Tokyo, Japan: City of Towers, Sushi, and Sumo

I set off to Tokyo, Japan, "Land of the Rising Sun," last week in a hurry. I was eager to see another part of Asia. It was my first time leaving China since I had arrived in August. 

To be honest, Tokyo was on my travel list for all the touristy things it offers. Am I ashamed of it? No way! I truthfully love being a tourist. 

There seems to be this shared hatred of tourists, what with them crowding up the streets and jacking up the prices for attractions, food, and transportation. I understand it…I did go to school in San Francisco where tourists line Fisherman's Wharf every weekend and create hour-long lines for the cable car (not that I ever tried to take it). Regardless, I prefer to think of tourists in a different light--people who want to learn more about the place they are traveling to. 

Experience is the best form of education, and in my opinion, people could always use more education. Besides, tourists who come to whatever city I'm living in (I have only lived in popular tourist cities) always make me feel proud of my city. When I travel somewhere, I like to think that I'm paying attention to other parts of the world and taking in the wondrous beauty of the planet we live in, not just to have another stamp in my passport or album on Facebook (although, those are perks!).   

Tourists might only travel somewhere for the popular attractions, but they end up learning a lot more about the place then they plan upon. My trip to Tokyo was like this. Sure, I saw all the sites that any tourist would go to, with my large camera wrapped around my neck like some signal to the world that a tourist has arrived, but I also saw a different side of Asia, and discovered a new culture. My friend Mark (who speaks Chinese and was actually born in China, but grew up in the States) didn't feel like a tourist until our trip to Tokyo where he could no longer understand what people were saying around him.  

Before we had arrived in Tokyo, I had bought Lauren, Mark, and myself tickets to a sumo wrestling match that just so happened to be on the weekend we were going. I did not realize then that it would take four hours once we had landed to finally arrive at our hostel. Word to the wise: cheap airlines often fly into the airports that are furtherest away from the city centre. Of course, this makes sense, but all the other airports I had flown into previously had only taken up to an hour and a half to reach the city centre. Another word to the wise: cockiness does not a traveller make. 

Needless to say, by the time we got through customs and found the right subway line, it was too late. I was disappointed, but one can never predict what will actually happen on a trip. One of the first new things we discovered were matcha-flavored Kit-Kats at the airport! Kit-Kats have always been my favorite and so these were a delicious find! On the way back home, I also had   

That night we ended up walking around trying to decide on a place to eat. We snacked on a popular Tokyo snack--a doughy fish filled with red bean paste. A surprising thunderstorm and pouring rain brought us into a traditional Japanese restaurant. We ordered the main meal in Japan--fish! I also had raw octopus! Since Japan is an island, it has some of the best seafood ever, which is why it is the home of sushi. 

Arigatou (thank you) is one of the few words of Japanese I know, and I even had to sing Mr. Roboto in my head a few times to remember it (embarrassing, but true). We thanked the waiter, who was extremely helpful and even brought out an English menu. We soon discovered that most people in Tokyo were extremely helpful and would go out of their way to help others. We also discovered that the city is very quiet…even the subways. Men and women in business suits quietly stood or sat on the plush metro seats, whispering to one another, not allowed to talk on their cellphones. It was a stark difference from Shanghai where people yell on their cell phones and often stare at us foreigners. I have never seen such a large city so quiet!

Surprisingly, and yet perhaps not so surprisingly, most places close early in Tokyo (it is technically against the law for clubs to be open past midnight). Therefore, we woke up early the next morning and decided to check out Akihabra, named after the fire-controlling god Akiba, the area in Tokyo is known for its abundance of "costplay" stores (a term used for people dressing up in costumes), manga and anime stores, and maid cafes. Akihabra is also known for their wide array of wacky, creative, and sometimes bizarre cafes. While we were there, we happened upon a hot dog cafe, cat cafe, dog cafe, and (of course) a maid cafe! Mark even went to a few anime cafes. We had no idea there were dog cafes along with cat cafes and Lauren and I were in doggie heaven. The dog cafe, which was next to the Tokyo Skytree tower, even served gourmet food for the pooches that people could bring in. Below are pictures from the maid cafe and one picture of an adorable dog posing for me at the Dog Cafe. Mark got a special package meal and so was able to take a picture with one of the maids (a dream of his I'm sure lol). You are not allowed to take their picture unless you pay.
             

