It's my first morning in Japan and I would still pinch myself to prove it's not a dream.
After we had our breakfast buffet in Harumi Grand Hotel, we, the delegates, were finally fully oriented about the trip. Each of us was given a detailed handbook that contains our trip itinerary, as well as information about the places and hotels.
We met our JICE (Japan International Cooperation Center) coordinators who would be accompanying us for the entire trip. They gave us many helpful tips such as walking on the left side, dining manners, etc. They also encouraged us to speak Japanese if we know how to because they said it would make the Japanese happy. While I know how to speak conversational Japanese, I was too afraid to do so because it'd be embarrassing to make a mistake. Knowing this gave me a bit of courage and motivation.
After we had our breakfast buffet in Harumi Grand Hotel, we, the delegates, were finally fully oriented about the trip. Each of us was given a detailed handbook that contains our trip itinerary, as well as information about the places and hotels.
We met our JICE (Japan International Cooperation Center) coordinators who would be accompanying us for the entire trip. They gave us many helpful tips such as walking on the left side, dining manners, etc. They also encouraged us to speak Japanese if we know how to because they said it would make the Japanese happy. While I know how to speak conversational Japanese, I was too afraid to do so because it'd be embarrassing to make a mistake. Knowing this gave me a bit of courage and motivation.
High rise tower taken from the hotel rooftop
We had lunch at the hotel and this time, it's a set meal -- beef and vegetables, miso soup and potato wedges.
Our first destination was the Edo-Tokyo Museum. According to its website, it "was founded on March 28, 1993 as a facility to preserve the historical heritage of Edo-Tokyo."
At this point, all 100 plus delegates are still together so we had to wait for the others to finish before our turn to enter the museum. While waiting, we were allowed to buy omiage (souvenirs) in the museum shop.
There were many interesting souvenirs such as this miniature cardboard shops. Some are expensive but that's to be expected from a museum.
Matsuri feels in the lobby
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After half an hour of waiting, we finally got to enter the museum. The bridge divides the museum into two -- the Tokyo side on the left and Edo on the right. To give you a background, the city was originally named as Edo before it was changed into Tokyo. With that, the museum makes it seem like you're time travelling.
Traditional Edo...
...vis-a-vis Modern Tokyo
The museum is huge. The structures are life-size and they could fit many cars there.
There are a handful of interesting exhibits and one of my favorites is this traditional Japanese carriage.
There's also an exhibit of the Japanese house we usually find in Anime especially the older ones such as Ranma 1/2. It's pretty interactive since you can sit or lie or take photos inside.
Ukiyo-e woodblock prints
Tokyo 1964... which reminds me of Tokyo 2020!
The only disappointment I had in the museum visit was the lack of volunteer guides even though we were told there would be some. Furthermore, many exhibits did not provide English translations. While I can speak conversational Japanese, I surely am poor at reading Kanji characters.
For dinner, we headed to Harumi Triton Square which is walking distance from Harumi Grand Hotel. There, each of us was given a Y1000 meal card in which we were free to spend in any dish we like.
Rush hour
My favorite food is sashimi so I chose Sashimi Donburi which is more or less Y950. Plus, a good friend kept telling me I had to try sashimi and Japan so I can "see the difference."
I've eaten so much sashimi in my life but this is the first time I actually had Sashimi Donburi. And my friend was right! The fish was really fresh compared to the ones sold here. Too bad the rice was not vinegared. I still prefer Sushi over Sashimi Donburi.
Before heading to the hotel, we were given a chance to shop around the mall. The most popular shop among the delegates was the Daiso a.k.a the Y100 shop. We also have Daiso in the Philippines but the usual price goes around P88 which is double the original price. It turns out that many Daiso stuff are really worth their price.
I didn't bother with Daiso because I knew we would encounter more Daiso stores along the way. Ironically, I just went for convenient stores which we would encounter more often than Daiso! At least I was also able to go to a bookstore.
I bought a pack of candies SKE48 was endorsing and got myself some free flyers.
I also grabbed the latest copy of the special newspaper of AKB48. The newspaper would've been a good read except that I can't read Kanji.
Before the night ended, I watched a drama featuring Akimoto Sayaka. Ahhh~ It's good to see her still active in the entertainment industry.
At this point, the worry I had the most is the temperature check the next morning. While I would like to drown myself in the tub or finish Sayaka's drama, I did not have luxury to do so 'cause it wouldn't be good to be a living zombie the next day.
'Til the next entry!
When you visit Japan, Edo-Tokyo Museum is a must. Great post.
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