Well according to the Japanese in Japan, I do. But I don't think I look Japanese, and no one at least in Canada has mistaken me to be Japanese. To every shop I went, and even at the tourist spots (where obviously foreigners are the norm, especially in Tokyo), the employees would assume I was Japanese (or a Japanese tourist) and try to talk to me in Japanese. Even the the lady at the convenie in Utoro who gave me directions to the campsite thought I was Japanese, was surprised when I told her I was Canadian, and then indicated to me that I looked Japanese (I think I already mentioned that before haha). And it doesn't stop there: I was actually approached by Japanese tourists for directions (even when I had my day pack with the Canadian flag on it) in Sapporo, Kyoto, and Amanohashidate! Even the Japanese tourists I met in Tottori were surprised to learn I wasn't Japanese. If I wasn't wearing my day pack or my camera (ie. not looking like a complete tourist), while walking the streets of Susukino in Sapporo at night, the promoters of the girl clubs would approach me on the street as if I was any other Japanese man (they don't approach foreign tourists). In my opinion, it sucked that I looked like a Japanese to them, because I missed out on all the extra extended assistance the Japanese provide to noticeable foreigners (eg. if you're white). Of course, that also meant I didn't get stared at sometimes in places where the Japanese still aren't used to that many foreigners, but to me that's nothing. I heard so many stories from other backpackers I met in Japan (all white by the way) about how they were approached on the street by Japanese people, asked if they spoke English and could spare some time conversing in English (so that the Japanese people could practise their English with a native speaker), and then were treated to things the normal tourist in Japan would not get to experience (like being taken out to a nice Japanese dinner for free - I spoke to a guy who was even treated to a free Kobe beef dinner(!) - or given a personal tour of the local Japanese person's home city). And it's not like the ones who were approached even had to do anything special or go out of their way to help the Japanese practise their English - the Japanese person would either just follow the backpacker wherever he was going, or show the backpacker some local sights around town (which most backpackers prefer to the heavily developed tourist attractions). So of course looking like a Japanese person, I was never approached since no one would expect me to be a native English speaker.
And just when I thought it was only the Japanese in Japan that thought I was Japanese, when I got to New Zealand, the hostel I first stayed at in Auckland had a Japanese girl working there, who asked me when we first met "Nihonjin desu ka?" (Are you Japanese?), and again was surprised to learn I wasn't Japanese. By the way, there are a surprising number of Japanese tourists and "working holiday" workers here in New Zealand. I didn't think I'd be hearing so much Japanese (in certain parts) for a while after leaving Japan.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
A "last supper" for my last night in Japan
I spent my final day in Japan just chilling out in Tokyo, soaking in every last bit of Japanese culture I could. I actually spent the majority of the day trying to find a sports store that might carry a Hokkaido Nippon-ham Fighters jersey, which as you might expect was quite hard outside of Hokkaido, especially in Tokyo (since they have their own team). Not the way I envisioned my last full day in Japan to be, but at least it gave me something to do, as I had no idea what to do (though I did know I wanted to do as many "Japanese things" as possible). So it was a failed day long mission, but going to the suggested sport stores got me to see areas of Tokyo I had missed the first time I was there, including the Ueno area and the area around the Tokyo Dome (home to the Yomiuri Giants).
At Ameyayokocho, a shopping street filled with shops selling cheap clothes, sporting goods, and various foods, just south of the Ueno station. I spotted the coffee shop while walking along - the blue neon sign is what surprised me (1st photo; what's makes a coffee shop "Canadian" anyway?).
Stopping for lunch just outside Ueno station in a noodle shop. I had cold soba noodles with tempura. The tempura was especially good, a bit saltier than the tempura I've had before but it wasn't overly salty and it only enhanced the flavours.
Back in the Shibuya area. There was some big replica of a bowl of noodles outside of the mall Shibuya 109, which is where I went. Shibuya 109 sells only stuff for women, but one of the guys at the hostel recommended going there just to "sightsee" hahaha. Wasn't my thing though...dressing like a stripper seems to be the current trend among girls in Tokyo. Then I stopped for some ice cream at the Baskin Robbins there (which are so much better than the ones here - they have a whole menu of seasonal specials of flavours and combinations, as well as limited monthly flavours). I had the green tea ice cream special (I don't remember the name) - green tea ice cream, topped with whipped cream, mochi cubes dusted in matcha (green tea powder), a piece of chocolate, and a white ball that was like a mix of icing with mochi (I don't know what it was, it was sweet like icing and had a slight mochi texture) that was also dusted with matcha. Very good and worth the money!
