Final Days – Leaving Japan
Leaving Nagasaki was a sombering experience, as it meant that I was getting closer and closer to leaving Japan, a place that I had absolutely fallen in love with. It also meant spending the next 9 hours on shinkansen’s, taking me all the way from Nagasaki back to Tokyo, which considering it would take over 1000kms is an impressive feat. It was still a long time to spend on trains, so with my iPod fully charged I made my way to the station. Watching the world go by, I spent most of my time listening to music, reminicing about my experiences in Japan, and of course, sleeping. I also took the time to set up this shot. A friend from home had given me this little memento as a reminder of home and, I’m guessing, as a mascot for my travels.
After finally getting to Tokyo, I took the familiar route to take me back to the hostel I originally stayed at when I first arrived. In a small way, it was nice to be somewhere familiar again. I was also on the 5th floor again, without a lift.
One thing I had missed doing when Iwas last in Tokyo was getting a chance to see Shinjuku, another district within the city. Although it had no specific sightseeing spots, Shinjuku is still considered one of the best ways to introduce yourself to Tokyo, if only because of the gaudy neon lights and urban chaos, boasting an impressive number of commuters that make the station the busiest in the world. So it would seem I would be doing the introduction backwards this time. I had been told it was best seen at night, which was something I could very easily agree with. The neon lights went up and down buildings trying to sell anything and everything it could, and it seemed to be working. Even though it was during the week and late at night, plenty of locals still filled the shops and arcades. The night was only soured by the smattering of rain that couldn’t decide if it wanted to spit or pour, so I eventually caved in and headed back home.
The next day’s weather wasn’t a large improvement over the previous night, but undeterred from my last few hours to look around Tokyo, I hopped back onto the subway and went north to Ueno Park, which was apparently popularised by some game called Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3. Pfft. The park itself is a large, sprawling area of lush greens, a significant difference from the imposing sea of grey that makes up much of Tokyo. But like the city it lives in, the best parts about it are to be found inside, with the help of a little searching.
One thing I didn’t know about Ueno Park was the street performers who make up the different sections of the grounds, each offering a different form of entertainment depending on the time, day and weather. Apparently the city made potential performers take part in an audition process to choose the best of the best, and of whom were good enough to entertain the many locals and travellers who go through Ueno Park. I happened across a large crowd, and checking to see what the fuss was about, found a large group of Chinese Circus Performers going about their routine. Among the many performances was this, which involved an audience member sitting inside a large pot while a guy sat on top of it and a woman turned the thing around with her feet while sitting backwards. Those crazy Chinese.
After enjoying the performance I headed to Akihabara, best known as the district of the otaku (geek). The street is almost entirely made of music stores, video game amusement centres, discounted electronics, and thousands of malnutritioned nerds soaking it all up. It was the typical image of Japan’s entertainment obsessed culture and is frankly a bit of an eye-sore, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing. In some areas you’ll also come across Japanese teens dressed in maid outfits handing out flyers. Another of the many gimmicks used to both attract nerds and tourists, these maid cafes are nothing more than expensive cafes staffed by generally attractive Japanese women, usually in their late teens. Naturally, I decided to have lunch at one. The difference (if you could call it that) about this one was that it was also a design studio. It also meant that I couldn’t take photos. A young woman inside sat at a computer adding small details to a generally impressive drawing done on a computer, while a projector played a very poor (but so bad it’s almost good) anime video. I had an unimpressive spaghetti and cocoa drink before leaving, but it wasn’t enough to spoil the complete absurdity and amusement of the whole thing.
After I left I had realised it was now time to grab my backpack and head to the train to take me back to Narita Airport. Collecting my things, I sat on the long train ride watching Tokyo slowly disappear into the country-side, taking me one step closer to the end of my holiday in Japan. Sitting in the airport, I experienced a few small revelations that seemed to sum up my travels and time in Japan. Walking about the terminal, I found a wallet that had been accidentally dropped on the floor. Made with some sort of netting, it was easy to see the credit card and 1000 yen notes that were inside, which I promptly handed into an information kiosk. Although I never would have stolen anything from it in the first place, it reminded me that Japan was one of the few places I had been to that was so remarkably safe. Loosing such an item back at home, you would be lucky to even get the wallet itself back, let alone anything inside of it, and while this isn’t meant as a poor reflection of Australian people, it does show a signficantly different mentality from other places in the world.
The second revelation was more general. Poking around a souvenir shop, I saw a few interesting items, and wondered to myself I should bring any of them back home with me, as a memento. I eventually came to the conclusion that while a shirt from Japan would be kind of cool, it would do nothing to add to the memories and experiences I had. Such experiences and memories were priceless and far more valuable to me than trying to have a materialistic item as a reminder of my travels. The only ‘materialistic’ thing I would take with me was photos, and that was enough.
On the plane as it left Narita Airport, I was sad to be going, but happy that I had such an amazing time. From meeting new people to having distictly foreign experiences, Japan was nothing short of brilliant. Safe, beautiful and quirky, I vowed to return for another adventure, now knowing that my original fears of the language barrier and travelling alone were completely unfounded. I’m convinced now that everyone must visit such a inviting, polite, respectful and giving country.
Japan, I will be back!