Matt, Jake and Allison before entering Meiji Shrine |
Jarrod in Shibuya |
By Katie, Chris and Jarrod
katie- breakfast at the youth hostel was kinda early, so we woke up around 6:30. we went shopping after that- there were soooo many awesome shops there! basically every store had flashing lights and huge neon signs... really cool. i ended up buying a cd and a jacket. now, we're on the train to yokohama so we can meet our host family at the high school... awesome!
Christof: Least amount of sleep yet, but still rested. Now I'm killing time in the hostel lounge. Next destination Yokohama. Two hour train trip with debatable seating opportunities. The cramped train rides aren't entirely unenjoyable, awesome experience for small town kids.
Jarrod: shibuya was awesome it was like times square in japan. There were some really weird shops, but the other 600 shops were great! it was also an awesome shopping district, but a lot of it was really expensive. Oh well we're on our way to yokohama so thats going to be an interesting experience!!!
Chris was fully into the ceremony we witnessed at the Meiji Shrine. The walk to the shrine was superb, the huge gnarled trees created a canopy of green. We had our picture taken twice, at two separate locations, by the same businessman. Upon arrival, after marveling at the ancient Bonsai trees, we proceeded to the main shrine. Apparently on the 1st and 15th of each month the shrine holds a special service to pray for the Emperor and similar important officials. Sensei's first experience on a Japan trip. Very cool.