Back in Takeshita-dori. I wanted to see the crazy fashion of Tokyo one last time. I guess I wasn't the only one since it was packed (as you can see in the 1st photo). I made a couple more food stops too (I wasn't kidding about loosening my budget for food in Japan)! I had a very cheesy (and small) cheeseburger at another burger chain in Japan called Lotteria (2nd and 3rd photos), then for a crepe at one of the many crepe stands in the alley (4th and 5th photos; it's the "thing" to do while doing some shopping in Takeshita-dori, and as you can see, there are more varieties than you could imagine, both sweet and savoury; I had no. 92, which had azuki paste, a few mochi balls, whipped cream, and a couple of green tea flavoured fish-shaped things with a texture I could best describe as a cross between jelly and tiramisu). Then I stopped for a quick cold coffee drink (a "Caffee Latte") from the convenie there - it was rich (it's supposed to be made with cream from Hokkaido) and had a sweetness and flavour similar to the Starbucks bottled coffee drinks (6th photo). And in a surprising failure at English translation in Tokyo, see if you can spot the 2 goofs on the signs that were hung along the alley.
At the Tokyo Dome area, as the sun started to set (the sun was going down at 6PM pretty much everyday I was in Japan), complete with a shopping walkway, an amusement park, and hotels. The sport store at the stadium actually had a couple Nippon-ham Fighter jerseys, but they were either blank or had the name of a player I didn't want (I was looking for a Tsuboi jersey). It ended up being the only shop I visited that actually even had Nippon-ham Fighter
jerseys.
My final dinner in Japan that could have been my final dinner ever(!) at Tettiri (a Tiger fugu specialty restaurant in Asakusa recommended by the hostel) - a light (yet pricey; the sashimi was almost 1000 yen alone and almost 750 yen for the drink) meal of fugu sashimi and hiresake (3rd photo; it's hot sake served with dried fins from the Tiger fugu...the server lit the sake on fire to roast the fins and then mixed it back into the sake). It was worth the money though just to try both. And I'm still alive! It's funny how things work out: the Kaminari-mon was the first site I visited on my first full day in Japan, and it was the last site I visited on my last full day in Japan, literally bringing my travels in Japan around in a full circle! For those that don't know, fugu is blowfish, and the meat could be potentially fatal to eat (the blowfish produces a highly potent toxin) if the meat is not cut properly from the blowfish. The meat itself is very chewy and didn't have too much flavour, but the lime, and the red paste (I don't know what it was) mixed into the soy sauce like wasabi gave the meat quite a flavour (it's supposed to enhance the flavour of the meat) - I mostly tasted the lime and the red paste that had a little heat to it. It looks like they gave me a lot of sashimi, but they are sliced very thin. The last photo is of a live Tiger fugu in a tank at the restaurant...to think that thing could have killed me haha.
A variety pack of mochi cream desserts I picked up at the Mochi Cream shop in one of the basements of the malls next to Tokyo station (I bought it before dinner and ate it after as a celebration of my last night in Japan). It was quite pricey, but like I said, I loosened up my food budget. They're not really daifukus, and it's not ice cream but fresh cream (with a consistency very close to ice cream, especially since you need to store them in the fridge, but it was better than ice cream in my opinion). 7 came in the box, and it was surprisingly very filling (it's a good thing I ate a very light dinner). In the order shown, the flavours that came in the pack (it was a pre-packed special) were green tea, blueberry, chocolate, sweet potato, banana, raspberry white chocolate, and coffee.
I had the chance to go out with some other backpackers that night to the clubs in Roppongi, but they were planning on staying out the whole night and not return to the hostel until the morning when the subway re-opened. For some reason, I felt way too tired to even attempt that (plus it would've been quite expensive), so I decided just to chill out at the hostel with some other backpackers and enjoy Japanese game shows on TV one last time. As you can tell, I made a point of trying some last snacks (from the 7-11 a few seconds walk from the hostel), including Sapporo Classic (which I thought they didn't export outside Hokkaido?) and Yebisu Premium Ale Malt (which I didn't try before), and a bag of banana chips (half chocolate coated) and potato sticks (you'd expect them to be salty right? well I was, but they ended up having a sweet coating!). It was all great (and the snacks were pretty good despite being a little too sweet all together). At the end of the night, I was actually glad I just got to chill out with good snacks and conversation and some pretty funny TV, instead of trying to nurse a hangover/all-nighter combo before my 5 hour flight back to Hong Kong the next day.
I had an afternoon flight on the 10th (Sunday), so I decided to grab some breakfast and do a rushed trip on the subway (which I tried soak up for one last time!) to Harajuku to see if I could catch a glimpse of the weekly cosplay gathering at Harajuku. I was told they showed up on Sunday afternoon, but I was hoping there would be a few that morning to at least make my trip there worth it...well Tokyo let me down again for one last time hahaha. So I headed back to the hostel, checked out and picked up my bags, picked up a snack for the long train ride to the airport, and I was off to Narita. To be honest, I was actually a bit sad that morning, knowing it would be my last time in Japan.