After the lovely maid cafe, we ventured to the iconic Tokyo Tower (which is supposedly larger than the Eiffel Tower in Paris which it is obviously based off of). I have to admit that I think the Tokyo Tower has more flair than the Eiffel. For one thing, you cannot miss it because of the bright red and white paint job. Not surprisingly, there are also some shops underneath. You do, however, have to pay a little more to get to the top. But, it was cheaper than the Eiffel Tower at around $14 USD to get all the way to the top. I'm not scared of heights, but it was a little dizzying to be up that high. Amazing views though. 

Lauren and I in front of Tokyo Tower

Red roses compliment the tower perfectly,

View from the top!

Empty fish market

After I marked the Tokyo Tower off my imaginary bucket list, we tried to get to the legendary fish market, but because most things close so early…we failed. The fish market actually opens at 4 AM when chefs go pick out the best catch of the day. We were not about to get up that early…we were more interested in what the fish eventually becomes anyway. Sushi!!! There are some famous restaurants nearby the fish market that use the freshest fish. As a lover of sushi, eating it in Tokyo has also been on my "bucket list" for some time. I remember when I went to Alaska ages ago and tried fresh sushi for the first time. I didn't like it. This time, I knew it would be delicious for my grown-up tastebuds.

We watched the chefs behind the bar at this random restaurant that looked good. The restaurant wasn't too expensive and they had some deals. Most pieces cost almost $1 USD. Overall, I think I paid $15 USD for some of the best, freshest sushi I have ever had. I had the lightest green tea, mussel soup, and tuna, mackerel, shrimp, salmon, and fish eggs.

Tied up fortunes in front of the temple

We then checked out the Sensoji Temple nearby our hostel (the oldest temple in Tokyo). There is a street in front of the temple that is lined with souvenir shops that we checked out on our last full day (and where I found my collectible spoon!). Also in front of the temple are fortune drawers. You shake out a stick with a number on it from a tube and locate that numbered drawer and take out your fortune. I got my lucky number 13 (also my birthday). I must have been really lucky that day because I got the best fortune out of the three of us. These drawers are not just nice too…Mark got a "not good" fortune. It seems that people tie their fortunes onto racks next to the drawers for some reason. The sign said to take it home with you, so that's what I did. Anyway, the temple itself is very large, red, and ornate. People stand around the large incense bowl directly in front of the temple and splash the incense smoke on themselves. A healing process I presume. Seeing the temple at night was really nice because we could see the temple light up and glow.  There is a pagoda right next door.

Street of souvenirs

Temple all lit up

At night the only attraction that was open was the Tokyo Skytree, which is taller than the Tokyo Tower and so therefore more expensive. We didn't even go all the way up and we had to pay $20 USD. But, we figured that it was worth it to see the city at night, and indeed what a sight! It was only a little walk away from our hostel. From the tower, you could see the Tokyo Tower in the distance and you would be able to see Mt. Fuji if it was day time and a clear day.Once again, there were about four different souvenir shops within the tower. They sure do like to make money off their tourists.

The next morning, we woke up pretty early, fought for the one shower in our hostel building, and Mark brought us to this ramen place he had found the night before. Yes, we had ramen for breakfast! When in Tokyo, do as the Tokyians do? Anyway, the place was really good…you paid for your ramen from a  machine like you would a vending machine. In Tokyo, they don't make the ramen soup that oily, and I like it that way. We finally took off from Asakusa and visited Ryogoku, the Sumo town where we were supposed to go the first night here. We managed to see a few Sumo guys, and one even coming off of the subway. We were speculating about how they got around since they are such large men. I even took a picture with a Sumo wrestler!

Then we went to the Imperial Palace where visitors can walk around the grounds. We saw some old samurai houses near the entrances where they could easily protect the royal family. The Palace grounds were huge! We could have walked that all day. Right across the street was the Palace Hotel. I have gotten into the habit of checking out the hotels in whatever city I visit. We saw a swan and some turtles along the way.

