The trip starts as I leave "The International House," my dorm. I don't think I ever posted a pic of what this place looks like:
Next it was off to campus, which sits on a bit of a hill. This allows for some nice views of the surrounding area. My favourite view so far in this country is in the first shot. I love the huge buildings rising out of the dense housing.
On campus, like EVERYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY, you have plenty of vending machines with plenty of selection. The third one from the right makes you fountain drinks. It spits out a cup, ice, and then if you look closely you see two streams being squirted into the cup: water and syrup. Yum!
Train shot #1. My local station has two lines running through it. This shot was taken on top of one of the entry points for the trains. One line runs straight on into the distance, while the other (the one with the train on it) turns and heads toward Jiyugaoka, which is where I was heading as well.
One oddity that you find in residential neighbourhoods here are full water bottles around people's property. I asked the husband in my host family about this once and he told me it was to keep away cats. He laughed and said he was pretty sure it didn't work. I think he is a very wise man.
Train shot #2. I know I've said this before, but trains are everywhere here. Jiyugaoka is a very well-off neighbourhood, with very nice houses. It also has a train station that connects two lines that run in opposite directions, which means that it pretty much has trains criss-crossing it every which way. So even the well-to-do can't escape having trains running past their bedroom windows.
And here's a train leaving the station and passing some apartment buildings.
Trains here are the main mode of transportation in Tokyo, with bikes being a definite second and cars a distant third. Most of the bikes are very similar in style, single gear with baskets. These bikes are for the common folk who need to get from point A to point B. You see the occasional top-notch bike being ridden by a true bike enthusiast, and finally you see plenty of motor-assisted bikes for the elderly. These have electric motors with rechargeable batteries in addition to pedals.
"L, R, what's the difference?" - Japanese people.
As I mentioned before, Jiyugaoka is a pretty well-off neighbourhood. So there are some nice restaurants around. Here's one with a nice garden and another with some Venice-like shit goin' on.
In Japan, you're never far from a shrine of some sort...luckily this one had motion-activated lighting so I could take a good picture of the nice artwork hanging from the ceiling.
This is half of Jiyugaoka station. The other half is underneath. Notice this part of the station has four platforms even though it only serves one line. This is because both express and local trains stop here and this station is used as a place for the express trains to pass the local trains. This is good to know because if you're on a local train and you seem to be waiting an unusually long time at the station, it's probably because an express is going to be passing here. Your best bet is then to get out, cross the platform, and hop on the express when it pulls in. However, the expresses are always much more full than the locals so I often just stay on the locals, as the couple of minutes lost are usually worth being able to find a seat instead of having to be squished to the max.
Here's an express leaving for Shibuya, one of the core areas of Tokyo (it's the one with the crazy pedestrian crossing).
One thing that drives me nuts (in a bad way) is that the girls here have their nails done up to extremes I never thought possible. Here is a sign for a nail place showing two examples. I've even heard of nail piercings. Ugh!
Awhile back my buddy and I got really lost walking around the 'hood. We stumbled across this bar, but until now I had no idea where we were. It was actually full of some of the oddest people I've met in this country...and perhaps the world.
One thing that space restrictions force is for commercial establishments to have to exist away from street-level. Some of the best restaurants and bars are on some random floor of some random building. It's so weird taking a beat-up old elevator from just off the street to the 3rd floor where you step out into a beautiful, classy restaurant. But such is life in the big city. Anyway, if you're looking for something, be sure to check the signs on the buildings, cuz there's usually a lot more there than meets the eye.
Just walkin' through Jiyugaoka...no big deal...oh shit a train! This is largely what defined my day. The sound made by these crossings is more or less a constant presence here, as well as in many other areas of Tokyo.
I bet you the Japanese part says: "Don't worry, we are watching the foreigners."
Also conveniently located around the city...tasty cigarettes! In Canada every single mention of cigarettes is greeted with warnings and pictures of nasty lungs. Here it's pictures of cool people smoking cigarettes.
Welcome to the world of Pachinko! It's kind of like video slot machines except you fire off little balls and where they land determines your winnings. It's gambling with a convoluted prize-obtaining system to circumvent Japanese anti-gambling laws (you win balls which are exchanged for tokens which have to be taken outside the establishment to be exchanged with someone else for money). It's everywhere too. I saw three different parlours alone in Jiyugaoka, which is a relatively tiny area. The balls are in those red cases on the floor. Sorry about the blurriness, I didn't feel very welcome here so I had to take this picture quickly.
On the side of a department store...what?!
One of the entrances to Jiyugaoka station. The screens tell you the departure times for the next two trains on each track, as well as their types (local, express, etc.). The signage at stations is always bilingual and quite good, making navigating this complicated system a breeze. The gates are fully automated allowing traffic in either direction. The person on the right is scanning her paycard. She'll scan it again as she leaves her destination station and the fare will be deducted from the card based on distance travelled. If you fail to check in or out of the gates, cute little rubber doors will close on you around knee level. Don't worry, they don't hurt and they don't really stop you from walking on through.
Okay seriously, leave me alone.
I've heard about these before but this is the first time I've seen one. They are for bike parking. Apparently you put your bike near the door, pay the price, and it sucks it in and parks it in another dimension. Then all you have to do is feed it your ticket or something and it retrieves your bike for you. Magic! Oh snap I just found a youtube video of this exact location in use! Check it out!!
Another train through the city shot. I know I know I'm obssessed leave me alone.
Multi-level parking!
Back near my home station, Ookayama.
Main entrance to Ookayama station.
Back to my room...
For a nice sushi dinner!
I'd like to close with a couple more funny pictures from around my neighbourhood. The first two pics are from a local pharmacy. When I first saw this product I almost died laughing. Check out the writing on the front! What the hell is this?! I didn't know I could buy Jesus' body for under 3000 yen, seems like a steal to me...
And finally: No! Drug.
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