Placid among the haste

As I woke up this morning, I found myself a little more tired than usual as the final trails of jet lag leave my body and I no longer wake with the Tokyo crows. For once, I was actually still a little sleepy at 6:30am, which is a far cry from my normal pattern in the United States of staying up until about 1:00am and waking at around 8:00pm. With a quick bowl of cereal (furosatado furuekies), yogurt and an orange, I`m out the door and onto my twenty minute walk to the Chikatestu-Narimasu station through the neighborhoods and bridges. Finally, as I arrived on the train with all of the other Tokyoites bound into the city, I put on my headphones and am beginning to blend in...only a little; I`m still the only one wearing a bright green shirt and plaid shorts contrasting to the business suits and skirts.


Today`s lesson centered around verbs! Tabimasu, Nimasu, Kikimasu...I`m quickly seeing how these classes put the "intense" into intensive. I feel like I have learned more in three days than I have learned with self-study over the last month. It`s certainly been great so far.

After a quick lunch of tempura shrimp, sweet potatoes and squid, the entire academy organized a trip to Harajuku and Shibuya. After departing from Omotesando station, I decided to trek on foot down Omotesando Hills. This section of town is quite glamourous and haute-couture, with shops catering to the discerning Tokyo fashionista. As I took some photos of the architecture in Omotesando, I was stopped by three Japanese people; fairly young and neatly dressed. The overly-and-truly-never-can-be-too-cautious traveler in me immeadiately put one hand on my wallet and kept a little bit of guard up as they approached me. The two women asked for a picture, and I thought that they would like me to take a picture of their group. However, what they really wanted was a picture with me, Mr. American Tourist. After obliging their request, they were very eager to speak to me in English, asking if it was my first time to Tokyo and if I needed any help. They pointed me in the way of the Meiji-Jingu shrine and Yoyogi park. They wished me well on my adventure and were very happy to have helped me out. Incidentially, this hasn`t been an uncommon experience here. Many residents are eager to help out, answer questions or take time out of their day to assist one another. If you drop your wallet, three strangers will bend down to help you pick it up. If you get lost on the train, many would even pay your fare to help you get to the right line. In a city of so many people, it`s a refreshing feeling to know that no one is a total stranger in a communal sense.

As I crossed the bridge over Harajuku and beyond the station, I arrived at the Meiji Shrine. The original Meiji Shrine was constructed in the 1920`s as a tribute to the much beloved Emperor Meiji, who all but ended Japan`s long history of isolation and began to expand Japan culturally and economically. Although the original shrine was destroyed during the bombings at the end of World War II, it was painstakingly restored over many years. As I crossed into the shrine, the pace of Tokyo slows down considerably, almost coming to a halt once you enter the environs of the forest. It`s hard to believe that this area is inside the same city and but a short walk away as the shrine almost exists outside time and the electric beat of the metropolis.

As I made my way through the Torii gates, I came to the heart of the Shinto shrine. First, I came to a well of water with a number of ladles. In order to enter, you have to cleanse your body and your soul by dipping the ladle into the water and washing your left hand first, then your right. Next, you pour some water from the ladle into your cupped left hand and take a drink or two (but not directly from the ladle). Finally, you then tip the ladle vertically to let any remaining water drain into the trough below and set the ladle back down. Freshly cleansed, I went to the prayer box, where I wrote down my prayers and hopes into an envelope and placed a small offering into the box. Lastly, as I approached the very center of the shrine, where the Shinto believe the kami is housed, you make a small prayer, throw a 5 yen coin into a well, clap your hands twice and bow. It was an amazing experience to go to a Shinto shrine as everything really slowed down to a halt; a drastic difference from the last five days of nothing but moving, going and running. Afterward, a cup of coffee and reading a book in a Harajuku cafe did the trick for certain.

On my way back on the Tokyo Metro, I still find myself in awe of how beautiful the entire network is. The stations are colorful and the entire thing from point to point is meticulous. It`s an entirely pleasant experience to go from point to point for about 400 yen a day.

It`s hard to believe that tomorrow is Friday already and the weekend is around the corner. Nevertheless, tomorrow is a new day, another commute and another chance to experience the cultural richness of this city.