April 26, 2011 - My first 3 weeks in Japan
It's been three weeks since my friend and I landed in Japan; what an incredible journey it's been over the last three weeks!
I wanted to create a summary of some of the things we've done and some of the many experiences we've had thus far.
Quick Background
My friend, Anthony, and I have been planning a trip to Japan for well over 10 years now since middle school. Finally, after a lot of saving and getting our travel plans in motion, we left our jobs, said goodbye to our friends and headed off across seas.
We landed in Japan with a bit of money and the intent to live the "raw" experience. We have no plans to do a high amount of the "touristy" style travel; we want to get right into the culture of Japan by meeting the real people and experiencing the real events.
So here we are (and here I am writing) trying to put to words the sheer amount of information overload we've experience since setting foot in Japan.
Week 1 - Tokyo
The first week in Tokyo was simply amazing - it's actually hard to explain everything because there is just so much to see and do that words can't do the right amount of justice (although I'll try my best).
Immediately, we found our hostel (Sakura Hostel in Asakusa) and went out to eat. We had no idea what we were doing (at the time) when ordering so we resorted to pointing and making gestures - which worked surprisingly well.
The following day we immediately began to explore. We went to Ueno & Shinjuku where we had a meal through the ordering vending machine (which is awesome) - the noodles were incredibly delicious.
We continued to check out as much of Tokyo as we could, stopping in Shibuya and basically jumping off each station to look around the area (the 800Y metro pass is very helpful for that because it gives you unlimited rides throughout the day on most subway systems).
I met a lot of great people at the hostel (some of which we would travel and meet up again over time). We attended a Sakura party. We went out clubbing and to bars a few times which was mind blowing how awesome the sound systems were and how fun the Japanese youth were to party with.
With a week down in Tokyo we began to set our eyes on heading out west to check out some of the other areas such as Kyoto, Osaka and more.
By the time, our budgets were getting hammered. I wouldn't say Tokyo is extremely expensive (despite what a lot of people say) but the little things will eat up your budget such as vending machines, cover charges, metro rides and more.
So, we headed off for ...
Week 2/3 - Kyoto & Osaka
We arrived in Kyoto after taking an overnight bus (uuugh, it was uncomfortably hot and cramped but oh well). We made our way to the hostel with one of the people we met in Tokyo. Without sleep we headed out to do some sigh seeing.
We went on some of the tours of the palace and gardens. We saw a TON of temples and shrines. Had a lot of great food and conversations with people. Saw beautiful mountain ranges. It was incredibly peaceful in Kyoto but we had a lot more to explore so we headed out to Osaka after 2 days.
Once in Osaka, we got a bit lost finding our hostel but ended up in Hotel Toyo. Osaka is raw. We were staying in, what we found out to be, the 'ghetto' area of Osaka but it's nothing like back in the States - we still felt extremely safe and the people were awesome.
Tokyo was a bit of a shock to see so many people that weren't very lively during the day (because they were so busy) but Osaka was the polar opposite. Osaka had very, very real people; some would walk up and talk while others would yell at you for no reason.
We explored as much of Osaka as we could; took a ton of pictures, ate food, went bar hopping and more. The people back at the hostel were really cool too which recommended a lot of places to check out including a very small okonomiyaki joint run by an old man that mastered the dish (easily in my top 10 favorite dining experiences).
We finished out Osaka for about a week which put us to around our 3 week mark. We hopped on the overnight bus and ....
Now - Tokyo
We're back in Tokyo! I'm so glad we're back because we've picked up a lot of conversational Japanese, know our way around, our feet don't hurt (as much) and we have a great set of plans to further explore the city.
I can't say for sure what we have planned; we have nearly 3 more weeks in Japan before we head off to Thailand (and others) but we plan to do as much as we can.
So far, out of everything, these are my favorite things about Japan:
1. The people are incredibly nice and friendly
2. The food is delicious (I can't stress this enough)
3. The public transit is a rush especially when it's packed but gets you everywhere
4. There are a TON of side alleys and places hidden all around which always makes it fun to explore and just people watch
5. Meeting other travelers have opened up a world of opportunity and experience
All in all, I'm loving Japan. If you're reading this and haven't yet taken the journey over than start saving now because this is one of those things that I think everyone should experience in their lifetime; you're going to have a blast!
Anyway, that's what my friend and I have been up to over the last 3 weeks. Can't wait to get out there and check out even more of Japan!
