The Weinsteins Take Japan - Episode II.

Hello, readers!

To remind you that yes, the Weinstein family was in fact in Japan (aka "The Land of Cute"), I shall open today's blog post with a purikura picture of the four of us.

Yep, that's right.  We got our parents into a purikura booth.  Because... Japan.  Anyway, onward!  To Episode II of "The Weinsteins Take Japan" saga.

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Third stop?  FUKUOKA AGAIN!

Upon our return from Nagasaki, the Weinstein family spent one last day in Fukuoka.  We began with a leisurely morning of coffee and chatting (and packing), went on a tour of the Asahi Brewery in Fukuoka (sorry, couldn't really take pictures there, but it was GREAT), had a lunch-dinner of delicious CoCo Curry, then went to a Softbank Hawks baseball game that evening.

Side note:  First off, let me tell you that the Japanese LOVE their baseball.  So, a baseball game here is not the same experience as it is in the US.  Massively organized songs and intricate cheers (that the whole crowd engages in) mark every inning, and there's an overwhelmingly positive, sportsmanlike atmosphere.  The food is great, too!

Unfortunately for us, the 7-11 attendant (who we bought the tickets from) really took me at my word when I said, "Anything's okay," in Japanese.  We ended up in a small, standing-only section of the stadium (which I didn't even know existed before) right behind the cheering section.  Ah, well.  Our feet may have hurt, but we had an amazing view of the whole field and the pumped-up cheering crowd. So, really... it worked out, in the end.

Go Hawks!

Side side note:  Did you know that Tommy Lee Jones is sort of a big deal in Japan?  No, really.  He is. He's the main spokesperson for Boss Coffee (my favorite), and he's been very vocal about his love of Japan and Japanese culture.  When the big earthquake and tsunami happened, he was one of the only non-Japanese celebrities to be included in the aid campaign videos.  That's a serious honor.  And his face is flipping everywhere.  Don't believe me?  Look.

There he is!  On the mega-screen, every five minutes.  I'm not sure why it makes me so happy, but it does.  I think to myself, "Good for you, Tommy.  You do your thing."

But, I digress.  Back to the game!

Instead of a "7th Inning Stretch," which is the common practice of us American baseball fans, the Japanese do a traditional singing of the team song and a simultaneous releasing of thousands of shrieking, screaming, colored balloons.  I'm not sure if all baseball teams do this, of if it's just the Hawks, but it's AWESOME.  Here's a shot of me, with one of the balloons.

"Hey, is it the 7th Inning, or are you just happy to see me?" 

The game was very exciting and we all had a great time.  We cheered, we sang (poorly, of course), drank more Asahi, ate the best corn dogs ever (called "American Dogs"), and watched Fukuoka's Hawks earn a much deserved victory.

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Fourth stop?  KYOTO & NARA (Parents) / KURUME (DW & WR).

The next morning, I went back to work and the parents went on to Kyoto via shinkansen (bullet-train). DW and I had a few days to ourselves in Fukuoka before joining the family in Tokyo.  During that time, we were lucky enough to catch the "354th Annual Chikugo Fireworks Festival in Kurume."  (Yeah, that's right.  Three hundred and fifty-fourth.  Crazy, right?)  We were supposed to miss it, what with our travels to Nagasaki, but bad weather worked in our favor and it was rescheduled to Wednesday night. So, with little notice, we bought some conbini snacks, threw a blanket in a bag, and headed to Kurume.

To find the fireworks site, we played a little game that I like to call, "Follow the Yukata," (or, "Follow the Summer Kimono") where you find the biggest group of yukata-wearing people and follow them. When going to a festival, it works every single time.  I kid you not.  Here's us on our way from the station, playing "Follow the Yukata."

We wandered for a bit through the stalls, then picked a spot in the open grassy area and camped out. Sharing a cold beer and some yakitori (as well as some Cheese-Mayo flavored Pringles [thank you, Japan]), we waited for the fireworks show to begin.

Okay.  Something you should know before I post these pictures.  Japanese fireworks really put American fireworks to shame.  It's not like the actual pyrotechnics are better (though, maybe they are), but the show itself is incredibly well-orchestrated and designed, and it goes on for hours.  Not 25 minutes, not 45 minutes, but 2-and-a-half-freaking-hours.  There's a reason these shows are maintained for over 300 years.  Because they're AWESOME.

Now pictures!

