a guard helping us cross the street
beautiful sign outside emperors garden, unfortunately I can't read kanji!
first fixie I saw in Japan!
an 80's super hero, "breadman", standing outside a toy store
downtown tokyo is full of these
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
June 12, Etc. pics
a guard helping us cross the street
beautiful sign outside emperors garden, unfortunately I can't read kanji!
first fixie I saw in Japan!
an 80's super hero, "breadman", standing outside a toy store
downtown tokyo is full of these
june 12, pt. 2
We were then taken to a restaurant hundreds of years old from the Edo period. It was in the same area of Tokyo that Sensei Johnson grew up in and served a type of food that I’ve never had before. The fish is served raw, but then “user” cooked over a small gas fire right on the table.
We then walked down the road to a small Taiko drum shop and museum. We got a chance to play on different percussion equipment such as congas, bongos, steel drums, snare drums, and the traditional Taiko drums.
After that we went to “日本のタイムズスックエア” (“Japans ‘Times Square‘“): Ginza Square. It is one of the biggest and most expensive shopping centers in the world. It gets so crowded that on weekend afternoons the streets get temporarily shutdown to cars in order for the dense population of people to get from building to building without being run-over. We went into the 8-story high Sony building where they were exhibiting many new technologies that have yet to be publicly released. The often made assumption that Japan is the worlds leader in technology could be proven true when looking around at the Sonybuilding. They offered plasma screen T.V.’s where, with a set of special glasses, programming could be viewed in 3-D. Not just pre-made 3-D movies, but ANY show being broadcasted. I got to watch a few minutes of the Uruguay soccer game with the players right at my fingertips. They also had some hip iPad rival units. While I’m not interested in an iPad at all, what Sony was working on seemed brilliant.
walking to ginza
look at all the people!
We were all pretty beat after that, and night had started falling, so we made one last stop before heading back to the dorms. We went by the Emperor of Japans house. It’s only open to the public twice a year (on his birthday and on new years), but you can still stand outside of it and take pictures of it and his garden from very, very far away.
So then we headed back to the dorms, stopping at the same noodle shop we stopped at the night before for dinner. It was a very fun and interesting day, but also very tiring.
We then walked down the road to a small Taiko drum shop and museum. We got a chance to play on different percussion equipment such as congas, bongos, steel drums, snare drums, and the traditional Taiko drums.
After that we went to “日本のタイムズスックエア” (“Japans ‘Times Square‘“): Ginza Square. It is one of the biggest and most expensive shopping centers in the world. It gets so crowded that on weekend afternoons the streets get temporarily shutdown to cars in order for the dense population of people to get from building to building without being run-over. We went into the 8-story high Sony building where they were exhibiting many new technologies that have yet to be publicly released. The often made assumption that Japan is the worlds leader in technology could be proven true when looking around at the Sonybuilding. They offered plasma screen T.V.’s where, with a set of special glasses, programming could be viewed in 3-D. Not just pre-made 3-D movies, but ANY show being broadcasted. I got to watch a few minutes of the Uruguay soccer game with the players right at my fingertips. They also had some hip iPad rival units. While I’m not interested in an iPad at all, what Sony was working on seemed brilliant.
walking to ginza
look at all the people!
We were all pretty beat after that, and night had started falling, so we made one last stop before heading back to the dorms. We went by the Emperor of Japans house. It’s only open to the public twice a year (on his birthday and on new years), but you can still stand outside of it and take pictures of it and his garden from very, very far away.
So then we headed back to the dorms, stopping at the same noodle shop we stopped at the night before for dinner. It was a very fun and interesting day, but also very tiring.
June 12, pt.1
Our first full day in Japan!
We got up (No one has adjusted to the time change yet. I got up at 5 a.m. and couldn‘t fall back asleep, Larkin got up at 3 a.m.) and went to eat breakfast at the Olympic Centers cafeteria. They have a buffet breakfast, and so we all filled up on ごはん (rice)、えだまめ (edamame beans)、さかな (fish)、たまご (egg)、ソセジ (sausage)、みそ (miso soup)、＆ ポーテト (potatoes), a semi-hybrid of a western breakfast and a traditional japanese one. We then took the subway closer into downtown Tokyo. We did a bit of walking and got to a really cool garden. There are a few random gardens in the middle of downtown Tokyo which are all very beautiful architectural juxtapositions between the looming cityscape. A few personal favorites of the garden:
pine trees grown to look like bonsai trees
exotic plants (though the plant pictured actually grows in North Carolina!)
crows!
