Pictures: Ashley's visit continued

Koya San- The Mecca for Budhists in Japan.

Pictures: Ashley arrives (Jan3rd-31)

Kyoto!!!
Did Ashley mention how much we loved this temple/mountain full of arches? Yes, I realize there are lots of pictures but it was so fabulous!

I did not take many pictures when my girlfriends were here as they were always taking pictures. If there is an event listed in my blog about their time here that you would like to see a photo of just let me know and I will track it down.

Kamakura and Karakoke with the Girls

Andrea Arrives (Dec28th) and we are all together!

New York Bar on top of the Hyatt. (Bar from Lost in Translation)






























A beautiful little Japanese Garden that we randomly came across on our walk from Shinjuku to Shibuya. The park is in Harajuku.

Pictures: Jen and Isabell Arrive in Tokyo Dec 27th

Final Reflections on Tokyo

In the beginning, there was too much fluorescent light. Too much noise. And I would have said, that I enjoyed Tokyo with a pleasant smile and then explained how much fun it was to be with Linden for she was the real reason I came.

However, even before I had finished packing I was ready to admit I am not all that interested in leaving (except to see you Geoff :). The city has grown on me that I am quite sorry to leave it. While I never expected to see all of it, I certainly did not expect to want to explore it. Not the least to mention that living with Linden is easy and she's fun, so why leave a good thing, eh?

Linden has shown me a most memorable view of a city and a people. I went to Karaoke one night. Who new we were to sing in our own little rooms and just chill there. It was so much better than the "stand up in front of a crowd." I've had Shania Twain's song "Man I Feel Like a Woman" in my head for days and days. We went to the Hyatt, the uber rich and wonderful New York Bar. I bought the singer's CD. I've always wished I could sing Jazz. So I quite happily drank in the music that night. A very memerable night, thank you Jen.

We played enjoyed being tourists in Yokohama which is a massive Chinatown just outside the city. We had a full 7 course meal of lots of food that was unrecognizable but mostly delicious. Of course, Chinese food is never what you think it will be like, given our Westernized impressions.


And then I shopped. I didn't even know I had the stamina to shop like I did. Yes Heidi, I bought 3 more coats...

Apparently, so long as I'm in a used clothing store, or a ultra-alternative neighbourhood (THANK YOU JEN, for Shimo) I'm ready to shop. Everytime I turned around there was somehting "off the wall" I wanted to buy. I am a consumer. How I hate those words. And no, I didn't buy these sweaters (pictured right)...tempting but no.

The pic to the left is of the uber funky restaurant that we wandered into on our first day in Shimo. Awesome pizza and salad and a very hip vibe. Notice the ball hanging from the ceiling in fishing rope. Really, Shimo is like Queen St. W., on steroids.

I've been back since, there are wool shops, funky bars, no one over 25 years allowed (just joking).

For my last day in Tokyo, Linden and I met up during her lunch break and we travelled on the train to Odaiba (the man-made island just off Tokyo Bay). The train winds it way through buildlings and the architecture makes me think of GATTACA or the moon, or anywhere but on Earth. It is surrealism siting plumbly against reality and I am sure I looked as disoriented as I felt. (Linden has pictures of this island in an earlier blog entry). It seemed a perfect additional impression of Tokyo - the wild and wonky and kitchy and sophisticated.

We had a snack there in the park and looked at the statute of liberty and at the Tokyo skyline. That night I met Linden for Sushi (and whale blubber) in Omotesando. This is the really really glitzy "Hail Ralph Lauren and Coco Chanel" area of Tokyo. We then travelled on to Roppongi ("Hail the foreigners and US Marines".) This area is one of the stomping grounds of our olders sisters (Jen and Tem). It felt really special to be there and think about the two of them making their way in Tokyo years ago. The beer was good too. (Note picture with Tokyo Tower in background, Temmy I have proof I was there!! Yes to the new coat, bag, scarf and hat) I've only lived one month here, and remember all to well that living anywhere from home brings with it amazing highs and (at times) fleeting disasterous lows. As long as you can find what stimulates the highs then anything is possible.

Thank you to Ani and Nina who came out to help Linden entertain me :) And thank you Mhairi for letting me live here and help clog the shower drain with my hair...And Linden - Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (she's a good host!).

I'll let Linden have her blog back now. I'm off to the airport, oooohhh I'm not looking forward to the flight!

Friends of the Earth Part II

Sunday January 29 Linden and I managed to organize ourselves to attend a Friends of the Earth hike. This hike was up over a forested ridge to the Mitsukama waterfalls and then down a forest road to the Tama river gorge and Okutama station. Mitsukama water falls would have been beautifully frozen if the weather had been colder at the base.

We experienced a quite difficult hike over loose stones and extremely steep slopes. As the day lengthened both Linden and I were realizing that one wrong step and we'd have very sore twisted ankles (or worse, a tumble over the side). Linden had been leading the thirty or so members along with her bounding energy but we both slowed a bit after the first three hours -- our muscles became quite chilled over lunch.

What we did not count on was just how strict the temperature was going to drop when we reached the summit. There were small patches of snow in many places and our packed salad immediately looked cold and unappetizing. Even my trusty chocolate covered almonds were of no comfort. Chocolate doesn't taste as good when it is frozen.

