I'm gonna go ahead and blog while I'm not exhausted and/or in a rush. Which is perfect, cause now I can tell you about my last day in Tokyo. Which was, ironically (but expectedly) rushed.
We got out of the hotel and headed up to Asakusa to check out Senso-ji, one of Japan's most important (and Tokyo's most visited temples). It's a really pretty temple, but I think we spent more time wandering the shops nearby than at the actual temple. I've been like half a dozen times though, so I didn't mind. The best part of it was going to bid farewell to my friend Adam. Not the farewell part, but he was staying in a hotel with an awesome view of the temple, so we got to see it from way up high. The goodbye was no fun, though. And actually, it wasn't all that high, only 14 floors. But for the area, it was like the tallest building, and there was no obstruction. And actually, that's always been my impression of Japan, that as big of a city as it is and as tall as the buildings are and as crowded as every corner is, it feels small. We were only 14 floors up, and we had amazing, unobstructed views. And even a 14 storey building doesn't feel like 14 storeys in Tokyo. It's weird. I've said this to many people and they all think I'm crazy. But I feel like Tokyo is a huge city in just a little bit of miniature.
After that, it was off to Harajuku. We took the subway across town to Omote Sando and walked up through Omote Sando to Harajuku. It's a great walk because it's an excellent example of one of my favorite things about Tokyo, which is the uniqueness of each and every neighbourhood. As you pass from Omote Sando into Harajuku, it's an immediate switch from super fancy brands and people, to very edgy (and pretty weird) brands and people. And it's not a gradual switch, it's pretty immediate. I love it. The only problem was that I thought Sunday was the day everyone gets all dressed up in cosplay at Harajuku, but apparently I was wrong. Or maybe it doesn't happen anymore. There was still a bit of cosplay and a lot of interesting fashion choices, but not what I remember or expected. To make the walk even better, we went from bustling Harajuku right into Yoyogi to see the Meiji Shrine, which is gorgeous. It's where the Meiji Emperor's soul is preserved, and there's also royal gardens from the Meiji era there (which we didn't see), and it's just beautiful and peaceful and serene and beautiful. I love it. So did Lizzy. So it was a good last stop for her. Then it was time to get her to the airport, eat a last meal with Rei (omurice), and then get to the airport myself. My flight was delayed a bit, like an hour, which sucked cause I got home late and was tired, but I got a crazy cab driver who made the best time I've ever seen from Pudong. We did it in 30 minutes, when it usually takes 45 - 50. It was a bit scary.
And then it was back to work today, which wasn't as boring as last week, but wasn't super busy either. Luckily it's my only day in the office, and I'm out for the rest of the week. But that means today was my big music listening day. And I got to hear Helelyos today, the first single from Sexwitch. This is something I've been pretty excited about since it came to my attention about two weeks ago. Sexwitch is a side project of Bat For Lashes, featuring another band called Toy. They have an EP coming out in like 2 weeks which is translated covers of 70s psychedelic singles from Iran, Morocco and Thailand. That description in and of itself is enough to interest me, but I've also heard clips of a few songs that Bat For Lashes released via her Instagram, and they sound awesome. And Helelyos, the first single, is pretty bad ass. So I'm excited. Also exciting is a new Bat For Lashes album, which should be out next year. So yay!
We got out of the hotel and headed up to Asakusa to check out Senso-ji, one of Japan's most important (and Tokyo's most visited temples). It's a really pretty temple, but I think we spent more time wandering the shops nearby than at the actual temple. I've been like half a dozen times though, so I didn't mind. The best part of it was going to bid farewell to my friend Adam. Not the farewell part, but he was staying in a hotel with an awesome view of the temple, so we got to see it from way up high. The goodbye was no fun, though. And actually, it wasn't all that high, only 14 floors. But for the area, it was like the tallest building, and there was no obstruction. And actually, that's always been my impression of Japan, that as big of a city as it is and as tall as the buildings are and as crowded as every corner is, it feels small. We were only 14 floors up, and we had amazing, unobstructed views. And even a 14 storey building doesn't feel like 14 storeys in Tokyo. It's weird. I've said this to many people and they all think I'm crazy. But I feel like Tokyo is a huge city in just a little bit of miniature.
After that, it was off to Harajuku. We took the subway across town to Omote Sando and walked up through Omote Sando to Harajuku. It's a great walk because it's an excellent example of one of my favorite things about Tokyo, which is the uniqueness of each and every neighbourhood. As you pass from Omote Sando into Harajuku, it's an immediate switch from super fancy brands and people, to very edgy (and pretty weird) brands and people. And it's not a gradual switch, it's pretty immediate. I love it. The only problem was that I thought Sunday was the day everyone gets all dressed up in cosplay at Harajuku, but apparently I was wrong. Or maybe it doesn't happen anymore. There was still a bit of cosplay and a lot of interesting fashion choices, but not what I remember or expected. To make the walk even better, we went from bustling Harajuku right into Yoyogi to see the Meiji Shrine, which is gorgeous. It's where the Meiji Emperor's soul is preserved, and there's also royal gardens from the Meiji era there (which we didn't see), and it's just beautiful and peaceful and serene and beautiful. I love it. So did Lizzy. So it was a good last stop for her. Then it was time to get her to the airport, eat a last meal with Rei (omurice), and then get to the airport myself. My flight was delayed a bit, like an hour, which sucked cause I got home late and was tired, but I got a crazy cab driver who made the best time I've ever seen from Pudong. We did it in 30 minutes, when it usually takes 45 - 50. It was a bit scary.
And then it was back to work today, which wasn't as boring as last week, but wasn't super busy either. Luckily it's my only day in the office, and I'm out for the rest of the week. But that means today was my big music listening day. And I got to hear Helelyos today, the first single from Sexwitch. This is something I've been pretty excited about since it came to my attention about two weeks ago. Sexwitch is a side project of Bat For Lashes, featuring another band called Toy. They have an EP coming out in like 2 weeks which is translated covers of 70s psychedelic singles from Iran, Morocco and Thailand. That description in and of itself is enough to interest me, but I've also heard clips of a few songs that Bat For Lashes released via her Instagram, and they sound awesome. And Helelyos, the first single, is pretty bad ass. So I'm excited. Also exciting is a new Bat For Lashes album, which should be out next year. So yay!
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