The One With a Lot of Different Things

Everyone is going to have to please bare with me on the novella im about to write. A lot has happened in the last few days (and I arrived at the airport 5 hours early) so here comes a mega-update!

Last night I found myself dancing enthusiastically on a bench while screaming the lyrics to that awful, overplayed, "I Like Big Butts" song at 2 in the morning with six of my new SCOA camp friends...this was by far the culminating moment to a hectic but incredible three days in Tokyo! We finally arrived in Tokyo after a long and draining day of bus and train rides from camp. Our camp director was nice enough to provide us with ungodly amounts of alcohol before we headed to the most delicious 9 course dinner i've ever eaten. Our friend Nagi (a very friendly and helpful Japanese cheerleader from camp) knew some people, as she does almost every place we went to, and got us a great deal on a really fun and low-key night out.

Day two consisted of visiting a really beautiful sacred shrine and Tokyo Tower. The shrine was surrounded by a blocks upon blocks of small stores and restaurants (you cannot escape either of these anywhere in Tokyo). After wading through the crowds, I made it inside the shrine and took a few moments to observe people praying and wafting incense all over themselves sort-of like a shower of smoke instead of water. I resisted the urge to buy everything in sight (shocking, i know) and instead took a stroll through a quaint park alongside a large river that runs through the middle of the city. That night Nagi (the best tour guide ever) met up with us at Tokyo Tower and pulled some sort of string to get us VIP status at a wonderfully delightful Irish pub. We became fast friends with the owner, an Irish man named Neill, after he put on Michael Jackson and poured all 10 of us any drink we asked for, free of charge.

A drink or two (or three or four) into things I started talking to a Brit and his girlfriend, who was refusing a perfectly good shot of tequila. She begged me to take the shot for her and I obliged; but not before getting the insane idea to show the unknowing couple what a tequila suicide was. I poured an enormous amount of salt on my hand, snorted it, took the shot, then squeezed the lime not into my mouth, but into my eye. It was brilliantly awesome. For a minute there I thought I was blind, and my left nostril has been burning for two days...the incident further convinced me that snorting anything (of any kind) is has been, and always will be, a horrible idea!

The next day (burning nose and all) I headed to the emperors palace for a tour of its world-famous gardens. Unfortunately for our group, the gardens are closed on Fridays and seeing as we all had lost track of what day it was about two weeks ago, we arrived the very day it was closed. Not to worry, Nagi directed us to a shopping district called Shibuya with promises of seeing the biggest pedestrian street crossing in the world. She wasn't kidding. I can't describe adequately enough the hordes of hundreds of people scurrying from one side of the 6 way intersection to the other. When I get the chance to upload the pictures and video you'll get to see for yourselves. I wont go ito the details of Shibuya for the sake of your eyes, but just imagine a fashion show crammed into thousands of stores that are full of thousands of people that are 8 and 9 stories high...I was overwhelmed to say the least!

That brings us full circle to karaoke last night. We were all dead-tired but were told karaoke is the IT thing to do in Tokyo so at 1 AM we dragged ourselves out and gave it a try. I was appalled that it cost $80 for our room, but shortly after our group's rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" I changed my mind. I'm boarding my flight soon but promised Fitz to tell you all about how things are different here in Japan. So here goes...

* Trashcans are impossible to find. Despite this, everything here is kept spotlessly clean.
* Homeless people are hard to find too. They are very hygienic and therefore blend in well...
* Every few blocks there is a square marked on the ground or a small glass enclosing- these are designated smoking areas. Despite this courtesy, people still smoke inside buildings...
* While on an escalator, you stand on the left in a straight line so others can walk or run by on the right. This is strictly enforced.
* Bikes are EVERYWHERE. Many of them are not locked because theft (and crime in general) is not common here.
* Five people were murdered...in the entire country...in the last 12 months!
* 98% of the women i've seen are wearing at least 1-inch heels.
* I feel under dressed all the time. Fashion is a lifestyle here.
* Women rarely pay for drinks and its incredibly safe to walk alone almost anywhere.
* Do NOT talk to others while using the toilet. This is taboo and one of my 12-year-old campers scolded me and my friend for talking across the bathroom at one another.
* Talking (anything above a strong whisper) is not socially acceptable in public places. Especially the trains and in restaurants.
* Typically you dont get napkins with meals. The Japanese are very tidy eaters and like to slurp.
* Lifting a bowl/plate to your face and shoveling food into your mouth occurs regularly.
* You can buy alcohol out of vending machines (along with everything else).
* Coins are used A LOT here. I wish I had brought a coin-purse.
* When you pay for things you place your money on a tray and the cashier gives you your change back on a tray so that the money doesn't touch their hands.
* Cars drive on the opposite side of the road.
* There are machines that lift cars up in parking lots so that other cars can fit underneath.
* Technology here is light years ahead of the US. Especially cell-phones.
* I never did find a nail salon.
* Eggs and bacon are undercooked on purpose (which should be a crime).

Gotta catch my flight! Cheers!

-Ashley

Fun Fact: Read above.