I can’t believe they were just here. Who? My siblings of course. Why? They came to “visit” me. To check up on my lifestyle, see that I have not gained the Study Abroad 60, see that I am happy and keep me company. My mother is convinced that I have been crying for the past 2 months and am masking my grief with all the pictures of cakes that I send them. My noble siblings decided that they would knock off two days of school, along with their entire Spring Break to spend time in a crazy foreign country with their grief-stricken sibling. With the intention of making those 10 days the most fun I will ever have during my study abroad, they hopped on a plane, carrying Girl Scout cookies (thin mints and samoas) and several bags of Dove Dark Chocolate, and my parent’s blessings, and came to Tokyo. When we finally met up at the hotel café (the most wonderful, heavenly place for sweets and tea), they took all of 5 seconds to decide there was no happier study abroad student and asked for my Tokyo guidebook.
I am sorry but I forgot what this was called. I got it at the Pikake Tea Room inside the hotel while waiting for my siblings. I think it was "Tymbalysmee." It had this season's fruits with a dollop of vanilla ice cream inside a thin wafer shell with a caramel/honey shell. I think in Heaven...people eat this every day. I had it with a pot of Darjeeling Tea.
Me and my brother lounging in the hotel. Don't we look destructive? Teens with no manners...
I spent the first night with them in their most amazing hotel room. They got a view of Tokyo Tower right outside their room way up on the tenth floor. Tokyo Prince in central Tokyo is ideal for sightseeing because it is literally in the center. It is a few minutes away from a major train station and only 25 minutes (walking) from my school. Hotels in Japan come with everything you need. Everything from toothbrushes with small bottles of toothpaste, razors, brushes, soaps (organic), tea (green), and even yukatas (pajamas!) is provided. All of this, neatly packaged and sterilized, and they change them out everyday if you use them. Even shady hotels offer this kind of service, not that Tokyo Prince is shady, far from it in fact. Every morning, the maids would thank you and bow to you when you leave. They even fold your clothes and change your tea while you are away exploring Tokyo. On my sibling’s last day, I dropped my cell phone somewhere. I have no idea where. My sister talked to someone and within minutes, there was a call to the room, saying my cell phone had been found. I come down to get it and I see it all neatly placed in a bag, with a note attached, detailing when and where it had been found. The concierge handed it with two hands while he bowed to me. Honestly. It is only a small prepaid cell phone with a strange looking phone strap. Everything is sacred to the Japanese though.
With a hotel like that, why would anyone leave? My siblings reluctantly followed me through an itinerary that I planned with my host mother. We saw a 大仏 (Great Buddha) in Kamakura, got lost in Yokohama, gorged on buns as big as your head in China Town, sat in fear inside a maid café in Akihabara, wasted all of our money at the Pokemon Center in Hamamatsucho, relaxed at the onsen in Machida, had tea in Ginza, counted the number of luxury cars along Roppongi, haggled with shopkeepers in Asakusa, prayed for luck and love at the temples, trekked through the rain in Shibuya, shared crepes in Harajuku, got stopped by the police in Shinjuku, and watched a man break 99 bowls with his enlarged index finger on TV with my host family. I think it was quite a productive week actually.
Here we are at the Pokemon center. We were greeted by a large Pikachu. Hi Pikachu!
The Great Buddha we saw in Kamakura. Walking up to it is really incredible. You can pay extra to go inside it. It was dark and narrow...very strange. Me...inside a Buddha.
Cherry blossoms in Kamakura.
Molly actually had a cappuccino in Ginza. They draw pictures with the cream for you.
At the onsen with my host family. When we were not in the baths we could eat in the restaurant. They charged you based on the number on your bracelet so you don't have to carry money around the entire building. There is a playroom for kids, an arcade, a room with futons to sleep on, a room with massage chairs and TVs attached to them, and another room for real massages. Needless to say we spent the entire afternoon at the onsen. Notice the shaved ice we are eating. Delicious!!
Me and Aina-chan getting ready to go to the onsen. She holds my hand when we go out. Isn't that precious? Her mom keeps saying I should put her in my bag and take her home.
