The so called Chinatown - BU HAO!!

So while in Yokohoma I decided to pay a visit to the Chinatown that was there. I was actually pretty excited to see if I could communicate with them using my crappy Mandarin. Upon leaving the train station I was greeted with a giant entrance way of Chinatown. Stoked, I eagerly enter the gates. However something was wrong with this Chinatown. At first I couldn't put my finger on it until I finally stopped and began listening to the shop owners.

None of them were speaking Chinese, Mandarin or Cantonese. Now you tell me, how on earth can you can have a Chinatown without the CHINESE!!!! This irked me alot. It was explained to me later that if they don't speak Japanese they wouldn't be able to communicate with customers and sell whatever they're selling. I understand that, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't speak Chinese altogether. Back home in the NYC Chinatown, there are plenty of people there that sell goods to Americans, but also aren't afraid to speak Chinese. I eventually coaxed Mandarin out of this older couple that were working at a small store. I'm not sure what threw them off more, that I was black, that I was trying to communicate with them in Chinese or that I was a black guy in Japan trying to communicate with them in Mandarin. It was a spotty conversation but I was desperate to find some actual Chinese people and we ended up having a laugh in the end, I'm pretty sure at my expense.

It's absolutely ridiculous that people have to suppress their own language just to fit into this bubble society. But that subject is rant for another post. Another thing that was missing was the good deals you get at Chinatown and the cheap good food. Here EVERYTHING was expensive. The food, the clothes and the DVD's. I'm not going to tell you how much I spent on dinner, but the price was not right! And I've had waaaaaay better chinese food back home. All in all it wasn't terrible, just not what I expected.

Yokohama

In an attempt to escape the city life of Tokyo, I decided to take a day and explore Yokohama. It's a decent size city that definitely moves at a slower pace than Tokyo. With that said...their isn't much to do in Yokohoma. It's actually known for 2 things. The first is for having one of the worlds largest Ferris Wheels. The second is having Japan's Chinatown. (I'll address this so called Chinatown in another post) The Ferris wheel is cool and I was able to get some real cool shots of the city at night. There were also a large number of street performers there. Two of them were pretty cool that I took videos of. The guy who rode the super small bike killed me. I still don't know how he did it.

Are you ready for some Japanese history...I know you are :)

The Forty Seven Ronin

The revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin (四十七士, Shi-jū Shichi-shi), also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the Genroku Akō incident (元禄赤穂事件, Genroku akō jiken) took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century. The tale has been described by one noted Japanese scholar as the country's "national legend." It recounts the most famous case involving the samurai code of honor, bushidō.

The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (became ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title was Kōzuke no suke. The ronin avenged their master's honor after patiently waiting and planning for over a year to kill Kira. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku — as they had known they would be — for committing the crime of murder. With little embellishment, this true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor that all good people should preserve in their daily lives. The popularity of the almost mythical tale was only enhanced by rapid modernization during the Meiji era of Japanese history, when many people in Japan longed for a return to their cultural roots. (Thank you Wikipedia)

If you're into Japanese culture or history I encourage you to read the true story of these men, it's really good and encapsulates the mindset of Bushido and shows just how far the Samurai were willing to go to stay committed to it. Even till this day, the tale of the 47 Ronin has a profound effect on the Japanese people. I took a day and went to Shinagawa to visit their graves. It's located at Sengaku-ji. Here you can go to a museum that gives a brief history of the 47 Ronin and shows the actual weapons and armor that were used during the attack to avenge their masters death. While I was there, many Japanese people burning incense and leaving food and flowers on the graves of the Samurai. I tried to get a good picture that included most of the graves that were there. It was cool to stand in the same spot where all of this took place.

Tokyo Tower

I was a bit depressed after my Giants lost last week so I decided I was going to find the highest point in Tokyo and throw myself off the edge. So I set out to find it. Seriously though Tokyo Tower is the tallest self supporting steel structure in the entire world. Yes, it's even bigger than the Eiffel Tower. (TAKE THAT FRANCE!) It's approximately 332.6 meters (1,091 ft) high. It also functions as a radio and communications tower. When you go to visit it, you can either go up to the first station (that's the large white rectangular portion of the tower) or you can up to the top. I opted for the top. You can pretty much see the entire city of Tokyo from up there, it's pretty cool. However the elevator that brings you up to the top is kind of sketchy. It makes alot of weird noises but according to the announcement those noise are "completely normal". The jury is still out on that. Despite that scariness I was able to get a picture with the outline of Mt. Fuji in it. All in all I'd say it's worth it just to get a really cool view of Tokyo.