At the end of the hike we visited an onsen, a public bath, and reflected on the cold day from the comfort of the hot springs in which we were content to soak. The onsen is a truly unique experience. Men and women are separated into respective common spaces for bathing and relaxing. Typically in Japan, men are far more pampered in onsens than women. Our side was quite relaxing all the same. The water was fragranted with organge peels (contained in a mesh bag) and soft classical music played. Linden and I chose to sit in the outdoor onsen. Surrounded by forested mountains, a mix of Japanese and foreign women all bathing, it seemed oddly natural - yet there is nothing to compare this to in Canada.

Our meal upstairs was delicious and we engaged in energetic conversation with the Japanese women about gender issues in Japan and odd foreigner things (in particular why every foreign male has a Japanese girlfriend). It was quite fun.

The male pictured is Richared, our guide. He has taught environmental studies for 27 years at a University in Tokyo. He is quite a character. The group was mostly foreigners this time. Nonetheless, Lind and I were asked to pose for pictures with the Japanese men on the trip. I've come to realize this week that no matter the setting (see final blog for details) youth always gets attention.

Where are all the fish?

The first time that Linden and I attempted to find the Tsukiji Fish Market (very famous,#1 thing to do in Tokyo according to the Lonely Planet Guide book) we didn't get there due to some sybling *ahem* heated discussion. We instead bonded over a long breakfast and then made our way to Shimo-Kitazawa (more about that later.)

The second time Linden and I actually did travel all the way to the Fish Market. But when we arrived, the fish hid.

(If you were previously unaware, Linden has a fantastic "pout" look that she is modeling in this picture of a deserted wholesale fish market.)

Apparently, the one day not to go is Sunday. Incidentally, this is the only day we tried. Twice. And by tried, let me explain that you must arrive before 7am as most of the action is completed by 8am. Last Sunday, January 29th we also planned a Friends of the Earth hike and so in order to include the Fish viewing, we rose at 5:30am to pack lunches, find hiking clothes and get organized to leave by 6:30am. We were seriously unimpressed with the lack of fishes.

The picture to the right is a view of the Tokyo skyline behind the empty fish market.

I've sworn off seeing fish auctions and am content to just look at them (quite literally in the eye) on the sushi conveyer belts.

Linden: My life since Christmas

Hi, it’s Linden.
Sorry I haven't on this much. It is like back at the dinner table when we were little and my parents rarely ever heard me speak...
Things are fine with me here in Tokyo.
I had the most wonderful time with my girlfriends over the New Years break. We were so very busy. It is to much to go into detail with all the things we did but here are the basics:
Dec 27: Isabell and Jenn arrive in the evening.
Dec. 28: Ueno: Park- Dali exhibit, swan boats, shrines. Shopping Ueno style. I was also treated AMAZING lunch as a bday present. Andrea arrives and we are off to dinner in Shinjuku at Arabian Rock!
Dec. 29: Full day of walking and shopping. We walked from Shinjuku to Shibuya and then back to Harajuku for more shopping. Then back to Ani's for a quick rest before we are off to the New York Bar on top the Hyatt for drinks and live jazz. This is the bar featured in Lost in Translation.
Dec. 30: Shinjuku cafe and shopping in the AM then off to Asakusa to see the temple and more shopping (gift shopping this time). Then it is out for Suresh's birthday in Roppongi to dance the night away. I caught the last train home with Mhairi but the girls stayed out and had a fabulous time.
Dec. 31: Off to Odiba to an amazing Onsen! It was like entering a secret society. This experience could be a blog entry to rival any of Ashley's but I wont go into detail. It was completely fabulous even though Ani and I were not allowed to enter the pools on account of our tattoos. Then it was New Years Eve partying at a beautiful club in Roppongi. This club was the kind would might see featured on "The Fabulous life of P.Diddy". It was not be best experience though because it was overcrowded to the extreme and a few total assholes tried their best to ruin our evening. Bottom line- we were together and in Tokyo. It was a new years to remember.
Jan. 1: TOKYO DOME CITY!!! and the scariest rollercoaster ever! It was a total thrill and a slight heart attack. Jenn talked about the amazing view, my response was "what view?". Its not that my eyes were closed, it is just that they never left the tracks in front of us, I had a good idea of how high we were. Then it was off to Shibuya to catch 007: Casino Royal and do some fabulous Karaoke. All in all a nice way to start off 2007. This year isn’t going to be boring.
Jan. 2: Kamakura! We journeyed to this ancient city (1hr outside of Tokyo) to see the temples, shrines, massive Buddha, that make this place famous and unforgettable. It also hosts the nicest Starbucks I have ever seen. Very Zen. Then it was back to Shinjuku and dinner at a Thai restaurant.
Jan. 3: Imperial Palace but the gardens were closed. Then off to Ginza for some shopping and lunch. We all loved it but especially Isabell as we knew she would. It is amazing there- so much style, so much wealth. Three Gucci stores in a block radius! I really wonder if there is anything like Ginza anywhere else in the world. In the afternoon Andrea and I left the girls for the airport. After seeing Andrea to the security gate to catch her flight home, I went to surprise Ashley and very nearly missed her 'cuz she didn’t come out the same way as the other people! Thank goodness I found her (almost missed her) because that would NOT have been good. We came back to my apartment and crashed.
Jan. 4: Jenn and Isabell left. I did not get to see them to say goodbye which made me sad but I said goodbye on the phone. Then Ashley and I left for Kyoto and she took over my blog...