My City

This is a post that I'd started while in Japan and never got to finish.  It's written about the last day of adventuring I got to have before leaving Tokyo - and oh what a day it was!  :)  The date referred to is July 25th.

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So, yesterday was a day that can only be described one moment at a time. I had an awesome day of touring, adventure, and silliness with Liz, Amanda, and Tony in my favorite city: Tokyo.

It began with meeting Liz for my first real taste of Japanese ramen.  She had consulted with a friend to find the best ramen in Tokyo and it happened to be right near Takadanobaba station. 


We had a small difficulty finding it (due in part to both of our lack of kanji-reading skills) but find it we did.  I had never been to a ramen shop before but let me tell you, this stuff is delicious.  We walked in, placed our order via a vending-machine-like thing that spit out both our change and a ticket telling our order to the chefs, and found a couple of stools at the bar.

We already looked odd being two white girls in a ramen bar frequented by mostly Japanese businessmen, but we couldn't help but accept the added oddness factor when the chef offered us two white paper aprons to protect our clothes from the sloshing ramen.  We looked amazing, let me tell you.  Sitting there, eating the most delicious ramen in the world (take note that ramen you get in America that comes out of those little inexpensive packages is not real ramen and should never be considered ramen), Liz and I both giggled over the fact that we recognized various American boy bands being played over the speakers.  In case we weren't being stared at enough, Liz started singing along to the songs from our adolescent years, much to the ramen guy's amusement.  I had to laugh.  It was a good experience. :)


From there, we headed down to Harajuku to visit the Meiji Jingu shrine (dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken) which is surrounded by a large forest planted in 1920 with trees from all over the world.  The forest was a pleasant change from the busy, humid life of Harajuku, and the garden within is beautiful.  After passing through two huge tori gates, we passed through the shrine area.  I would tell you all about it but frankly, shrines leave me with an empty feeling, so we'll move on.

Our moods improved significantly as we walked back towards Harajuku station and down Takeshita street, one of my favorite places in all of Japan, to get one of my favorite things in all of Japan: crepes!  Thin, light crepes rolled into a cone filled with lemon sorbet, fresh berries, and whipped cream!  Ah!  Oishii! (Yummy!)  Crepe stands are a familiar fixture in this part of town and you can get a crepe filled with anything from ice cream, to fruit, to ceasar salad!  (We brought the team from Pennsylvania here on their sightseeing day.  They thought they were just as amazing as we said!)

After thoroughly enjoying our crepes, we moved on to Shibuya to see the famous street crossing.  On any given day, thousands of people cross at this one intersection, creating a chaotic scramble of pedestrians every 30 seconds.  
We watched a few from the ground before actually crossing the street and heading up past the busiest Starbucks in the world to meet Amanda and Tony.  Together, the four of us crossed the street yet again and headed up to the upper floor of Shibuya station where you can get a bird's eye view of the crossing.


From Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku (home of my notorious day of disorientation) to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (which was a lot easier to find this time around). 

At the top of each tower, there is an observation floor where you can see an almost 360 degree view of Tokyo.  It is absolutely breathtaking to see.  You feel like you're right in the middle of it, yet so far above it all that it's hardly even real.  Miles and miles of city stretch out before you so that you feel like you're in an ocean of buildings from horizon to horizon.

 Isn't my city lovely?  :)  From Shinjuku, we headed off to see the most famous structure in Tokyo: Tokyo Tower.  I was most excited to see the symbolic tower of all the things we saw that day.  Looking a lot like the Eiffel tower, it stretches 333 meters (1,092 feet), making it taller than it's French cousin.  It is one of the landmarks that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, helping easily-lost people (like me) find their bearings in the city where nothing goes in a straight line. 

We had a good time taking pictures and resting for a while by the foot of it before heading off again to find a good place in the city to see it lit up at night.


 Amanda took us to Roppongi Hills, the theater district and one of the more high-end areas of Tokyo. From there, I caught this beautiful shot of the tower glowing against the backdrop of the city.  I think this is one of my favorite shots taken the whole trip

 

Well, do you like it? This is my city.  A little place I like to call Tokyo.  I really feel like I could spend the rest of my life exploring it and never know all of it's mysteries.  Each day I spent in it was an adventure and every day I long to go back reminds me of the awesome times I had there.  One day, the Lord will bring me back and I will get to experience every-day adventures once again.  Just typing these words brings a smile to my face as I look both forward at the future and backward at the fond memories I keep close.

