1st Day

It's kind of funny that the thought of going to Tokyo a year ago would have felt like the biggest trip in the world, and now it's only a 2 hour flight away (and I get to stay in the same time zone!). However, landing in Tokyo this time gave me a different impression of the city from the last time I was here 4 months ago. The first time was filled with wonder and thank-God-we-finally-landed. This time, I felt a little like Gong Li in The Story of Qiu Ju, the country-bumpkin who travels to the big city. First thing I noticed was the smog. When I arrived in Shibuya, I was dumbfounded by all the people.

I looked the complete tourist, too. Had a small suitcase and a 40 L backpack, plus a map telling me how to get to my hostel. Add in the deer-in-the-headlights look, and there you go. The great thing about my journey to the hostel is the help I got from the locals. I asked one guy for which train I should take and he looked it up on the internet with his phone and told me. Then as I am wandering around Asakusa, I was approached TWO different times from people, who asked me in English, "Can I help you?" I must have looked really lost. The last person was actually a group of three people, and they walked me to the hostel. I told this to some Tokyo friends later and they were all surprised because people from Tokyo have the reputation of being mean.

I brought a large sack of shekwasas with me. I've been handing them out randomly in the holiday spirit. I was about to give one to a homeless man, but I was stopped by my friend. He told me he's seen that guy before running around in circles spitting. No shekwasa for you if you can't behave.