Tokyo - Ueno Zoo More pics

Tokyo - Ueno Zoo

Last week, there was a holiday here, I think it was because of the Emperors birthday but I'm not sure. This meant that pretty much everyone had the day off. So we decided to join the Chinese congregation and head off to...THE ZOO! I haven't been to the zoo since...I really can't remember the last time I went to the zoo. All in all it was pretty cool. The coolest animal was the red panda. (the Giant Panda died several months before I came...Sorry Bill! I couldn't get a picture for ya). However the shot of the day was catching a kid who looked like he was peeing in a fountain...priceless. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

New Years Eve

New Years Eve is really different in Japan. Back home, this day is reserved for getting super drunk, kissing people you don't know and trying to figure out what exactly happened the next day. Talk about getting off on the right foot! In Japan, New Years Eve is a time when everyone goes back home to their families. Most people here are actually given a week off from work so they can enjoy this time. Because everyone is heading back home, which is usually in the country side, it makes Tokyo a ghost town. So for those who don't have a family, it can be a very lonely time. Fortunately, as witnesses, we always have family not matter what country we're in. On New Years Eve I got to spend time with the Mastuda family. They were having a dinner for those who couldn't visit their family. The friends were from the Thai group here in Japan and it was nice to hear many of their experiences, plus the food was really good! No matter where you go, Jehovah always makes sure you're taken care of.

Japanese Toilet - Taking Pooping to a whole New Level

Japan has a lot of cool and nifty gadgets that are designed to make life more convenient. On thing they decided to improve on is the the porcelain throne. As with the Japanese, they've taken something quite simple and complicated it...but I think in this situation it's for the better. As you can see in the pictures it has an array of buttons to choose from. The large dial on the side controls the heat of the toilet seat. No longer will your cheeks have to deal with the terrible shock of a cold toilet lid. You can set the temperature to whatever you want and you will always be greeted with a perfectly heated seat. The next two buttons are rather important. They both squirt warm water, one goes to your nether region and the other to your bum. The first is designed for women and the second is for everyone. The final button stops the squirting of water, you press when you feel you've been properly hosed. I think the coolest part is the top of the toilet. When you flush, you wash your hands with the clean water that is going to fill the toilet, this way no water is wasted. Pretty cool and you can find these toilets in public bathrooms. Only in Japan.

Always be aware of your surroundings...and have a good sense of humor

I've been running low on my contact solution and kept reminding myself to go searching for it. Over the week I kept forgetting and it was getting to the point where I had one nights worth of solution left...maybe. So on my last visit to Shinjuku I set out on the mission of finding contact solution. Should be easy right? Yeah that's what I thought. 4 stores later I began to wonder if contact solution existed in this country. (For example, I went looking for grape jelly to make a PBJ sandwich, it doesn't exist here) Finally upon walking past a store I saw a sign that had the above box pictured on it. Finally, my quest was over. I was so overjoyed that I rushed right into the store. The first thing I noticed was the odd looks that were shot my way as I entered the store. I brushed it off. There aren't many black people in Japan, I've gotten use to the looks and stares. I went perusing down the aisles looking for the holy grail of my eyeballs.

Upon finding my treasure I happily brought it to the counter where the clerk was looking at me very perplexed. It was then that I noticed that right above her was a huge shelf filled with feminine hygiene products (you know what I'm talking about). It was then I took a look around and noticed pretty much everything in the store was pink and that there were only women in there shopping. Putting 2 and 2 together I had realized that a black guy had happily rushed into a women's only drugstore. That's why I got those weird looks. DOH! All I could utter was a "Gomen" (sorry in Japanese) at which the clerk starting laughing. So next time I decide to buy something, I'll be a little more aware of exactly what store I'm going into.

Shibuya

Shibuya is like the Times Square/Manhattan of Tokyo. It's also the place where most movies use as a backdrop for the "cool scenes" of Tokyo. If you saw Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift, this is the same place where that the impossible scene of 2 cars drifting through the giant crosswalk was shot. I took a few pictures of some bright lights and billboards...but I also took a video of walking through the sea of people at the heart of Shibuya. It's ALOT of people.