Hey,
This is just a quick post before class - I know, I have been totally MIA for the last couple of weeks. This week was a little rough, so I'm glad that its finally the weekend (well, almost)! Tonight I'm going to see the new Terminator movie with some other teachers (Dad, this one is for you and your fandom of the Sarah Connor Chronicles tv. show). Tomorrow I'm thinking of going into to Itaewon in Seoul to meet up with Jenn and visit the Korean War memorial. Jenn tells me t is one of the most unforgettable experiences to have while in Korea, so I'm really looking forward to it. Afterwards we're probably going to the 63rd building (Hannah, Clara - Yes, we are going because of My Girl hahaha) with another Korean friend of Jenn's - Jinsun. She's super sweet and she was the one that took us to see King Sejong's tomb a couple of weekends ago.
I'm really going to try to keep updating this blog - I don't want it to become another thing that I forget to do... PLease Leavce me some comments!! I like them a lot!!
May 5 2009
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Hey!
I just got back from a weekend trip to Japan with another friend from Canada, and I absolutely loved it! Amazingly, this trip was planned and organized only a couple of days before we flew out - we hadn't decided if we were even going to leave on Saturday morning until Thursday night! We only toured around Tokyo, but it is a huge city and I don't think we would have had time for anything else.
Our first day we arrived in Tokyo at around 11:00 and found a hostel/hotel to stay at in Ueno. That afternoon we spent walking around that district and explored the HUGE park just a 15-10 minute walk away from our hostel. The scenery there was gorgeous, lots of towering trees and lots of small and large Shinto shrines everywhere. We met an old man who had been writing some poetry and talked with him for a little bit, then wandered down to a market area to sample some Japanese noodles and CREPES mmmmmmmm. Later that night we took the subway to Ginza, after hearing that it was a popular place to go, but there wasn't really much to see except shopping.
P.S. - Japan = RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE FOR FOREIGNERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The next day (Sunday) we woke up bright and early and visited the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park - lots of pictures from there too - and then spent part of the afternoon in central tokyo to see the Imperial Palace gardens. When we were walking toward the gate for the gardens we were approached by 4 college girls who wanted to show us around and practice having English conversations. The gardens were beautiful too, and the girls were telling us what buildings used to be what, and we got their email addresses to write to them too! Then we traveled up to Shibuya terminal - Carleigh, I immediately thought of you and Jet Set Radio Future when we were walking around here (I tried to go to Dogenzaka Hill, but it was waaay on the other side of the district). In Shibuya and the area of Harajuku there was some good shopping there and interesting sights to see, like the nightlife character of Tokyo. To finish the day off, we headed back into central Tokyo to visit the Tokyo Tower, which looks like the Eiffel Tower (actually it stands taller) and take a 360 degree look at Tokyo city. Breathtaking.
Our last full day we went to the Ueno Zoo in the morning and since it was a holiday in Japan a lot of places were free, including this one. The only problem was that it was ridiculously crowded and after about an hour or so we were so annoyed with the crowds that we left. After that, Jenn wanted to visit Shinjuku because she had heard it was a great place to see, and we ended up going into this MASSIVE garden park and spending a good 2 hours there. Inside we were able to drink tea in a traditional tea house, which was delicious. I have a ton of pictures from the garden that will slowly make their way to this blog. After Shinjuku, we traveled to Ebisu and walked around there for a little while before heading to Odaiba (a waterfront area) where I could ride the giant ferris wheel. YES, I GOT RIDE MY GIANT FERRIS WHEEL! Below, there was a HUGE arcade room where Jenn and I played Mariocart racedriving, some game where you drive a bus (haha) and, of course, DDR. Good times :D
This morning was relatively slow paced compared to our last two days; we spent part of the morning shopping for some souvenirs in Ueno before heading to the airport to fly back to Korea. Our plane landed at about 4:00, but with the busing I didn't get home until 7pm, and now I am getting ready for the next week of teaching classes.
I realize that this is a very condensed retelling of my trip, but maybe you can hear more about it on skype!
I just got back from a weekend trip to Japan with another friend from Canada, and I absolutely loved it! Amazingly, this trip was planned and organized only a couple of days before we flew out - we hadn't decided if we were even going to leave on Saturday morning until Thursday night! We only toured around Tokyo, but it is a huge city and I don't think we would have had time for anything else.
Our first day we arrived in Tokyo at around 11:00 and found a hostel/hotel to stay at in Ueno. That afternoon we spent walking around that district and explored the HUGE park just a 15-10 minute walk away from our hostel. The scenery there was gorgeous, lots of towering trees and lots of small and large Shinto shrines everywhere. We met an old man who had been writing some poetry and talked with him for a little bit, then wandered down to a market area to sample some Japanese noodles and CREPES mmmmmmmm. Later that night we took the subway to Ginza, after hearing that it was a popular place to go, but there wasn't really much to see except shopping.
P.S. - Japan = RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE FOR FOREIGNERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The next day (Sunday) we woke up bright and early and visited the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park - lots of pictures from there too - and then spent part of the afternoon in central tokyo to see the Imperial Palace gardens. When we were walking toward the gate for the gardens we were approached by 4 college girls who wanted to show us around and practice having English conversations. The gardens were beautiful too, and the girls were telling us what buildings used to be what, and we got their email addresses to write to them too! Then we traveled up to Shibuya terminal - Carleigh, I immediately thought of you and Jet Set Radio Future when we were walking around here (I tried to go to Dogenzaka Hill, but it was waaay on the other side of the district). In Shibuya and the area of Harajuku there was some good shopping there and interesting sights to see, like the nightlife character of Tokyo. To finish the day off, we headed back into central Tokyo to visit the Tokyo Tower, which looks like the Eiffel Tower (actually it stands taller) and take a 360 degree look at Tokyo city. Breathtaking.
Our last full day we went to the Ueno Zoo in the morning and since it was a holiday in Japan a lot of places were free, including this one. The only problem was that it was ridiculously crowded and after about an hour or so we were so annoyed with the crowds that we left. After that, Jenn wanted to visit Shinjuku because she had heard it was a great place to see, and we ended up going into this MASSIVE garden park and spending a good 2 hours there. Inside we were able to drink tea in a traditional tea house, which was delicious. I have a ton of pictures from the garden that will slowly make their way to this blog. After Shinjuku, we traveled to Ebisu and walked around there for a little while before heading to Odaiba (a waterfront area) where I could ride the giant ferris wheel. YES, I GOT RIDE MY GIANT FERRIS WHEEL! Below, there was a HUGE arcade room where Jenn and I played Mariocart racedriving, some game where you drive a bus (haha) and, of course, DDR. Good times :D
This morning was relatively slow paced compared to our last two days; we spent part of the morning shopping for some souvenirs in Ueno before heading to the airport to fly back to Korea. Our plane landed at about 4:00, but with the busing I didn't get home until 7pm, and now I am getting ready for the next week of teaching classes.
I realize that this is a very condensed retelling of my trip, but maybe you can hear more about it on skype!
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