Day Twelve: A Final Day of Gardens, Shopping, and Baseball

Uriel: Awakened by the light glimmering through my hotel’s window, I, Uriel, woke up rejuvenated and excited for the day ahead; my view through the window isn’t the best, but it’ll do for my final days in Japan. Miles, my hotel roommate, and I had great conversations and laughs about the past nuisances of our trip; ultimately, we reflected on the societal norms we’ve encountered in Japan and how life is so much more different here than compared to our cultural and societal lives Los Angeles. I didn’t have breakfast today, mainly because I felt full from yesterday’s dinner, but I did have a few snacks that helped me last throughout the time leading up to lunch. I got dressed and headed out the door to the first floor where we all decided to meet; one by one we all arrived at the lobby and quickly debriefed our plan for the day. 

Heading out the doors of the hotel, we all set foot on an adventure towards Shinjuku National Park, which contained multiple beautiful views, vibrant plants, and agricultural exhibits. We arrived at the park at around 9:30am and had until noon to explore the whole park; I meandered around the park with August, Harper, Lucas, Miles, and Nick for a little while until we split up into two groups of three. I ended up traveling with Harper and Lucas around the whole park and enjoying the beautiful scenery the park provided. Sitting at several benches throughout the park, we observed how nature interacted with animals and noticed how enormously big the ants in Japan are; although, the ants initially scared us, we suddenly grew a bit fond of the tiny, yet also big, creatures.

When we all met at noon, we then set foot to Asakusa, which is a famous shopping spot in Japan that also features a temple at the end of the shopping strip! We arrived at around 12:30pm, and we were allowed to shop freely until 3:00pm. At Asakusa I bought some street food that served as my lunch for the day; I had some amazingly yummy Japanese Curry Buns, which tasted way better than any curry I have ever had and included some enormously big cheese-pulls, and a delightful Melon-Fanta-flavored slushy! I also had a yummy chocolate-filled Taiyaki, a fish-type waffle with usually a custard filling, and this Taiyaki was by far the best dessert I have had this whole trip. As for the shopping aspect of the Asakusa part of my trip, I didn’t really buy much. As surprising as it sounds, I grew a bit more economically aware of what was too expensive and what was cheap in Japan; everything at Asakusa had generally western prices. Prices were inflated a ton compared to the past areas I’ve been to in Japan; everything in Asakusa was generally cute and cool, but I just couldn’t get myself to buy much because of how expensive everything was! Anyways, 3:00pm quickly came around and we ended up meeting at the entrance of the temple to gather ourselves and head towards, my favorite part of the whole day, the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball game! The train ride to the baseball game ended up being approximately an hour; it was pretty fun though since we were able to see a bit of Tokyo Disney on the way! When we arrived at the stadium, we could all tell there was a ton of energy for both teams. We were on the Swallow’s side, the visiting team, so most of us rooted for them; however, I rooted for the Chiba Lotte team. Luckily, the Chiba Lotte team won! It was a really long game but pretty intense because the last inning determined who won because it was a tie for most of the game. We, of course, headed back home and we stopped by a 7-Eleven to get some snacks. Now, I am in my bed writing this and getting ready to go to sleep. It’s been a super fun day and although I’m excited to go home, I’m also a bit sad about leaving Japan. I’ll still be enjoying my last days here though so in the meantime goodnight!

Megan: This morning, I planned and set and alarm with Mira for 7:30am, but I ended up sleeping in a bit until 8:05am anyway. Learning from my experiences earlier on in the trip, I knew I thrived off of getting ready on a tighter schedule after eating breakfast. Today’s breakfast provided a humble array of both western and Japan foods buffet-style, and I filled my tray with eggs and pancakes with gooey maple syrup on a plate, a small bowl of rice, a hearty bowl of miso soup, and a yummy, umami serving of natto. It’s funny now when I eat it, because although I really like it, Yo pointed out on our first day of Walk Japan how he’s never guided a student who enjoyed it. People say it smells like stinky socks. Personally, I think it’s one of those foods that you have to try to truly review yourself. I then went back upstairs and got ready with Mira, who I’ve really enjoy rooming with. We played our “own” little game the first night we roomed together, where we throw words in the air at the same time, find connections in our head, and throw a new word out based on the previous until we say the same word. The game helped us passed time on the trail too, and it’s become Mira and I’s little thing. Anyhow, our entire group popped out of the Henn na da Inn today for the Shinjuku National Gyoen (Park) at a mighty 9:30am.

The park reminded me of a mixture of the Huntington Park and Lacy Park back in Pasadena. If the Huntington’s ponds and Japanese features somehow had a baby with Lacy Park’s wide-spanning, verdure, Shinjuku would be it. The overall atmosphere plus comfortable weather made a stroll, café stop, and drawing session sound exceptionally enjoyable despite its usual mundanity back at home. Thus, Zara, Mira, Isabel and I did just that. With many accessible cafés scattered across the garden, we quickly found our first Japanese Starbucks experience— which to our pleasure had delicious drinks and foods that can’t be found in the states! I ordered a mango slushy drink and paired that with a mango mousse cake layered with a soft oatmeal bottom. Zara and Mira ordered iced teas, and Isabel got a warm chai latte paired with a waffle. We then pleasantly head out, found a cozy spot and hanged around for a while. Isabel and I both each started a new sketch, while Mira napped and Zara journaled. Calmly, it stayed this way for just over half an hour before a random old dude in a gray shirt and a bright red hat loomed and stopped before Zara and I at the bench where we sat and leisurely held conversation. 

This guy was actually from Nanjing, China! He and I started talking in Chinese about how great Japan is and whether or not I speak a Chinese dialect from my dad’s hometown (I, unfortunately, can’t). August happened to stop by and hang out with us around this time too. We took a selfie, then regrouped with Ms. Tomokiyo, Dr. Stogdill, and everyone else before heading towards Asakusa. Namakise Street was bustling with tourists, souvenirs, and street food. Many beautifully decorated Japanese girls were holding signs for kimono rentals, and I applauded those who wore them and walked the streets in Japan’s relentless summer heat. I personally bought a few souvenirs and a specific Japanese medicine my grandmother needed. We then regrouped once again at the Senso-ji temple, took a picture, and moved towards the baseball game.

The game was lively, with supporters from both sides waving umbrellas and whackers while projecting team songs and chants. We grabbed dinner here as well at the food trucks serving a variety of different foods. I introduced Zara to takoyaki, and I’m glad to say she absolutely loved it! She ended up eating five out of the six we bought (haha). Though the Yakult Swallows lost and we were seated in their section, it was still a fun time!

Thanks for reading Uriel's and my duo-perspective blog!!! Megan— out