Japan

Connichiwa!

I'm writing to you from our hotel in Akasaka, a city very close to Tokyo. It's gorgeous, busy, amazing, and a complete culture shock. So far we've seen the cities of yokohama and kamakura, visited temples and seen huge Buddhas, seen the pier and the city, eaten amazing food, and walked more than I thought humanly possible. We are exhausted. I may even be asleep right now. Not sure yet.

A few things worth noting:

1. My brother speaks Japanese. it's insane really. I knew this, and yet seeing the words come out of his mouth is something completely different. Once I master the basics (hello, goodbye, where is the bathroom, how much?) he is going to teach me bad words. I am excited.

2. japan is extremely organized and tidy. Just as much as you've heard and/or imagined. there is no litter on the streets, people are polite and kind, and I have yet to see a single piece of graffiti. There are orderly lines for entering and exiting the subways, people wear masks over their mouths when they are sick so as not to contaminate anyone else, and people bow at you if you even glance in their direction. Nice.

3. Japan is extremely loud and counterintuitive. Much like England, driving is on the right side of the road and pedestrians walk on the left. Weird to get used to. If you walk into a store they shout what I am told is "Welcome!" at the top of their lungs over and over and over again. they will not stop. Even if you ask them nicely in English. Go figure.

4. It is humid as balls! Each time you walk outside it's like someone punched you in the gut. I have been to humid places before, but this is something else entirely. I would like to shower 3 times a day. Sadly that is simply not practical, since we are out sightseeing most of the day. But the desire is there.

5. This is the most expensive city in the world. Truth. I am not entirely sure how people here survive on what they make, let alone all manage to have Louis Vuitton bags to carry all their expensive stuff in. I cannot imagine living in a city with such inflation. A soda is 350 yen. Why not just make it 3 at that point? Crazy expensive. Seriously. Can't stress that enough.

We've seen a fair amount of the nearby cities so far, and soon we will head into Tokyo proper. there are so many sections of it that it will probably take us a few days. Then we will take the bullet train into Kyoto, where we're staying for a few nights. I'll try to send a few pictures soon, but the hotel internet connection leaves much to be desired...

Hope you're all doing well. Miss you! Love you!