23rd August 2004

And here I am again, sitting in my room and writing my diary. After having finished writing yesterday, I went to the ofuro (the Japanese-style bath) and it was the first time for me to do so. I already knew about the rules that apply to using Japanese baths before (e.g. wash first and only then enter the bathtub), but you wouldn’t need any previous knowledge because really everything was explained on signs in English language. So first I sat down on a little plastic stool beside the bathtub, washed and scrubbed myself thoroughly, rinsed with the little wooden bucket and then I plunged into the – astonishingly deep, surely eighty centimetres plus – tub with the very warm water. Aah, after a long day after lugging heavy bags around and perspiring, this was absolute heaven! After I crawled out again with a slightly dizzy head I towelled myself and put on the yukata (a sort of bathrobe) provided by the house… I was feeling soo originally Japanese…^^ After that I took the batteries out of the charger in my room, brushed my teeth, set the alarm clock to seven and then I got into my ‘bed’ which lay spread out on the tatami floor^^ Although hadn’t really been worried about it I was a bit insecure as to whether I could sleep well in futons – and I’m glad now to know that I can. I woke up around one at night, and I felt really thirsty so I went downstairs to the lobby to get some of the delicious cool tea that’s provided for free in the refrigerator.

View from my window

I got up at seven in the morning and first thing I brushed my teeth, then I stored away the futon into the oshiire (a closet for that very purpose), packed everything I needed for the day into my little rucksack and then I set off. Soon I reached Nezu station again and took the subway heading for Tokyo-Eki and then proceeded to Roppongi station. There I bought a 290-yen-bento, one of the little lunchboxes they sell everywhere, at a konbini (which is Japanese for ‘convenience store’) and was very surprised as the man behind the counter asked me if he should warm it up. Due to my poor Japanese I didn’t instantly know if I had understood him right but he was really offering me to warm it up. After a quick ‘hai, onegai shimasu’ from my side he puts it into one of the four microwave ovens behind him and in a minute my bento is warm. And not only that, you also get a pair of ohashi for free in every konbini at the counter. Benri da yo!! That’s the famous Japanese service! Outside then I found myself a bench to sit down and enjoyed my breakfast. Then I strolled around in Roppongi, one of the quarters of Tokyo, mainly along the Roppongi Doori, for about an hour. Somehow I had expected to see more people strolling around or doing whatever else but after all it was Monday morning and most people have better things to do on Monday mornings… Next, I started walking towards the Tokyo Tower and while walking I realized that I had forgotten my room key in my room. That bloody American-style door locks: to lock them you only need to push a button on the inside and then close the door behind you from outside. You don’t need to lock it with a key. So it can happen than you walk out slamming the door behind you and only then realizing that you left your keys inside – and to unlock it again, of course you need a key… Okay, doesn’t matter, I thought to myself, they’ve got a master key anyway, and so I walked on until I reached the tower.

Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is a radio tower that has been designed taking the Parisian Eiffel Tower as a role model, only that the Japanese version is about 100 metres higher. When you’re standing directly in front of it, it is pretty impressive and I took several photos of it looking straight upward. Then I queued in front of the ticket window to buy a ticket for the elevator that takes visitors up. They take around 1300 yen if you want to go all the way up to the platform in 250m height. The ticket for the platform on 150m cost just around 700 yen but I wanted the best view and I didn’t feel like being stingy. So queued again at the elevator doors (again, yes, Japan is a land of disciplined queuing) and entered the crowded elevator – definitely nothing for sufferers of claustrophobia. While going up, I listened to the informative announcement of the nice elevator girl (though I was more interested in the elevator girl than in the informative information…). This is one thing I like about Japan so far: In all kinds of places you all sorts of information about this and that and mostly delivered in an agreeable female voice. I mean, after some time you probably start to find it annoying but, come on, you can always ignore it (or at least try to). Anyway, I think you get used quickly to all the ‘Go-chuui kudasai’ (‘Please take care’) around you…^^. Although the sky was overcast and so the Fuji-san was nowhere in view, I enjoyed the view over this sheer endless ocean of houses, filmed and took loads of photos..

Contrasts of small and large, old and new – Shrine amidst a sea of houses

And that surely consumed time: Inside the Tokyo Tower I spent more than two hours. But there’s also another reason why it took me so long: For the escalator ride from 150m to 250m – and for the ride back down – I had to wait in endlessly long queues…

The Tokyo-Tower, a popular destination for family trips

After I got out of the tower again, I leisurely ambled through the surrounding streets, it is quite interesting when you don’t know where you are after a while and then find your way again with the help of a city map and a compass… and then I went on to the Zoujouji-temple. After having bought – once again – a delicious cool drink at a vending machine I climbed the stairs to the temple entrance.

Zoujouji-Temple

Inside I saw for the very first time what Japanese people actually do when they enter a temple: the man in front of me went to a small table near the entrance, took some incense from a small bowl standing on it and laid it into a bigger bowl with burning coals, also standing on the table. He repeated that movement and did it with utmost respect and a solemn slowness. Then he folded his hands and bowed deeply. Of course I instantly had to emulate him.^^ Then I found the votive tables and the Jizou-statues (statues of the Japanese guardian deity Jizou) in front of the temple and, boy, there were a lot of them! Then I walked the way to the next subway station (Shiba-Kouen station). From there I took the train to Sengakuji where I wanted to see the temple but unfortunately it was closed, or at least that was what it looked like. Still I could take a few photos from the outside, enough to get me content…

Sengakuji-Temple

Also here I had a good look at the neighbourhood and ended up with a one-hour-walk which brought me back to Sengakuji station – the point where I had started to walk – by chance though I absolutely hadn’t known where I was walking. Knowing my position again, I took the subway back to Shiba-Kouen station and paid a visit to Shiba-Kouen, a nice little park and wonderful to relax after sightseeing… but unfortunately I driven away soon by a sudden outburst of rain and so I went back to Tokyo-Eki I once again phoned to Europe.

Shiba-Kouen

I also took the chance to by my supper in a konbini, a bowl of kappu-ramen (a type of instant noodles) and a little bottle of calpis with tea. Delicious!! Then I went back to my minshuku where I instantly was handed out the forgotten key (They wouldn’t even let me finish my sentence: ‘kesa dekaketa toki ni kagi…’^^). Then I went to my room, answered my e-mails, agreed to meet with a penfriend tomorrow, copied the photos and videos of the day to the computer’s hard-drive, ate my ramen, sipped my green tea, watched TV a bit and then I enjoyed the ofuro again. Only thing left to do is to wash my t-shirts, then I’ll go to sleep. Oyasumi nasai!!^^