After the garden we made our way closer to the heart of Tokyo by boat. We passed by some buildings, and I was able to get a picture of the New Tokyo Tower that is still under construction.
We got off the boat, and walked to a giant shrine. I forget the name, but it’s very famous, and I was able to recognize it from pictures and movies when we got there. I tried asking around but only got very vague responses as to what denomination the shrine falls under. There were archways similar to those in Shinto shrines, but only Buddhists were allowed into the actual “sanctuary” part. Both religions cross-over in many different ways, so maybe this was why it was difficult for it to be categorized simply as “Shinto” or “Buddhist”.
cont...
We got up (No one has adjusted to the time change yet. I got up at 5 a.m. and couldn‘t fall back asleep, Larkin got up at 3 a.m.) and went to eat breakfast at the Olympic Centers cafeteria. They have a buffet breakfast, and so we all filled up on ごはん (rice)、えだまめ (edamame beans)、さかな (fish)、たまご (egg)、ソセジ (sausage)、みそ (miso soup)、＆ ポーテト (potatoes), a semi-hybrid of a western breakfast and a traditional japanese one. We then took the subway closer into downtown Tokyo. We did a bit of walking and got to a really cool garden. There are a few random gardens in the middle of downtown Tokyo which are all very beautiful architectural juxtapositions between the looming cityscape. A few personal favorites of the garden:
pine trees grown to look like bonsai trees
exotic plants (though the plant pictured actually grows in North Carolina!)
crows!
After the garden we made our way closer to the heart of Tokyo by boat. We passed by some buildings, and I was able to get a picture of the New Tokyo Tower that is still under construction.
We got off the boat, and walked to a giant shrine. I forget the name, but it’s very famous, and I was able to recognize it from pictures and movies when we got there. I tried asking around but only got very vague responses as to what denomination the shrine falls under. There were archways similar to those in Shinto shrines, but only Buddhists were allowed into the actual “sanctuary” part. Both religions cross-over in many different ways, so maybe this was why it was difficult for it to be categorized simply as “Shinto” or “Buddhist”.
cont...
Saturday, June 12, 2010
day one, friday june 11
Wow! Sorry for no update until now, find Free Wi-Fi has been a little bit trickier than I thought it would. It’s currently 7:15 a.m., Saturday morning in Tokyo. I think that means it’s 6:15 p.m., Friday evening in North Carolina. I’m still not adjusted to the drastic time change yet, I’ve been up for 2 hours and I feel like it’s mid-afternoon.
We got to the airport very early in the morning on Thursday. Our flight to Chicago had some matanince issues and we ended up being delayed about an hour and a half. That wasn’t too bad though, and we were soon on our way. We met up with a representative from LaurAsian at the airport in Chicago who helped us find the electric train to the Japan Air terminal. He gave us some good advice on the way over to the terminal, such as “Don’t misplace your passport, that would be very bad”. We got through security pretty quickly, and relaxed and waited for our plane to Japan.
receiving helpful advice before stepping onto the terminal train
Having flown JAL twice before, I knew what to expect when getting onto the plane, but it was still pretty cool to see everyone else’s faces light up. The airline really makes it as enjoyable as a 12-hour plane ride can be. Flying economy class on JAL is kinda like flying first class on American Airlines. You have a pretty big seat, a personal T.V. which you can choose from a variety of movies (I watched the new Alice in Wonderland, and two Japanese movies I had never heard about.) and video games, and a radio with mostly J-Pop, Classical, and… Kraftwerk? The plane ride was still pretty arduous and we were all happy to get off. When we did, it was 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. We made it through Japanese customs and met up with two people from Laurasian who took group photos and helped us onto the tour bus that took us closer to downtown Tokyo, where the dorm rooms we are staying at now are. They’re part of the center that was built for Olympians when Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964. The facilities are nice but also very no-frills. Our room is a bed, a table & chair, and a window.
view from my dorm room bed
We ended up arriving here at around 5 p.m. and took an hour to get settled and then rest. After that, we walked about half a mile to eat at a noodle house that Sensei Johnson recommended. おいしかたね！ (“O-ey-shi ka-ta-nei”- It was very delicious). I ordered Tendon- fried peppers, eggplant, and shrimp over rice, which came with a side of Miso soup and salad.
