Tokyo Day 2: Imperial Palace, Shibuya, and Dinner with Alumni!

Japan is so freaking hot and humid. D: You would think being Taiwanese-American and having the experience of visiting Taiwan often would help a bit, but there is literally NO BARRIER against the inevitable sweat showers you get just from walking around outside. Ugh. Other than that, I am loving this country so far, and Tokyo has something new every day. Today we found out that all the bumpy tile lines traced around roads and subways are actually meant to help the blind navigate! Wow, I’ve never seen that kind of thoughtfulness anywhere else before. But yea, today we met with Maiko-san (our intern guide ^_^) once again and first went to Shibuya station and got ourselves Suica cards. Now we finally don’t need to buy one time use subway tickets for every ride. You can just fill up the card with 1500 or 2000円 and use the card until the money runs out. Then we headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens!

It’s amazing how this huge amount of land is right in the middle of Tokyo. Once again, the contrast between modern and traditional is so impressive. Despite being so hot and sticky, the garden really was beautiful!

For lunch we walked to a soba restaurant in the basement/food court area of an office building. I had the soba with fried eggplant and shrimp. Delicious.

Then we walked through Tokyo Station, which had beautiful architecture, and took the train to Shibuya, where we actually got out this time! 😀 I’ve heard that Shibuya crossing is the busiest street intersection in the world, and I now know why. It literally looked like the roads itself were moving due to the amount of people crossing in all directions at once. Crazy! I also bought a C.C. Lemon drink in a random コンビニ(convenience store), and its quite good! Tastes kinda like sparkling lemon tea.

Then it started pouring buckets of rain, so we checked out the Disney store and then ran over to a mall nearby to get out of the storm. So glad we did, because there was a One Piece store in there! Me love One Piece *O*.

After, we went back to hotel to freshen up for the dinner with Colgate alumni in Japan. It was at a really cool and lively 居酒屋(Izakaya) and we had a long reserved table where everyone had to first take off their shoes and sit on cushions on the floor. Luckily, there was a hole under the table to put your feet so you don’t need to sit on them :p The alumni were so welcoming and friendly, and it was really nice to be able to chat with them and talk about both sides’ experiences. They also gave great advice! The food, which is extremely important, was also great. The izakaya specializes in seafood, and I have to say, the sashimi was definitely my favorite.

All in all, a great night. Busy and tired, but really fun! More to come once I get everything organized. I’m taking pictures with 3 devices, and updating on this blog, facebook, and my own journal, so all is madness as of now!

– Jas