There is just so much to see in Tokyo. I wanted them to see much, much more. I took them on a culinary tour…showing them my favorite eateries. On the first day, we went to my favorite French restaurant. It is located right next to my school. You can smell the cinnamon buns (with almonds…) and coffee in the morning. In the afternoon, they have the most amazing lunch menus. I had been eating there everyday for a week so when I brought in my siblings, I was greeted by all the waiters and workers. I told them my sister was a vegetarian and could not eat fish either (all the lunches come with meat). I was hoping for some soup and bread…but the owner talked to the chef, who decided that for such a loyal customer, he would make a special dish. He made a beautiful grilled vegetable dish and served it with rice. For dessert, we all got different special cakes and tea. All of this comes with the meal set. When we left, all the waiters turned to thank us and the owner gave us “omiyage” (souvenirs). She gave us three different flavored macaroons (these are different from the coconut cookies). I think they are too small and expensive so I never buy them but I have wanted to try them for ages. How lucky! It was probably the most wonderful meal I have had in Tokyo.
A cake from Minami Azabu, my favorite French restaurant.
Of course there is real food at Minami Azabu too. This is some chicken dish. It was so good!
The siblings seem to understand why I don’t want to leave Tokyo. All the food! In Roppongi I bought them their first crepes. Japanese crepes are so good! They come in a variety of flavors (hundreds literally) and can be eaten whenever, wherever. While we were in Roppongi, we saw them setting up a stage. I asked who it was for and the crepe lady said Tom Cruise would be coming tomorrow. Really?? I don’t even like Tom Cruise (bad actor, too showy) but his family would be coming as well. I decided not to see him though because my siblings were not interested and we wanted to go to China Town. And the day after Tom Cruise was Juliette Binoche. She and fellow French actors/actresses were coming to promote the French Film Festival in Roppongi Hills. I did not see her either but no worries, just the other day, I was one of the little people waiting by the red carpet to see Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Kristin Stewart walk the red carpet in Ebisu. I know. I know. Twilight? Come on Nancy. That is for teenyboppers. I admit it, I think Robert Pattinson is quite good looking and so do the hundreds of people who waited in the rain and snow to see him. (Oh yes! I saw snow for the first time in Tokyo!!) I was fan number 247. And there were more behind me. The weather was super crummy but they came, said thank you and signed stuff. I dropped my notebook so I could not get a signature. I thought I would die underneath the Robert Pattinson fans. I was disappointed about the signature but then I heard a little girl shout “Oh my god he touched me!!” And then all of her friends ran to her and started caressing her fingers…worshipping the hand that was touched by someone who is ten years older than her. It was a completely wild experience. I don’t think I will ever attempt to see a popular celebrity again…unless of course it is Tohoshinki, my favorite Korean boy band. You may not know who they are but Guinness Records does. They have the largest fan club of any group in the world. (I think I already told you this but there is no harm in reminding you of their awesome power).
Dustin bought me their new single ($20 for a single...only in Tokyo...). He took 2 pictures of me before the attendant tapped him on the shoulders and said "no pictures". Oops. Oh well. I only engage in criminal activity for Tohoshinki.
Just yesterday I got a text message from a friend saying that Tohoshinki would be in Shibuya doing a live concert for NHK. So, after class I took the train with my friends to Shibuya. We saw a humongous poster of them along the side of a building. It was a huge banner hanging from a skyscraper. We took pictures and marveled at how awesome their faces look so high up in the sky at 50x magnification. We did not have tickets to the event so we bought tickets to tour the NHK building, hoping to catch them while they were rehearsing. No such luck but it was still quite fun. I love my Tohoshinki Fan club friends. They are so crazy! Just knowing I am in the same city as Tohoshinki makes me feel quite happy.
I only have one more month in Tokyo. This weekend I am going to Kyoto to see more temples and then to Osaka and Nara to visit historical sites. It is all quite exciting. It is not all fun and games though. I need to worry about registering for classes at Trinity next semester, filling out financial aid forms (which were flown in from the states via my siblings), and research. Thank goodness for Trinity’s incredibly efficient Study Abroad System aka Nancy Ericksen. She is the most on-top-of-the-game person I know. Any questions I have (for example, how earthquake proof are buildings in Tokyo) I turn to her. She answers them all almost immediately. In case we are in a bind, she gave us her cell phone number, which is always by her side, even at night. Because of the time difference in Tokyo, registering for classes will be difficult for me. Can you guess whom I will turn to when I need to register? Yes. Nancy Ericksen is registering for me. So even though I am halfway around the world in an “upside down” world aka Tokyo (as David Sedaris says), I know things are going to be fine. Nancy Ericksen is super woman. People with that name have a tendency to rock.
Just something nice to end the blog. Me and my host family eating dango (dumplings).