Gorgeous, right?  I was so happy that DW & I got to share in this event, this year.  Especially because, when I saw it last year, it was such a moving "Welcome to Japan" experience for me.  Watching the fireworks, hearing the echoes of, "Kireiiii!" and "Sugoi," it was as if my journey to Japan had finally become something real.

Okay, so.  Hallmark moment aside, the night was great.  And a few days later, it was time for Tokyo!

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Fifth stop?  TOKYO.

Our chariot!

It was our first time on a bullet train!  And the process is so very Japanese.  We took a regular train to Hakata Station, transferred to the Shinkansen area (a 2 minute walk), slid our tickets through an automated gate, walked to our platform, and the train arrived only 5 minutes before our departure. Because, who needs more time than that, right?  It's Japan.  We boarded, along with the other waiting passengers, and 4.5 minutes later, we were on our way to Tokyo!

(It's early.  We look like it's early.)

We arrived in Tokyo mid-day, braved our way through Tokyo Station, navigated the massive train network, and checked-in to our hotel, Hotel Niwa.  (It was fantaaaaastic, by the way.)  Afterwards, we wandered through the sizzling streets of the Chiyoda Ward, exploring our neighborhood and searching for someplace to find some grub.  Here's the place we picked:

Could you tell we were really hungry by this point?  "High Calorie Station," baby.  Oh, yeah.  Gyudon of the Gods, right there.

It was deeeeeelicious.  And relatively cheap.  And filling.  And the people were great.  And the place was awesome.  Highly recommended, if you're ever in central Tokyo.

Bellies full, we continued to wander through the area.  We found a neighborhood full of beautiful bookstores, the books stacked in charming, neatly-untidy columns, reaching all the way to the ceiling. This area was flanked by a very surprising neighbor; a neighborhood with nothing but winter-sports-gear shops.  One after the other.  In August.  When it was quite literally 40 degrees Celsius out (105 Fahrenheit).  Huh.  Here's proof.

Pretty specific, no?  And so many shops!  But that's Tokyo for you.  Everything has a place.  Even in the heat of summer.

Later that evening, DW & I went to Shinjuku to grab dinner and do some more semi-aimless wandering. It's one of my favorite areas in town.

That's when I discovered that Tokyo is the BEST CITY IN ALL OF JAPAN.  Oh. My. GOD.  A Dr. Pepper vending machine??!!

So, of course, I had to buy a can.  Because, duh.

That's one happy WR!

After partaking of my sweet DP ambrosia, DW & I made our way to a cluster of restaurants and selected a Neapolitan-style pizza place (certified by the same organization which certified Punch Pizza, in the Twin Cities).  We shared a tasty pizza and some made from scratch gnocci, then headed back to our hotel for the night.  A good, if insanely hot, first day in Tokyo.

The next day, before we were joined by the parents, we went to Akihabara to do a little morning-nerd-sightseeing.  While it's a much better sight in the evening, we still had a blast in the otaku capital of the world.

We were, of course, accosted by "Maid Cafe" workers, advertising their locations.  Before you ask: Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like and, no, we didn't go.  We did, however, get in a photo op.

Second career?  I think so.

We also got in a little arcade time, as there are arcades pretty much everywhere.  We found a retro arcade that had lots of old-era games, including Tetris.  Yeah.  I totes played.

BAM!  Spacial orientation FTW!

I actually managed to play for over 6 minutes, a semi-high score!  But my victorious high was ruined when I couldn't figure out how to put my initials into the machine correctly.  (Sort of an analogy of my time in Japan, right?)  How embarrassingly appropriate.

Akihabara isn't ALL anime and games, though.  It's also a mecca for techies everywhere.  Any cord or adapter or gadget or anything that you've ever wanted?  It's here.  A store full of nothing but light-bulbs?  Check.  A store full of only cords?  Check.  A store that only sells fish pond motors?  Check. Here's a picture of DW and I, and you can see one of these specialty shops in the background.

See the blue arrow?

There's whole alleys and roads, lined with nothing but these shops!  Like I said, everything has a place in Tokyo.

A little later, we met up with the parents (who loved their time in Kyoto, despite the zillion degree weather).  We went to the Tokyo Dome area, and then to Shibuya: one of the more famous neighborhoods in Tokyo.  It's bright and lively, full of people and shops and restaurants and noise and bustle and all the things that make Tokyo great (as well as frustrating).