My last breakfast in Japan. This is not what I typically ate except for the fruit and veggie juice (I usually just had a bun); I had a bowl of tempura udon, a carton of fruit and veggie juice, and a Starbucks Kyoto matcha latte.
At Harajuku. As you can tell, there was no one in cosplay there yet, and I only had 5 minutes to hang around there to see if anyone would come (I was planning on just snapping a few quick photos if there were people already there). The closest thing I saw to cosplay was a girl who was crossing the street outside the train station that had a big hat on with different flowers on it, which doesn't really count as cosplay (2nd photo).
My snack on the train ride to the airport, consisting of the Aquarius energy drink (the most common energy drink brand in Japan, at least as I saw it) and a typical Japanese snack, an onigiri (a triangle-shaped rice ball with some filling inside, wrapped in a dry seaweed sheet).
In the Narita airport.
My last meal in Japan! Another case of "everything works out for a reason." I had a few coins left, and a few bills left, which I didn't want to break (since you can't change the coins at the banks outside Japan to another currency). I had a 500 yen coin, and a couple smaller value coins (less than 100 yen). I needed to grab some food for lunch since my flight wasn't until a little later in the afternoon, and I passed by a restaurant that was having a set meal special that cost exactly 500 yen (so I was able to use up that considerably valuable coin)! It wasn't much (obviously, especially considering I'm eating in the airport), just a small bowl of chicken and mushrooms over rice, miso soup, and some pickled cucumbers, but it was enough to hold me over until my meal on the flight.
Walking around the airport.
My plane out of Japan.
Even as I was about to leave, Japan found ways to continue to amuse me! The Japanese ground crew were doing stretches, with everyone in a large circle doing the same stretch at the same time in the same intervals. It was very amusing to watch (I doubt our ground crews do anything like this).
One last photo in Japan (the board in the back says Hong Kong in Chinese).
The bottle of very nice sake I picked up in one of the basement shops in Daimaru, next to Tokyo station. I forgot to buy a bottle before I left Hokkaido (which I've been told makes some of the best sake in Japan), but I managed to find exactly what I was looking for in Tokyo! It was a bottle of Otokoyama (said to be the best sake producer in Hokkaido) Junmai Daiginjo (the highest class of sake). Luckily I had the help of the only lady who worked there who could speak English to help me find it. As you can tell, I paid quite a bit for it (obviously) - 5,069 yen (which is about $62 CDN).
The set of sake serving bottle and cups which I bought at the gift shop in the airport (I completely forgot to buy a set in Tokyo); how could I buy a nice bottle of sake and not have the proper utensils to enjoy it? It was a pretty reasonable price though (I remember it being around $12 CDN).
At Ameyayokocho, a shopping street filled with shops selling cheap clothes, sporting goods, and various foods, just south of the Ueno station. I spotted the coffee shop while walking along - the blue neon sign is what surprised me (1st photo; what's makes a coffee shop "Canadian" anyway?).
Stopping for lunch just outside Ueno station in a noodle shop. I had cold soba noodles with tempura. The tempura was especially good, a bit saltier than the tempura I've had before but it wasn't overly salty and it only enhanced the flavours.
Back in the Shibuya area. There was some big replica of a bowl of noodles outside of the mall Shibuya 109, which is where I went. Shibuya 109 sells only stuff for women, but one of the guys at the hostel recommended going there just to "sightsee" hahaha. Wasn't my thing though...dressing like a stripper seems to be the current trend among girls in Tokyo. Then I stopped for some ice cream at the Baskin Robbins there (which are so much better than the ones here - they have a whole menu of seasonal specials of flavours and combinations, as well as limited monthly flavours). I had the green tea ice cream special (I don't remember the name) - green tea ice cream, topped with whipped cream, mochi cubes dusted in matcha (green tea powder), a piece of chocolate, and a white ball that was like a mix of icing with mochi (I don't know what it was, it was sweet like icing and had a slight mochi texture) that was also dusted with matcha. Very good and worth the money!
