Japan

Yokohama:

My day began excited to get off the boat! They call you by the "Sea" you are in which is a group of 50 people that live on the same hall. Morgan and I knew we had a field lab (Required field trip for our class to the Nissan Plant) that started at 11:30 so we wanted to explore before that. We hustled off the boat as soon as the Adriatic Sea was called and headed for the exit! Being on solid ground for the first time in 11 days was an incredible feeling and we were just so happy to be able to walk around. We exchanged money, got 5 minutes of wifi and were off to explore for 2 hours before our lab. Funny enough we headed into China Town- Yokohama has the biggest China town in the world outside of China! We were overwhelmed by sighs, smells, and seeing people, buildings, etc. I never realized how amazing it would be just to walk around and look around. Even though it was only 10am- We bought soup dumplings which were incredible- the first non ship food and they were insanely good- and only about 50cents! 

We headed back to the ship, debriefed with our class before, and headed on the bus to the Nissan plant. 30 minutes later we were at Nissan where we got a tour of the factory. Watching the cars go down the assembly line was fascinating. There were tons of robots but there were humans in every car doing the 10-15 things they were assigned to do in each car. I couldn't believe how much labor goes into each car and the monotonous task each worker has. After Nissan we listened to a woman who works at the US Embassy who was actually really boring and seemed very unprepared- that was a bummer but then we went out to dinner (about 30 of us from 3 different classes) at a Japanese restaurant where we all sat on the floor Japanese style and had food and sake- which sas paid for! That night we explored Yokohama a bit which is a cool city but were ready to head to Tokyo in the morning! 

Initial impressions:

 Amazingly clean, homogeneous- everyone is Japanese!, quiet (rarely honk even in big cities), silent on the trains, bridal stores everywhere, tons of people in face masks, most interesting snacks, drinks, and hot items in the convenient stores, tons of markets with street vendors, all restaurants have menus and pictures of their food outside- even in the non touristy places, amazing kindness of random people, girls in kimono wanting to take pictures with us!

The toilets- the most high tech toilets ever. All the toilets (hotels, restaurants, tourist sites, convenient stores, starbucks, etc) had these toilets that had heated seats (sooo nice), 3-7 buttons with sprays, noises, fans, and perfumes- it was so crazy. Every single bathroom I went in from random shop to hotel was immaculately clean with these fancy toilets- i still don't get it!

 

Tokyo: 

 We took the train from Yokohama to Tokyo in the morning and it was only about 45 minutes! Its always tough figuring out transpiration and takes longer than you expect to figure out the subway and train systems. I was traveling with my friends Ginger, Bridget, and Morgan. We checked into the hotel and met up with Erin, Jerry, Mike, and John to go explore. We went to the busiest intersection the world called Shibuya and just observed the people, cars, buildings, etc for a bit and walked around. We were starving at this point and finally decided on this noodle place where you order your food outside the restaurant in a sort of vending machine looking thing. You put in your money and press what you want and add sides and sauces then get a ticket and go inside where you watch the chefs make your noodles! They are noodles in broth and as we learned in orientation on the ship it is polite to slurp your noodles because it means you are enjoying them- everyone around us was slurping- so loud!

 Then we did some shopping and I was really cold and knew I needed a bigger jacket for Japan and especially China and I found an awesome one at a department store! It has already been absolutely amazing in keeping me very warm- very glad I decided to buy it! Then we headed back to the hotel to shower and change before dinner with Hiroe! 

 We took a cab to "Gonpachi" which was an incredible restaurant. When you enter there are pictures of all the celebrities who have gone there and you get to try their homemade ginger ale. It is the restaurant from the movie kill bill and we were able to sit upstairs overlooking the whole restaurant at traditional tables on the floor. The food was incredible and Hiroe and her 2 friends were so fun and nice! We tried beef tounge, eel and many other strange but yummy things. 

 After dinner we met up with a ton of SAS people and went to a club called Furia- it was really fun and we had a blast staying up late and enjoying the Tokyo nightlife! 

 The next morning I got everyone up and out of bed and out of the hotel at a surprisingly decent hour to begin sightseeing again! We wanted to start the day with a big group (around 10 people) and I was frustrated trying to get everyone organized, together and getting going- that is one thing we have already all learned- traveling is much easier in smaller groups and it is hard to see the sights with so many people. I found that everyone quickly realized this and people broke off into smaller groups and just made plans to meet up at different places later on- a much easier and way more fun way to see the country! 

