Shibuya scramble

I've spent the last few days in Tokyo, and honestly, so far it's been kind of mediocre. The friend I am staying with and her family have been nothing but hospitable and kind, and I am very grateful. But I think I'm a little burned-out on Japan. Stuff is starting to look the same. And for some reason, the friends I came here to visit seem tired and quiet. Maybe it's because they're busy looking for jobs and writing thesis's. Or maybe they just don't like me?

Today I went to Shibuya, a hip and happening shopping district. After I came out of the train station, I noticed that the massive intersection in front of me looked familiar. Then I laughed as I remembered that this was, of course, the famous Shibuya Crossing, and I had seen it in one of my favorite movies, Lost in Translation. How could I forget?
I watched "the making of Lost in Translation" a while ago, and the director said they filmed some shots from a Starbucks above the intersection. I looked up, and there was the familiar green mermaid sign. That settles it. One chai latte, please. Extra foam.
It was really crowded but I managed to find a little space near the window. It was like lunch and a show. Every time the lights went green about two hundred people crossed the street from every direction.

I was trying to find Engrish shirts for one of the boys on my Christmas list, but no luck. I found this on the way home, but alas, it was on an ashtray, not a t-shirt. I'm not really sure what this is trying to communicate.

Images of Christmas

No, I don't know what this is.

In Japanese they call snowmen "snow daruma."

The Japanese love elaborate Christmas light setups. Well, who doesn't, I guess?


Back when I was in Nagoya, my church had a Christmas concert. As Robert would say, it was "pretty much amazing."




Merry Christmas everyone!

I wanna go fast

Woo! Shinkansen! So there I was flying across Japan at 186 mph on a train that badly smelled like cigarettes. I went 320 miles in just two hours.

I knew that, in good weather, you can see Mt. Fuji from the train window. For some reason, everyone on the opposite side of the train car had the curtains pulled down over the windows, and I was afraid that the mountain would pass by on that side and I wouldn't get to see it. I was also scrutinizing the green hills we were passing, worried that Mt. Fuji would go by and I wouldn't recognize it. Then we emerged from a tunnel and - oh yeah. That's definitely it.

No wonder Mt. Fuji is Japan's pride and joy. (Second only to the fact that they have four seasons.) The picture and video really don't do justice to how impressive this sight was. Surrounding it was just flat plains, and it seemed to float on a pillow of clouds, this huge, snow-capped, beautiful mountain. I've seen so many photos and drawings of Mt. Fuji, and then it was just suddenly there. It was awesome.
The photo below is kind of funny because of all the ugly industrial development in the foreground. But hey, it kind of makes a statement, don't you think?