The reality of my departure to Japan didn't quite set until the black carcame to pick me up from Harlem. As the driver struggled to help me with my four bags, I realized as well that this was going to be a longer trip than usual. 4-6 months? Wait that can be 24 weeks? That's half a year! As we crossed the RFK bridge on 125th from Manhattan en route to JFK International via Queens, I realized how quick it all really happened.
As I settled into my bulkhead seat in business class (a must if you're taller than 6"2"), I received a nod from the Japanese businessman across the aisle from me. I returned the nod, feeling a bit too casual in my jeans and blazer, when I was surrounded my men in dark suits and women in heels and miniskirts. Whatever. It's a fourteen hour flight and I'll lose face over comfort in these scenarios.
The drive in from the airport (limousine shuttle-bus highly recommended) was excruciating, given that I just wanted to get to my apartment in Ebisu. The shuttle stops at certain hotels. Note that Narita is in the north-east. Ebisu is in the Southwest. I got off at Westin (almost two hours later) and lugged my bags to the apartment-right behind the hotel. After unpacking my bags and showering, I passed out in my bed.
Saturday morning, I woke up surprisingly early at 6:30 and went running around the Institute for Nature Study. It's a beautiful, green oasis of a nature preserve surrounded by glass, steel and concrete. It wasn't open yet, but looking forward to making a trip there. Apparently, they aim to preserve the flora in undisciplined profusion and don't allow more than 300 people at a time in order to mitigate the environmental impact.
After eating an interesting assortment of pastries and drinking a coffee beverage, BOSS, endorsed by Tommy Lee Jones! (Lost in Translation, anyone?), I headed onto the JR (Japan Rail) Yamanote Line two stops North to Harajuku, en route to the Meji-Jingu Shrine.
Nothing would have prepared my for what I was about to see at the Shrine. Thousands of people, it's an estimated that over 3 million people visit the shrine the first 2 weeks of the new year. There was a sea of thousands of people, a pilgrimage to pay respects to the legacy of Emperor Meji and make wishes for the New Year.
As I made my way into the shrine, it was monkey-see, monkey-do. I followed suit with the others, purifying myself before I entered the shrine. This consisted of an intricate ritual of washing your hands with a ladle and then rinsing your mouth. Click here for more. Once in the shrine, there there was a very orderly gravitation to the front area, where you make a wish. I wished that I hadn't made a mistake or offended anybody in the process, did my bows and claps, and threw a coin. There's another area where many people were going, that went deeper into the shrine and I got in the line so see. As I approached the entrance, the guard looked at me and rubbed his two index fingers together in a "shame on you" motion. He said a firm, "NO!" to me and I walked away. I'm sure it's a very sacred place and respect that non-Japanese are prohibited from entering, but ironically-Emperor Meji was one of the emperors who was outwardly welcoming to westerners.
Later that evening, I met up with my good friend, Anton from High School. He's been in Japan for about 7 months and is teaching English in nearby Yokohama. He has a better command of the language and we had dinner/drinks an an Izakaya (pub) close to my place in Ebisu. I love these types of places. Most of them are underground, and you can get a booth, enjoy good drinks and a moderately priced array of foods. I'm a big fan of the sashimi maguro (yellow fin tuna). Words cannot express how fresh this stuff is here. Just a deep red, loaded with tons of protein and a firm/chewey texture. Served cold, it is a simple, exquisite delicacy.
