Its been a busy few days and I figured it would be the time to start up the blog again so people back home can see some of what I have been experiencing here. The food has been fantastic although sometimes I don't know what I am ordering as the only parts that are in english are "Chicken with rice" all my meals have turned out fantastic.
The first few nights here I was at a hostel just outside the heart of the city which in traditional Japanese style made everyone take off their shoes at the door and wear sandals while inside. It was something that normally wouldn't have been a problem, but the broken toe on my left foot was against that. Luckily it happened a while ago and is mostly healing well... there isn't much pain to deal with. The first afternoon/night I arrived was a very basic one. Sleeping was on the agenda and that's all I damn well did! It was lovely to get a good nights rest, as I didn't get much sleep on the plane as I wanted to. The monday morning felt like a much better day, and I spent it going around the neighbourhood, and trying the local convenience food fare which was fantastic!
The second day was busier and more interesting. Going to the Edo/Tokyo museum to see the great history of this city was an eye opening experience that every visitor to Tokyo should do. The incredible history of this country came out in the museum and gave me a better understanding of what people experienced before WW2 that shaped the country.
After the museum, I headed to my hotel in Shinjuku. The hotel that has a GIANT statue of godzilla sticking out the side of it, in the heart of tourist town. Shinjuku subway station has 2 million people go through it on a busy day, and is the busiest station/area of the city. I have adventured around this area for the past few days, getting ready to move on to my next hostel in Akihabara another section of Tokyo and home to the biggest electronics market in the city (guess where I'm going to be?)
The weather here has been a stifling 30-35 degrees with way too much humidity to comprehend and I am drinking more water per day than I ever thought I could. It's all being sweated out like being in a sauna all the time while outside. You can't even get any reprieve at night! So far there haven't been any bugs or mosquitos... they probably stay away from here as well.
The first 3 or so days were a major culture shock for me, but that could have partly been due to the jet lag. Finally after 5 or so days I'm starting to resume a proper sleep schedule AKA not waking up at the crack of dawn and going to bed after 9 pm.
So far this has been a wonderful trip that is teaching me about other cultures, food, and people and I'm hoping to bring some of that back into my work/personal life back home in Toronto.
So for now, I say Nippon Sukidesu and Sayonara! (I like Japan, Goodbye)
