THANK YOU TOKYO!!

Last weekend I traveled to Tokyo to visit my friend Tomi, who moved there last year with her job. I didn't realize how much I needed it, and it did my soul some good. To me, Tokyo was like a cleaner version of New York City. I crammed as much civilized experience into 72 hours as I possibly could. I think the #1 attraction to visit was the warmer weather. It was incredibly refreshing to be able to walk around outside with no snow, no hat, and just a light jacket. I think we could have done just about anything and I would have been happy just for the weather.

Upon arriving at Narita airport, all foreigners entering the country must be fingerprinted and photographed, a new security procedure (a very high-tech little gadget sits on the counter at passport control). The first thing Tokyo Tomi and I did was to stop off at her apartment before heading to dinner at Outback Steakhouse (woohoo!). She lives on the 26th floor of a new building, in a corner unit, with floor to ceiling windows and a fantastic view of the city. At night it truly looks like Manhattan. She also has a view of Mt. Fuji, which was an unexpected surprise for me.

My goal for the weekend was to eat as much as possible (I'm back on a Lenten diet now), be outside as much as possible, and learn a lot about Japanese culture, of which I am fairly ignorant. Tokyo Tomi is fluent in Japanese, so it was really easy to get around. We ate steak, mexican food, donuts, Starbucks, and of course Japanese food. I had some sushi and tried a few traditional items like octopus balls. We went to a museum, saw a movie (ticket cost = $18, theater experience = priceless), and walked all over the place. By far the funniest thing that happened was when we took a rickshaw ride. Our driver was a very nice young man, and we were joking about how it must be harder to pull heavier Americans than the typical Japanese person. When we asked him if we were hard to pull, he replied, "No, I've pulled sumo wrestlers before and you're lighter than them." Oh great, I'm glad to hear it.

Having been in Mongolia for almost 9 months, I experienced a little culture shock in Tokyo. I was mesmerized by the stupidest things, like the moving sidewalks in the airport. For a few days, I felt normal again, as shallow as that might sound. The trip was well worth it, and so I say, "Arigato Tokyo!"

Here's some more photos: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=m1glqs2.42yx3kt6&x=0&y=-4oucdq