To sleep, perchance to dream

If one were to make a list of uniquely Japanese things that every long term visitor MUST try before leaving Japan, spending the night at a capsule hotel would be near the top.

Mission Accomplished!

While Hunter was in town, we went to Tokyo for 2 days to visit Tokyo Disneyland and to do some sightseeing. This provided the perfect opportunity to stay at the Capsule Inn Akihabara.

A "room" at a capsule hotel is a single occupancy modular space (roughly 2m x 1m x 1.25m) where you can sleep comfortably for the night. Despite the small size, I had everything I needed. For example, there was a radio, alarm clock, mirror, shelf and a TV in my capsule. The below picture shows a view from inside the capsule looking towards the lowered shade or "door."


Upon entering the hotel, you put your shoes in a locker on the first floor, trading your shoe locker key for your room key. Then, there were lockers on each (gender-separate) floor where you could leave your bags and change into the provided yukatas. Access to the women-only floors was tightly guarded to provide a sense of security. We had to lock our hallway every time we entered or exited.

As with many Japanese hotels, there were also gender separate communal baths and shower rooms with all the amenities. They even had a computer lounge on the 10th floor just for the ladies. It was nice to check my e-mail in peace.

Maybe I'm crazy to think capsule hotels are so awesome, but I really liked it ... and not just because of the cheap rates!

The Happiest Place On Earth

On New Year's Eve, Kathy and Eric took Chris and I to Tokyo Disneyland! Thank you so much guys! As you may have guessed, we had SO MUCH FUN!!! It was a wonderful day and a great end to 2007. I wish we could go back everyday!

Tokyo Disneyland was similar to (what I remember of) the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida, but some of the "worlds" were different. Here, we could explore Adventureland, Westernland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Toontown, Tomorrowland and the World Bazaar. But the best change was that, in true Japanese style, there was extra kawaii everywhere. Yay!

Chris had never been to any Disney park before, so it was a joy for the Greilings and I to introduce him to tons of rides; especially classic favorites like Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain! The picture above is Chris enjoying Alice's Tea Party. Boy, those cups spin around fast!

I think it's safe to say that before we head back to the US, we will have to visit Tokyo Disneyland again. It's pretty much mandatory. So, faithful blog readers, if you come visit us in Japan, we can go to Disneyland together. :)

Powertools + Fish = Excitement.

Just to prove that Renee isn't lying, here's a video of the jig saw cutting frozen fish at the fish market. I've been trying to get Renee to wake up early for years -- who knew a fish market was the secret?

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

We did not celebrate Thanksgiving in a typical way this year, as it is not a holiday in Japan, we don't have an oven and most of the typical foods are hard to find here. Instead, we went out to eat at a great Italian restaurant near our house and took advantage of the long weekend to make a trip to Tokyo.

It was fun! One of the most interesting things we saw was the Tsukiji Fish Market. This market is a Central Wholesale Market where fishmongers go to auction their bounties. In addition to the auctions, which are not open to the public, there are well over 1000 stands in a hangar where fishermen sell seafood to food sellers and restaurateurs.

We managed to arrive around 7:30am on Saturday while it was still bustling. The hangar is very crowded, with people, produce, fish, fish guts, forklifts, Styrofoam boxes, and hoses which are continually washing down the floors. We enjoyed seeing frozen fish being sawed into chunks with power tools, eels being sliced into fillets, shellfish being shucked, and squid being displayed in bins of their own ink. Fascinating and well worth waking up early!

But, the best result from our weekend trip is that we now have lots of ideas of what we might want to see when we visit Tokyo again soon with our friends!

Tokyo abridged

Due to a busy week, I haven't had a chance to post about my trip to Tokyo yet. My conference was pretty bland, but it was nice to meet other researchers and share stories about life in Japan. We were also treated to a full day of sight-seeing on the last day -- which was not expected, so I had no camera with me. Renee and I will just have to come back to Tokyo, I suppose.

Most notable to me was the trip to Asakusa a Buddhist temple which survived the Tokyo bombings during WWII. It is surrounded by a large marketplace. In the central temple, you can pay 100¥ for your fortune -- you shake a stick out of a metal can, and there is a number painted on it. You then open a drawer with the corresponding number. I drew fortune No. 70: Very Bad Fortune (this was its exact title). It then went into frank detail about how now was not a good time to start a relationship, look for employment, buy a house, cross the street, or get out of bed. I can't quote it exactly. When you get a bad fortune, you tie it to metal ropes in the temple grounds so that the fortune won't follow you. To be safe, I followed the custom. (By the way, you can apparently get your fortune in a similar manner at most Buddhist temples in Japan)

I made it back to Kyoto last Wednesday in time for the temperatures to drop. We are now in the low 50s, colder at night, and my delicate Southwestern senses are having problems adjusting. Meanwhile, Renee is ecstatic... :)