18 years later - Japan: Part 1

Preface
This is my first blog post.

I've always wanted to write a blog to improve my writing ability. Specifically I want to improve my ability to convey a message and emotions effectively without being boring or (for lack of a better term) waffley.

Here's how my blog posts are generally going to go, because content is nothing without structure:

Given that this first post is about a travelling experience it makes sense to me to first outline my expectations and my feelings before having travelled.
The outline (Very rough)
1. Expectation
2. Reality

Now let's go.

I was wrong 
It was on the eleven hour flight to Tokyo that I had the idea of reviving the old blogging dream. I knew exactly the type of idea that I would base my first post around; Japan is weird, too weird. With a destination that has such a massive international media/entertainment presence for being notoriously weird, it was difficult to even assume anything different. What kind of distant planet was I about to *re*-visit? How on earth am I going to fit in with the ludicrously strange customs and loud anime-style eyes (okay I didn't assume the last one but you get the picture).

A rather uninteresting landing video 

Landing blew a lot of those speculations out of the water, this was the same earth that I had left half a day ago, it didn't mean that Japan wouldn't be more odd to me than anything that I had previously experienced but expectations, like my flight, became a little more grounded. And this was a good thing, because I don't think I would have been able to enjoy what followed had they not been.

Haneda Airport had a really nice contrasting east meets west design

Taking the train around Tokyo after having checked into our hotel was the real eye opener, people acting more-or-less the same as they did back home, busy for their work commute, reluctantly hauling unruly children around public transport, flipping the bird their teasing boyfriends. Japan really isn't that weird at all. Now that I've got my own expectations out of the way, let's let reality and historical accuracy take the stage, not the historical accuracy of actual history... but of my trip.


Oh lord... jetlag
Tokyo time is GMT+9, so make that eight hours ahead of the British Summer Time that I was enjoying. Rest is for the weak. First destination on the travel menu was Shibuya, famous for a story about a dog, but it's more than that. Ever since I heard the story of Hachiko I knew I had to visit this place. We got to Shibuya, dazed and confused from the journey around earth but this was not the easiest thing to do. It actually was the easiest thing to do but we still messed that up somehow, instead of buying a subway ticket we bought a JR overground ticket instead and tried to use it on the subway at Shimbashi to no avail, with a little help though, we were on the JR Yamanote line to Shibuya.

In all it's rainy glory, Shibuya! 

The rain didn't ruin the experience of Shibuya one bit, and allowed me to witness the transparent umbrella, the most stolen item in Japan. Theft is uncommon in Japan but since these umbrellas are cheap and hugely mass produced, it's common for someone to think of a transparent umbrella as their own and unknowingly pick it up. 

This view was the first to characterise Tokyo for me; there are so so so many people, people everywhere you can think of, more people than you've ever seen in one place at once and constant sensory overload; advertisements are big and everywhere, not shying away from booming their sound all across the city.  This is Tokyo, I am sleepy so I might be hallucinating but I'm pretty sure this is Tokyo. 

Harajuku spiritual adventure and the city at night

Saying that I was tired was an understatement, no sleep during the British night time and it was 5am at home, we retired to the hotel and resumed our memories the next day, visiting Harajuku! 

Up (not so) bright and early we made way to the home of the Meiji Jingumae shrine, which my parents had once nicknamed me after, walking through the main shopping district of Harajuku only cemented my initial characteristics of Tokyo. So. Many. People! 

Takeshita street (I know what it sounds like)

We struggled through the wall of people in Harajuku, but really it was an amazing atmosphere, loud and boisterous, filled with life. We bought sweets, ogled at expensive cameras in BIC Camera (The best shop ever) and were rejected entry into a pet café because the queue was just too long. And then we made our way to the Shrine. 

This shrine was beautiful, and a brilliant insight into the Japanese culture of paying respect, before entering the shrine itself (where no photos were allowed) we first had to cleanse our hands and mouth (as a sign of respect), with the procedure as follows. 

1. Pour water over left hand (holding the dipper in your right hand) 

2. Pour water over right hand

3. Pour water into left and once more, rinse mouth and spit it out back into your left hand

4. Clean left hand a second time

Once in the shrine there is also a customary way to pay respects

1. Give any monetary offering 

2. Bow twice

3. Clap your hands twice (but not too loud)

4. Say (read: Think) your prayers

5. Bow once more

And you're done! 

The city is so bright at night, even when it isn't filled with cars

The above picture is probably my favourite picture of the trip, not only because it looks almost too good for a mobile phone, but because it shows Tokyo's nighttime city beauty from a less popular angle.

This concludes the first blog section of the Japan trip, I'd love to know what you thought! 

(Personally I think it needs more emotion) 

Thanks for reading and an even bigger thanks if you give me some uncomfortable criticism on it, I need to learn to deal with that too.

- Angad