We headed back to the dorms after our meal and ended up passing out shortly there after 8:00, putting an end to our first, very short, day in Japan.
taking an elevator at chicago o'hare airport
playin' around, waitin' for the plane to work
good morning tokyo
We got to the airport very early in the morning on Thursday. Our flight to Chicago had some matanince issues and we ended up being delayed about an hour and a half. That wasn’t too bad though, and we were soon on our way. We met up with a representative from LaurAsian at the airport in Chicago who helped us find the electric train to the Japan Air terminal. He gave us some good advice on the way over to the terminal, such as “Don’t misplace your passport, that would be very bad”. We got through security pretty quickly, and relaxed and waited for our plane to Japan.
receiving helpful advice before stepping onto the terminal train
Having flown JAL twice before, I knew what to expect when getting onto the plane, but it was still pretty cool to see everyone else’s faces light up. The airline really makes it as enjoyable as a 12-hour plane ride can be. Flying economy class on JAL is kinda like flying first class on American Airlines. You have a pretty big seat, a personal T.V. which you can choose from a variety of movies (I watched the new Alice in Wonderland, and two Japanese movies I had never heard about.) and video games, and a radio with mostly J-Pop, Classical, and… Kraftwerk? The plane ride was still pretty arduous and we were all happy to get off. When we did, it was 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. We made it through Japanese customs and met up with two people from Laurasian who took group photos and helped us onto the tour bus that took us closer to downtown Tokyo, where the dorm rooms we are staying at now are. They’re part of the center that was built for Olympians when Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964. The facilities are nice but also very no-frills. Our room is a bed, a table & chair, and a window.
view from my dorm room bed
We ended up arriving here at around 5 p.m. and took an hour to get settled and then rest. After that, we walked about half a mile to eat at a noodle house that Sensei Johnson recommended. おいしかたね！ (“O-ey-shi ka-ta-nei”- It was very delicious). I ordered Tendon- fried peppers, eggplant, and shrimp over rice, which came with a side of Miso soup and salad.
We headed back to the dorms after our meal and ended up passing out shortly there after 8:00, putting an end to our first, very short, day in Japan.
taking an elevator at chicago o'hare airport
playin' around, waitin' for the plane to work
good morning tokyo
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
First post!
My name is Henry Shore, I'm a 17 year old student at Enloe High School from Raleigh, North Carolina. I'll be your humble narrator for this blog which I will be updating from Japan. I'm going with my sister's peers from Japanese class at Wiley Elementary. I took Japanese all 6 years when I went to Japan with Johnson Sensei. I'm hoping to have daily-ish updates with both English and Japanese text, pictures, and hopefully video documenting our stay there. We'll be flying out to Chicago tomorrow morning for our layover flight to Japan. We'll be arriving in Tokyo sometime tomorrow afternoon, Japan time. We'll be in Tokyo for a few days, in Mishima with host families for a little over a week, and then touring in other areas of Japan for a few days, but I'll write more about that when I'm actually there!
A little background on the name of the blog- Nippon (日本), is the Japanese word for Japan. I wanted to have a blog with alliteration in the title because of a friends blog about his time in New Orleans and Portland this summer. I tried a few different options ("Exploring the East", "Journey to Japan", "Assimilating Asian Artifacts") and although possibly brilliant, they were not very original and have been previously claimed.
I've also gotten Skype, my username is HenryShore. I'm not sure how talking to people in America will work out because of the time difference, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. Please feel free to add me and chat with me if I'm on.
I'm now off to bed, until next time:
おやすみなさい ！
A little background on the name of the blog- Nippon (日本), is the Japanese word for Japan. I wanted to have a blog with alliteration in the title because of a friends blog about his time in New Orleans and Portland this summer. I tried a few different options ("Exploring the East", "Journey to Japan", "Assimilating Asian Artifacts") and although possibly brilliant, they were not very original and have been previously claimed.
I've also gotten Skype, my username is HenryShore. I'm not sure how talking to people in America will work out because of the time difference, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. Please feel free to add me and chat with me if I'm on.
I'm now off to bed, until next time:
おやすみなさい ！
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