A Tokyo Christmas

I decided to spend Christmas and ring in the New Year in Tokyo! A friend of mine lives there with her husband, and she was very excited to hear I would be living so close to them (a mere 2 hour flight away!).

Although I’d already flown internationally from the U.S., I hadn’t done it on my own yet. It sounded so scary in my head, entering a country, hoping they wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, sorry. No, you can’t come in!’ Silly, I know, but this is the mind of an anxious person.

I tried to nap on the flight, but the super nice stewardesses kept asking me if I wanted lunch, or drinks, or anything besides sleep. (Japan Airlines is super nice though!) I resolved to read Little Women on my new tablet (sacrilege I know. I’m still not totally sold on the idea, but wow is it light). I love Little Women. The movie brings me to tears every time. Sometimes even thinking about it makes me puddle up. It represents my childhood, and hanging with my mother and sister. Oddly enough, I have never read the book. My mom always told me to, knowing I would love it, but I’d only ever seen the film. Let me tell you. The book is even worse in the emotional department.

It got weird.

Keeping myself together was a struggle. The guy next to me thankfully was asleep. His shoes were off, which was gross, but at least he didn’t snore.

Caught a glimpse of Mt. Fuji on the way in.

Japan felt so different from South Korea. There are tons of societal rules in Japan
Such as:

• being extremely quiet, at all times, in nearly every place
• placing money/payment in a dish rather than hand it straight to the person you’re purchasing from. Apparently handing cash directly to someone is super rude, but they can hand it back to you. Made very little sense to me.
• They stay until the very end of a movie, credits and all. Did I mention they were silent? No chuckles, no gasps, maybe not even breathing.
• ‘Foreigners’ don’t talk to or acknowledge each other. Meaning, if you’re lost, and need someone who speaks english, no one will help you

This is all sounding very bitter, which I don’t mean to be. I just get frustrated with societal rules in any place, especially if there’s no explanation for them other than, ‘that’s just the way it’s done.’

Something I loved about Japan was how clean it was, despite the lack of garbage cans anywhere. The streets and alleyways, malls, side shops, everything was so neat and well cared for. South Korea tends to have a thick layer of grime on any given surface.

Green tea has become one of my favorite things. I’d only had it in latte form before, but I much prefer it naturally, especially on a chilly morning.

It was nice to see this friend again. We have known each other for nearly 15 years. Quite a feat these days. Friendship isn’t always easy, especially when you’ve know someone from middle school age to adulthood. We know so much about each other, making it hard to adapt to changes and growth. Despite it all though, I think we’ve done a pretty great job growing together.

Christmas dinner was delicious! Luckily they have a Costco nearby so we were able to get a few treats. The menu was Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (made by yours truly), sauteed ham, asparagus and the softest bread ever.

Christmas morning was delightful with our little gift exchange. My friend was so sweet and gave me a new notepad and pens, which I immediately put to use. George Washington, being one of her favorite presidents, was my first sketch.

I gave her David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. I am not a Dickens fan, but she is. Whenever I go into a used bookshop, which is often, I always keep an eye out for them. I had had these books for a few years, and brought them all the way from D.C..

I was on a sketching-roll, so I decided to channel my Star Wars excitement.

I’ve always liked Pre-Serious-Jedi-Luke best. He was an amazing pilot!

Vader is my nephew’s favorite character. He calls him ‘Kokerr’ because of the sound Vader makes when he breathes. Yes, I agree. He is the cutest kid ever.

As a Christmas present to ourselves, we decided to splurge on ballet tickets to go see The Nutcracker at the New National Theater. My Tokyo tour guide is such a fashionista these days. We both realized upon my unpacking that we both wear black almost exclusively. We’ll stop wearing it when they make a darker color.

The ballet was incredible. The music brought back such wonderful memories for me. My family watched the 1986 motion picture version every Christmas. It’s amazing.

Our seats were pretty good, that’s our spot right on the end. With no one sitting in front of us, our view was never obstructed. The orchestra was flawless.

A few days later, we decided to start the tourist journey, first stop: Harajuku.

This is a common tourist destination, Takeshita Street being one of the more famous areas. Though it looks miserably crowded, once we were in it, it didn’t feel too bad. It’s all shopping, with a few karaoke clubs here and there.

Did I mention we love karaoke?

Here in Japan, the idea of singing in front of people you don’t know is ludicrous. Instead, they rent out private rooms. You can order food, drinks, and sing to your heart’s desire. It is addicting. We extended an hour, because you can’t sing enough Elton John, people.

It was a long night of love songs and rock ballads. All in all, a successful night out.

Next up, shrines, Tokyo Disney & more!

Green Tea & Itaewon

Whenever I move to a new place, which is often, I usually hibernate for the first three months. No, I don’t sleep all the time. I simply don’t venture much further than a two mile radius outside of my new home. I know, lame right? Why move across the world to stay in and read?

Well first of all, reading is cool no matter where you are in the world. Second, my body and mind need a reset period. I just left everyone and everything that was familiar. I don’t do well jumping into new environments with no prior knowledge of what I’m getting into.

Call it an introvert thing or just a recluse-parading-as-a-world-traveler thing, but I eventually get over it and start exploring my surroundings. With baby steps.

First thing’s first, I needed a drink. Luckily I have a cute coffee shop right at the end of my street called MaBoo (in English)

It couldn’t be more me. The one thing I was missing in D.C. was a good coffee shop that I could settle into for more than five minutes. There’s WiFi, tons of seating and a calm artsy atmosphere.

I’m not sure if this was a serious contribution to the foundation, but it was cute nonetheless.

I got a Chocolate Chip Mint-Green Tea Frappuccino. It was delish.
I may as well give up collecting receipts since the only thing I can read is the price: 6,500 WON. About $5.50.

I love walking aimlessly, although in a foreign country it can be a little risky when all the roads twist into each other and look alike. I saw some interesting things on my way. South Korea is all over the thrift shop game.

My mom is already on my case about the rocking horses. ‘Buy me all the rocking horses’ she says. Sure no problem. There’s only twenty…

Don’t Blink. (keep looking Whovians!)

I walked a little further to the touristy neighborhood:
Itaewon (Eee-tay-wahn). There was a festival going on, so a gazillion people were there. Some accompanied by their very nervous pets.

Itaewon is a maze. (as is the rest of Seoul in my opinion)
Shopping in Itaewon can be fun, but you almost need to photograph your twist and turns to get back out. I got lost a few times. But I found a cool scarf and an old Sprite shirt.

I seem to have gotten in the habit of snapping photos of animals wherever I go. This little guy was tied up on my street and not happy about it.

He did not want his picture taken either and thoroughly chewed me out for it afterwards.

So far, I haven’t freaked out completely being a stranger in a strange land. Yeah, the 7-Eleven has dried squid, but they also have dried seaweed, my fave!

I’m adjusting to new things, like heated tile floors and ‘house shoes’ since you do not wear your actual shoes inside.

And thankfully, when I do get a little overwhelmed, I can turn to this beauty. I hadn’t seen her all summer since I shipped her off before my travels started. There’s nothing a little Beatles tune can’t fix.

Next post will feature adventures in Namdaemun, Yongsan, and more!