The first day

So, again ist 3.30 in the morning and i have been awake since 2 oclock and already skype home. But lets get to yesterday first.

After the game yesterday i finished my Blogpost and was ahanging around a little bit afterwards. Then I went to the reception, talked a bit and gathered some Tips. So the plan for the first day looked as following: Walking to Asakusa from my Hotel (25min), visiting the Senso-ji there (the oldest and most important buddihst temple in Tokyo) and than going on tiwards Uenostation and visiing Ameyoko there (wich was a blackmarket after war and currently sells a lot of “American goods” like special Jeans).
On the way to Asakusa I got lost again when I already was close to my goal, but it wasn’t as bad as the day before. So I came to my first 100yen shop and saw how they clean Windows on high buildings in Japan.

Later i found the place and went to the Tourist Office. There I got some Information about the area around Asakusa and a Trainmap of Tokyo. The nice Lady there than told me that there is also a Shrine there, Asakusa.Shrine and explained the difference between a Shrine and a Temple to me. A Temple is a buddhist Building and a Shrine a Shintoist. Both were standing really close together.

The Gate
Tourists in front of the Gate

5 story Pagoda

Underneath the Gate

The Temple (The smoke is supposed to bring luck and health, so you could see people standing there soaking it up.)

The Gate to the Shrine

In front of the Shrine (I watched a few peopla walking through that think, so i guess it brings luck.)

I think this is for spiritual cleaning, it was i close to the Shrine

After that i took the Subway to Ueno. After arriving there I walked the way to the Market and stopped here and there for a shop. Then I was in a Gaming Hall where there were a little bit more complicated gaming Stations than at home for exampele Half life as game with a little complicated movement controls and a game where you were a Robot and had to fight against the evil robots together with 3 other players. .

Half Life

Movement control

The Capsule for the Robot game

Inside the Capsule

It had rained a little bit the whole day and off course i hat to leave my umbrella in that hall (wich i just noticed later). So I bought a new one because I had no idea anymore where that Hall was. The I went to get some food, Rice with Tuna (raw) and Wasabi. I put a little Wasabi on the Tuna and accidently breah out through my nose while chewing wich made tears shot up in my eyes. Wasabi is kinda Japanese Meeretich (don’t know the english word right now) wich is really spicy but the spice doesn’t stay in your mouth to long, not like Chilli.Later I found the gaming hall again and got my Umbrella back, so now I got 2…

After running around a little more I made my way back to the Hotel by Subway. Because of the high humidity and a little cold temperaturs I was cold insinde, so I decided to use the Japanese Style bath in my Hotel. It is not mixed, man bath between 5 and 8pm and women between 8 and 10 But i was alone inside anyway, so i washed myself and than enjoyed the bath. Afterwards I lied down to a short nap, but as I woke up it was in the middle of the night. So I just took my close off and went back to sleep till 2 oclock.

Well, so time goes by and im still in a big jetlag and a culture shock. There are some things you hear often if you are interested in Japan and start collecting information. The following already showed that they were true

1: Japanese sleep anywhere and than i doesnt matter how rhey look like. On my first train I already saw a women sleeping with here had to the window, faced to the roof with here mouth wide open.

2: Vending Machines. There are 2 insinde my Hotel and in the 100m around my Hotel you could easily find another 5 selling drinks. I also saw some selling Cigarretes and Alkohol.

3: There are many sensless jobs. Japan has a low uneployment rate because they just give them jobs like standing in front of a building site watching that nobody walks in or regulating the traffic in side streets or where there already is a redlight.

Well that’s it for now, well see what I will do today, I want to try to get my Aliend Registration.

Dennis