Back in Takeshita-dori. I wanted to see the crazy fashion of Tokyo one last time. I guess I wasn't the only one since it was packed (as you can see in the 1st photo). I made a couple more food stops too (I wasn't kidding about loosening my budget for food in Japan)! I had a very cheesy (and small) cheeseburger at another burger chain in Japan called Lotteria (2nd and 3rd photos), then for a crepe at one of the many crepe stands in the alley (4th and 5th photos; it's the "thing" to do while doing some shopping in Takeshita-dori, and as you can see, there are more varieties than you could imagine, both sweet and savoury; I had no. 92, which had azuki paste, a few mochi balls, whipped cream, and a couple of green tea flavoured fish-shaped things with a texture I could best describe as a cross between jelly and tiramisu). Then I stopped for a quick cold coffee drink (a "Caffee Latte") from the convenie there - it was rich (it's supposed to be made with cream from Hokkaido) and had a sweetness and flavour similar to the Starbucks bottled coffee drinks (6th photo). And in a surprising failure at English translation in Tokyo, see if you can spot the 2 goofs on the signs that were hung along the alley.
At the Tokyo Dome area, as the sun started to set (the sun was going down at 6PM pretty much everyday I was in Japan), complete with a shopping walkway, an amusement park, and hotels. The sport store at the stadium actually had a couple Nippon-ham Fighter jerseys, but they were either blank or had the name of a player I didn't want (I was looking for a Tsuboi jersey). It ended up being the only shop I visited that actually even had Nippon-ham Fighter
jerseys.
My final dinner in Japan that could have been my final dinner ever(!) at Tettiri (a Tiger fugu specialty restaurant in Asakusa recommended by the hostel) - a light (yet pricey; the sashimi was almost 1000 yen alone and almost 750 yen for the drink) meal of fugu sashimi and hiresake (3rd photo; it's hot sake served with dried fins from the Tiger fugu...the server lit the sake on fire to roast the fins and then mixed it back into the sake). It was worth the money though just to try both. And I'm still alive! It's funny how things work out: the Kaminari-mon was the first site I visited on my first full day in Japan, and it was the last site I visited on my last full day in Japan, literally bringing my travels in Japan around in a full circle! For those that don't know, fugu is blowfish, and the meat could be potentially fatal to eat (the blowfish produces a highly potent toxin) if the meat is not cut properly from the blowfish. The meat itself is very chewy and didn't have too much flavour, but the lime, and the red paste (I don't know what it was) mixed into the soy sauce like wasabi gave the meat quite a flavour (it's supposed to enhance the flavour of the meat) - I mostly tasted the lime and the red paste that had a little heat to it. It looks like they gave me a lot of sashimi, but they are sliced very thin. The last photo is of a live Tiger fugu in a tank at the restaurant...to think that thing could have killed me haha.
A variety pack of mochi cream desserts I picked up at the Mochi Cream shop in one of the basements of the malls next to Tokyo station (I bought it before dinner and ate it after as a celebration of my last night in Japan). It was quite pricey, but like I said, I loosened up my food budget. They're not really daifukus, and it's not ice cream but fresh cream (with a consistency very close to ice cream, especially since you need to store them in the fridge, but it was better than ice cream in my opinion). 7 came in the box, and it was surprisingly very filling (it's a good thing I ate a very light dinner). In the order shown, the flavours that came in the pack (it was a pre-packed special) were green tea, blueberry, chocolate, sweet potato, banana, raspberry white chocolate, and coffee.
I had the chance to go out with some other backpackers that night to the clubs in Roppongi, but they were planning on staying out the whole night and not return to the hostel until the morning when the subway re-opened. For some reason, I felt way too tired to even attempt that (plus it would've been quite expensive), so I decided just to chill out at the hostel with some other backpackers and enjoy Japanese game shows on TV one last time. As you can tell, I made a point of trying some last snacks (from the 7-11 a few seconds walk from the hostel), including Sapporo Classic (which I thought they didn't export outside Hokkaido?) and Yebisu Premium Ale Malt (which I didn't try before), and a bag of banana chips (half chocolate coated) and potato sticks (you'd expect them to be salty right? well I was, but they ended up having a sweet coating!). It was all great (and the snacks were pretty good despite being a little too sweet all together). At the end of the night, I was actually glad I just got to chill out with good snacks and conversation and some pretty funny TV, instead of trying to nurse a hangover/all-nighter combo before my 5 hour flight back to Hong Kong the next day.
I had an afternoon flight on the 10th (Sunday), so I decided to grab some breakfast and do a rushed trip on the subway (which I tried soak up for one last time!) to Harajuku to see if I could catch a glimpse of the weekly cosplay gathering at Harajuku. I was told they showed up on Sunday afternoon, but I was hoping there would be a few that morning to at least make my trip there worth it...well Tokyo let me down again for one last time hahaha. So I headed back to the hostel, checked out and picked up my bags, picked up a snack for the long train ride to the airport, and I was off to Narita. To be honest, I was actually a bit sad that morning, knowing it would be my last time in Japan.
My last breakfast in Japan. This is not what I typically ate except for the fruit and veggie juice (I usually just had a bun); I had a bowl of tempura udon, a carton of fruit and veggie juice, and a Starbucks Kyoto matcha latte.