Thank you for reading and I hope to post another of my fond memories of my time in Tokyo soon!

God bless you,

Amanda

The Trains

Now that I'm back in America, I've been reviewing my time in Japan and I've come to realize that there are an awful lot of holes in this blog that I still have to fill in!  Like all the times I told you I would write about an experience... and never did.  Honto gomen nasai! (I'm really sorry!)  From now on, I'll be working to fill in those gaps and hopefully give you a more rounded picture of my time in Japan while keeping you updated on my process of returning to my favorite country. 

Firstly, everyone keeps asking why I would continuously get lost on the Tokyo train/subway system.  Let me explain it this way: imagine a plate of spaghetti with each of the train lines as a string of spaghetti.  Those are the JR (Japan Rail) lines that run above ground. Now imagine that plate of spaghetti on top of another plate of spaghetti.  The second plate represents the metro (subway) lines that run under ground.  Nothing goes in a straight line.  Some intersect, cross, or end randomly.  Almost nothing is in a language you can understand.  And once you find the correct line to follow, at the end of it is another equally perplexing set of options as to how to either connect to another line or properly exit the station at which you've just arrived (more of which is in a language you mostly don't understand).  Asking for directions would help, except for the fact that everyone around speaks a language you mostly don't understand.  Even with a map, some of the stations are so confusing that the Japanese themselves get lost if they're in an unfamiliar station. 

In fact, let me put it this way:

These are the subways (the bottom plate of spaghetti).

 

Which live underneath the JR lines (the top plate of spaghetti):

Which sometimes intersect at certain stations, creating an interweb of convenient (yet confusing) transport to anywhere in the city.

The station I most often got lost at was Shinjuku station.  It is the busiest station in the world, processing more than 3 MILLION people PER DAY.  An architectural brain-bender, it has several levels, various shopping centers, and over 300 exits.  It wasn't until Amanda Fosburg gave me a tour one day that I finally got the hang of the giant station.  The first time I tried using the trains alone took me through this station and was responsible for one of my seasons of disorientation that day.  It was this underground walkway that so befuddled my brain:

The trick is to know the color of your line and then follow the signs.  Trouble sprouts when the color of your line suddenly disappears from the signs above your head.  I had never been adept at reading maps or looking for signs until I spent the better part of 2 months learning Japan's rail systems.  It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who got lost.  Even Pastor Shelley got lost once when I was with her, which is another story worth telling (another time!). 

Trains were just one of the many ways God used to humble me during my time in Japan.  I don't take it for granted that I know where I am going now that I am back in my hometown, nor that I have a car to get me there.  Although, I have to admit that I do miss having an adventure ever day, as one never knows what route one will take on the trains in Tokyo!  :)  To God be the glory, I enjoy every memory I have of those moments this past summer.  And it taught me this; Every day is an adventure - if you're willing to look for it!

Stateside Again

Here I am, stateside again.  I've been spending the last couple of days unpacking and generally getting used to life back in America again.  The jet lag has been a struggle to deal with, but the wedding I came back in time to be a part of went beautifully and I was glad to have been able to celebrate my dear friends' special day. 

I got home early Thursday morning around 2:00 am by way of Tokyo then Toronto then Chicago then Detroit.  After spending over 35 hours awake, I slept for a while before waking up and heading to wedding rehearsal Thursday afternoon.  Friday was the wedding (which was simply lovely), and Saturday I spent in the fine company of my family.  Sunday was my first time back at my home church since leaving for Japan and it was great seeing the faces of people that I missed. 

Today, Monday, was a lovely day in Toledo, Ohio.  I got to catch up with two of my good friends during breakfast this morning and bid them farewell as they both soon return to other parts of the country. 

