Kakehashi

On this account I will share my findings and pictures from my trip to Japan

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My last night in Tokyo: My friends decided to go to Shibuya but I felt like staying in Ikebukero. While wandering around looking for something to do I stumbled upon this bar in an alley. The unusally short door caught my attention and I decided to check it out. It was dimly lit and only had about 6 seats or so. The man next to me struck up a conversation. He spent several years living in America as a child while his father taught at Cornell. The man's name was Shio, his friends in America called him Salty (Shio is Japanese for salt). We talked about his experiences in America and mine in Japan. I showed him a picture I took of a Delorean I saw in Akihabara and he burst out laughing and yelled BACK TO THE FUTURE! He prompted me to show the picture to the other patrons, each time I handed over my phone he shouted BACK TO THE FUTURE again. He visits the bar every Saturday around the same time and invited me to meet him there again the next time I'm in Tokyo.

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Not long before my trip, my best friend introduced me to a surreal anime called Pop Team Epic. A brief segment in one episode involves a keychain that is apparently possessed by a demon. One of the characters dismisses it as some junk from a souvenir shop. At a souvenir shop in Asakusa I happened upon the exact same sort of keychain. The next day I heard the opening theme to Pop Team Epic playing in a stationary store in Odaiba.

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Y31 Cedric spotted in Utsunomiya not far from the train station. These were assembled at the Nissan factory in Tochigi, the company’s largest plant in Japan. The Cedric went out of production in 2004 but today the Tochigi factory builds some of Nissan’s most expensive models such as the GTR and the Infiniti Q60. The factory is famous for being home to both advanced robots and groundbreaking automation but also Nissan’s master craftsmen who work for 20 years or more to achieve the title of “meister takumi”. This combination of technology and a human touch is indicative of Japan’s manufacturing.

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Since No Reservations began in the early 2000's Anthony Bourdain has been a fixture in my home. His attitudes towards food, travel, and cultural exchange helped to shape who I am today. He, more that anything else, is responsible for really beginning my love for Japan. It was the way he portrayed the country that prepared me for my trip, I think it's why my first time in Japan didn't really feel like my first time. His passing is such a huge loss for the world. My thoughts are with his family and those close to him.

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Clean air and friendly people in Otawara

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A very friendly looking bus in Shibuya. I think I'd be more likely to use public transportation in the US if our buses looked a bit more like this!

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Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to visit any animal cafes while in Japan. I saw signs for cat cafes, hedgehog cafes, and this compelling advertisement for an owl cafe in Akihabara. Next time I'll have to stop by and check it out

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Prior to visiting Japan I had seen a very interesting Boss coffee commercial starting Tommy Lee Jones. I saw this vending machine during one of my walks in Utsunomiya. I bought the can pictured in the advertisement, it was quite good. I don't think I have ever been let down by a Japanese canned coffee, I wonder if they will ever catch on in the US.

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Some of the only graffiti I saw on my trip

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Mario Kart: Tokyo

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Somewhere in Tochigi

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Tochigi Science Museum

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This stamp in my notepad was a great souvenir of my visit to Unganji Temple

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Temple dog

Unganji

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One of the members of my host family took me to see Unganji, a temple in Otawara. The history of the temple goes back several hundred years. I am thankful for his enthusiasm in sharing the culture and history of his region.

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Cemetery