2 May 2009

I woke-up to Derrick knocking on my door this morning, since the complimentary breakfast was almost over. I figured I could go downstairs, enjoy the free food, then come back upstairs to sleep in. The breakfast at this Toyoko Inn was slightly different than all of the other ones I have stayed at so far. Instead of serving the usual Japanese items, this one had peanut butter sandwiches, rolls, nigiri, miso soup, and American soup. It was very strange. I really liked the peanut butter sandwiches, since the peanut butter here is more buttery than in the U.S. They also had a juice that was similar to V8, with lots of fruits and vegetables all in it. There ended up being four of us down at breakfast: me, Derrick, Trent, and Bianca. After breakfast, I wasn’t too tired so I took the extra time as an opportunity to Skype and upload photos.
Around noon, Jeff came knocking on my door, and I went out exploring with him and Shae. Derrick was still sleeping, and Seth was out with a friend that was visiting him from Kyoto. My first stop was at a small drug store to get a sleeve brace for my knee. It is still sore today, so I figure it is easier to have something reusable than having to tape it up every morning before I go out. It cost 680 yen, and it turned out to be the cheapest price I found all day. What good luck! After that, we just wandered around the area around our hotel. I didn’t feel like doing anything too involved since I want my knee to rest and get better. Shae’s feet and ankle are also having some major issues, so I think we are in the same boat. We didn’t find anything too exciting or new, but I was surprised by the difference in volume and appearance of people. There are definitely way more people here in Tokyo than I ever saw in Kyoto, and I think Tokyo reminds me a lot of Osaka in terms of city aesthetic and characteristics. Something else that was strangely noticeable to all of us was the different in weight of the women and girls. In Kyoto, almost every girl and woman we saw was extremely thin and model-like. Here in Tokyo, the women more closely resemble the figures of women in the U.S. I thought I was being critical when I noticed that, but almost everyone has made the exact same comment at one point or another. It is just a completely different world here compared to the other areas of Japan I have been to so far but not necessarily in a bad. It is just interesting and creates a richer cultural experience.
For lunch, we found a small ramen and gyoza place. The prices were amazingly cheap, and I was able to get a huge bowl of pork ramen for only 380 yen! That’s about half the usual price for a bowl, and it was larger than the typical size. What a deal! I will probably eat there everyday while I’m staying in this area of Tokyo. The rest of the afternoon, we wandered around and browsed in some of the large shopping areas. I realized it is really difficult to find anything on sale in a lot of mainstream stores. I’m not sure why that is, but I guess it’s a good thing since it prevents me from buying anything. It is additionally Golden Week until Tuesday, so everyone is out and about since most businesses are closed to acknowledge the holiday. I’m not even sure exactly what Golden Week is, but I enjoy all of the markdowns and extra people on the streets.
When we came back to the hotel, Seth told us about the Denny’s that he found while wandering around. Denny’s is one of the places that I was determined to try while here in Japan, and it definitely did not disappoint. Jeff, Derrick, Shae, and I went there for dinner, and it was absolutely amazing! A bunch of random things sounded really good, so I just ordered them all. I got fries, French toast, and a side salad for a grand total of 890 yen. It was the cheapest meal out of our four meals, since Denny’s is actually somewhat medium-range in terms of price since the food is really good. They seem to be everywhere in Tokyo, so hopefully there is one near the next place we are staying.
The rest of the night, I relaxed and iced my knee. Everyone is behind on their travel journal since we have been so busy with classes and traveling. I decided to catch-up on episodes of The Office and work on my travel journal a bit. I talked to some other people in my class, and I’m hoping to go explore a bit further tomorrow, assuming my knee will allow me to do so. I can’t believe I am already halfway through this Japan study abroad program!