Day 6 Exploring Shinjuku and more

Today we were supposed to visit Mt. Fuji, but we got a late start so it wouldn't have worked out well. Instead we decided to explore. We hopped on the train and took one of the lines that went in a circle. We got off in an area where music was a big thing. The first thing we saw was two huge music stores. Both of them had guitars as their main instruments. Anthony was having a ball.

We then decided to stop for some food. We ate at a chain called Jonathons. It is sorta of like a Denny's here. I found a great tofu, hijiki (seaweed) burger there. They have doorbells on the table you ring when you are ready to order. Oh and everywhere you eat they give you either a warm wet towel or a rolled up version of a wet nap to clean your hands before you eat. Anthony and I feel they should do that in the US. Maybe germs wouldn't be as prevelent. The food was wonderful. It was cute. We had bought a little Japnese phrase book so I looked up how to say the meal was good and when the waitress came back I read it out of the book. She laughed a little and said domo ariagato (thank you). Then we heard them laughing in the back, but not lauhing at us. It was a awww how cute those Americans talked to us in Japanese.

After we filled our bellies we hoped back on the train and headed to Shinjuku. Shinjuku is known for Strip clubs (men & women) and Pochinko (slot machines). Gamblimng is illegal in Japan so their way around it is you receive little metal balls which you exchange for a stuffed animal. Then you go somewhere down the street and exchange the stuffed animal for yen. We had a blast just walking around looking at things.

I decided we couldn't be too far away from where my friend Emi lives so we called her up and asked if we could visit her. As we were walking through the train station we smelled the most awesome smell. I thought it was chocolate chip cookies. We back tracked to see what it was and it ended up being sweet potato apple pie. It sounds like it doesn't go together but it smelled awesome. Nonetheless we bought a pie and brought it to Emi's. We hopped the train and headed to Emi's house. She told me it is Tokyo's version of Brooklyn. When we got off the train there were bright lights everywhere and I was thinking what is she talking about, but as we walked to meet her it completely changed. It was really cute. Her apartment was cute and much bigger than you would think an apartment would be here. Bigger than most of the places I have ever lived and only $2000 usd. The fist thing we did was all gobble down the pie. It was great. Then she asked if we wanted to have drinks and dinner.

Emi took us to her little hang out spot. It was our first experience in a traditional japanese setting. When you get there you have to take off your shoes. You place them in a locker and you take a card from it so you can remember where they are. Then they place you in your own private room. It is Japanese seating, where you sit on the ground but there is a space for your legs under the table. The doors are shoji screens and there are walls around you. Even though you can hear people around you you still feel very private. On the menu was sushi, bonito salad and tofu soup. It was an interesting experience.

Emi told us we had to hurry home because the trains stop ant midnight. So when we arrived at Tokyo station we tried to board our next train to get back to the hotel and they told us trains no more. We were stuck having to take a taxi. Taxis are 710 yen just to get in. That is almost $8 usd. Needless to say not only did we have a hard time communicating with the driver but a 5 minute drive cost us $15 usd. We have decided taxis will not be our mode of transportation again.