A Very Nostalgic Day

On Sunday I had such an emotional rollercoaster of a day. It was amazing! I decided to go and visit my old house from last year in central Tokyo.

I left my guesthouse around mid-afternoon and took the Chuo-line all the way to Tokyo station, which takes about forty minutes, and then walked to Otemachi subway station (大手町駅), which is basically right next door. Unfortunately, the Hanzomon line (半蔵門線) is the furthest one from Tokyo station, so I had to walk for about fifteen minutes underground before I actually got to my platform, but it was lovely because I remembered every passageway. Every turn brought about a new bubbling feelings of nostalgia.

I was really really excited to see my old housemates and the area. As I took the subway the two stops to Suitengumae (水天宮前駅) I was trying really hard not to smile.

I took the exact route out of the station I always used to and as I walked out into the sun and walked past the police box on the corner and past the busy intersection, it felt so strange, but so lovely!

I rounded the corner and there it was! My old building.

I took the lift up to the second floor and knocked on the door. I heard a shout of "Hello" from my Chinese housemate and I opened the door. I can't write down how nice it was to see the place again, but take it from me that it was nice!

It felt exactly like last year sitting on the sofa and chatting about random things and looking around the living room. What struck me most was how everything looked the same! Almost nothing had changed, except for maybe the shower head!

All the post-it notes with English vocabulary and phrases I'd written were still up, and some notes my Thai housemate had written were still up too. I looked in my old cupboard and there were even packs of tea I hadn't used! The decaff pack that my family had brought out to me in the Spring was still there, and you can't find that easily in Japan, so I put them all in a bag and took them with me! My umbrella was also still in the rack, but I have a new fold-away one so I didn't steal that back.

I wanted to see inside my old room but there's a Vietnamese guy living there now, and although he seemed really nice, I felt it would be really rude to ask if I could have a look at it, so I let that pass.

We had a bit of time, because we were waiting for a French guy I lived with to arrive, and then we were going to a Monica Wu concert together.

We went for dinner in a restaurant I remembered was good from last time. The name is Don Don, which is very similar to my Chinese housemate's name, so I thought it would be fitting to go there. On the way, I asked if we could have a quick wander round the local area, for old times' sake.

We went to the river (the Sumida River, 隅田川), which is just one minutes' walk round the back of the guesthouse.

Then we walked past the Tokyo City Air Terminal, where I used to take the Airport Limousine Bus to Narita Airport. We went inside to see some of the shops, and I saw the restaurant where I had my 19th birthday breakfast with my family last year. That was such a nice time!

I had ramen with tempura (my favourite) for dinner, and we chatted more about what had happened since I left last August.

I rang my French housemate from the restaurant, and he said he'd be about thirty minutes, so we went for another walk.

We passed the local veg shop.

There's the Daimaru Peacock (the supermarket) tower, which you can see from all around.

Random statue in between Peacock and Hamacho Park.

I didn't see this last time I was here! It's a decibel counter; we tried clapping by it and the numbers went up immediately!

We went into Hamacho Park, which is right by the hotel my family stayed in, and the leisure centre where I used to swim sometimes.

You really can see Peacock tower from all around!

And here's the hotel...

Ahh, Peacock. You and your deals were so good to me.

On the way back to the guesthouse, we passed a group of women in traditional dress. It's the first time I've seen them this time round.

We met my French housemate and got back on the train, me waving goodbye to the building again, and went to Futako Tamagawa (二子玉川) on the Tokyu Denen Toshi line, which the Hanzomon line becomes after Shibuya.

I was worried we might be a bit late for the start of the concert, but we made it with a few minutes to spare.

It was easily the best performance I've seen Monica do. I can't remember how many concerts I've been to, but it's quite a few, and this one stood out above the rest. It might have been because I was in a really good, slightly dazed, mood, but she sang and danced really well, and I really enjoyed hearing her songs, including some new ones. Looking forward to the new album!

I was a bit worried I'd miss the last train, as I had to change at Shibuya and then at Shinjuku before getting on the Chuo-line back home, but it was fine and I made it in time.

I looked back over the day on the train, and I couldn't really believe it. The thing that struck me most was how everything was the same, not just with the guesthouse, but with my housemates. I'm really glad I'm living in Tokyo again and I can see them often. It's going to be a really good year!

Shinjuku Gyoen

Today I went to Shinjuku to go to the Sakura House main office and pay my rent. I changed the last of my travellers' cheques in the currency exchange before I went.

