My Asia Finale

Port #9: Japan
(Yokohama, Tokyo, and Kobe)
November 20-24

Day One: The ship docked in Yokohama and as soon as we were allowed off, a large group headed to the train station and we made our way to Tokyo for the first three nights. After a little confusion because of the crazy train maps, we finally made it. Due to our procrastination, just about every hotel in the area was booked… so I had my first hostel experience. To make things even more interesting, it was a capsule hostel. Google it “capsule hotels in Japan”… you’ll probably get a good laugh out of our sleeping conditions. The hostel that we stayed at was rented out almost entirely by Semester at Sea students, so it was a lot of fun to be there. Chaotic, but fun. By the time we reached Tokyo it was starting to get dark, so we just changed and walked around the city. The specific district of Tokyo that we stayed in was called Shibuya. It was a very cool area, and thank goodness for the Starbucks right around the corner of our hostel. We asked around and talked to some of the locals (the few who understood us) and were able to find a pretty good sushi restaurant for dinner. After that we went out for the night, and it was pretty amazing to see the crowds of people who are constantly walking around Japan. There was literally never a dull moment.

Day Two: I woke up at a decent hour and took a subway with a few girls into the Harajuku district. It’s known for its shopping and the crazy fashion that most of the Japanese women wear there. They also have street performers that kind of give it a “Venice beach” vibe. I really loved this particular area of Tokyo, it was very unique and fun to be in. I managed to find a few things that I really liked and then of course we headed to another sushi restaurant. We kept hearing that the sushi would be very different in Japan, but I didn’t find it to be that way. The only difference was probably that they had very simple rolls, not the crazy kind we have at some restaurants with all these weird sauces and whatnot. Still, it was really good. After getting lost on the wrong subway a couple time, we made it back to Shibuya where we met up with the rest of our friends. We went to a Karaoke bar for the night where I dazzled everyone with my brilliant singing. Okay, I just lied to you. But... I did sing, and it was a horrid attempt at Journey… but we had a good time.

Day Three: We spent our last full day in Tokyo doing a little sightseeing. I went to the top of the Tokyo Tower where we had a really cool view of the entire city. Then we went to a popular park/garden in the downtown area. It was pretty, and this is the first country where we have felt “fall” weather, so it was nice to see leaves changing color again. Then we went to another area called Yoyogi where they have a market, but it looked more like a giant garage sale to me. All sorts of used clothing and stuff like that were being sold there. It was interesting to walk around and see all the different things that people were trying to sell. The market was close to the Harajuku area that we were in on the previous day, so we decided to go back for some more sushi… and yes, we went to the exact same restaurant because it was so good ha. (Plus we had a discount card, so ya know, that always helps.) We made another run to Starbucks and then went back to the hostel to get ready for our last night in Tokyo. There was a pretty fun nightlife in Tokyo so we had fun hopping from one place to the other all night. Another thing I thought was pretty cool; I walked through the busiest intersection in the world. Well, I was told it was the busiest intersection in the world but I am not quite sure how accurate my source was. Either way, it was definitely the busiest place that I have ever walked through.

Day Four: We checked out of the hospital and headed to the subway station where we had to transfer over to another one and then get tickets for a Bullet Train. I was pretty excited to take one because I’ve always heard about them. We took the train from Tokyo to Kobe, which is where the boat docked after it left Yokohama. Tokyo was an amazing city, so I wasn’t that happy to leave but Kobe ended up surpassing my expectations. It’s always comforting to return to the ship after traveling independently, so it was nice when I finally got back. We didn’t get back till later than expected, so once we were there we just showered up and grabbed dinner in the port area. Then since most of the SAS kids were back on the ship, we all went out together for our last night in Japan… last port before America! I know I keep saying this, but it’s so crazy to think how fast it’s all going by.

Day Five: Our on ship time was 5:00pm so by the time I woke up, got breakfast, and showered… I had a pretty short day in Kobe. I wandered around the mall that was close by to the port with some friends. We went into a restaurant and they were offering Sake tasting so we may have indulged in that a little bit before heading back to the ship. I think it’s safe to say that I had a fantastic time in Japan. I found the people to be extremely welcoming and they were very helpful. Between Vietnam, China, and Japan… it’s pretty much a tossup as to which place I enjoyed the most. While they are so similar, they have many differences that set them apart. And as for now, I have 10 days at sea and then I reach Hawaii! Feel free to give me a call when I’m there because I will finally be able to use my phone again!!! (It’s amazing the things that excite me now…) Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I’m terribly sad that it’s my first time missing this holiday at home, but I’m sure they will do something for us on the ship for it tomorrow. I hope everyone has a fun, safe holiday… and I’ll update you on my life soon!

p.s. for some reason the internet is being weird and I haven't been able to load pictures for the last couple ports... but I will keep trying!