Gaijin, braving the streets.

Shibuya!

The family!

"Shibuya Crossing."  You know, that one shot everyone uses from Tokyo, with the massive crosswalk?

After walking around for a while, we grew hungry.  (It's a terrible habit, right?)  And so the parents used their new found Japanese language skills to find us an okonomiyaki restaurant.  (They did it all on their own!  Really!)  Here we are, about to enjoy the feast.

Beer:  The best sidekick an okonomiyaki could ask for.

Our grill-master, hard at work.

As with pretty much everything we ate while on vacation, it was delicious.  And afterward, we all enjoyed a tasty dessert-beverage and cookie at the Starbucks overlooking the crossing; where we watched the late-night commuters and fun-seekers alike, scurrying across the street to the sounds of distant, un-oiled train brakes and the beat-boxing rhythms of Japanese street performers.

Ah, Japan.

The next morning, we took on the tallest damn thing in Tokyo (and second tallest damn thing in the world): the SkyTree.

Yup.  The thing's huge.  HUUUUUGE.  And... uh... from the right angle, it's a little bit... ummm, what's the word...?

Phallic? 

Yeah.  That's it.  Anyway, we survived the incredibly complicated ticketing process (which involved three separately timed and organized queues) and made it to the elevator platform.  Here we are, a little apprehensive about our choice to go to the 350-meter floor.

But we survived (and were, in fact, quite impressed by the smoothness of the elevator ride), and got to enjoy the unbelievable view as our just reward.  (Note: Due to the heat wave, there's a haze that prevents us from seeing as far as we could.  It also makes the pictures a little foggy.  But it was beautiful nonetheless!)

Looking out, over the city.

The SkyTree's shadow!

(Insert something witty and / or contemplative.)

It's hard to believe, from these photos, that we're inside a flipping building... looking down at the other buildings around us, right?  I mean, it looks as if we're in an airplane!  (Funny enough, there's even a monitor on the top floor which tracks soon-to-be-landing planes and shows them in relationship to the tower.)  It's a really incredible view from the 350th floor.  But, that's not the top.  And we thought, "Okay, sure... it's another 1000 yen, but when are we going to do this again, right?"  Right.  So, onward and upward we went, to the 450-meter floor!

You are here.

Love, at the top of the world.

On the top-most floor, the one at a staggering 455 meters off the ground, there's a section of the tower with a see-through bottom.  Because, I mean, why not scare the ever-living-shit out of your paying customers, am I right?

Yeah, okay.  No big deal.  (Secretly vomits.)

While the SkyTree would definitely have been better if the day had been clearer (and, at 3000 yen a person [to get to the very top], it's a bit pricey), we really enjoyed it.

After we descended the great big tower, we ate lunch and made our way over to Sensoji Temple.  It's a major tourist spot, so it was hoppin' with people.

In visiting the temple, it was especially neat to see the contrast between the old and the new (a particularly potent dichotomy here in Japan).  This was further underscored by SkyTree looming, just in the distance.

We didn't stay long, though, because it was absolutely, ridiculously, ludicrously, insanely hot there.  So, we retreated to the subway and made our way to Ueno Park, where we found beautiful paths, hidden shrines, lakes of flowers... and a very well-placed ice cream and shaved ice vendor.

We ate our frozen-treats at tables near this lake.  Lovely.

That evening, we and parents did separate things for dinner, as DW & I had a date with a friend of mine, Peter.  We went to school together ("back in the day," I think they call it) and now he lives and works in Yokohama.

He took us to a favorite restaurant of his, warning us about 5 minutes before our seating that he "usually uses this place for dates" and, "maybe things are about to get a little awkward."  It wasn't awkward at all, but it was flipping hilarious.

Here, my dates, with me behind the camera.

And we're on a bed together.  Yep.  A bed.  We all ate dinner together on a bed, in the middle of a restaurant.  It was some classy, classy stuff.  Don't believe me?  Check it out.

A bed!  For DINNER.  Oh, Japan.  You're so awesome!  Below is a shot of a rainy, but still beautiful segment of the Yokohama skyline.

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And since you can't top a romantic-three-way dinner on a bed (and since this blog post is a million lines long now), I'm going to call the blog post there.  Stay tuned for next week's installment, where the Weinsteins continue their conquering of Tokyo!

Thanks for reading this far!  And don't forget to feed the fish!

WR