Kaptivating Travels: A Weekend of Adventure

Moteki san, one of the heads of the international office, informed us of a Polish Fest happening in the area. We all agreed to go after classes. We walked 30mins to get there. The place was a huge and had maps inside, it was so big. Everyone was dressed up and the place seemed to sell designer clothes. I saw a display of clothes and the jacket alone on the manikin was $300. Names like Marc Jacobs, Coach, Gucci, and others lined the store fronts as well as fancy cafes and restaurants. Its called Roppongi Hills. Inside, we discovered the Polishfest. Many goods were available for purchase, such as beer, pottery, clothing, boardgames, and toys. There was a food truck selling food that my friend informed me was usually eaten on holidays. On her advice, I tried bigos, a kind of stew-like dish with cabbage,sausage, and beef along with sweet pickle slices and slices of bread. It was slightly sour, though my friend Marta told me that the real thing is much more sour. It was delicious, though the portion was really small. The meals of the students were covered by Moteki san. She is a really wonderful woman. I need to treat her to something in return for her kindness. After eating, we listened to a pianist's performance before taking the bus home.

Roppongi Hills

A spider statue. Moteki san said there is a similar statue in NYC

One of the booths at the Festival

Traditional Polish garb

On the way to the Polish Fest, I chatted with Erika. Erika is half Japanese, half Ghanian. I was curious, and asked her how it was like to grow up half Japanese in Japan. Erika grew up in the country side, which has little diversity. As a result, she was picked on all through her school age years. The boys would tease her about her dark skin, her kinky hair. They would even call her by her father's name or brother's name to spite her. This wouldn't seem like a big deal to most people, but to her, it was very hurtful. Her name is Erika, why call her by another name? Erika told me that she is grateful for the body she has, because it got her through the tough times and into an environment that is more diverse and welcoming. Her story was truly inspiring and I admire her courage. She is a very friendly and upbeat young woman who studies English and French, as well as some Arabic and Spanish.

The guys organized a trip to Akihabra on Saturday and invited us girls along. There was some confusion. Some folks came late, some folks got separated and we didn't find each other until we got home to the dorms, but we had a great time. The guys told me Akihabara was an anime paradise. They weren't wrong. There were figurine shops and crane machine game rooms willed with stuffed animals everywhere! Some parts of the figurine shops were really creepy and shadey. I really didn't need to know that old man like to covet figurines of scantily clad women...Wouldn't mind so much if there was some equality in the stores! But nope! Only one figurine and it was shirtless, that's it. They had those gumball-like machines, except you get highly detailed and wonderfully painted figurines! These shops had multiple levels. I went to one shope and I couldn't tell which floor was the last. We just kept climbing up and up! There were Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Pokemon, Men in Black, Avengers, EVERYTHING. There were floors where you could make your own doll from parts in any size or shape you wanted with shelves of clothing and hair and accessories. There was a floor of the machines with the little figurines, a floor of trading cards, literally everything I could possibely want. I didn't buy a thing, because I was so scared of spending my money too fast. I kind of regret it now, but we will be going back one day. We stopped for lunch at a little restaurant. You place your order into a machine outside of the store, hand the ticket to the door attendent and then wait at your table. I ordered ginger and garlic pork with cabbage, miso soup, and rice. Most of the guys got pork over noodles, with rice, miso soup, and a raw egg to pour over their meal. I got to try it, it was good!None of them got sick from the egg, which was also good! Afterward, we went the Akihabara Animate, which had many more levels and was so crowded it was hard to move.

Akihabara Station Electric Town exit

Akihabara

Akihabra

The figurine and button machines! There were veggies, Japanese wildlife, endangered species, dinosaurs,fossils,dragons,crabs,Netherland dwarf rabbits, and pets...I wanted them all!

The pets series from the machines

The veggies series

Pokemon figurines!

Doll making bodies

Sunday, in Shinjuku, the Multicultural Plaza was hosting an event where you could wear kimono for around 200 yen($2). The event was from 10:30-1pm, so we hustled onto the train to Shinjuku. Shinjuku seems more multicultural than other areas, as we saw Indian, Korean, and Thai shops. We saw some homeless people sleeping outside. It was a grim reminder that not everyone shares the prosperity of Japan. We did not know how to get to the Multicultural Plaza, so we asked many people for directions and walked what feels like all over Shinjuku. It ended up we had passed it and circled it before finally finding it. We stopped by a local police station and they just pointed around the corner and there it was! We rushed in, hoping we weren't too late. The elevators could only go to certain floors, which was a bit annoying to find out, but we made it! We were bustled in, got to pick our kimonos and then were dressed by the assistants. They then took us outside with the group and we were allowed to walk down the street in our kimono and hakama(for the guys) and take pictures. It was well worth the walk!

Today, my class was supposed to go to an open air folk house museum, but it was canceled due to the wind and rain. It will hopefully be rescheduled. This weekend, I will be waking up bright and early to go rice cropping!