Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

The warm weather of Hawaii was nowhere to be found while in Japan.  Actually, the first day was sort of a tease as it was sunny and somewhere in the mid 50s.  The following days mother nature showed us that whether at home or in Japan, winter in February is just plain cold.

I had few things I wanted to accomplish while in Japan.  Most importantly was getting sushi.  Its been over two months since I've had sushi and I've greatly been missing my often weekly visits to Wasabi in Minneapolis.  Japan did not disappoint.  In fact, it may have been a step up from the normal spicy crab and spicy tuna that I am used to (sorry, Carlie).  A new favorite - tuna salad roll. 

Part of the excitement for visiting Japan is experiencing a place I have been before, but now with a new sense of awareness following graduate school.  I have often overheard people onboard ship talk about something they saw or an experience they had that was just wrong or about how they couldn't believe someone would act "that way".  The way people in Japan, or anywhere, act is not wrong.  It is right to them based on their culture.  Just because those from a different culture do not view it as right does not make it wrong.  I was more aware of this after my first voyage 6 years ago.  It is interesting to have that awareness going into this one.  Sure, there are things that I view as different or frustrating still, but I at least know they are not that way to simply make me uncomfortable.  

My exploration style is usually random.  I have no set itinerary or idea of what I want to accomplish.  While this would be helpful in some regards, it has allowed for some great random moments and great little finds.  Plus, I know Courtney is never far away with a Lonely Planet in hand to help along the way.  The only structure I had was a planned capsule hotel stay and an overnight bus from Tokyo to Osaka.

Danielle, Nate, Courtney and I descended upon Tokyo for two solid days of exploration.  From Yokohama we took the direct train to Shibuya, Tokyo's Times Square.  While bright and flashy, it luckily was not overcrowded as New York's Time's Square.  Our wandering took us to many areas of town that are likely not visited by tourists.  We visited small neighborhoods, parks and restaurants.  While four Americans will never truly be able to integrate into life in Tokyo in two mere days, it is at least nice to get a snapshot of what life is like in those communities.

As a group of self-proclaimed wanders, we frequently were heard saying, "What's that?"  To which the response was always, "I don't know, but let's go check it out".  On two separate occasions, a what's that moment brought us to two of the highlights of our time in Tokyo.  They included the Shakaden -- a main meeting hall of the lay Buddhist Assocation Reiyuka and Sensoji Temple -- a Buddhists temple.  Sensoji offered some great exploration and witness to the practice of Buddhism.  As it was a national holiday (Founder's Day), the area was a popular stop for many.   

The most off the beaten path thing for me during my stay in Tokyo was the capsule hotel.  Capsule hotels are a popular form of lodging for traveling business men in Japan.  Similar to a hostel, many people share the same room.  The difference is that you are in individual capsules or what looks like elongated human microwaves.  It is uncommon for women to stay in capsule hotels and from our searches, there were very few that could accommodate women.  Courtney was determined to find one and succeeded.  As did a large portion of the SAS student population.  Inside the capsule there is a control panel to the right that controls the lights and the television.  It is reminiscent of controls and dials from yesteryear.  To my surprise, the capsule was pretty comfortable.  Getting a decent amount of sleep on the other hand was influenced by the amount of people coming in around 3am.

The not so hot part of Japan was the weather.  We had reservations for an overnight bus around 11:30pm.  The lack of sleep did not help with the walk, but our spirits remained high.  Our limits were tested, however, when mother nature showed her face again.  This time in pouring rain which created the cold to your bone chill.  A random hotel lobby and several rounds of Uno helped us through until we had to wait in said rain, huddled together, for the bus.  To my surprise, though, the bus was quite comfortable and an 8 hour ride went by quickly.

During my time spent in Japan, Mr. Roboto was frequently stuck in my head.  And if you're lucky, it will be now, too.