The weekend started off as it always does, heading out into Shibuya for a night out. This time my friends and I went to a sushi place called Genki sushi. At this restaurant, you order your food from an ipad and then the sushi gets delivered to you on a train! I found this place last year and I love coming back to it. Plus it’s super cheap!
This Saturday TUJ Activities had planned a biking trip across Tokyo. Over the course of the day, a group of 20 or so students biked all over Tokyo; starting at TUJ Azabu campus we biked to the Imperial Palace in Ginza, Kanda Myojin Shrine, Tokyo University, Hosokawa Park and more. At the end of it all, we were all super sweaty but had accomplished a 30km bike ride. I really enjoyed being able to ride on the streets of Tokyo. There are so many curvy and steep back roads that I had no idea existed. This excursion let me see yet another side of this huge city.
On Sunday the Tokyo Coffee Festival was being held in Shibuya. My friend Colin is a coffee addict so naturally when he heard about it we all had to go. At the festival, there were almost 50 different vendors offering their unique blend of coffee. The whole area smelled like heaven. There were even food trucks that sold vegan food and other cuisine unique from Japan. One particular food truck vendor selling burritos and tacos saw me jamming to his music outside his truck and offered me his business card and some lavender pictured below.
Classes started up per usual on Monday. In my graphic design class, my fellow classmates and I got to design some typeset by hand with screen printed sheets. This method of typesetting is almost extinct, my professor told us that these sheets aren’t really made anymore and they’re hard to come by. As a graphic designer in this age, everything is digital, and I really came to appreciate the art more by doing it analog. I actually think it might be easier to come up with ideas when doing things by hand. I’ll be sure to take this lesson with me going ahead.
My internship sent me to Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa to take pictures for an article. Senso-ji is really beautiful but also really touristy. It was still a fun time to get to walk down Nakamise Dori and see all the different shops that lined the street. The temple and surrounding grounds were also very beautiful.
Tuesday evening, my friends and I headed over to Tokyo Tower because it’s super close to Temple’s Azabu campus. We had a great time getting dinner in a gyoza shop down one of those small alleyways and then walking over to the tower. The experience at night was way better than coming in the day. The tower was lit up outside and all throughout the inside floors there was a spectacular light display with projections on one floor and Christmas lights on the other.
The longer I stay in this country, the more I’m becoming aware of how easy it is to adapt and assimilate into the culture. However, I am starting to notice slight culture differences. Japan is a very fast moving country that has become very forward-thinking over the years but there are still aspects that aren’t at the same level as they are in America. In my everyday life here, I’ll experience small instances of micro-aggressions, or sexism, more so than back home in New Jersey. As a foreigner in this country, working and studying under superiors, I have to find a balance between understanding the cultural difference and working towards a more equal and liberal Japan.