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Thursday, January 09, 2003
It was pretty cold in Japan, with freezing temperatures around 0 degrees Celcius (that's 32 degrees Fahrenheit for those used to the English system). The first noticeable thing when we checked into the hotel in Yokohama was how small the room was. The double occupancy room (with 2 twin-size beds) was about the size of a dorm room in Unit 1. And the bathroom was really really small (imagine the size of your bathtub and double it and you have the entire bathroom). The sink faucet actually was the source of water for the shower, too (there was a switchable valve to divert water from one to the other). Although small, it was pretty cozy. If I think about it, people really don't need to take up as much space as they usually do. I guess being in the U.S. we've grown accustomed to the luxury of open-space.
Our time in Japan was pretty typical since we took one of those guided bus tours. They took us to the usual: religious temples (including a huge buddha statue), hot springs, the emperor's palace, and of course, shopping places. On the third day, my aunt and cousin were able to catch up with us (literally, they had been going to the same places we were scheduled to go to in order to find us..which eventually they did when we were at this big shopping mall). The shopping center was built in a city that was pretty new (apparently, the entire city had been created on a manmade peninsula of some sort). It was a very nice shopping center. Very closeby was the "Joypolis," an entertainment complex featuring a SegaWorld theme park inside. Inside, there are a whole bunch of high-tech video games and those ride-simulators (in Las Vegas they're called "magic motion theaters"). My favorite game was the Sega World Racing Championship, a car simulator. You get to sit in actual cars which are mounted on moving platforms and through your windshield you see a huge screen. I found it interesting that of the three cars there, one was a Mercedes AMG C36 (like Jeremy's) and another was a Toyota Supra (like Winston's). Of the Freeborn 102 alum, I drive the least sporty car. Too bad the third car wasn't a Ford Taurus or a Toyota Camry.
The second night was spent in the mountains. It was nice to see snow again. Driving around, we were able to see the snow-capped top of Mt. Fuji (they say that it's a sign of good luck to be able to see it since it's usually covered by clouds or haziness). After dinner, my family donned our kimonos (they provided clean kimonos at all the hotels we stayed at in Japan) and headed to the hot spring. Supposedly, the minerals and stuff in the water help improve your circulation. I don't know about that, but it was HOT, yet still quite relaxing. Can't stay in there too long or else you could pass out.
The entire fourth day was spent at DisneySea, a Disney theme park in Tokyo. A very clean, colorful, and beautiful place I must say. There were no real roller-coasters..all of the rides were like ride-simulators. Although not too hair-blowing-in-the-wind thrilling, they were still fun. The FastPass system is really a charm (for popular rides, you can pick up a FastPass that schedules you in for an hour block sometime later, and then when you go during that time, you can take the FastPass line which usually takes less than 5 minutes for you to get on the ride).
My relatives in Japan were very generous in treating us out to dinner a couple of times. Good food in Japan can get really expensive really quickly. At one seafood restaurant, the bill came out to be almost $100 per person (and there were 8 of us there!). For the price, at least I felt full by the end of the meal. In addition, I got to try out a lot of really exotic stuff (I wouldn't normally eat) including eating raw crab meat (it's so MUSHY), liver from the puffer fish, and sea urchin. I think Chia would've basked in the novelty of trying these types of food more than I did.
Here are some pictures from the Japan time:
Me with the giant Buddha
Me being held up by a pirate on a Ferry
My bro and I playing with a giant bell
Good picture with a clear view of Mt. Fuji (the highest mountain in all of Japan)
At an underground (literally) duty free shop in Tokyo..this girl is sportin' my digital camera
No, we're not in New York (with the Statue of Liberty in the background), we're at the satellite city (artificially created one with the nice shopping center and the "Joypolis")
My bro and I in front of the Sega racing game at Joypolis
At a very expensive (but good) Japanese restaurant
Exhibiting the beautiful scenery at DisneySea
2:22 PM Albert
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..a life in DUO