Tamatown, Hachi, and Fast Food

Japanese people responded to us by staring and giggling. Not usually good for the ego, but in this case understood. Early morning walks waiting for the others to wake up were a staple for Lisa and I. It was a nice chance to escape the apartment (which was heavily laden with tension) and explore the neighborhood. We ran into school children on their way to school. The school was 3 stories tall and larger than any elementary school I have ever seen. With their bright yellow hats they looked like little ducklings on their way to class. When they saw two "Gaijin" (outsiders) walking down the street, they would literally stop and stare at us. We had two girls approach us and say "Hi" and then cover their mouths and giggle when we answered back. One can almost imagine the exchange they had with their teacher back at school about the "conversation" they had in English on the way to school.

After passing the school we found the real gem of the neighborhood, a local cemetery complete with shrine. It was the coolest one we saw the entire trip. Their were statues galore. One of a tiny Japanese man with a broom, a scary looking dragon, tiny Buddhas, and many other effigies I have no idea what they were. There was a pretty little garden attached to the graveyard.




















My favorite part of our morning walks-- seeing all the crazy signage posted around the town. There were signs that I have no idea what they were trying to say, as well as others that were plenty clear about poop and animals. The was no shortage of interesting pictures that admonished the Japanese to follow the rules.



















My adventure in Tokyo with sticker shock continued at the grocery store. With every cell in my body begging me for some fresh food, Lisa and I stopped at the grocery store in the basement of the train station. I was excited to get some yummy fruit, that is until I saw the prices. It was $10 for a Mango, $5 for a cantaloupe, and $9 for a small container of cherries. I settled on some apples at $1.50 a piece. Lucky for me later in the trip we were gifted a box of clementines and a beautiful, tasty mango (the best I have ever had.)

After the walk, we accompanied David to the American Embassy to fill out some paperwork to make it possible for him to get married in Japan. Kurtis and Lisa waited outside while David and I went in. It was a high security, glorified DMV, with lots of waiting and taking of numbers. David jumped through his bureaucratic hoops, and then we returned to the apartment to pick up my Mom and Lynn to take them back to Harajuku.





They were all sad they had missed it when we came home telling tales of our adventures. We took a second trip back as a big group. It wasn't the same. My mom and Lynn had a much different pace than the rest of us.







Lynn would get side tracked by something shiny (or a McDonalds-- every McDonalds) and go M.I.A. in the middle of town. We would all then have to go look for him before moving on. His manic energy paired with my mom's lack thereof was an exhausting combination. In every train station, they would be unable to figure out how to get through a gate without holding up half of Tokyo. David was upset Lynn was even in the country (David asked my mom to not bring him to his wedding) and the tension with all of us was thick. Tokyo was much better when it was just Lisa and I (also Kurtis, who was an amazingly fun travel buddy).









While we were hunting for Lynn, I found Tamatown. It was a destination my kids were excited for me to see. It is home to Tamagatchis and my kids love those annoying little buggers.








What I learned at Tamatown: They sell Tamagatchi donuts. Who knew? Not my kids, they were jealous I had been there and they have not. They were a bit less jealous when I told them I did not eat any Tama donuts. I am sure they thought that a great waste of a trip to Japan.

After entering every McDonalds in Harajuku, we headed to the busiest intersection in the world in Shibuya. The mass of pedestrians that cross that intersection at each light cycle was staggering. Shoulder to shoulder spanning the entire width of the street. Millions every day. Mind boggling.


Shibuya station is also home to the statue of Hachiko the dog. My kids had just watched the movie "Hachi" which was based on the true story of this dog who came to the train station, loyally, waiting for his owner to come home even after he passed away. The movie stars Richard Gere and looks like it was set in Connecticut. Based on my Hollywood information of the story, I had no idea that it was a story from Japan. It is also a perfect meeting place in front of that busy train station, one that we often used.






We spent about an hour looking around for a Vegan restaurant that was listed in my guidebook. David asked around the neighborhood where it was supposed to be, and it had been closed for 5 years. Hungry and out of patience, he then took us to the Japanese equivalent to fast food, a chain noodle shop. I spent exactly $1.00 to get a bowl of miso and a plate of corn and lettuce (absolutely the only two edible items on the menu). After that, Lisa and I banned David from picking out any more food for us! It was getting late, and we were all burning out. We looked around for Karaoke, because what would a trip to Japan be without Karaoke? We found several places, but after being together all afternoon, no one was really in the mood to actually go in.





We headed home and watched David watch bad Japanese T.V. That was a show in itself, He thought the comedians were so hilarious. The rest of us just really didn't get it.