Continuing on with last year's trip to Japan
Despite my years of service at the orchid farm (or maybe because of it), I'm not really a "nature person." So, when everyone else decided to take a bus and boat tour around the Mt. Fuji area, I skipped that destination and opted instead for a trip out to Yokohama to the Cup Noodles Museum (there might also be a bit of PTSD involved from my previous Mt. Fuji hike). The biggest issue I had was the trip length as Yokohama was about an hour by train from Shinjuku where we were staying. One tip about visiting the museum, if you want to build your own custom cup noodle cup, well, make sure to book your tickets in advance. I arrived around noon and the next opening to create a personal cup wasn't until 3pm ... so, I skipped that.
On the bottom floor is a gift shop to
buy cup noodle-themed clothes, toys, and even an exclusive set of cup
noodle flavors not sold anywhere else (sorry, I've yet to try them). On
the second floor, the history of the cup noodle is on full display with
several walls lined with a variety of cup noodle products available
throughout the years, as well as a video telling of the great Momofuku
Ando's creation and how he took the reins of the industry (did I ever
mention I gave a commemorative speech on the man back in college?). I even got a picture of myself with his statue, one of the very few vacation pictures of myself which, if you're curious, yes, I did actually ask someone to take this picture.
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| The legend and I |
Further up was a small bazaar featuring select noodle dishes from around the world, which, if you've for the appetite, I'd recommend eating from every stall. Besides the "Build-A-Cup-Noodle station, the only other part of the museum I didn't visit was the small children's obstacle course, not because of my size but because I'm not sure I'm physically capable of making it all the way through (I need to start exercising again).
One of the biggest reasons for staying in Shinjuku was to experience drinking in the famous Golden Gai area. Leading up to the trip, we actually thought we might head there every night, but of course, when something is so easily available, you don't always take advantage of it. After a dinner of wagyu steak, we finally made our way to Golden Gai. If you don't know, Golden Gai is, simply put, a single city block cut through with narrow alleys and packed with cramped, tiny bars on all sides, none of which appear to hold more than a dozen patrons, if that. Wandering through these narrow alleys, guided by curiosity and two ever important landmark signs - "Foreigners Welcome" and "English Okay" - we found ourselves walking up a tight staircase to our first bar of the night.
Inside, the bar was ... well, simply a bar: a bartop with a narrow area behind for a bartender, shelves stacked with bottles, and maybe six seats in total. We'd later find this to be a similar set-up in most other bars we not only sat in but also stuck our heads inside for a peek. In this particular bar, included with the cover charge (I think around 700 to 1000 yen) we received a set of snacks: cheese, crackers, nuts. Because we planned on just one drink per bar in an effort to experience as many of them as possible, I went with a simple whiskey on ice. It was here we also gave credit to the belief that Hawaii people can find other Hawaii people anywhere as already seated at the bar was one of my friend's college classmates who had also been traveling around Japan. The second bar we hit was on the other side of the block - this one playing '80s rock music (was that the time period of big hair?) and already half-filled with locals (by half-filled, I mean three other guys seated at the bar). Finally, the last bar had on-display a huge selection of whiskies, and a sign on the door letting patrons know they'd be kicked out if they got too rowdy (we actually saw a guy getting pulled out by his buddy right before we walked in), so you know I loved it. Also, being bar number three and feeling sufficiently "relaxed" at this point, we settled in as our last stop for the night with a couple drinks. If you're feeling intimidated at the idea of sitting with locals, umm, fucking don't be. Everyone, from the bartenders to the other patrons, was really friendly and seemed genuinely interested in talking with us. And, if you think we were conversing in Japanese, well, you'd be wrong. Ahh, sometimes it is great being a dumb American having forced the rest of the world to learn our language.
Needing a place to sleep off a subtle hangover (I'm an old man now), I'm pretty happy we opted for hotel rooms this trip. On previous trips, I've typically taken the cheaper route and crashed on couches/ floors or in shared rooms in hostels. No more of that shit though. There's just something great about walking into a room and dumping whatever you are carrying or wearing wherever you wish. And, because I stay at places where space is limited, I don't have a lot of room in the single duffel bag I travel with to bring stuff back (for other people, I mean). Which reminds me, I actually bought souvenirs this trip. I picked up KitKats and Pockiez for my co-workers and even people I actually care about, and, thanks to my capsule addiction, I could pair these snacks with a tiny trinket/ toy which probably makes folks even happier to choose a prize while helping me to unload some overstocked crap. With the easy part done, well, I don't know about you, but "Thinking About Others" isn't something I'm proficient at, so trying to pick out gifts with a more "personal touch" is a bit harder. Of course, I asked some people what exactly they wanted which worked out for the best. I got some requests for anime figures which I packed, for safety, amongst my dirty laundry (don't sniff the boxes), and stickers which I shoved between pages of books I'd brought with me. I took the most care with the crackers my mom wanted, going so far as to keep both packages with me in my carry-on to ensure they wouldn't be crushed with the rest of my shit. For the ones I had to guess at, well, unfortunately for them the only standard I had was, well, myself, and so I just picked out stuff I liked - more stickers, anime figures, coffee and tea (I drink), whiskey (as previously stated, I drink). After all, I heard the best gift to give is the one that also means something to you, too. Sure, I heard it in a Devil May Cry game, but I don't think that makes it any less true. And, if you think that's just an excuse I made for again giving away things I bought for myself disguised as gifts, well, hey, shut up.
