Well, I almost missed my flight. I really need to get better about timing those things. We were supposed to leave the house at 6:15, and we didn’t leave until 6:45 – awesome. Flight left at 8 and unfortunately, it took us almost an hour to get to the airport. I ran into the counter, threw my bags on the belt and then jogged up to the (thankfully) empty security gate. Now, Japanese security is immensely easier to get through than American. I was allowed to bring food and beverages onboard, just not metal objects, and my shoes, watch, falling whistle and cell phone remained on my body as I passed through the metal detector. The process is reminiscent of pre-9/11 protocol and was gratefully accepted in my frantic dash for my departing flight. Due to the quick process, I actually made it to my gate just as they began boarding, strolled right on the flight and sat down in my seat with plenty of time to spare. Easy flight to Tokyo, the only notable part is that this is my first flight in a double-decker plane (a 747-400); though I am not in the top deck… sad panda.

The flight was quick and laden with Japanese business executives flying up, I presume, for the day's work. I arrived in Tokyo early and grateful to be in the correct city at the correct time. I hadn't signed up to check into my hostel until later, but decided to go ahead and drop my bag off quick. I ran into some girls from Oregon who gave me some suggestions on where to go and what to see and I set off. First step, conquering the Tokyo subway system.

Holy. Shit. The map, the station, the machines - it was all intimidating. Take a look at the map here. With 282 stations, most not marked in English and definitely not clearly outlined, the Tokyo train system is something to be marveled at. It honestly isn't as daunting as the NY subway system the first time you ride, but the language barrier is a huge factor. Some of the maps have limited English (i.e. larger stations have the English name under the Japanese characters) but most do not. What I ended up having to do was google how to translate certain words from English to Japanese and putting them in my phone as a static notebook entry so I could access them while I was mobile. It actually turned out to work quite well and I started to recognize certain characters fairly easily. My first goal was to make it from my hostel in Shinagawa 品川 to Shiodome 汐留 to walk down the water in Tokyo Bay. It was a beautiful clear day today, and I had great visibility of the Tokyo Tower, the whole bay, the Rainbow Bridge and everything else on the way. I had no preconception of what to expect in Tokyo, so I didn't have much of an agenda other than to see some more of the real Japan. I realized this wasn't going to happen downtown among the skyscrapers (as you could have picked me up and put me in Manhattan without much notice). So after I strolled along the water, I vowed to see more of the real culture and headed to Ueno 上野 and the Ameyoko shopping street nearby.

Ameyoko was exactly what I was looking for.  I spent about an hour and a half walking slowly down the shop streets lined with markets selling anything from Prada purses to live prawns.  I grabbed some fresh pineapple from a stand and some candied nuts and enjoyed the slow processional through the market.  From here I walked a short way up to the Ueno Park 上野公園 where I was promised some impressive temples and shrines and also a bit of quiet compared to the loud busy streets of Ameyoko.

The park was great.  There were some interesting sites, the Flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which is sort of an eternal flame originally lighted by combining flames from the original bomb sites.  It's a sort of homage to those who have died as well as a protest against nuclear weapons and their potential destruction of humanity.  I also took a stop at an old Buddha statue and the Toshogu Shrine before heading back to wander around Shinagawa until just after dark.  I've decided to call it an evening early tonight as I want to wake up at 5 AM and head to the Tsujiki Fish Market in the morning before I have to head to the airport to catch my flight.  This is the only thing that has been recommended to me to visit as it's the largest fish market in the world.  Kind of excited but hoping I don't get too fishy as I'm sure my neighbor on the plane won't appreciate that too much :)

XOXO