Sibuya Crossing

Lauren and I then went to Sibuya while Mark went back to Akihabra. We got some ramen and then saw the Sibuya crossing. In Tokyo, a lot of streets have diagonal crossing in addition to regular crossings. Sibuya has one of those streets, and a flood of people cross at the same time…I've never seen such a packed road. Sibuya is the section of Tokyo that is known for its youthful, trendy fashion stores. The malls here have levels upon levels of stores, and even more shoppers. Lauren really wanted to see this famous statue of the Sibuya dog…I still don't know why it is so famous, but the dog pops up around the whole area…on most signs and stores. We walked back and forth trying to find this dog. Finally, we decided to leave, and when we were about to get back on the subway, we asked one more time…and finally found the dog right outside of the station…buried in a crowd of people, so much smaller than what we had imagined.  

For the last thing of the day, Lauren and I went to a man-made hot spring bathing house on the edge of Tokyo. We put on yukatas, which are summer-time kimonos. We got to pick the ones we liked and what color sashes we wanted. There was a foot bath and then one with fish treatment where the little fish surround your feet and eat the dead skin off. It's supposed to make your feet nice and soft. Then, there was the real bath area where you drop the yukata and underwear and get nude. You have to wash yourself off first in the little shower area. You only get to bring in a little towel with you into the baths that vary in temperature. It's not enough to cover anything. It was awkward at first, but then I relaxed.  

The next day we checked out Harajuku, where we were expecting to see the "Harajuku" girls, girls that are dressed up in colorful costumes shopping at all the trendy stores in the area. Sadly, we didn't find any despite walking around for quite a long time. We did go to another sushi spot…this time with a long line and a rotating belt. It wasn't as good as the other place, but it was still great sushi. No trip to Tokyo would be complete without as much sushi as you can eat. 

So, we moved onto the Shinjuku area where we visited the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It is a huge park where a bunch of traditional Japanese, English, and French gardens, but of course, we cared about the Japanese ones. It was a nice break. As we were walking back, we noticed a lot of people standing around. I spotted some foreigners and asked what was going on. They told us that it was a religious holiday called Obon. It is where residents help carry a heavy statue of a God around on a throne that they support together on their shoulders. They continue this throughout the summer in different areas of the city, carrying Gods around varying in size.
With that, we moved on, back to our area of Asakusa where we found a store that sells fake food displays. Tokyo is renowned for their use of fake food in their restaurant displays…so much so that there is an entire street dedicated to these stores. Unfortunately, when we got there (it was not even 5pm yet) they were all closed.

We got back to our hostel and ate at a nearby ramen place (more ramen!). We had to get up pretty early the next morning to make the metro to the train to the bus all the way back to Ibracki Airport. A long day of traveling, but man what a trip! I do love Tokyo and its people. And, of course, what better way to end a trip in Tokyo then picking up some sakura-matcha-flavored Kit-Kats for a nice little bookend?        

Suzhou: City of Silk and Waterways

A flower in a pond at Panmen Garden 

Time is winding down for my year-long teaching stint in Shanghai. I only have a little over a month to go. I would be lying if I said I can't wait for the last day…I miss home like crazy, but there is still a lot more adventures left for me in Asia. I will leave for Tokyo, Japan, next week and Bangkok next month. This past weekend my friend Mark invited Lauren and I to visit Suzhou and his grandparents with him. I had been wanting to go to another city within China besides the ones I have visited so far: Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, and my home-away-from-home, Shanghai.

The Master-of-Nets Garden

Suzhou is still a large city compared to most cities in the world, and only a 30-minute train ride from Shanghai in Jiangsu Province in Eastern China. Known for its silk and canals, Suzhou is known as the "Sister City to Venice, Italy." Suzhou was founded in 514 BC, and its canals, pagodas, and stunning gardens have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

I have been wanting to visit Suzhou since I came to China. In fact, I had placed it second on my list (behind Shanghai) of cites  I wanted to be placed for teaching.  

Silk paintings

We met up with Mark's grandfather, who is really his great uncle, and dropped our stuff off at our hotel room (which he generously got for us). We quickly went to see The Master-of-Nets garden, which has one of the world's oldest trees, beautiful koi ponds with lily pads, and intricate houses storing skillfully painted works-of-art on famed silk. I bought a little painting on silk as a souvenir--a summer scene of mountains and trees. Lauren and Mark got ones as well. Since I bought a painting, the woman allowed me to take some pictures of the other silk paintings. There was a famous artist who painted tigers on silk and even raised them inside the garden.
   

