Tigers:
... and the Polar bears seemed to mock us:
Anyway, after the zoo we had a chance to go to the Natural History museaum. We thought that like any major international museum they would have all the placards in English; we were wrong. Even if we couln't understand the explainations of the exhibits, they were still interesting.
They had a really cool exhibit on the evolution of life. Starting from the center there were embedded lights in the floor representing the different lines of evolution. Each line divided like brances on a tree and eventually ended at the wall of the ovular room. The walls in the room contained specimins of all types of life on the planet, representing the result of the evolutionary line that led to it.
After that they had another intriguing exhibit on cellular biology that was surprisingly accurate. There were movies showing complex biological processes (DNA relication, lipid bi-layers and transport, ATP synthesis) using anthropomorphized ogranelles, enzymes, and protiens. Everything had eyes and arms, but it was very well done.
This wasn't the cute representation of the cell, but it was cool nonetheless
And there was a rocket launcher.
Next it was on to Akihabara (Aki-ha-bara), the electronics district known for its large department stores, eclectic clientel, and French-maid cafes. We got off the train station and started looking for the main department stores. We saw a crowded alley and decided that was probably the best way to go.
The alley was just a taste of what Akihabara had to offer; instead of big-label items (TVs, computers, expensive cameras) the small stores were selling things more up my alley (no pun intended): plugs, adapters, security cameras, spools of wire, soldering irons, etc. I could've spent a good 3 hours just in that alley alone.
After flowing with the crowd for awhile (As a side note, you don't walk in Tokyo, its more like swimming) we were deposited onto a main street lined with the large department stores and buzzing with people. On each street corner there was at least one french-maid handing out flyers for their respective cafe.
Besides electronics, Akihabara is known for its unique dining. The main attraction is the maid-cafes where all the waitresses are dressed as french maids and give the impression that they are your servant. Its a somewhat strange buisness but Tokyo is a strange place so it works. Also you can find "Neko-cafes" (cat-cafes) where you and your cat can both find a meal.
We toured through a few department stores and didn't find a whole lot. Many of the electronics are made for the American market, with everything in English. Because its such a touristy place, I found that the prices were much higher than if you found a Japanese version. I could find Japanese-made electronics in America for about the same price.
Next on our itenerary we walked over to "Ochanomizu" (The Tea's water literally) the music district that is somewhat of an offshoot of Akihabara. The entire road was lined with stores whose windows were filled with guitars, trumpets, saxophones, chellos, etc.
One of my friends came to Tokyo purposefully to buy a classical guitar. However, only one store on the street specialized in Classical Guitars, all the rest marketed towards electric instruments. We had to go through at least 4 stores before we found the one that carried what we was looking for.
While looking for that one store, we passed many stores that were selling home theater equipment: Amplifiers, speakers, turntables... I was in heaven. There were boxes of circuit boards for a few cents. If only we weren't looking for a guitar, I would've had time to maybe find some new equipment and have it shipped back home.
Earlier in the day, our large group (9 people) had split up. Some of us went to the museum and Akihabara, while the other group took their time in Ueno park. After finding the guitar, it was about time to meet up in Shibuya for dinner, so we hopped on the train and made our way towards Shibuya.
Getting out of the train station my mouth was on the ground. When you think of Tokyo, the images that come to mind are of Shibuya; A solid mass of people passing through a single intersection with the steady drone of TV-billboard advertising in the background.
We were supposed to meet the other group by the "Hachiko" statue. Hachiko was a dog who was incredibly loyal to its master, a quality that the Japanese people greatly admire. Hachiko was so loyal, that he waited for his master at the train station every day, so that when his master got off the train they would walk home together. Even after his master died of a heart attack at work, Hachiko waited for his master every day until the day he died. Richard Gere just made a movie of the story named "Hachiko: A Dog's Story".
Anyway, we met up with the other group, and went for dinner afterwards. After dinner it was time to find the yakko-bus once again and head home. Before we left though, we found some Korean tourists to snap a picture of us:
We hopped on the bus and rode into the night, leaving the neon-glow of Tokyo behind us.
No comments:
Post a Comment