Nikko, Japan

Today was interesting and unexpected to say the least. I was out the door before 6 am to catch a 6:20 am train to Nikko, Japan, a 90-minute train ride north of Tokyo. The train ride there and back is the highlight of my trip. Watching the landscape change from high-rise buildings, electrical towers, and concrete to luscious green mountains and rice fields is something to experience. I left from Askuska, the last major station in NE Tokyo, and it took over a half hour just to notice a difference between urban and more rural life. There is less concrete, more greenery and foliage, and development is less compact. A HALF-HOUR traveling on a fast train heading north from a major station in NE Tokyo. Words do not and will never accurately describe how expansive the city truly is.

Because this is now the second time I'm typing everything, long story short, somehow I ended up an hour away from where I should have initially started taking pictures. Ok, so I do know how. After arriving in Nikko and trying understand the Japanese bus schedule, I hopped on what I thought was the correct bus line. I'm pretty positive they all go where I wanted, but it's how far you want to go that differentiates them, much like any other bus system. I committed an expensive mistake. What should have cost me 130 yen was actually a 1,350 yen bus ride! That's about $15! And let me add that I was in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere!! Well, there was a campground and small store that sold ice cream, but I was stranded. I was up on a mountain and there was no pathway to walk alongside the road. I walked into the store, said my hello, laid my map on the table, and threw up my hands to signal I had no idea where I was. The kid working grabbed a woman from the kitchen, and she spoke and understood English. She was extremely helpful and told me I had to wait about 45 minute until a return bus would arrive. I sat down to ponder how this could have happen.

I sat there reflecting. Got it! It made sense now. I was the only non-Asian person on the bus, everyone was at least 30 years older than me, and they wore hiking attire. These weren't tourists. They were hikers!! To pass the time, I meandered to a hiking trail and did some quasi hiking in my razorback top, cotton skirt, and across the shoulder purse. I'm sure I amused the hikers I passed along the trail; I fit in.

Now, I'm back on the bus--charter bus-- and we begin our descent down the mountain. The animated voices comes over the speakers, "Please secure your seat belt. Make sure all items are securely situated. Items tend to shift as the bus sways back and forth." Imagine a charter bus weaving back and forth sharply around cones. This is exactly what we we would have appeared to be doing. As soon as we cleared one corner we were heading straight for another one. The bus driver would get as close as possible to the guard rail so the back-end of the bus would clear the turn. I swear it was a game to see how close he could get to the guardrail without scraping against it. I could tell quite a few other drivers had been unsuccessful at missing it. This continued from 1,100m above sea level until we were back at the base, and I was at the stop where I should have gotten off.

Shrines and temples. Temples and shrines. I thought the most beautiful one was partially due to its location . Climbing several steep sections of stairways, once you're at the top you can overlook the garden area and other smaller buildings below. This is when my camera died, and I do not have a picture unfortunately. Awesome!

Buying my ticket with 5 minutes left to spare before its departure, the cars were pretty full and I sat next to an older man, and across from us was who I thought either his daughter or extremely young wife. Though she was wearing a wedding band, he was not, and they were friends visiting a spa in Nikko. Hmmm. But anyways. As I was getting my iPod out of my purse, I noticed a chocolate chip had escaped from my bag of trail mix and melted in my purse. I dampened a couple tissues I brought with me and began wiping everything down. The gentleman took a bag down from the shelf above us, took something out, and proceeded to offer it to me. It was a damp cloth....wet toilette? I wasn't expecting this generous act. I thank him and continued cleaning the chocolate. Afterwards, he asked where I was from and we proceeded to converse for an hour! Though the three of us exchanged names, I can't remember, nor would I know how to spell them. He spoke little English, but enough to understand what I was saying, and he would translate for his companion. She did ask me if we grow potatoes in Iowa. Is the Idaho/corn and Iowa/potatoes an international joke I didn't know about! We had a good laugh over this. They also helped me with my Japanese. I took out my LP book, which has English and Japanese translations, and went through the very basics, such as introductions, numbers, etiquette terminology, and questions. I loved the amount of eagerness to learn more about me as I did them. This is why I love traveling in general. I enjoy getting to know other people. Where do they live? What do they do? What brings us together at that specific moment?

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After the train ride, I went back to Askuska to purchase one last gift and ate sushi at a different sushi bar than the other two. It was cheaper sushi and you got what you paid for. I had a few plates before deciding I was full enough to be done and went back to Ueno.

