Earthquake in Japan- We are Fine

Just wanted to let everyone know that we were unaffected by the earthquake that hit Tokyo and surrounding prefectures this morning, or last night for you. Steve and I are in Kyoto, which is quite far from the hit regions. Tomorrow, we head to Hiroshima, which is further south on the island.
Sayonara

Hey Dave~ Check out Steve's Awesome Watch

Steve's Watch

Fuji, Osaka, Nara and Universal Studios

Universal Studios Japan

S and I spent the day yesterday at Universal Studios Japan. It was really hot, the lines for each of the 7 rides they had were at least 40 minutes but it was incredibly fun. We were there from opening to closing (12 hours) and are spending the day today recovering from all of the fun we had. We slept in later than usual- we got up at 8. Today we are in Kyoto.

Below are some other photos from our stay in Fuji, Osaka and Nara. The photos mostly tell the story through the captions.

Fuji, Osaka and Nara

Tokyo Fish Market

Fish Market in Tokyo

S and I spent the morning at the huge Tokyo Fish Market. it is where all the fish in the Tokyo region comes into. The fish auction starts at 5 AM and, when we arrived at 6, it was a complete madhouse. There were people chopping up fish at the market's hundreds of stands. There were motorized carts flying around the place. It was quite an experience. Of course, the experience was complete with a full sushi platter at a nearby stand just outside the market at 7AM

Capsule Hotels

Capsule Hotel

Due to demand, I have decided to post about my experience in the capsule hotel in Tokyo. So, as you might have seen in the picture, you sleep in a pod. Inside the pod, there is a small TV, a radio and a light. There is also a wooden screen that you can pull down to keep the hallway light out of your pod.
Traditionally, capsule hotels have only been for men. The one we stayed in was the only one we could find that would allow women. Even so, of the 9 floors and the 30 pods on each floor, only one floor was for women. When we entered, we were given sheets, a towel and a yukata. A yukata is a summer kimono. It kind of looks like a hospital gown but fits better and comes with pants. The left side of the top goes over the right and is tied on the side. Wearing the yukata right over left is considered bad luck- dead people wear the yukata that way.
Anyway- we placed our bags in the luggage room as there was no place to store it in the pods. When I got up to my floor, there was a locker where I could put the belongings that I would need for my stay, such as toiletries, nightwear and a change of clothes for the following day. It must also be mentioned that, as in most Japanese hotels/hotels, no shoes were allowed, so we were given slippers to wear.
Time is running out on the coin-operated internet.
They had a hot bath on the top floor. Separate ones for each gender and you lay in the bath naked and soak. This is a communal thing. I had my soak with a twenty-something year old woman from Italy. First, you must rinse yourself and make sure there is no soap on your body before you soak.

The Temples and Shrines of Nikko

S and I spent the day in Nikko, a town 2 and a half hours north on Tokyo. On the way there, we missed our transfer, but we got to see some beautiful small towns as a result. It was our first time out of Tokyo city and, just 20 minutes out of the city, there are rice fields in every direction all the way to Nikko. Nikko is in the mountains and is home to some of Japans oldest temples and shrines, dating back to 1200. We spent the afternoon visting the temples and shrines. They were beautiful. S and I got several tours in Japanese from guides at the shrines and temples and clearly had no idea what was going on. We were able to piece some things together with hand symbols and reading up about later in our guide book.
Some of the highlights of the day:
- A random Japanese man waved us down on our way to the temple and made a photo taking gesture of us. I guess he wanted a photo of some awesome-looking white people.
-The owner of the Japanese-style lodge (tatami mats on the floor and a futon for a bed) is an interesting decorator. She has Raggedy Anne-like dolls all over the house. All afternoon she blasts American pop music.
- While walking through the shrines and temples, school groups of young Japanese children kept saying "Hello" to us as we walked by. Their hello always ended in giggling. Enjoying this very much, I started saying "Konnichiwa", which means hello in Japanese, to every group of kids I saw from that point on. On average, a group of 15 or so kids would respond by waving and screaming back "Konnichiwa" at me, of course ending in lots of giggles.

Click on the photo below to see photos.

Nikko~ 1st Day of temples and Shrines

Tokyo Photos (pt 2)

Last Days in Tokyo

2009年08月02日取り込み