Kamakura's big Buddha

Time for... Science... I went for a international conference to Hayama, a small town somewhere in between of nowhere, but at least not far from Kamakura.

 

Kamarura is a town where the second biggest Buddha in Japan has his place. They say that Kamakura's Buddha is more important then the one in Nara (the biggest one), because Buddha in Nara was many times reconstructed and in Kamakura is the original. I dont want to take a part in this argue and I am planning to see both, started from Kamakura...

 

In Kamakura there is also a nice temple and a lot of sakura trees, but for that one we still have to wait a bit ;)

Roppongi and Tokyo Tower

For lunch I met very nice friends of other friend... haha... that's how you meet new people ;) haha...

 

Since one of them was Japanese she took us for a nice Japanese food, okonomiyaki, which you can prepare by yourself on the grill which plate you have on your own table.

Since the day was "still young", we walked from Shibuya to Roppongi which is a famous quarter for clubs and exclusive restaurants. We reached Roppongi hills for sunset. I highly recommend to see it when it is dark!

On the way home to save money, we walked to JR Yamonote line (JR is cheaper then metro!!!), however it started to rain and as on the way was Tokyo Tower we spontaneously decided to go up!!! :D

Tokyo Tower is 333 meters high and it used to be the tallest structure in Japan. With its shape it remind of Eiffel Tower in Paris, however is 13 meters taller and weight 3,300 tons less than the Eiffel Tower. Even if other towers on the world have surpassed Tokyo Tower's height, the structure is still the tallest self-supporting steel structure on the world!

 

In general, we didn't save money that way, but we got a great view of Tokyo by night and didn't get sick because of heavy rain ;) I think it was a good deal as well!

Thank you for a nice day! :)

Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park

As a nice welcome sign on my way to Meiji Shrine from Harajuku station, I got to see a big Torii on the entrance to Yoyogi Park. Torii is a traditional Japanese gate at the entrance to a shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred. The presence of a torii at the entrance is an easy way to identify shrines. However, they are a common also for a Japanese Buddhist temples, but then they stand at the entrance of the temple's own shrine, called chinjusha and usually are way smaller.

  

As a second... I got to see big barrels of sake or nihonshu. For those which still do not know, sake is a rice-based Japanese alcohol. Those who refer it to rice-wine are very wrong because, unlike true wine, sake is made through a brewing process more like a beer. But the brewing process for sake differs from beer brewing as well. What simply means that sake is sake, and that is all!!!

This traditional Japanese alcohol, produced by the multiple parallel fermentation of rice, in the past was brewing by temples and shrines, and they were the main centers of its production, like wine in monasteries in Europe.

Enough of a Japanese cultural lessons, come back to the facts...

Before the shrine I got to see the prayers left by visitors from around the word! The Meiji Shrine itself was very nice, however of course I was not allowed to take pictures, so you have to see it by yourself :P

 

After the Shrine I went for a small walk to the north of the Park where I got to see a great view of Shinjuku skyscrapers. I felt a bit like in NYC with a view of tall buildings around the Central Park ;) but here with an amazing cultural soul surrounding me...

  

Weather is getting better, so I hope to have more possibilities to visit this amazing city!

Valentine's Day

In Japan Valentine's Day is a big deal!

It is about... chocolates!!! Girls are giving chocolates to guys...

... and month later, March 14, guys are giving some nice gifts (not chocolates anymore, maybe more girly things - jewelry or nice underwear) to girls...

Interesting tradition, no? ;)

A normal Sunday in Japan ;)

Today was very sunny and nice day, Sunday, full of new places to see around!

After almost an hour in Tokyo Metro finally I got to see a sun and Azuma Bridge!!! Nothing really special, but it is just a beginning of a day!!! ;)

The first lesson of a day: In Poland young men are pulling a rickshaw on a bike, but in Japan is different!!! They just run to pull rickshaw! :) and to rest they stop at some interesting places and tell a story of a place :) nice!!!

After this amazing, new experience of a rickshaw I went thru Kaminarimon Gate, which is really huge and beautiful! Very impressive! From the Kaminarimon Gate to Hozomon Gate leads a long shopping street, Nakamise Dori. It was the best place to buy a beautiful kimono for my Mom, not a very complicated with thousand of layers, but a bit lighter, good for summer and at home for a weekend rest. My younger sister will also get a gift - a traditional Japanese fan with a painting of geisha with a book, as a congrat for her first passed exam session on her Univ and motivation for a next one in a summer semester. A fun should help her to cool down during her brainstorming during next exam session! So, Good luck, sis!!! ;)

Passing Hozomon Gate you get an amazing view to Goju-no-To and Sensō-ji Temple!!! It is just great and huuuuge!!! The square is surrounded by a lot of smaller Buddha monuments where people are coming to leave their prayers.

Just next to huge Sensō-ji Temple is a small Asakusa Shrine. I was very lucky there!!! When I arrived, a traditional, Japanese wedding was having place there. The bride had a beautiful kimono and wonderful hair style with a white make-up on her face. After the wedding a young couple get on traditional Japanese rickshaw and started their new life, together! Good luck to them!

On my way back, to save some money, I didn't take a metro, but decided to walk as much as my feet will let me ;) - That was one of the best decisions!