At Harajuku. As you can tell, there was no one in cosplay there yet, and I only had 5 minutes to hang around there to see if anyone would come (I was planning on just snapping a few quick photos if there were people already there). The closest thing I saw to cosplay was a girl who was crossing the street outside the train station that had a big hat on with different flowers on it, which doesn't really count as cosplay (2nd photo).
My snack on the train ride to the airport, consisting of the Aquarius energy drink (the most common energy drink brand in Japan, at least as I saw it) and a typical Japanese snack, an onigiri (a triangle-shaped rice ball with some filling inside, wrapped in a dry seaweed sheet).
In the Narita airport.
My last meal in Japan! Another case of "everything works out for a reason." I had a few coins left, and a few bills left, which I didn't want to break (since you can't change the coins at the banks outside Japan to another currency). I had a 500 yen coin, and a couple smaller value coins (less than 100 yen). I needed to grab some food for lunch since my flight wasn't until a little later in the afternoon, and I passed by a restaurant that was having a set meal special that cost exactly 500 yen (so I was able to use up that considerably valuable coin)! It wasn't much (obviously, especially considering I'm eating in the airport), just a small bowl of chicken and mushrooms over rice, miso soup, and some pickled cucumbers, but it was enough to hold me over until my meal on the flight.
Walking around the airport.
My plane out of Japan.
Even as I was about to leave, Japan found ways to continue to amuse me! The Japanese ground crew were doing stretches, with everyone in a large circle doing the same stretch at the same time in the same intervals. It was very amusing to watch (I doubt our ground crews do anything like this).
One last photo in Japan (the board in the back says Hong Kong in Chinese).
The bottle of very nice sake I picked up in one of the basement shops in Daimaru, next to Tokyo station. I forgot to buy a bottle before I left Hokkaido (which I've been told makes some of the best sake in Japan), but I managed to find exactly what I was looking for in Tokyo! It was a bottle of Otokoyama (said to be the best sake producer in Hokkaido) Junmai Daiginjo (the highest class of sake). Luckily I had the help of the only lady who worked there who could speak English to help me find it. As you can tell, I paid quite a bit for it (obviously) - 5,069 yen (which is about $62 CDN).
The set of sake serving bottle and cups which I bought at the gift shop in the airport (I completely forgot to buy a set in Tokyo); how could I buy a nice bottle of sake and not have the proper utensils to enjoy it? It was a pretty reasonable price though (I remember it being around $12 CDN).
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Yokohama: Another port city beauty
The typhoon had safely passed Tokyo, so the next day, all the JR lines in Tokyo were back up and running (except for some delays on just a few lines because of ongoing repairs), so I was again able to leave Tokyo to explore the nearby areas. I decided to cut my losses with Hakone and head to the adjacent city of Yokohama, which I wanted to visit more than Hakone anyway. But to be honest, I had no idea what to see in Yokohama, and made up a route after getting the tourist map at Yokohama. And I enjoyed Yokohama, it was another nice port city, and a very nice change from Tokyo. I spent the entire day just walking around the city, and I managed to cover most of it and more importantly, everything I wanted to see. The biggest attraction for most people is its Chinatown, which is the biggest one in Japan, but Yokohama has a lot more to offer. I'll let the pictures do the talking.
At Yokohama.
A wall leading to the connected Porta Underground Shopping Mall.
At the Nissan global headquarters! I didn't even know it was in Yokohama, I just so happened to pass it and once I saw it, I knew I had to take a look inside. The 5th photo is of the Nissan Cube, which has an interestingly designed rear. The 3rd and 4th photos are of the new Nissan Skyline GT, and of course, I had to try sitting inside it...it was awesome just to sit inside; the interior was stylish, classy, and matched everything the Skyline name is known for.
At the Yokohama F-Marinos (Yokohama's soccer club in Japan's pro league) soccer club facilities, where they just happened to be practising when I passed by. There was an older Japanese lady watching the practice with binoculars(!); quite amusing haha.
Taking a coffee break at the Lawson outside the soccer facilities. Cold coffee in cans and aluminum bottles are quite popular in Japan. I saw the "Silky" name and had to give it a try - it was just regular black coffee, but pretty smooth - but I like why they decided to name it Silky (read the side of the bottle).
Walking through Rinko Park (Seaside Park), taking in the great views of: the Exhibition Hall, the National Convention Hall, and the Intercontinental The Grand Yokohama (the hotel shaped like a sail) (1st photo), the park (2nd photo), Pacifico Yokohama (3rd photo; there was a constant stream of Japanese men and women in business suits passing by at regular intervals, coming from the Exhibition Hall - it looked like an assembly line of Japanese business people haha), the Intercontinental The Grand with the National Convention Hall reflecting off its glass (4th photo), overlooking the Yokohama CosmowWorld (Amusement Park) (5th photo), and finally arriving at The Landmark Tower Yokohama (6th photo), with a look inside the mall area of the Tower (last photo; there was a lady performing on the piano and a surprisingly large crowd...don't people have to work?).
