We started the day with some exercise in the park followed by breakfast at the hotel, and then it was time to face the beast that is the Tokyo Subway system. I felt lucky that we had each other and our guides to help us on our first trip, but it was still a bit intimidating.
When we boarded at Kichijoji station around 9:30 (after the peak of rush hour), the train was not very crowded. Once we transferred at Shibuya, though, we saw why the system has a reputation for overcrowding. While there weren't any people pushers packing us into the train, it was pretty busy. Worse than the DC Metro at rush hour? No, but this was 10:00am on a Saturday.
After about 45 minutes on the train, we reached Harajuku, a major shopping district with tons of stores, cafes, and scalpers trying to shake down tourists.
Almost all the stores seemed to be selling Western merchandise; you could have found many of the exact same stores in any major US city. For every uniquely Japanese item I saw, there were at least 10 things based on American pop culture, like Coca-Cola, the Minions, and Shawn Mendes. When I asked Ray about this, he told me American and European goods are simply the "cool" thing in Japan.
The most unusual stop of the day was a visit to an owl "cafe." To call it a cafe is a bit of stretch, because it was more like a tiny zoo showcasing owls in a basement.
For 580 yen (about $5), you could spend 30 minutes walking through a room full of owls sitting on tree branches.
They had all types and sizes of beautiful owls, and it was amazing to get the opportunity to see and pet them up close.
We returned to Mitaka station for lunch and found an excellent ramen shop that was endorsed by a former pro Japanese wrestler.
After lunch we split up to meet our host families. My host family is a 40-year old couple with a 13-year old daughter (Kanon), and a 10-year old son (Ruki). They are fantastic people!
Mr. Koyama is an engineer, and his wife is a second grade math teacher. Kanon plays badminton and swims while Ruki plays table tennis. They also both share an affinity for anime and video games. We hit it off right away, and they were all wonderfully open and kind to me.
The Koyamas took me grocery shopping to pick out food for my stay, and they were nice enough to read each ingredient label individually to ensure it was nut free.
We had an awesome home-cooked dinner - breaded chicken with rice, tomatoes, lettuce, miso soup, and some sort of sea weed dish - and watched TV together afterward.
I have all day to spend with them tomorrow - I can't wait!
When we boarded at Kichijoji station around 9:30 (after the peak of rush hour), the train was not very crowded. Once we transferred at Shibuya, though, we saw why the system has a reputation for overcrowding. While there weren't any people pushers packing us into the train, it was pretty busy. Worse than the DC Metro at rush hour? No, but this was 10:00am on a Saturday.
Bracing for the storm
Not too bad...
Whoa! It got crowded in no time.
After about 45 minutes on the train, we reached Harajuku, a major shopping district with tons of stores, cafes, and scalpers trying to shake down tourists.
Almost all the stores seemed to be selling Western merchandise; you could have found many of the exact same stores in any major US city. For every uniquely Japanese item I saw, there were at least 10 things based on American pop culture, like Coca-Cola, the Minions, and Shawn Mendes. When I asked Ray about this, he told me American and European goods are simply the "cool" thing in Japan.
The most unusual stop of the day was a visit to an owl "cafe." To call it a cafe is a bit of stretch, because it was more like a tiny zoo showcasing owls in a basement.
For 580 yen (about $5), you could spend 30 minutes walking through a room full of owls sitting on tree branches.
They had all types and sizes of beautiful owls, and it was amazing to get the opportunity to see and pet them up close.
They also had a cat cafe in the same building
We returned to Mitaka station for lunch and found an excellent ramen shop that was endorsed by a former pro Japanese wrestler.
If it's good enough for that guy, it's good enough for me
After lunch we split up to meet our host families. My host family is a 40-year old couple with a 13-year old daughter (Kanon), and a 10-year old son (Ruki). They are fantastic people!
Mr. Koyama is an engineer, and his wife is a second grade math teacher. Kanon plays badminton and swims while Ruki plays table tennis. They also both share an affinity for anime and video games. We hit it off right away, and they were all wonderfully open and kind to me.
Mr. Koyama and Kanon
Ruki
The Koyama residence
They have a sweet little house not too far from a stop on the main train line
The Koyamas took me grocery shopping to pick out food for my stay, and they were nice enough to read each ingredient label individually to ensure it was nut free.
We had an awesome home-cooked dinner - breaded chicken with rice, tomatoes, lettuce, miso soup, and some sort of sea weed dish - and watched TV together afterward.
Food shopping with the fam
There was lots and lots of raw fish at the supermarket
I have all day to spend with them tomorrow - I can't wait!
Glad to hear you're enjoying your host family, they sound wonderful! Did they like the gifts? 🤓🤓🤓
ReplyDeleteYes! The flip flops were big hits and they liked the book, too!
DeleteThe owl Cafe is a new one in my book - I bet Tyler would love it. Glad to hear you hit it off with your hosts.
ReplyDeleteHI Kelly....Lorc here....sounds like a fabulous trip so far and I love the photos mixed in with your narrative. Like Casey...the owl café is my favorite and I love the smiles of your host families kids! You are looking strong in your photos. I would say international travel suits you.
DeleteThank you, both! The owl cafe was really something else! Yep, everything is going swimmingly here.
DeleteThank you so much for posting the photos and your notes about the trip. The owl cafe and cat cafe sound like fun and your host family sounds wonderful. They'll take good care of you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina! Your advice has already helped me on several occasions. Thanks for reading along!
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