That day we saw Asakoura- big temples with pagodas and tons of market shops and food vendors. Bridget, Morgan, and I walked around for a bit buying food everywhere and just splitting it 3 ways- it was really fun! our favorite thing that we literally couldn't stop talking about the whole trip was this hot crispy pancake shaped like a fish that was filled with the yummiest chocolate- they were made right in front of you and served piping hot! the temples were huge and gorgeous. We were totally obnoxious tourists taking pictures of everything and everyone. At one point a few of us were stopped by kids on a field trip who must have been told to survey tourists they saw and it was hilarious listening to their questions and hearing the boys answer the questions. Later that afternoon a few people broke off but Nik, Bridget, Ginger, Morgan and I went to another less crowded temple/ shrine/ garden area. It was really beautiful and more peaceful. Some old men gave us bread to feed the birds- reminded me of feeding the pigeons in Italy with Margaret and my mom when we were little! 

After this we were getting pretty tired and more people went back to the hotel but Nik and I continued on the subway line to the "Electric District" we were both expecting big flashing lights and crazy music but it was really just a busy street with tons of lights and stores selling electronics- we walked around for about 20 minutes then took the subway home. Back in the hotel was a brief nap/ champagne/ poke stick (chocolate pretzels) hang out time with the girls then shower and dinner! We tried to walk around and find a place for all 10 of us that were together but that was going to be impossible with no reservation on a Friday night so we broke up and bridget, morgan, ginger, and I ended up going to a pretty awful Chinese restaurant- we lied and told our other friends it was amazing when we saw them after though!!

 We ended up hanging out with the group after dinner and ended up going to bed relatively early because we wanted to hit the fish market early, early in the morning. The plan was to wake up at 4am to go to the Tuna Auction but only Ginger and Erin made it because they stayed out partying until then!! They said it was so cold and very cool to see but a bit over rated. Bridget, Morgan, and I definitely did it better because we slept till 7am then went to the wholesale market and vendor shops. It was incredible!!! I already posted some pictures but it was one of the coolest experiences of Japan. 

We saw the fishermen cut of huge slabs of meat off massive fish and hand them directly to chefs. Then we stood in line for 1.5 hours to get sushi for breakfast! There were about 10 hole in the wall teeny tiny restaurants with only one booth with about 10 seats each next to each other each with long lines (some down the block and 3+ hour waits. We decided to go for one of the shorter ones and were really nervous that it would not be as high quality because clearly long lines means good food. When we finally sat down to eat at the counter I got to sit next to this man who spoke very good English. As we started talking I learned that the restaurant we picked is actually one of the very best ones but doesn't have a long line because it is not written up in the Japanese and Chinese tour books!! This man always comes to it and the chefs always make his meal special and different each time according to the freshest fish. He was so kind and gave me a few things to try! I also learned that he works at Citi and goes to Virginia's office in NYC 2-3 times per year!! I told him all about Virg and what she does and what my internship is this summer and he was so excited and interested! As I mentioned in the previous post with the pictures- the sushi was indescribably amazing. About 10 different and distinct fish and they were all like nothing I have ever or will ever have again. Even the sticky rice and miso soup were to die for. Also side note: the soy sauce, ginger and wasabi at all the restaurants is a million times better than anything in the US.

So after the fish market that took much longer than expected- we were off to Kyoto!! Classic me and I felt like the mother duck leading about 8 of us to the subway then the train station. Figuring out tickets, directions, etc is always a challenge but we did it! 2.5 hours on the bullet train- 200+ mph with 10 of my best friends! Morgan sat next to an old couple who barely spoke english but were constantly feeding her snacks and at one point had her on the phone with an English speaking friend of theirs then they gave Morgan and me little homemade coin purses and money to put in them- they were so generous and kind! When we arrived in Kyoto, we ditched the boys, and got a taxi to our Ryokan!

 

Kyoto

As you probably saw from the pictures I posted- the experience we had in the Ryokan was unbelievable. It was definitely a splurge but well worth it. Our lady who served us was so kind and had the cutest way of saying things like more tea and more rice and her reaction to taking pictures of us in our kimono was hilarious as she tried to figure out how to use the camera. The baths were so relaxing, the 9 courses of food so incredible, and our futons for sleeping so cozy! When our lady came to wake us up for "Shower time" in the morning we didn't want to get up! We showered, bathed, relaxed and had a traditional Japanese breakfast. Salmon, rice, seaweed salad, soft poached egg, crystalized grapefruit, sticky rice, tofu, miso, beans, pickles, veggies…… it was sooo much food!