Looking for a place to eat lunch inside the mall on the bottom floors of the Tower. There was a Sizzler (1st photo; I don't even remember the last time I saw one in Canada)! But I eventually settled on eating at The Kirin Beer Hall (2nd photo; Kirin is another one of Japan's big beer breweries). I had the Kirin Black (I like dark beers, but it was even lighter than the Asahi Black!) and fried dough with curry chicken and cheese spinach dip, and it was actually pretty good!
About to go on the Moving Walkway, a long stretch of moving walkways.
At Nippon-Maru Memorial Park, with a look at the Nippon Maru (now used as a sail training ship), inside the Yokohama Maritime Museum (2nd photo; I didn't pay to go all the way inside to the exhibits, it didn't interest me), the adjoining children's amusement park (3rd photo), and overlooking Yokohama CosmoWorld (last photo).
Walking along the aptly named Shinko Circle Walk, a circular elevated walkway above an intersection, after having briefly walked through the Yokohama World Porters shopping mall (nothing special, just another giant mall).
At Aka Renga Park (Red Brick Warehouse Park), with a look at the Aka Renga Soko (the Red Brick Warehouse).
Osambashi-futo, the long wooden boardwalk which holds the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal (for the ferries) and the Osambashi Hall at the very end (4th photo). The most interesting part was obviously the design of the floor and stairs. But the best part was the scene of Yokohama from the boardwalk. The Yokohama Bay Bridge is in the 5th photo (it lights up at night and is supposed to be quite a scene). There were 2 guys doing cardio training, running up and down the slope in front of the Osambashi Hall (8th photo). See if you can spot the towers in the last photo that are indicated in giant markings in the 8th photo. I really liked how the subtle shades of the dark rain clouds came out.
Stopped for a green grape flavoured popsicle from the vending machine at the entrance to Osambashi-futo.
Yamashita Park, along the port, with several statues, including the India Water Tower (1st photo), Statue of a Little Girl with Red Shoes On (2nd photo), Statue of Guardian God of Water (4th photo), and finally arriving at a strangely named bridge at the far east end of the park (last photo) - it was called Porin Bridge on the tourist map (but it actually looked like Porn Bridge because of the fold in the map), but when I got there, it was actually labelled as Pauline Bridge on the tourist sign (the name of my mom).
At Minato-no-Mieru Oka Koen (Harbour View Park in English). The first part is called France-yama (1st photo), and the rest of the photos are from the top of the viewing area of the park. I really liked how the Bay Bridge came out in the photo; the clouds over Yokohama that day were doing great things (and it surprisingly didn't rain even though it looked like it would). The viewing area (last photo) is a popular date night spot (see if you can read some of the engravings on the pillar in the 3rd photo; they're all over all the pillars).
At the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery, where foreigners in Yokohama were buried back in the day. The last photo is of the area where the Catholics were buried. Unfortunately, entrance into the actual graveyard was closed because they were doing some maintenance...there were supposed to be some tombstones with interesting epitaphs.
Christ Church of The Bluff (The Bluff is the name for the area north and east of the Foreign Cemetery, and is a very rich area - I saw some very nice houses while walking along).
Catholic Yamate Church.
In the garden of the Gaikokanno-ie (or Diplomat's House in English), with a view of the house. I just looked around the small garden since it cost money to enter the house. There were some decent views of the city though (since The Bluff is elevated compared to the rest of the city). Then I spent the next 5 minutes trying to find my way back down west towards the city centre because the map wasn't too clear for that area.
In Yokohama's famous Chinatown. There were many gates at the entrances to Chinatown (like I said, it was huge). Some of the more notable sites in Chinatown included the Seiyo-mon gate (1st photo), Enpei-mon (2nd photo), Zenrin-mon (4th photo), Chikyu-mon (5th photo), Kantei-byo (6th photo), one of 2 Ichiba dori-mon (8th photo), Yokohama Masobyo as seen from Yamashita-cho koen (9th photo), The Yokohama Daisekai with Tercho-mon in front (10th photo; it looked like some giant Chinese temple on the map but it was actually just a big building full of Chinese restaurants and food shops), Choyo-mon (112h photo), Hong Kong Road (14th photo), Shanghai Road (15th photo), an interestingly designed Western restaurant (with the front of a trolley on the front wall) in Chinatown (strange?) (17th photo), and Genbu-mon (last photo). I visited every one of the 10 gates in Chinatown except the Suzaku-mon.