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My flight leaves around 3:30 pm and I can't wait to share this trip with my family! There's so much more to write about... fashion, food, camaraderie, bathrooms, recycling.....I'm hopefully going to include an FYI post to highlight the lifestyle.

Sunday's Excursion

Monday, August 17th: Recapping Sunday, August 16th

It's currently 1:48 a.m., and I'm awake. I woke up slightly after midnight suddenly, still in the clothes I wore yesterday. The last thing I remember is laying down for a breather before wanting to take a shower! Haha. Why did I wake up? Maybe because I really needed to shower; August in Japan is similar to Iowa's hot and muggy weather. Then, I heard soft knocks at my door. Am I imagining this?? I ignored the knocks, thinking I was hearing things. Then my room phone started ringing! What's going on? I picked up, and the receptionist told me I had a phone call. So I wasn't imagining the knocks a few minutes ago? Calling me was Dad and my step mom. They were worried because they hadn't heard from me. I responded to Cindy's e-mail that morning, but they had just forgotten to check it. I spoke with them for about five minutes, and then took a much needed shower. It's actually a good thing they woke me up because I'm heading to Nikko early this morning, and I still had to write this post. I know if I don't write what I do and see at the end of the day, I won't remember. I've experienced so much that I honestly have to try and remember what I did Saturday. To recap, yesterday is a day of unforgettable experiences and memories.

Yesterday I biked in Tokyo, received countless more stares than Saturday, and met various people from the States! First success of the day was that I managed to get from point A to point B with no assistance!! The morning began with a journey to the National Stadium in the the Harajuku. I read that they allow you to rent free bikes to ride around the road that encompasses Meiji-Jingu's outer gardens, which is near the Stadium. The area was yet another beautiful, clean park. There were probably a couple hundred adults biking. Some had the rented bicycles for casual cycling, while others raced like professionals. There were also a couple of areas where attendants taught younger kids how to bike. It was adorable to watch! Riding around the garden, which was actually a blocked off road, I was able to watch people playing baseball, soccer, and tennis at a sports complex adjacent to the course. Depending where I was on the course, I could also view sections of Tokyo's skyline. After a while I took a break to read and sat on a bench, which was placed on a Ginkgo-lined sidewalk-- gorgeous!

My next step was Shinjuku. For me, this was New York City. LP uses the terms "sensory overload" and "breakneck pace" to describe the area. They were not exaggerating. The people, action, lights, billboards.....It was all so overwhelming. I had looked into booking my hostel in this area, and I'm glad I didn't! I managed to find the store, and they didn't have what I was looking for, so I ventured back towards the station to a different one that I knew was in the area. There, I bumped into my first Americans! I never caught their names, but the guys, one from Washington and the other from D.C., were studying in Japan. They suggested a few sights to see, as well as shopping areas that I had yet to visit. After talking with them, I was back to the subway just as fast as it had brought me.

Next: Harajuku Station. I guess Sundays are the best days to visit because of the fashion. I noticed a male dressed as a nurse wearing a short skirt, white knee-highs, platforms, and a pink wig. But the highlight of the Harajuku Bridge was watching the punk rockers. They. Were. Talented. Look at my pictures. Need I explain more?

Looking at my LP map of the area, I decided to venture to to the Meiji Shrine. Looking at the map, I thought, "Oh, that doesn't look too far." Bad idea. Trekking through gravel while wearing Chacos, which are an open-style sandal, was not a good idea. The highlight of this attraction was meeting New Zealander Jonathan. I met him at the Shrine after he sat next to me on a bench. Currently working in Singapore, he decided to visit for a few days before heading back to work. We talked about our travel experiences for a while-- he's literally been everywhere--before we headed back to Harajuku Station.

My last and final stop for the day was Asakuska. Not only was I there for gift shopping, but also to see a temple and shrine, but I couldn't find either of them! Every "you are here" maps were in Japanese, and the LP map threw me off. So with no luck in visiting the temples, I ended up browsing through the stalls of Nakamise-Dori, a pedestrian lane dedicated to serving every tourist's souvenir needs. I loved it! The dolls, trinkets, post cards, clothing... the FOOD! Wafes of goodies could be smelled throughout the street. I bought a fried something that looked like a cookie and green tea. The cookie was everything but healthy. It had anko inside the fried batter, a paste that looks, but doesn't taste, like chocolate and is made from a bean. Naturally, it's one of the best desserts I've ever tasted. After dinner I bought another one. Haha.

