We woke up really excited and ready to see what the day would bring. We didn’t really have a plan of what we would do today but it was fun just walking around. The weather was cold but not freezing – we all wore our thermals, jacket and a beanie. We went into a 7 Eleven which was just down the road from our hotel and bought some breakfast from there. It was bizarre going into a shop as everything was in Japanese (of course) so it was difficult to choose something to buy. I just ended up buying a cheese roll and a mocha milk drink. It wasn’t very expensive at all. Marie and I were practising Japanese phrases on the plane ride so we were trying to use them as much as possible throughout the day. Our main word was arigato and konnichiwa. At least it is a start! We sat down on a step on the side of the road to eat our breakfast and it was fascinating just watching people waling by. I was very surprised at how the people in Japan dressed. I knew that they were very fashionable – but I didn’t realise that they dress to the nines everyday. All the girls were wearing high heel boots, skirts or shorts and fluffy jackets or a coat of some sort. The men were mainly wearing suits or were dressed very nicely. I just couldn’t believe that even in winter they were wearing short skirts and shorts. ( I left my shorts at home in Australia as I thought that I wouldn’t need them until summer – WRONG!! ☺) After we ate breakfast we walked around the corner from our hotel into a really long street which was full of shops. It was awesome. We spent the day looking in all of the shops. The fashions are sooo cool. Marie and I were trying on shoes but were having no luck as none of them fit ☹ Clothes were very small too and even jackets were hard to fit into. They said size medium but I think that is really small. And you wouldn’t believe it but they only had one size. Where were the large sizes?? You can imagine our self esteem being shattered ☹ hopefully something will fit us….. I actually went into one store looking for some jeans as my jeans got a hole in them (can you believe that – I was not a happy camper!) and anyway the biggest size was 64 – I looked at them and thought that there was no way that they were going to fit, but I tried them on anyway (and when you went in the change room you had to take your shoes off), anyway the jeans fit – I was so excited that I had to buy them. They were only about $30. I am getting a bit more used to using yen – the notes are ok – it’s just the coins that I have to figure out. So apart from food, my first real purchase were the jeans. I had to buy something from Osaka and they fit so that was a bonus. For lunch we had a vegetable crepe. It only cost $1.00 and it was very tasty. Chopsticks are the go here of course and I am having a few issues with them, but hopefully I become a natural very soon. Vending machines are everywhere in Japan. We bought a 500ml Pepsi for $1.20. The shops just didn’t end, everywhere you looked there were more shops – we were loving it. For tea we went to a Japanese restaurant. This time we sat at a table. It was a cute little restaurant. The menu had pictures thank goodness otherwise I would have just picked something and hoped for the best. I ordered a pork dish and it was delicious. It came with rice, soup and pickled vegetables. I enjoyed every mouthful. After tea we went back to the hotel to drop off our things and to have a little rest then we headed out into the streets again – which were still packed mind you. The nightlife is amazing. Lights and people everywhere and it is a Wednesday night.
I wonder if it is always like this or of it is just because it is a holiday period? We walked to a little temple in Osaka. It was very fascinating. There was a budda which was covered in moss and people were throwing water over it. Interesting to watch. While we were taking photos, some Japanese people stopped to talk to us. They wanted to know how old we were and where we came from. They spoke a little English. One of the men gave Marie and I a little present which we thought was very nice. When we opened it up they were little Miffy key rings. Very cool. We then went to Starbucks and had a coffee before we headed back to our hotel and called it a night. My first day in Japan was just unreal. I have enjoyed every minute so far and can’t wait for tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment