７月１３日（月）

My mom and I changed hotels to 帝国ホテル東京 (teikoku hoteru toukyou, Imperial Hotel Tokyo) today in order to really treat ourselves and live it up, which was quite a genre shift from the capsule hotel. We also went to サンリオピューロランド (sanrio pyuurorando, Sanrio Puroland), a Hello Kitty amusement park apparently dedicated to cuteness.

Since this is the first full day in Tokyo, I'd like to write a bit about Tokyo/Osaka differences. There's a bit of a rivalry between Tokyo and Osaka. They are both large cities with hubs for business, fashion, culture, and tourism. When it comes down to it, though, the to regions have a separate attitudes. Tokyo people tend to be colder and more uptight, whereas Osaka people have more of a friendly "anything goes" attitude. Since living in Osaka for a year, I came to much prefer Osaka and socializing there. To me, it resembles the difference between Southwestern and Northeastern people in the US.

There are more concrete differences between Tokyo and Osaka such as escalator usage. One thing I truly appreciate about Japan is how mindful people are of their effect on others at all times. Being a more group-oriented and less individually-inclined culture when compared with the US, Japanese people in public display high levels of awareness of others in public space and are usually effective at navigating limited and crowded space effectively. For example, when riding an escalator in Tokyo anyone who wants to stand on the escalator shifts to the left, and those in a hurry walk up or down the steps on the right. Osaka has the opposite arrangement, so people always stand on the right and walk on the left. Either is effective, as long as everyone is on the same page!

On a travel note, Oskaa uses ICOCA cards like I posted about before for use on the trains. Tokyo uses a card called Suica. Both systems are very much the same, but each originated in its own region. When I was here two years ago there was doubt as to if I could use my ICOCA card in Tokyo and vice-versa. Now, however, I am using my ICOCA normally in Tokyo, and recharging its balance in station machines mean for Suica as well!

Now, on to travel stories! I was really impressed with the service at the hotel. We changed trains a few times to come from the capsule hotel to Imperial, so we were tired and sweaty from hauling our suitcases around in the heat and humidity. (It's been unusually unbearable lately, people have died from it!) The staff, regardless of our appearance, took our suitcases and treated us like queens immediately upon our arrival. After signing us in and each staff member speaking excellent English to us, we were led up to our floor by an attendant and handed off to our "floor attendant," a young Japanese woman dressed in a kimono who acted very properly. She led us to our room, and told us she was at the floor's front desk should we need anything at all. She served us cold green tea, bowed her way out of the room, and left a stunned silence in her wake. I think my mom and I were both a bit shocked by the top-notch customer treatment, but it was quite amazing. Japan really is the best when it comes to customer service.

Here's some pictures of Imperial and its amenities.

beds

luxurious shower

bathroom

anything we could possibly need 

in a useful little box

keycard

cold green tea upon arrival

even complimentary water bottles from Imperial

How naughty can I make this?

Can I request a dashing young Japanese man?

Clothing optional.

Yes, thank you.

Truly the lap of luxury.

On our way to Sanrio Puroland we stopped at a small noodle shop and order からあげうどん (karaage udon, fried vegetable patty udon) and きつねうどん (kitsune udon, "fox udon," cooked soybean patty udon). (The fox god Inari supposedly loves these soybean patties.) It was delicious, but udon can be hard for foreigners to eat with chopsticks since the noodles are thick, soft, and slippery. They are not easy to hold without cutting accidentally. 

Culture note: When you eat noodles in Japan, you generally try not to bite or cut them off. It's considered bad luck and kind of bad manners, but I am not entirely sure why.

Saurio Puroland was only a couple hours from closing when we arrived, but it was certainly ridiculously cute and overpriced. We had fun. :) We rode the boat ride, which was perhaps too cute for proper processing purposes.

Saurio Puroland

This treehouse eminds me of Tarzan's Treehouse in Disneyland,

or Cinderella's Castle

You walk through and read books telling you about how to do different little activities.

For example, there was one room with three mirrors. You held hands with another person and each touched the outside two mirrors with your outside hands, and a screen in the middle then told you how "matched" you were.

My mom and I matched 30%, whatever that means.

I understood the instructions, but a couple of Japanese people ahead of us did not... I felt a momet of pride in my reading comprehension... at a children's amusement park. (>_<')

book from treehouse

pillar to boat ride

distressingly cute archway to boat ride

boat ride cuteness

Dear lord, cute nerd frogs and everything.

How did I live through it?

too

much

cute

Now the light show, though: that was rad!

The designers had some fun instruments to work with!

After the park, my mom and I stopped in an arcade and did プリクラ (purikura, Japanese photobooth). There was a warning outside saying only a solitary girl, or a group containing a girl or of girls was allowed. Apparently they were having problems with lone men or groups of men taking inappropriate pictures of themselves. My mom and I took a series of pictures in a pose set we chose, then went to the side of the booth to decorate them with lettering and silly stickers using the decoration computer screen. Once finished, we took the two sets of pictures and cut them apart. You can request the photos emailed to you in addition to hard copies using the photo booth after you're done decorating your pictures. Also, the purikura area always provides scissors to cut your pictures apart. Lots of people put the little photos on their phones or other electronics as decoration.

Because we apparently have unfailing energy, we then went to Harajuku so I could show my mom a young people fashion hub in Tokyo. It's a cool shopping area with tons of clothing shops and also many crepe shops. I bought a strawberries and cream one. 

diabetes, yay

Speaking of diabetes, we stopped in an adorable sweets shop where the staff are making the sweets they sell right in front of you. They even said it is ok to take pictures when I asked. I love these lollipops, so cute! The shop is called Candy Showtime.

 watermelon lollipops being made at Candy Showtime

Harajuku is also home to this little treasure. This is a super small shop, but there are larger branches elsewhere.

Condomania

I found a Pikachu condom here 5 years ago, wish they still carried them.

Once my mom and I were done with Harajuku we went back to Imperial for the night.