For dinner I ate at a sushi bar in an alley adjacent to Nakamise-Dori. As I walked by, I noticed the conveyor belt carrying sushi and decided to try it! I sat down and analyzed the passing raw fish, and heard English! Two chairs down from me were two girls about my age. Come to find out, they are from Chicago! Yen and Amanda were spending a few days in Japan before heading to Vietnam to visit Yen's grandparents. We talked for about 15 minutes before they had to go. It was great to meet them though because they were able to fill me in on Japan's nightlight in Roppongi, known for its partying. It's unfortunate they are leaving today, otherwise we would have met up again!

Even without their company, dinner was amazing. I LOVE sushi, and what better place to eat it than in Japan?! The conveyor belt-type sushi bar was a first for me, but I managed to pick the sushi I wanted based on the sketches and English translations on my tea...mug? Thirty bucks poorer, but fully satisfied, I walked around the area a little bit more and headed back to Ueno. At the station I ran into, yet again, two Americans who were from Florida. They said they "liked my accent." Haha.

It's almost 3 a.m. and I need to catch the 6:30 a.m. train to Nikko so I can beat the crowds. Sayonara!

Imperial Palace and Ueno

I wrote these posts at the end of each day of my trip, but didn't want to post them until I had pictures to coincided with the posts!

Saturday, August 15th


It's 10 p.m. and I'm ready for bed. Surprisingly, I was able to wake up before 6 a.m. this morning with no difficulty! With my best friends-- Lonely Planet's Tokyo and its Tokyo Subway Route Map-- I was exploring the city by 7:30 a.m.. It was an extremely beautiful day, and to take advantage of the cooler weather, I walked around one of the city's municipal parks-- Ueno Park. Located about an eight minute walk from my hotel/hostel, it is also the Tokyo's oldest park. The park contains several shrines, which I managed to visit two of them, a zoo, ponds and a statue of Saigo Takamori. Though every park and/or shrine I visited has observable development behind it, seeing historic meet modern is fascinating! I also noticed a significant amount of homeless people. People were sleeping near the entrances, within the park, and on benches. I do not ever remember seeing this many, if any, homeless people sleeping in NYC's Central Park. They did not bother me or anyone else that I noticed.

From Ueno Park I went to Tokyo Station, which was a challenge in itself just to make sure I headed in the right direction. A Subway attendant was able to speak and understand enough English to assist me. On a side note, the language barrier is more challenging than I ever expect, but anyone I have asked for help has always been willing to help me. Continuing, I took the JR Line, which is one of the faster and nicer trains. Traveling on Tokyo's Subway reminds me of New York City in the fact that buildings are built up against the tracks. Otherwise, it operates quite similar to D.C's Metro. The only, but significant, difference is that Tokyo has quite a bit more track and lines in a more compact area. Luckily, I have experience using a mass transit system! Oh, and all the cars have anime advertising. When I say everywhere in the car, it is everywhere!


From Tokyo Station I walked to the Imperial Palace and stopped to sit on a bench. Wishing I had my reading book, I read more of my Tokyo by Lonely Planet. Sitting in the shade was bearable, but the sun was beating down by this time, which was around 10 a.m.. The park was consistently busy with people running or biking, tour groups and tourists. While on the bench, I noticed that a majority of the women carried umbrellas. It did not look like it was going to rain. Aha! They use them keep from being sunburned! The umbrellas are adorable. They come in different colors, prints and styles. I wanted one....no, needed one! I could already feel myself burning. Hmmmmm. The park also had quite a bit of homeless people as well, who were cat napping in the grass. After the break, I headed towards the palace, which is closed to the public but you are able to get a snapshot of the palace from one area. Afterwards, I walked around until lunch. Lonely Planet suggested Hump, which the original restaurant is located in Los Angeles, CA. Walking along, I noticed I was on Tokyo's "5th Avenue." Armani, Burberry, Tiffany and Co., etc. lined the street, which I must say that Tokyo is--in general-- extremely clean for its massive size!! For a Saturday, it was not busy either. Once I arrived to Hump's location, I spent about 10 min. just trying to find the restaurant within the skyscraper it is located in. The floors in Tokyo are labeled different. For instance, the lowest floor could be B1, followed by B2, then 1, 2, 3, etc.

The restaurant had a scenic view of a portion of the moat that surrounds the Imperial Palace, and it was beautiful! Kudos to LP's suggestion! The spicy tuna dish was amazing, and I ate the entire meal with chopsticks. Can I be considered a natural? Haha.