We left our bags there and got suggestions for temples to see for the day. As we were leaving we put our shoes back on (which were heated and warm!) and they took pictures of us. As we were walking down the long one way road the man and woman who served us stood outside and waved till we were completely out of sight about 400 yards away- it was so cute! Along the way we would occasionally run into other kids on sas, which was always fun to compare trips so far and see what other groups were up to!

As for sight seeing we met up with the guys and saw a bunch of beautiful temples, gardens, historic shrines, and pagodas. There are bigger complexes with more extensive moats, paths, gardens, etc but also you will be walking down the one way grid work streets of Kyoto and come upon shines and temples every quarter mile! It was really amazing. Everywhere was so peaceful and quiet and most of the streets were very calm, quiet and not busy at all- very few walkers and bikers and barely any cars on the one way streets. In the afternoon we went to the Market Street which had lots of out door vendors and shops which was very fun to see! We got some fried rice and dumplings at a restaurant then decided we wanted to see the "Golden Temple". After getting in the cab we realized this temple was closing so we went to another one, which ended up being really cool! We strolled around for a while then took our time walking back to the Ryokan stopping in the many cute shops and little vendors all the way back to the hotel. We grabbed our bags and headed for the train station for the 50 minute train ride to Kobe.

 

Kobe

 Upon arrival in Kobe, bags and all, we met up with the guys at a bar for some drinks and catching up. We stayed out a bit then headed back to the ship. Bridget was out a bit later than morgan and me and had a bit of an adventure…. She was required to be back at the ship at midnight because she had a required field lab but she had a bit too much fun at the bar and time was running down and the boys were being slow and annoying so she clocked in at 11:58 (2 minutes shy of having to stay on the boat for 2 extra hours in Shanghai… being that close to ship time is stressful enough!) that was lucky but upon getting onto the ship, she realized her bag with all clothes and lap top was still in the cab. After tears, cookies, and much freaking out she went to bed and when we woke up to go check on the situation, her backpack was at the front desk of the ship after being dropped off by the taxi driver that morning- wow- that was insanely lucky.

Morgan and I did Kobe by ourselves today. We had the best conversations and probably walked over 5 miles. We took a tram to the top of the city but the views were non existent because it was too cloudy- kind of a bummer.

As we were figuring out how to get to the tram the nicest man who barely spoke English decided to help us and told us to follow him- we followed him not really talking (because we couldn't understand each other at all!) and all of a sudden he points to a building (which we would never have found on our own) and says "I go home now" and starts walking in the opposite direction- he totally didn't have to help us and walk us but he did- so kind! we met up with a life long learner along the way who was very nice and loved talking to us! We walked down off the mountain and into the city which really isn't very pretty or cute at all. As we were walking we went into the Kobe Patisserie College and split the best chocolate croissant and a custard pastry then the chef brought out another cake for us to try- it was so yummy and nice of her! 

We walked around more and when we went into a chocolate shop, we met the owner who is a Belgian guy and we talked to him for a bit. All day as we were walking we knew we wanted to get Kobe beef and kept our eyes open but knew it would be hard to find an authentic place- so we asked him if he had any recommendations and as luck would have it one of the best places that is the hidden gem of the locals was about a block away. He said its impossible to get into and probably full for that day. We went by and outside was a small sign in Japanese and English that said full, no seats today. We went in anyways, worked our magic and they agreed to seat us as their last lunch costumers! Holy moly- this beef was insanely good. Literally like butter. They cut it and cooked it right in front of us like at a hibachi place- but it was just for the 2 of us! The chefs were so precise and careful as they cooked the beef- it was so cool to watch. As he was serving us each slice of meat from the fillet went up in the grade so by the end it was even better than the beginning- which is hard to imagine! He has us try it first dipped in salt, then pepper, then soy, then another sauce, then we go to do eat it how we wanted. It was also served with veggies and more sticky rice (no shortage of that in Japan!) the meal ended with the most refreshing grapefruit sorbet and coffee. After the richness of the beef it was perfect.

After the meal we made our way back the ship! I have spent about 2.5 hours writing this post and I can hardly believe this was only our first real port (besides Hawaii). What I have learned and experienced in these 6 days alone is beyond what I could ever imagine. We are already back out on the water (still no email so I will post this in the morning) and we only 2 days on the ship till Shanghai! It is going to be so fun hearing about other people's adventures- makes you realize how much the different countries have to offer and the variety of things you can do and see.  I need to do a bit more reading up on the things we need to make sure to do and see in China and basically plan Vietnam! Oh and do some school work.

 

I am absolutely exhausted after these 6 days so going to head to bed!