At the back of Yokohama Stadium, home of the Yokohama BayStars, inside Yokohama Park. There were a lot of old Japanese tourists (in the yellow hats) haha.
Jack's Tower up close (actually the Port Memorial Opening Hall).
Queen's Tower up close (actually the Yokohama Custom House).
King's Tower, as close as I could get while getting a decent shot of the tower (actually the Kanagawa Prefectual Government building).
The hand prints of the Yokohama BayStars team that won the division championship several years ago. I accidentally stumbled upon it while walking back to the JR Kannai station (I figured after walking all day, I'd catch the local train back across Yokohama to the JR Yokohama station to head back to Tokyo).
A little snack when I got back to Tokyo, from another French pastry shop in the basement of the Daimaru mall next to Tokyo station. The bun on the left was a deep-fried hot dog bun (very good!) and the one on the right was green tea bread (the dough was actually green!). I should have remembered to take a photo of the inside of the bread after I took a bite. It was sweet (mainly because of the green tea flavoured icing) and very tasty, and the dough actually had green tea flavour.
Back at the Yodobashi Camera store in Akihabara, having dinner at Chabuton, a supposedly famous ramen restaurant (that has recently become a small chain) in Japan. I actually ate dinner at the same place the night before, but forgot to take a picture there. But the ramen was so good I felt it was worth going back for dinner, and so I could take a photo too. The ramen was different in taste and texture from the ramen in Hokkaido and in Kyushu, but still very tasty (including the broth)!
Trying a bottle of Kirin The Premium Muroka, the really premium line of Kirin. It was quite a flavourful brew.
At Yokohama.
A wall leading to the connected Porta Underground Shopping Mall.
At the Nissan global headquarters! I didn't even know it was in Yokohama, I just so happened to pass it and once I saw it, I knew I had to take a look inside. The 5th photo is of the Nissan Cube, which has an interestingly designed rear. The 3rd and 4th photos are of the new Nissan Skyline GT, and of course, I had to try sitting inside it...it was awesome just to sit inside; the interior was stylish, classy, and matched everything the Skyline name is known for.
At the Yokohama F-Marinos (Yokohama's soccer club in Japan's pro league) soccer club facilities, where they just happened to be practising when I passed by. There was an older Japanese lady watching the practice with binoculars(!); quite amusing haha.
Taking a coffee break at the Lawson outside the soccer facilities. Cold coffee in cans and aluminum bottles are quite popular in Japan. I saw the "Silky" name and had to give it a try - it was just regular black coffee, but pretty smooth - but I like why they decided to name it Silky (read the side of the bottle).
Walking through Rinko Park (Seaside Park), taking in the great views of: the Exhibition Hall, the National Convention Hall, and the Intercontinental The Grand Yokohama (the hotel shaped like a sail) (1st photo), the park (2nd photo), Pacifico Yokohama (3rd photo; there was a constant stream of Japanese men and women in business suits passing by at regular intervals, coming from the Exhibition Hall - it looked like an assembly line of Japanese business people haha), the Intercontinental The Grand with the National Convention Hall reflecting off its glass (4th photo), overlooking the Yokohama CosmowWorld (Amusement Park) (5th photo), and finally arriving at The Landmark Tower Yokohama (6th photo), with a look inside the mall area of the Tower (last photo; there was a lady performing on the piano and a surprisingly large crowd...don't people have to work?).
Looking for a place to eat lunch inside the mall on the bottom floors of the Tower. There was a Sizzler (1st photo; I don't even remember the last time I saw one in Canada)! But I eventually settled on eating at The Kirin Beer Hall (2nd photo; Kirin is another one of Japan's big beer breweries). I had the Kirin Black (I like dark beers, but it was even lighter than the Asahi Black!) and fried dough with curry chicken and cheese spinach dip, and it was actually pretty good!
About to go on the Moving Walkway, a long stretch of moving walkways.
At Nippon-Maru Memorial Park, with a look at the Nippon Maru (now used as a sail training ship), inside the Yokohama Maritime Museum (2nd photo; I didn't pay to go all the way inside to the exhibits, it didn't interest me), the adjoining children's amusement park (3rd photo), and overlooking Yokohama CosmoWorld (last photo).
Walking along the aptly named Shinko Circle Walk, a circular elevated walkway above an intersection, after having briefly walked through the Yokohama World Porters shopping mall (nothing special, just another giant mall).
At Aka Renga Park (Red Brick Warehouse Park), with a look at the Aka Renga Soko (the Red Brick Warehouse).