I left Tokyo Station and went back to Ueno. The station was packed! When I came in last night, I did not realize there was a mini shopping mall within the station. I set foot, and once again, browsed through boutiques. I could not find a decent priced store, which made it difficult for me to want to buy anything. Though the clothes are expensive, stores will oftentimes have a section, or two, or three, where clothing is 50-70 percent off. I tried on a few items, which LP was not lying when it stated that clothes are made smaller here. With no such luck in the clothing department, I did find a few purses I fell in love with. For 30,000 yen, I could have bought a beautiful, soft, carmel-colored, leather purse. Any idea how much 30,000 yen is? Approximately $316.00!!! I can live without it; I'm searching for gifts for family and friends. I walked out of the mini-shopping mall and into the alleys behind that particular station. Back-up, I need to tell you that though there is a "station," each station has multiple exits, sometimes across the street. Back to where I left off. The alleys were packed with vendors and people, and this was around 6 p.m. I walked in and out of the store, browsing through merchandise again...thinking.....

If I permanently lived in Japan, the most difficult challenge wouldn't be the communication barrier, but the lack of hearing and speaking English....

After taking a much needed rest at my hotel, I ventured back to the shopping area and into a department store. Tokyo's department stores, "malls," can consist of many, many floors. The one in Ueno has nine. Also, there aren't really "stores." Each floor is open, and no wall divides one boutique from the other, but the clothing styles of each boutique are observably different from one another. I left at 9 p.m., the time the department closed, and the streets were practically empty. Where did everyone go? I don't know, but there are countless amounts of bikes surrounding station entry points.

The world is my playground

At the time I wrote post, I was on a flight to Tokyo, Japan.
Friday, sometime in the A.M. according to Tokyo time.


I'm currently on my way to Tokyo, Japan for three full days of international exploring. While I have visited Mexico twice, Denmark and Sweden, this is my first solo excursion. As I'm sitting on the plane, which is where I'm handwriting this post, I'm simultaneously nervous and excited. Originally, my brother and I planned to travel together, but plans fell through, and here I am on a 14-hour flight to Tokyo. Upside, I'm traveling first-class on a 747. Thank you Cindy!! Although my brother is unable to accompany me, I'm still thrilled. I always believe everything happens for a reason, such as knowing that I can do this trip independently.

As I shared with people that was going by myself, I had a few positive responses, but the majority of people looked at me like I was out of my mind. "What!? By yourself!? Aren't you scared?" To answer, yes, it's natural I'm nervous, and I honestly cannot believe I am doing this on my own. For most of us, we have few, or many, grandeur ideas and objectives. But it's the final, "I'm doing it," that differentiates the thinkers from the doers. It's so easy to put off what we want to do; we will always have a reason to not do it. Well then, I ask, "What is your excuse for doing it then?" If you're going to think it, why not go with it?" My response: because I want to. Because I can. Why can't that be your excuse?

I don't just want to be a part of my city, state and country. I want to be a part of our world. The evening before I left for Japan, I met a friend of a friend. As we were discussing my trip, I told him I thought of the world as a playground. Think back to when you were a kid, and recess/lunch was your favorite part of the day. Right? We looked forward to the imagined games, merry-go-round, swings, slides...all of it! Each recess was slightly different from the previous one because we focused our attention on whatever looked appealing at that time. Not only did we love exploring all it had to offer, but it also became a setting for us to overcome challenges. For some, the tallest slide was intimidating. For others, they just couldn't get the swings down. Well, right now I'm looking at the opposite end of the monkey bars, hoping I'll cross them successfully.

But through it all, I'm blessed to have the encouragement and opportunity to do such a thing. Although I know my dad is beside himself--yes, dad, I can still tell though you try to hide it-- he knows I can accomplish this. Also, it doesn't hurt having my step mom as my cheerleader, telling me, "Do this! You're going to love it!" Thank you!

Who thought I would be traveling to Japan with just my backpack, Lonely Planet's Tokyo and a Japanese dictionary? Some who truly know me believe it, whilte others think I'm crazy. As I see it, the world becomes smaller every day. Globalization is taking effect, and it's unstoppable. The opportunities to visit and travel the world are here. What are you waiting for??? Culture barriers are breaking down. Ideas and values are transcending borders and seas at record speed. Almost every single culture is incorporating a little bit of someone else's, yet still maintaining their own, distinct way of life. By already being on this plane, I feel I've accomplished the most difficult part-- putting my hands on the first rung of the monkey bars and letting my legs dangle. It's exhilarating to not feel the support of the ground beneath my feet.