Being back in the US again is somewhat strange as I have not gotten used to things quite yet.  Like this morning I got confused trying to pay for my bagel when I pulled out a 1,000 yen bill from my wallet.  I stared at it a minute in my jet lagged delirium until I realized my mistake and changed to dollars.  Driving on the right side of the road again is making my stomach feel all twisty - like I'm in constant fear of running into someone.  I can't shake the feeling that I'm on the "wrong" side of the road!  Driving at all is strange since I haven't had need or want of it in over 2 months.  I miss walking places and being able to just run down to the combini to pick up a bento or some onigiri and milk tea.  I miss fish.  And rice.  And a lot of other things.  I made Japanese chicken curry for my family the other night and was surprised to find that they liked it!  It sure satisfied the craving for Japanese food I had that day!  My stomach is not used to eating so much bread and meat and I feel heavy and full after every meal.  I keep wanting to use Japanese phrases in my normal conversation but have to stop and realize that the people around me no longer understand what I'm saying.  My siblings think it's funny how I translate for myself automatically after saying something in Japanese.  Some things are just best expressed in another language!

All of these adjustments are taking place gradually, but as I get used to life back in America again, my heart still longs for the days of adventure when every time I stepped out of the door commenced a new and unique learning experience.  I am learning new things about my hometown that I didn't know and am noticing all the various changes that have happened since I've been gone.  But my heart still yearns for Japan.  Some have asked me if I am having a hard time being back since I love being in Japan so much.  Truthfully, I am content in my situation.  I have comfort in knowing that some day I'll be back and that each day I am in the US is just one day closer to my return.  God has something in store for me in America in the near future, I'm just not sure what it is just yet.  Learning to trust in God has been one of the best by-products of my time in Japan.  Now I'm exercising that learned trait concerning both my near and distant future.  He has successfully gotten me to Japan and back.  I'm sure he's got the rest completely under control. :)

Pray for me as I continue to seek God's will in my life and that I may finally conquer jet lag and sleep on a normal schedule once again.  Thank you for all your prayers and keep looking for more remembered experiences from this summer in Tokyo, Japan!

Sayonara Time is the Hardest Time

Today was spent in the company of the wonderful team from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania as we explored the city and visited some of my favorite places.  We went to Harajuku and walked Takeshita Street, ate lunch at a kaiten zushi restaurant, shopped at the Oriental Bazaar, had delicious crepes, saw the Shibuya crossing, took pictures at the Hachiko statue, walked through the Meiji Jingu park, and made it all home safely!  Whew! 

I really enjoyed showing them my favorite spots in Tokyo today and had some nostalgic moments as I remembered the good times I've had there in these past two months.  Wednesday is my last day here and it will be a short one since I leave around noon for Narita airport.  God has been so good to me these last few days in Japan and I can say that I have been blessed beyond reason or measure to have been here so long. 

Now I am packing and my heart is breaking a little more each time I place something in my bag.  I don't want to leave.  I never want to leave.  But God is calling me home right now for a time until His plans are revealed for me to return here again.  Everyone keeps asking me "when will you come back?" and I always answer "as soon as God lets me."  I'm attached to this country now more than I ever have been to another place, people, or city.  God has truly placed me here for a season to prepare me for a lifetime of ministry in this place and I can't think of a better plan for my life.  I will cry rivers on the plane, no doubt, but I have comfort in the knowledge that I will come back and it will be for a much longer season than the short 2 month period I was here.  If anything, I can trust in the fact that if God got me here once, he can do it again!  All in His plan and His timing. 

So, I'd love to tell you of the last few days.  Like how we've seen 3 new people come to Christ since I last posted, how the Lord has brought a team of worshipers from Pennsylvania to usher in the sound of hope to this city, or how I've been swept up in a trillion emotions over leaving and yet seeing a hundred lovely faces in my mind that all hold good memories for me.  I can't wait to return to see them again.  Some will be older, some will be taller, some will be farther away, but every one of them will always be near to my heart. All of these stories I'd love to tell you, but they're going to have to wait until I return home and continue to recount all of the amazing adventures God has allowed me to experience here in Japan.  Please continue to read this blog if you could spare a few minutes and never stop praying for Japan.  We need your continued support and blessing in this country like never before!  God is definitely starting to do something new and we can't quite see it yet.  But one day, the day will come when we look back on these moments and say, "Wow!  Way back then, God was completely setting us up for the awesome things He's doing now!" 

Next time I post will be back in the states, but I hope you will continue to pray for me and God's leading as we discover the path for my life.  Also, keep praying for those devastated by the earthquake.  They need your help, but above all, they need the Lord's help.  Thank you and I pray each of you have received a little bit of a blessing from reading my posts all the time I was in Japan.  You are faithful readers, each and every one of you and I admire you for that.  Arigatou gozamiasu.

Mata ne!