From my guesthouse it only takes 16 minutes by train, with 10-15 minutes walk beforehand, to reach Shinjuku station. But being in the station doesn't mean you're "there" by any stretch of the imagination, it's so huge! I left by the first exit I came across, and wandered around until I saw something I recognised.

I took some photos as I went. They're not thrilling, but might be interesting if you've never been to Shinjuku.

The 2008 rainy season (梅雨 - tsuyu) officially started on Monday 2nd June, but today was lovely weather. It was 27C and sunny (but there were clouds in the sky). It was humid, but there was a refreshing cool breeze too, so it didn't matter.







I stumbled upon the bus stop where the Limousine Bus first dropped me off on my first day in Japan. I was having flashbacks to my first bemused impressions of Shinjuku when I arrived, dragging a huge heavy suitcase that insisted on knocking my shoes off.

Bringing New York to Tokyo.

After paying my penultimate rent payment at Sakura House, I walked back to the station, and then went to find Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑), which is an Imperial Garden. It's only about 10 minutes from Shinjuku station's South-East exit, but I was on the other side, which is a long way away! So it took me a while to get there.

I could see where it was from a distance because the buildings suddenly gave way to treetops. Yay! Green!

It cost Y200 for me to go in, as an adult. Children are Y50, and babies are free.

I was very hungry, so I bought a box of mixed sandwiches for Y550. I had some Oreos in my bag too so it was a good combination. I was so pleased to see people sitting on grass here! I immediately flopped down and ate picnic-style. Most places have 'Keep off the grass' signs but people were walking freely here. The second time for me to walk on grass in Japan! Japanese grass is hard and spiky, it's not like British grass, which is soft and comfortable. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. I was just glad to be able to sit on the grass in hot sun.

Shinjuku Gyoen is split into several sections, including greenhouses (which were being refurbished when I went), a French garden, an English garden, a Japanese landscaped garden, and crysthanthemum beds.

I did a circular walk from the Shinjuku gate, towards the French garden, then the English and Japanese gardens, finishing with the crysthanthemums.

The sun was very hot and it was lovely to stroll through all the greenery, finding little areas of shade along the way.

There was a nice lake near the Okido entrance, which I stopped to have a look around.

You can't see it very well, but in the centre of this photo, there's a turtle! I was so shocked to see a turtle wild in the very centre of Tokyo!

Makes it look very tropical I think. And it felt quite tropical.

Even though the city was so close, it was so quiet. This garden is a real sanctuary away from the rush. The loudest thing there was the mass of crows that seemed to follow me everywhere.

The French garden was surrounded by rows of trees, arranged in a very European style, I think.

Next on my list was the English garden, so I followed the lake (and the big birds) to it.

Well, not exactly an English garden, is it? I'll admit it looks like the park round the corner from my home in Birmingham, but garden is a bit far. It was great to lie down in it though, so that's exactly what I did. I put my jumper down on the ground and lay on it, reading one of the most British books ever, Pride and Prejudice, which I borrowed from my local library. I thought that someone going to study English at Uni should have read that book.

Tokyo Tower!
After a while of lazing in the hot afternoon sun, I made my way to the Japanese landscaped garden.

The nicest part of it was the traditional teahouse overlooking the lake and sloping hills.

After the Japanese garden, I walked back to the Shinjuku gate (I was quite tired by now, it's a huge park!), and I passed this cyprus tree root. How strange are they!?

Then I realised that I wanted to see the crysthanthemums too, so I dragged my tired legs back along the path. To find this! Nothing to see except greenhouses. Oh well... the cool walk through the shady forest was nice.

On the way back to the station, I passed these street performers. They had been there two hours earlier when I went to the park, but now there was much bigger crowd. The Japanese man sitting in front of them playing imaginary drums was loving it, and it was quite fun to watch them.

I went into Shinjuku station via the South-East entrance, and then realised that there was no way to get to the Toei Shinjuku line (都営新宿線) from there. I explained to the man on duty at the ticket window (in quite broken Japanese) what happened, and he took my Pasmo card, and worked some magic, before letting me through. Very easy.

I got home at 6pm, very ready for dinner, so I made myself a Chinese chicken stirfry, after helping one of my housemates, who is going home to Thailand in two weeks, with an English report.

This evening I will help two of my housemates with their English, and before I left for Shinjuku this morning, I helped one with her brother's resume. I really am the resident English teacher here!

I really recommend going to Shinjuku Gyoen if you have time and it's nice weather. I was so relaxed there, it was lovely. Nice to know that you can feel at peace in the busiest part of the largest city in the world.