Imperial impressions....

I had a chance to explore the area surrounding Tokyo Station yesterday after an interview, and I went to see the Imperial Palace, where the royal family still resides. I got kicked out because they close at four which I was unaware of, so I'm not so sure how complete my exploration was. I did get to see some sunny gardens, and a lot of strange and narled trees! There were also a few blossoms opening up,not too sure if they were cheery or plum (the plum blooms earlier). It was a beautiful serene getaway from the business district outside the moat. Yes! The whole palace is surrounded by a moat! Complete with something like 4000 goldfishies! (that number is a complete fabrication, all I know is that the ducks were having a field day!) Unfortunalety, most of the grounds aren't open to the public, but my brief visit was just right!

From there I came across an atrocious public washroom! What can I say, I was desperate. The ladies room consists of a stall with a long narrow well in the ground beneath you. I know it is a far cry from the conditions of the washrooms in other remaining unnamed Asian countries, but nonetheless, it came as a surprise!

Relieved I walked from the Palace to Tokyo Station, and then made my way to a tasty noodle joint beneath the tracks. These are said to be the best soba in the city! Lots of slurping and grunting, this is the Japanese etiquette. You sit shoulder to shoulder will greedily hungry salarymen, slurping and gulping down noodles as if it were a contest! Hah ha! Every guy in the place beat me out! I didn't want to burn my tongue you see.

My days have been filled with a great deal of walking(6 hours the other day) and going to a variety of job interviews. Soon the stars will aligne and Tokyo Les will be settled. Off to the post office, just your regular everyday challenges....

What's for Dinner?

The task of grocery shopping here is challenging and exciting! Things are not what they seem; they are either enourmously expensive or simply mysterious! Fruits and veggies are amoung the most highly priced items. Today I saw a honeydew melon apparently valued at 2000 yen, like 2o bucks! You must be careful what you buy, for many reasons.....

There is an enourmous amount of flashy seafood, many kinds of miso ( as you can see above), and ridiculously priced apples. Well, not to mention the apples in the close up shot here are about the size of my head! And everything, absolutley everything comes individually packaged and wrapped in plastic, and then wrapped again, and then put in a bag........ As a fascinated foodie, I thought you might find these photos interesting and amusing!

The other image is of the entrance to the busy part of Shimokitazawa's neighbourhood.

Shimokitazawa

Well, I have finally settled in, at least for two weeks! I'm in an area known as Shimokitazawa, still in the West side of Tokyo. This neighbourhood is both residential and neon! There are many little houses tucked away in the back streets of a seemingly endless stretch of electric glow. In Shimo there are countless grocery stores, 100 yen shops (like dollar stores), second hand clothing shops, pachinko parlours, bars and tempting izakayas! mmmmmmmm brightly glowing lanterns mark their doorways!

Nigel and I sampled the fusion fare of the 380 Izakaya shown above. 380 just means all the dishes, from soba to strange interpretations of pizza and pasta, come at the low cost of 380 yen. That's about $ 3.80. Being frugal while searching for work is definately a challenge in this neighbourhood.

I haven't been adventuring too much, my focus has really been on looking for work. I have walked to Nigel's place a couple times from here. Last night it was snowing on my way! Snow in Tokyo, very magical!

A beautiful Monday afternoon!

I went for a lovely walk today throughout the Shibuya/Harajuku area and Yoyogi park. It's nice and warm while the sun is out, but when it goes down, I run for cozy cover! This first photo is of Nigel's street. He lives in a nice residential neighbourhood in a very convenient location. Next you can see me enjoying my refreshing "Love Body ~ Beauty Queen" tea beverage (compliments of Coca Cola). Let me know how it's working. I went for a walk with Nigel's roommate through Yoyogi park, and saw the Meiji shrine. Very beautiful and scerene in this mass of chaos. It was just what I've been looking for. Shibuya is exciting but overwhelming at times. It was nice to see some green. The taxi photo is at one of the main intersections in Shibuya. Below is a low profile Japanese youth looking cool in the fashionable Harajuku area.

I have applied for a few jobs, and have a couple places to stay for the next month or so. Slowly things are coming together. Eating lots of inari and strange, strange squeaky white toast, not the Japanese forte! Drink machines and school girls everywhere! Ha ha!

A first impression...

Here are some shots from Shibuya, the part of town that I am staying close to. This district has a lot of clubs and bars, places to eat and as you can see, crazy neon excess! That is the Tokyo way! I was trying to make a local call in one photo. The phones here are very expensive so no one chats for long. There are soooo many people everywhere! All the time. It's really quite amazing, and crazy :) It is also quite chilly here, my toes and nose are freezing. No buildings have central heating so it is cold at night. Fortunately there is an abundance of green tea here, so tummies and frozen fingers are happy.

I arrived safe and sound on Friday night, and Nigel came to meet me at Shibuya station. Instead of sleeping like a logical person, I stayed up all night and went dancing. First we had some tasty ramen noodles for dinner and some Japanese people mocked us. Then we went to a Gaijin bar for some drinks, and then spontaneously decided to go see an awesome DJ play. Good times, long night, still haven't caught up on sleep.

I hope these photos give you a good idea of the visual stimulus to be found in Tokyo. My trusty D70s is working overtime!

Just so you know...

Konnichi wa!

In case you lot didn't know already, I'll be heading to Tokyo on the 9th of Feb. 2006! Off on an adventure to a far away place...woohoo! Thanks to my brand spanking new D70s I hope to be posting some eye candy for all the folks at home, and updating you on my twists and turns as I attempt to set up camp in the second most expensive city in the world! Certainly the craziest! Hope you all have an enjoyable time over the months we will be apart, and feel free to post your comments and let me know what you think!

Mata ne!