On my way on almost every corner of new street I was getting more and more of a Japanese culture, of the daily Japanese life, not full of tourist and photo cameras! The first thing I got to see was a small Japanese cemetery... They have a really big respect to those who passed away...

I also got to see some small temples, which names where even on written on my "tourist map". I really like one where after putting some money you could knock to Buddha by a small bell!

When the sun starting to set I went to Ueno Park, where the reflection of a temple is visual in a lake near by. Oh... so romantic place... But, the time for the best part of the day was coming... I needed to take a metro line for another hour to go to Akatsuka Suwa Shrine at Itabashi-ku.

Tonight, a traditional ceremony to pray for a rich harvest of the year, Ta-asobi, was taking place there. Ta-asobi is designated as one of National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties. A portable shrine - Mikoshi - was carried onto the grounds in the precincts of the Shrine and then Shishimai lion dance and Tengumai dance were performed by men with long red-nosed masks. It was just the best end of a day which I could ever dream about!

Just during one day I got a huge shot of Japan at once!! I LOVED it :D

Looking forward for new...

The crowd all around

Metro, streets, homes, all crowded!!! The beauty of Tokyo! :D

I enjoy it and feel like a kid in a candy store! Today I went to one of the towers of metropolitan goverment building and got AmaZINg view at Tokyo city! Highly recommend! :)

Time to look for some Japanese courses and tea ceremony course ;)

Baba

We can easly find some similarities in our, European languages, like Polish szyberdach and German Schiebedach, Polish szynka and Swedish skinka, Polish rodzynki and French raisins, but have you ever thought that Polish and Japanese can have something in common? The distance and lack of the common history does not help... However, due to my big surprise in Japanese 馬場 (baba) means the same as in Polish - baba, so old, agly woman with a bad character! :D

There is so many things which can surprise us every day! :)

Kimono and sushi time

The Sunday started veeery lazy...

I slept until I could without a rush, any plans... Just enjoy!!!

In the afternoon I went... shopping!!!

Ikebukuro, where I live now is the most popular shopping district in Tokyo and now I soooo much understand why! Honestly, in the future when I will have enough money to plan my shopping weekend in Paris I will prefer to take Friday off and go to Tokyo! They have AmAZinG!!! clothes!!! so many... everybody can find sth what will like! If anyone will ask me if I like Tokyo... No, I hate it because I love it tooo much!!! :D

In the evening I met my Japanese friend and we were planning to go for the dinner together, but since the line to her favorite sushi restaurant was to long we went for a small walk in a shopping mall. Then, we go to see the Kimono shop, she didnt let me to pass it without trying one! I promise, it looks great but to wear it is a pain! You need someone to dress you with thousand of layers and tight you so much that you almost cannot breath! But looks great, so I am looking forward for next time to try one!!! :>

The sushi restaurant like that, with a running line on which small plates with sushi are coming, you can find also in Europe, but the taste... mmm... that one you can find only in Japan! I loved it even if before I was not such a big fun of sushi, ask Viola if you dont believe... ;)

shake it, shake it baby

In the morning, suddenly my bed started to move...
The first thought - did I drink to much of Japanese whisky last night during karaoke?
---> no... impossible... I am Polish there is no word as 'to much' for me :)
and then, I realized,
---> !!! EArthqUAkE !!! <--- That is JaPAn, my dear!!!

According to Alex I've got 5.3! Not bad for the first time :D

First day in the lab and Karaoke

In the morning of of the PhD students met me at my hotel and we went together to the lab. It was a new experience for me when people are travelling like sardines in a car of a train.
 In the lab I was welcome very warm. The Professor was very nice and showed around.

I should tell that I am surprise with a difference between Swedish and Japanese labs.

As the Friday night for European girl cannot be a waste I went with two girls from the lab to the Karaoke club.

It is not as we have this kind of clubs in Europe, here you 'rent' a small room where you have a big TV, 2 microphones and you just... sing!!! you can order some alcohol as well, but it is just you and your friends, not a big club! It was again a new experience and I found it very fun as well!

Since I was coming back home alone the first time I was very proud of myself to be able to find the correct way in this huuuuge city!!!

On my way to Japan

After all night without any single minute of sleep, here I go...

The first plane to Copenhagen was easy, just 1,5h. On the airport I started already with some nice Asian food since was the cheapest possible to buy :D

The plane to Tokyo was very comfy :) Nice food, a lot of  room and... During the night I got to see northern lights :) very nice experience to see them from above... I highly recommend!!!

 

When I just landed I got to see a lot of Japanese language all around, hmm... a bit scary, but on the airport some things were still written in English as well, what will be later?

The permit to enter Japan was easy, but the customs didnt like me! They wanted to scan and look thru my luggage and they took my great polish sausage!!! :(

On the airport I easily found the bus to Tokyo and went to face new experiences!!!

The secretary from the lab and one of the PhD students picked me up from the bus stop and took to the hotel (Japanese style hotel is like our hostel, so dont expect to much!!!).

Since I wanted to avoid a jet lag we went for a lunch together and then the boy showed me a bit of Ikabukuro where I stay for now.

I just fallen in love with Tokyo from the first day!!!