Sorry, right, I was talking about hotel rooms. Well, another joy I found is stepping out of a hot shower and strutting butt-naked across a cool room to grab clothes right out of your suitcase, or skipping that last part entirely and instead sitting around the room in the hotel-provided robe. That outfit though is not one I'd recommend when an earthquake shakes your hotel, which is exactly what happened on New Years Day 2024. Planning to be pretty busy for the next couple of days, we opted to spend the day packing so we wouldn't need to worry and scramble later. In the middle of Tetris-ing all of my newly acquired stuff in a suitcase, duffel bag, and a backpack, I first noticed the rattling of the TV mounted to the wall. Thinking it just might be a neighbor or cleaning person banging on the wall, I thought nothing of it. For a second or two. Then, finally understanding not only the wall, but the entire room was shaking, I slipped out of the robe and scrambled quickly into a set of clothes (even my jacket and shoes). I even debated undoing all my work to put together a go-bag as if I could not only fucking run down 10 stories before the building collapsed but dodge any other falling debris while standing in the street. By then, luckily, the building stopped shaking and an announcement was made through the hotel's PA system (in English, too) keeping us all informed of the situation as they too were waiting for more information. In the middle of checking in with one of my companions, the PA system announced they weren't expecting any more shaking, so for the time being it appeared we were safe.
Just because I'm still on the topic of the hotel, we also made use of the hotel's breakfast buffet a few times, though it did require us waking up relatively early so we could get a table. Of course, there was your standard array of western breakfast foods: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and bottomless coffee, though I wish they gave bigger cups so I wouldn't need to get three or four refills; but also some stuff I typically don't see like beef stew and three types of grilled fish. My only regret is not being brave enough to try the onsen egg - it's just that we were eating breakfast and I'm never sure how this weak stomach of mine will react, so I didn't want to ruin my day if it didn't agree.
Finally, we get to the last big event of our trip - DisneySea! First off, if you're not familiar, Disney has their own resort area in Japan - we got to their stop on the regular train line and there was a giant castle. A. Giant. Castle. From there, it's a ride on Disney's own monorail to whichever park you're going to. Once inside the DisneySea park, being the start of the New Year, we were immediately greeted by a display of happinesss and joy of which I'd never before witnessed - Mickey Mouse and friends singing songs atop a river raft while a crowd gathered around the lake, singing along. I definitely felt out of place.
Luckily, I've been told, DisneySea tones down their ... Disney-ness compared to Tokyo Disneyland. The park being split into multiple themed sections, we first spent some time exploring a couple of those while eating the multiple varieties of popcorn available (curry is still the best) as we waited for our priority pass ticket time. Once the time hit, we walked happily passed the line of folks who would still be in line two hours from now to the front of the "Journey to the Center of the Earth" ride.
Though we got to the front much, much faster compared to standing in the regular line, there was still enough time for the excitement to build in my head. First off, the ride is set in an artificial mountain, meaning we'll be sipping through the dark which only adds to the thrills because it is so much scarier when you can't see. Second, from the outside, you can see it shoot down the volcano, so that's definitely a part to look forward to. Third, once we go to the front, the carts themselves did not look like something that could travel at-speed. Then we go into the ride and I remembered the one thing I always forget about in regards to roller coasters (which I also should've mentioned to my friends - I don't like roller coasters. Once that safety bar locked down, all that excitement simply flipped on me, and now I'm sitting in a moving cart filled with a mixture of anxiety and fear. Obviously, there's nothing to be afraid of - it is a Disney ride, after all - but umm, yeah, I keep forgetting that fact. The ride started pretty tame - going through a dark tunnel filled with different wonders and spectacles to gawk at while an unseen voice narrated. Then, of course, the ride took a turn. The carts sped up, the lights went out, we took several turns, and then began the rise. I can't really tell you what happened at the end of the ride as by this point my eyes were shut in anticipation for the drop.
So, once again remembering my fear of roller coasters, I realized that I again fall into being a shitty travel companion. Sure, we went on a couple rides but none were anything like the "Journey" ride though there were one or two others we could've stood in line for that were similar. The day also turned out to be one of the coldest days we'd spent in Japan, and despite all of the walking as we traversed the park, and even breaking out the hand-warmers for the first-time, I just couldn't get warm. As the sun set, I found myself dozing on a slow river cruise ride that ended up dropping us off at the other end of the park which meant a trek back across the entire park to the exit. Despite buying tickets for two days at the park, I think I was actually pretty glad we skipped our second day.
Umm, so I smoke more. Yeah, it should've been pretty obvious that was going to happen again. A few more times during the trip, I found myself sneaking out of my room at night back out to that same intersection behind our hotel - even a couple nights when I braved not only the cold but the rain. By the end of the trip, I did manage to get through a whole cigarette. Funny enough, those are all cigarettes I had on me from the last pack I opened before I quit smoking, and I still haven't finished the pack. Yeah, I didn't even get to the cheap packs of flavored cigarettes I bought from the nearby Don Quijote. And, if you are, as of writing this (yes, even three months late) I still have yet to satisfy myself with another cigarette - and, trust me, I've had plenty of chances to have one, and for reasons better than, "Hey, I'm on vacation."
And, since we're at the end, I'm just going to lump together a couple more food stops. A couple times we went to a tiny cafe not even a block away for a cheap coffee and a bacon/egg toast for breakfast. Also, for how cold it was one our trip, I'm glad we went for a warm curry a couple of times, especially since they had hamburger-katsu curry (a favorite of mine which I don't always see on menus). Only once did I walk all the way over to a McDonald's for breakfast which, as great as the sandwich was, I was just sad they didn't have an American-large size coffee, especially as it was raining and cold that day.
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