Osambashi-futo, the long wooden boardwalk which holds the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal (for the ferries) and the Osambashi Hall at the very end (4th photo). The most interesting part was obviously the design of the floor and stairs. But the best part was the scene of Yokohama from the boardwalk. The Yokohama Bay Bridge is in the 5th photo (it lights up at night and is supposed to be quite a scene). There were 2 guys doing cardio training, running up and down the slope in front of the Osambashi Hall (8th photo). See if you can spot the towers in the last photo that are indicated in giant markings in the 8th photo. I really liked how the subtle shades of the dark rain clouds came out.
Stopped for a green grape flavoured popsicle from the vending machine at the entrance to Osambashi-futo.
Yamashita Park, along the port, with several statues, including the India Water Tower (1st photo), Statue of a Little Girl with Red Shoes On (2nd photo), Statue of Guardian God of Water (4th photo), and finally arriving at a strangely named bridge at the far east end of the park (last photo) - it was called Porin Bridge on the tourist map (but it actually looked like Porn Bridge because of the fold in the map), but when I got there, it was actually labelled as Pauline Bridge on the tourist sign (the name of my mom).
At Minato-no-Mieru Oka Koen (Harbour View Park in English). The first part is called France-yama (1st photo), and the rest of the photos are from the top of the viewing area of the park. I really liked how the Bay Bridge came out in the photo; the clouds over Yokohama that day were doing great things (and it surprisingly didn't rain even though it looked like it would). The viewing area (last photo) is a popular date night spot (see if you can read some of the engravings on the pillar in the 3rd photo; they're all over all the pillars).
At the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery, where foreigners in Yokohama were buried back in the day. The last photo is of the area where the Catholics were buried. Unfortunately, entrance into the actual graveyard was closed because they were doing some maintenance...there were supposed to be some tombstones with interesting epitaphs.
Christ Church of The Bluff (The Bluff is the name for the area north and east of the Foreign Cemetery, and is a very rich area - I saw some very nice houses while walking along).
Catholic Yamate Church.
In the garden of the Gaikokanno-ie (or Diplomat's House in English), with a view of the house. I just looked around the small garden since it cost money to enter the house. There were some decent views of the city though (since The Bluff is elevated compared to the rest of the city). Then I spent the next 5 minutes trying to find my way back down west towards the city centre because the map wasn't too clear for that area.
In Yokohama's famous Chinatown. There were many gates at the entrances to Chinatown (like I said, it was huge). Some of the more notable sites in Chinatown included the Seiyo-mon gate (1st photo), Enpei-mon (2nd photo), Zenrin-mon (4th photo), Chikyu-mon (5th photo), Kantei-byo (6th photo), one of 2 Ichiba dori-mon (8th photo), Yokohama Masobyo as seen from Yamashita-cho koen (9th photo), The Yokohama Daisekai with Tercho-mon in front (10th photo; it looked like some giant Chinese temple on the map but it was actually just a big building full of Chinese restaurants and food shops), Choyo-mon (112h photo), Hong Kong Road (14th photo), Shanghai Road (15th photo), an interestingly designed Western restaurant (with the front of a trolley on the front wall) in Chinatown (strange?) (17th photo), and Genbu-mon (last photo). I visited every one of the 10 gates in Chinatown except the Suzaku-mon.
At the back of Yokohama Stadium, home of the Yokohama BayStars, inside Yokohama Park. There were a lot of old Japanese tourists (in the yellow hats) haha.
Jack's Tower up close (actually the Port Memorial Opening Hall).
Queen's Tower up close (actually the Yokohama Custom House).
King's Tower, as close as I could get while getting a decent shot of the tower (actually the Kanagawa Prefectual Government building).
The hand prints of the Yokohama BayStars team that won the division championship several years ago. I accidentally stumbled upon it while walking back to the JR Kannai station (I figured after walking all day, I'd catch the local train back across Yokohama to the JR Yokohama station to head back to Tokyo).
A little snack when I got back to Tokyo, from another French pastry shop in the basement of the Daimaru mall next to Tokyo station. The bun on the left was a deep-fried hot dog bun (very good!) and the one on the right was green tea bread (the dough was actually green!). I should have remembered to take a photo of the inside of the bread after I took a bite. It was sweet (mainly because of the green tea flavoured icing) and very tasty, and the dough actually had green tea flavour.
Back at the Yodobashi Camera store in Akihabara, having dinner at Chabuton, a supposedly famous ramen restaurant (that has recently become a small chain) in Japan. I actually ate dinner at the same place the night before, but forgot to take a picture there. But the ramen was so good I felt it was worth going back for dinner, and so I could take a photo too. The ramen was different in taste and texture from the ramen in Hokkaido and in Kyushu, but still very tasty (including the broth)!
Trying a bottle of Kirin The Premium Muroka, the really premium line of Kirin. It was quite a flavourful brew.
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