamashita Park. The train took less than two hours, which is amazing as the bus ride takes about seven. The view of Mt. Fuji was spectacular! In Yokohama we visited the famous China Town and ate delicious and insanely popular oil-filled dumplings. We also bought Pu-erh and Jasmine tea and drank mango tapioca smoothies.
From Yokohama we caught the subway for an afternoon in Tokyo, starting in Shibuya. The four-legged pedestrian crossing outside of Shibuya station is the busiest in the world, though it doesn't seem like it when you're standing in the center. Everything is efficient and orderly (minus the two foreigners taking photos and blocking traffic). Outside the station we saw another interesting sight: a protest of the government's intentional starvation of contaminated cows in Fukushima. The protesters held large signs broadcasting photos of the maltreatment and were yelling over loud speakers.
In Harajuku we experienced the essence of Japan's wild subculture and eccentric fashion. This is where "cosplay"(short for costume play) originated and continues to scream in all directions since teenagers flock there to buy more of it. After wandering the narrow streets lined with boutiques and restaurants, we stood in line to try Japanese udon noodles with an Italian twist. The bizarre pairing, pesto and udon, encapsulated the district's love for the trendy, modern and distinct. It was actually delicious!
Next we headed to Akihabara, the nation's gadget capital. It's a hot spot for "otaku" (the well known techie, or geek, subculture). Stephen was excited when he found a new videogame for a bargain and I was excited to see Sega and Mortal Combat everywhere. Here we also had our first Maid Cafe experience. These cafes, throughout Japan, consist of women dressed in maid outfits who dote and serve you beer or cute desserts. You can even pay an obscene amount to have your photo taken with your server (this was very popular ). It was a little mind-boggling to see the lone Japanese men sitting, drinking, and staring, but there were also couples on dates. Our waitress was really sweet - when we were ready to order we had to call her name (followed by "chan," which is endearing) and meow like cats. No kidding. And our parfait was shaped like a bear with Oreo ears!
Tokyo Disneysea was filled with elaborate fountain and lights shows (complete with jet skis and fireballs), miming characters including a shockingly tall Jifar, and Japanese people sporting Mickey Mouse ears. We finally understood why even our lower level students use and understand "imagine" and "imagination" so effortlessly. It's some of the only English used in the shows. We spent a lot of time in Aladin town and, appropriately, ate curry, naan, and curry spiced popcorn. It was my first Disney-Anything experience and I liked how each district was distinctly themed, including the food. In Japan, as Mom read in an article and told me, more adults than children go to Disneyland and Disneysea. This is not surprising since everyone seems to be obsessed with Mickey. Disneysea is also geared towards couples with its alcohol service and romantic restaurants. Little Italy was especially "quaint," though we decided to skip the long line to ride gondolas (once you've done the real thing Disneysea doesn't measure up).
In other news, this upcoming week is filled with Christmas parties and kid's craft lessons. We started to make a chocolate house but accidently ate chocolate vital to the procedure. The weather has finally turned (fall stayed really late this year), mandating scarves and jackets. We're actually learning Japanese. I'll have more updates after the winter vacation! Stay warm everyone!
Claire
