Saturday, December 11, 2010

The Land of the Rising Sun

About an hour of my time in Hong Kong was devoted to running around a strange office building, attempting to purchase a Japanese visitor rail pass.  The pass allows unrestricted travel on most Japanese bullet trains to anywhere in the country and it is good for two months.  The only problem is that it cannot be bought in Japan, hence my need to do so in China.  I filled out the paperwork, handed over an exorbitant amount of cash (since they did not take cards), and had a friend pick up my pass the next day while I was busy being homeless in Beijing.

Anyways, on to Japan.  I had quite the adventure in my last international port.  The Explorer docked in Kobe, but I did not spend any time there.  Japanese customs took roughly 3 hours to pass through and my group had big plans to see the country via rail.  With our awesome rail passes in hand, we hopped on the next bullet train bound for Hiroshima.  Japanese trains are the nicest that I have been on--plenty of leg room and excellent service.  Before I knew it, I was walking around a city that the US had nuked not too long ago.  In the immediate area around the hypo-center of the bomb, Japan has built Peace Park in remembrance of the horrible tragedy and as a protest to war.  The park boasts ponds, rivers, flowers, and the remnants of a building that the bomb exploded directly over.  I felt eerie walking around the park and knowing the unimaginable death and destruction that happened there.  I explored the memorial museum that is located in the center of the park.  The walls were covered with the history of WWII and articles found after the explosion.  Directly under pictures of children running through the streets with their skin melting off their bodies, was that same child's clothing or shoes or schoolbag.  There were displays of steel fused with brick and peoples shadows burned into the concrete where they were standing.  The entire experience was sobering and profound.  We grew up learning about the war and how it was won, but seeing the destruction firsthand gives one an entirely different perspective.  The destructive power that humans have created is too great for any nation to possess.  Global nuclear weapon stockpiles are declining for the most part, but some countries are still developing their programs and building bombs.  The existence of such terrible weapons makes our quest for peace and prosperity that much more difficult.

We decided we were depressed enough, and grabbed some delicious dinner at a random little diner before jumping back on a train bound for Kyoto.  I spent two nights in this city in a hostel and a traditional Japanese room where we slept on the floor surrounded my rice paper walls.  We ate copious amounts of incredible sushi and drank sake until we could barely stand.  The nightlife was quiet here, so we enjoyed each others company and explored the Japanese culture.

Before I knew it, I was standing in the main train station of the largest city in the world, Tokyo!  Ever since I was little, I have wanted to visit this city.  From the train station, we were supposed to take the subway to the district where our hostel was located.  The huge subway map in the main hall of the station looked like some kid had scribbled crayon all over the wall.  Eventually, we found our way to the right line and were quickly whisked away to the Asakusa district.  There, we found a long street populated with little shops and food stalls.  People were everywhere, something one should get used to if they plan on spending any time in Tokyo.  I spent the next two days rambling about the city.  One of my friends had a friend who was studying abroad there, so we had someone to show us around.  The streets are ablaze with flashing lights and video advertisements at night.  The young Japanese people walk around with crazy outfits and outrageous hair--and they love to party.  The first thing everybody should add to their to-do list is to drink and sing karaoke with drunken Japanese businessmen.  On multiple occasions, I crossed the most busy intersection in the world.  At any given time, roughly 1,000 people cross the street every time the light changes.  It's like Times Square on crack.  Oh, and the women in Tokyo are by far the most beautiful that I have ever seen.  The shear immensity of the city was daunting.  To get from the main downtown area our to our hostel took a 45 minute ride on the subway.  I never saw a building that was lower than ten stories.

There was something about going into a convenience store and buying a little bottle of sake, going out for a fine sushi dinner, and enjoying the Tokyo night with my closest friends that put my soul at ease.  One night, we stayed up through the night and made our way to the Tokyo fish market when it opened at 4am.  Usually the market is not open to tourists until 9, and even then you usually have to go on a guided tour.  However, we just waltzed right in and wandered about for hours, staring at the massive piles of fish, squid, and octopus.  By the time we got back to the hostel, it was 9am and we went straight to bed.  The next day we jumped on a crowded commuter train for the short ride to Yokohama where we met back up with the Explorer.  Getting back on the ship was strange.  I knew that I would not be setting foot on foreign soil again for quite a while.  As I watched the country fade away into the horizon on the back deck of the ship, I felt sad that I would be returning to familiar territory.  Whether I wanted to or not, we were officially on our way back to America...

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