I Went to Japan and Had Fun: Part 1

This blog and the next will consist of two emails I sent to my family from Japan. For those of you that only stalked my facebook photos, here’s your chance to stalk me in a new and exciting way.

Dear Loving Family,

I sure am tired! Upon our arrival, I was so relieved to find that bathrooms here aren’t just holes in the ground. Instead, toilets are extra luxurious with a seat-warmer function. Upon flushing, they play Beethoven’s 5th.

On Monday, we picked a random page in our guidebook and went to see some shrines. We saw some old cool stuff. We learned we can't read maps, but we're really good at navigating the labyrinthine subway system. We got home and watched The Hangover (which was awesome and in English) and collapsed.

Yesterday we woke up at 5:30am to go to the Tsujiki Fish Market, the largest fish market in the world. It's only open for auction from 5am to 10am, and though it was certainly "an experience", it was only an experience we could stand for about a half hour before we hopped on a train towards Tokyo Disney. My poor friend wore sandals to the fish market and left for home with a not-so-fresh feeling between her toes (you know, like herpes).

Overall, Tokyo Disney is similar to the Disneys we have in the US, with the exception of all the safety instructions being in Japanese. My friend made me go on a ride called "Big Beaver Canoe Ride", and I was forced to kayak on a banana boat with 15 other people around a small moat. It was less of a ride than it was exercise. At one point we passed a Native American display, and then the guide said something like "and we have two Native Americans on board with us right now!" We don't really know if he said that, (after all, he was speaking in Japanese) but the hoards of people looking at us and laughing clued us in to some sort of mean joke, even if that joke was merely referring to us as Native Americans.

I’m having a great time. So far, my favorite parts of the trip have been:
1. Watching The Hangover
2. Going to Disney
Both of which happen to be things I could have done back home. Oh well.

Tomorrow my friend and I venture to Kyoto, which is supposed to be full of ancient wonders and lots of fun!

Love,
Me