Neither of us has spent a lot of time in a place where english wasn't the primary language, so we both felt a little uneasy when we got off the plane and couldn't read most of the signs or communicate with anyone. We quickly found, however, that people we dealt with either tried to attempt english, or were able to point us in the direction of someone that could. It turned out that a lot of signs had english translations on them, as well. We felt welcomed into Japan very quickly.
Also, you can rent these portable "wifi hub" things that you carry around with you, and they provide you with internet access for your phone 24/7. Having Google maps and translate available all the time was an absolute God send.
We made use of the train system to get around. We found it a little intimidating at first, but people were more than happy to help us figure out how to get where we had to go. There are automated ticket booths everywhere, and actually after a day or two we had the system down (I found it was a much cleaner, nicer version of New York's subway system). Much like New York, it makes it so easy to get around such a big city. We tried to come up with a plan each day on where we wanted to go, but found it so easy to navigate the city that we just started hopping from one end of Tokyo to the other whenever we felt like it. 5 stars to the transit system over there, just perfect.
Like I mentioned, the trains were so clean and quiet, and that just echoes Tokyo as a whole. It was the cleanest city I've ever seen. We were hard pressed to find any garbage laying around anywhere. In a city with so many people, it's nice to see how much pride everyone seems to take in keeping it clean. It's also quiet. People are so respectful of each other. There are signs on the trains indicating that you shouldn't talk on your phone or be too loud. We saw a ton of people sneaking in power naps on their commutes, without a hint of hesitation that anyone would bother them, and it was quiet enough to do so. I loved it.
The city is full of history, fantastic shrines and temples, and just beautiful parks to walk through. Some of the best times we had on our trip were when we would cut through a park and just take a few minutes to enjoy the fresh air and the scenery. And again, it's so quiet and relaxing. I'm not a huge history buff, but I really enjoyed walking through shrines that were centuries old, too. Really interesting stuff.
The food is incredible. Just incredible. Everything we ate was unreal. I've never been a big sushi guy, but I couldn't get enough of it. In particular, we had sushi for lunch one day at this little restaurant where you sat around a conveyor belt, and small plates of different types of sushi would rotate around. You just grab whatever plates you want, and at the end of the meal, the servers would add up all the plates you had and give you your bill. It was some of the best food I've ever had in my life.
We went to a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome, which was awesome. The fans were so passionate, but respectful at the same time. More great food, too! We spent a couple evenings hitting up the shopping districts, as well. Particularly in the evening, it was really fun. Everything lights up, and they actually close some of the streets down. You can just cross wherever you want, and the roads are lined with stores that are 7 or 8 stories high. I had so much fun just hopping from building to building, not knowing what we'd find on the next floor. So many video games!!!!!
Without question, the highlight of the entire trip for me, was go karting. There's a company called Marikar, that gives people the opportunity to take a guided tour through the streets of Tokyo, on go karts. AND, they let you dress up like Mario characters while you do it! (You could dress as characters that aren't from Mario, too. But I don't know why anyone would....). We spent almost 3 hours cruising around the city, right next to cars and trucks. Every time we had to stop at a red light or crosswalk, people were waving and taking photos of us. It makes you feel like a rockstar. It was absolutely one of the funnest thing I've ever done.
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| My girlfriend and I decided to dress up like Princess Peach and Bowser. This was while we stopped in front of the famous Tokyo Tower. |
I have to find some good sushi here in Edmonton, now.....
Thanks for reading!
Adam
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