Where do I even begin... I LOVE Tokyo... it's like New York City but bigger and crazier with so many amazing things I am going to have to take many many many trips back to see it all. This mini-vacation to Tokyo came about because a friend of mine, Vanessa, who I met at USD Hahn School of Nursing and is in the Navy and is stationed in Okinawa, Japan, was going to be in Tokyo for a 24 hour layover before her vacation! We stayed at The New Sanno Hotel which is a hotel for military, dependents, and veterans located in the middle of Tokyo. It is a really nice hotel and reasonably priced... and pretty easy to get to! I took 3 trains from Yokosuka and made it there all by myself. I was sort of proud of myself for navigating it on my own, and it isn't nearly as scary to me anymore! The only thing was that I was the only white girl on the train and no matter how hard I try to blend in I stick out wicked bad! I had to get used to people staring at me. 
First stop was the Tokyo Tower, which is basically a giant radio tower with observation decks. Built in 1958 (same year as instant ramen was introduced), the Tokyo Tower instantly became a symbol of Tokyo and is the second tallest artificial structure in Japan. We went to both observation points, one at 490 feet and the other at 820 feet. On the elevator ride to the second observation place you could hear it creaking! AHHHHHHHHH I had instant vertigo when we got up there... I was convinced we were moving and having a bunch of earthquakes... paranoid much?!?! haha!!! 
The structure itself is extremely strong as it has withstood many large earthquakes and high winds with many typhoons and has never had any problems. It looks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, except it is bright orange and is actually taller at 333 meters (the Eiffel Tower is 320 meters). They have these lookdown windows facing down so you can see how high you are... that was pretty trippy! The view were amazing, unfortunately I couldn't see Mt Fuji because it was too cloudy, but you got a good sense of how big Tokyo really is up there! There are restaurants and bars on the observation deck too. On the first observatory there was a "club" called Club 333 and they were setting up for karaoke when we were leaving.
After dinner we met up with an old friend of mine from Boston, Olga! She lives in Tokyo now for a few years and it was so great to see her and meet for a few drinks. We went to Roppongi, famous for one of the city's major nightlife districts filled with restaurants, bars, and clubs! This video was a video I was making to send to Damian, but it is too funny and I had to share it here! We ended up at this dive bar in Roppongi that was filled with Japanese business men truly letting loose. We were drawn to this bar because we were walking down the street trying to decide where to go and we heard a Journey song blaring so we followed the music! It was really fun, we ended up partying until almost 4 AM, so the next day we got a later start than expected!
Harajuku was the first stop the next day. Harajuku is an area in Tokyo known for the fashion, and is even known as a fashion capital of the world with it's unique style. On the weekends you can catch many of the teenagers out on the streets socializing and hanging out and they are all dressed up like Japanese anime. Even on a Tuesday the fashion was something like I have never seen before. We sat on a main street and just watched people walk by for a little bit. It is kind of great because truly anything goes and they all look great... Now, if I were to wear ankle booties with tights and leg warmers, shorts, and some crazy flowy shirt with my hair in pigtails I would be sure to get some looks.... I feel a social experiment in my near future!!!! Anyway it was a pretty neat area and I am definitely going to head back there on a weekend! The Meiji Shrine is one of Tokyo's biggest and best known shrines and is right across the street from Harajuku. It was built in 1920 and is absolutely beautiful to walk through. The shrine is surrounded by tall trees and you pass through 2 Torii gates to get there. They are made out of Japnese cypress and are amazing up close.
We saw lots of people dressed in kimono, old and young walking to the shrine and there was a blessing ceremony going on that we watched for a little bit. In Japan there are 2 main religions, Shinto and Buddhism. The Buddhists have temples and the Shinto have Shrines. Shinto is known as Japan's ancient original religion and is deeply rooted in their way of life. Some Shinto values include harmony with nature and spirits. There is no founder or holy book, most of what they believe is based upon "kami" which means divine spirit. There is an unlimited number of kami and can be found in nature, mythology, or in human beings. Shrines are usually dedicated towards a kami, and the Meiji Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji who brought the capital of Japan to Tokyo from Kyoto. This emperor was a big player in promoting friendship with other countries as well as bringing Japan into the modern era while preserving it's identity. Basically, he's kind of a big deal! That sums up my Tokyo adventure. Back to Yokosuka by train and looking forward to my next vacation... to see Damian!!!
Japanese word of the day:
Eki (eh-key): Train Station
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