So, Japan can be weird sometimes. Anyone who has watched Japanese television can attest to this. To me, weird doesn't necessarily mean bad. In fact, it's often the quirky weird things about Japan that lift my spirits when I miss home or am having an off day.
Calpis is, like the bottle says, "Happy Refresh"
Whether it is going to my favorite curry restaurant and watching strange Indian music videos on their television or noticing a man walking down the street wearing hot pink pants, I have found the little things some of the most enjoyable... or at least interesting.
Sometimes I do things on a whim...Especially if I have been feeling stagnant for a bit. Usually my times of whimsy occur after I have spent prolonged periods of time alone in my apartment. This is a post about one such time.
At this point in my adventure I had been in Japan for about 3 months. I had gone to many different places and seen some pretty awesome things. But despite my time spent traveling there was one place that I had not yet seen. It was like an elephant in the room, a place I knew i needed to go to, a place I really wanted to go to... Tokyo.
Tokyo is a must see for any foreigner in Japan. Simply put, don't come to Japan and skip Tokyo.
Escalators acceding a giant mirrored hallway
A large marketplace in Asakusa
I was told before I came that Tokyo (especially the train system) was like a maze. In a previous post I described Mito that way, but after seeing Tokyo, Mito seemed like a country hamlet. In fact, I'm sure without a friend of mine that I met in Tokyo, I would have barely found my way home.
Just a fraction of the underground system we walked.
There were so many things to see and do that I only saw a fraction of what the Big City had to offer. I could drone on for hours about all I got to see and do but that, I fear, would bore you to death. Instead please enjoy the video.
For the Annual AET Retreat all of us crazy kids took a trip to the scenic little town of Nikko. There they have temples, shops, temples, waterfalls, temples, fog, temples, restaurants, and finally... more temples. As I mentioned a long time back Nikko has a few temples and thanks to my tenacious friend Heather Perry we where able to see most all of them.
The first temple we went to see was being renovated on the outside. In Japan renovating a building means covering it completely up. We were still allowed inside but sadly were not permitted to take any pictures.
Behold the beauty!
There is a saying I heard a while back, "Once you have seen one temple you have seen them all." Well I tend to disagree with most blanket statements including this one. I will agree that most temples do look similar and some are just as boring as the next, but there are a few that stand out. The first temple I mentioned contained not one, not two, but three giant golden Buddha statues.
The second temple we visited was actually the birthplace of the Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil monkeys. It is definitely a must see for any would be travelers.
Blending In
There where also a few other cool temples surrounding that one. All of various shapes and sizes and all pretty cool.
Exhibit A: Cool Temple
The one pictured above is actually just a small part of an even bigger temple. All of the white things around the door way are tiny intricately carved sculptures.
Exhibit B: Tiny Intricately Caved Sculptures
Finally the last temple on our tour was one that we named "The Hidden Temple" and rightfully so. It was no where near the other temples and required climbing a ton of stairs in order to reach it. But climb we did and, after recreating a scene from Rocky, We got to see my favorite temple. It had no giant golden Buddhas, legendary monkeys, or masterful carvings; but it did have character. It was secluded (most likely due to the stairs), Small, and simple. I guess I'm just a man of simple tastes.
Pictured: The last flight of stairs
After seeing all of the temples, we were decently tired and decided to return to our accommodations located way out in the boonies. There was more fun to be had (After all, it was not a one day retreat), but I think I will let the video tell those stories.