Mark kisses the fishy main entree 

Afterwards, Mark's grandpa (as Lauren and I began to call him) took us to eat at this restaurant by his house. There, mark's grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin joined us and we sat down to a traditional Chinese feast at a large, round red and yellow table. Mark said that he had a lot of family and even in Suzhou, we had a table for nine. We tried a bunch of new food such as pumpkin-filled round treats of goodness, orange sweet fish (tasted like orange chicken back home), sweet oats, and this bread filled with meat and green beans. The fish was a specialty of Suzhou and laid on the plate like any fish in China--head and all. The middle was cut up and deboned though. Mark ate, and kissed, the head. We also had spinach, prawns, mushrooms, rice, pork, broccoli…basically, a lot of food. It was one of the best meals I had eaten in China thus far.

At dinner, Lauren and I expressed interest in making the little pumpkin things (the name of which I already forget). Mark's Grandpa told us that she would be happy to teach us how to make them! First, Grandpa wanted to take us on his walk that he takes everyday along the lake in Suzhou. The sights were beautiful. We walked off our dinner and saw temples in the distance, ancient bridges, and even bats flying everywhere (more bats than I have ever seen in my life)! As I said before, Suzhou is known for its canals and we saw its four main canals and the place where they intersected.

We got back to Mark's grandparents' apartment (a traditional Chinese size apartment as Mark said). We helped Grandma and Grandpa make the pumpkin bites by rolling up balls of pumpkin and lots of flour. You cook them on the stove and add some sugar and that's it. I'm definitely going to make these when I go home. We had our own little cooking lesson. Mark's grandparents' were so sweet and cute! Before we left for our hotel for that night, they packed us a little bag of hard-boiled eggs, pumpkin bites, and peaches for the next morning or a midnight snack.

Mark's grandma showing us how it's done.

The next morning we got up bright and early to go see the ancient part of the city. In order to get there, we had to take a car since the subways are being worked on. Mark's aunt drove us this round-about way to the ancient city. Once there, we boarded a little boat with a guide who sang classic Chinese songs as we paddled down the river, passing decades of history. Mark's grandpa knew some of the songs and sang along.

Soon we got off the boat and walked around the ancient city. This was a good place to buy souvenirs since Shanghai is more expensive. It was only right that we stopped at a store where everything being sold was made out of bamboo. I bought a compact mirror.

Next, we wandered over to a pearl shop. China is famous for its pearls that are found off the coast. People visit China just to buy pearls that are cheaper here than anywhere else. Mark's grandparents bartered with the shop owners and got me 40% off of a black pearl necklace…so I had to go through with the purchase ;). Temptation called.

Crabs on a stick

We walked a little more and spotted a food vendor that was selling five small crabs on a stick for only 5 rmb. Little did I know, that the crabs were not yet dead. The woman just picked up the stick of the five wiggling crabs, and put them in a pan to fry. They were pretty crunchy and didn't have much crab meat on them, so I didn't eat all of it, mostly carried them around like a scared tourist, but at least I can say I tried it. We walked back along the canal and watch as women would dress up in ancient dress and pose in front of one of the famous bridges. It just shows…even locals like to play the tourist at times.

Next, we went back to grandpa's house where he made us noodles and we looked at grandma's little garden and her silk paintings of birds. We could tell that she was embarrassed, but really proud of her paintings, and they were really good!

Grandma and her painting

             

               A woman dressed up and posing for a photographer

On the Xi Shi stone bridge of good luck

We then went to see the Pan Gate Scenic Area (Panmen Gate) with its beautiful Ruiguang Pagoda, which was built in 247 BC, the oldest pagoda in Suzhou, the Wu Gate Bridge, and Pan Gate. The Gate is essentially a castle with battlements and everything. It was built in the Warring States period and estimated to be around 2,500 years old. Pan Gate is a part of the ancient city wall, built in 514 BCE, which use to protect Suzhou. There is an area between the main gate and the entrance to the castle where they would trap enemies and either drown them out or shoot them with an arrow.

Overall, Suzhou is a beautiful place full of history and surprises. I recommend visiting Suzhou if you find yourself in China. It is definitely one of China's top tourist attractions. Experiencing a traditional family and how they live from day to day as well as visiting one of the smaller cities (in China terms) really shows you a different side of China, one that cannot be compared to the bustling towers of Shanghai.