Escape From JET Orientation

At the risk of sounding like a smug jackass, Tokyo JET orientation is made for those that have never been in Japan for more than maybe two weeks. Workshops on how to cross the street, what shoes to wear when, helpful kanji you'll see around and what's happening in current events. After the first working day's mandatory morning lectures, keynote speech and a once over of the following day and a half's workshop schedule I knew I was done with this. Really, you're going to learn more about Japan if you go out on the streets of Tokyo and poke around. That's a fact. So my official recommendation to anyone thinking about JET in the future is to attend the mandatory keynote for appearances then split. Want to find out about how to drive in Japan, stand on a pedestrian bridge and watch traffic. Want to learn how to cook Japanese food, go to a mom-n-pop eatery and watch them behind the counter. Want to be a saavy shopper, visit several markets and compare prices. Hands-on action, yo.
I thought slipping out after the speeches ended at noon was daring, but Laura was smarter and more brash than even myself. Laura is the fantastic woman I mentioned in my above character rundown who will be heading to somewhat-nearby Nagasaki Prefecture. The first night in Tokyo, after everyone else had peeled off to nurse their jet lag, she and I wandered the streets of Shinjuku like a couple of stray coyotes. After the meet-and-greet blitz of the day, that walk was a refreshing respite from things. But anyways, Laura left during the ten-minute break in speeches around 10:30, not even staying for the second half, then proceeded to soak her feet in the hotel pool. Much respect to the woman that can be more delinquent than even I. (I'm trying damn hard not to get infatuated, but it's rough.)
I stuck around for lunch then found Caitlyn and we headed off for Tokyo Tower, a cliched tourist spot I said I'd never visit. Caitlyn is cool. Caitlyn would be a great enabler for my hair brained, half-baked travel schemes I so often come up with here. Just a passing comment about thinking of going to Godzilla's toothpick and she was on board. I have to admit to being glad I went as it's one of the best 800 yen I've spent on sightseeing in Japan ever. Big touch screen computer stations around the observation deck tell you what you're looking at and the windows are kept pretty damn clean, despite the legions of overeager little brats pressing their greasy faces against the panes. There are even some thick plexiglass floor sections to stand on and look down through. I'd like to have explored the Ootei-machi area more, but we both had our respective plans for the night approaching, in my case an alcohol and karaoke-fueled night with the Oitans.
Heading in the directions of Kabuki-cho we found a karaoke box with a two hour all-you-can-drink deal for only 2000 yen, which for the time of day and location was excellent. I downed two pitchers in total and went through a couple renditions of Everybody's Talking before the time was up. We stumbled back to the general vicinity of the Keio Plaza Hotel, hunkered down on some stairs and continued drinking and smoking until about 3 AM. I don't smoke and I don't plan to start, in case anyone's wondering. This was a special occasion. I have only hazy recollection of what went on from there on out, but I am definitely an honorary Kiwi, my name is now Princess and my fellow Oitan, Lauren, can do thirty push-ups in one go.
And then another day. Another day of pointless workshops to play hooky from. To me the only really important lecture was on team teaching, but I'd already attended one at the Japanese consulate in SF. Instead of any of that I headed east on the Yamanote Line and landed myself in front of the Japanese parliament building and imperial palace. It took me nearly an hour to circumnavigate the palace grounds and search out Yasukuni Jinja, one of my prime targets for sightseeing on this go around in Tokyo. If you don't know about Yasukuni, it's the shrine where all the war dead are honored, including Japan's class A war criminals, like Tojo, etc. If any of my more conservative relatives ever get to reading this blog they might think that I'm just a craven anti-patriot for going there. They'd be right about the anti-patriotic thing, but it's not why I went to Yasukuni. Yasukuni is probably the best place to view and study the uyoku dantai, Japan's ultra-right wing political groups that believe the emperor should be running the show again and Japan should reinstate the Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. They're Japan's neo-cons. The place attracts them like mosquitoes to a redneck's bug zapper. I wasn't received particularly well, getting stares from the visitors ("What the fuck is whitey doing here?" kinds of looks) and even being shooed off a park bench by the cops. Zany.
Getting back to the hotel I headed out shortly after with Yoji, Lindsey and Caitlyn for Harajuku, another of Tokyo's trendy fashion districts, this one catering more towards the young market, it seems. Now, I've told several of you on different occasions that I don't like Tokyo, but Harajuku broke me. I like it there, I have to admit. Whether it be the tree-lined avenues, the relatively quaint station that backs up to the Meiji Shrine, the deluge of restaurants that make you say out loud "Oh lawdy! I have to at least get a beer there" or just the posh, modern architecture, Harajuku exudes a chill vibe I haven't felt elsewhere in Tokyo. I couldn't stay long though as I had plans to meet up with Emily and Rika, two friends of mine from my first Oita excursion.
I jogged and walked to Shibuya instead of catching a train. I was just way too flush with excitement and emotion not to--I had to release it somehow before we met. No mix of adjectives, adverbs and nouns can begin to describe what I felt when we all met. Sometimes when the heart does the talking there's just no written or verbal translation, maybe just a sigh, a tear and an accelerated heart-rate.
The night ended with me feeling pretty good about life, I must say.

--Matt