What a fantastic time we all had with Chris here for a week! It was great to see him, as you can imagine. It was like finding the last (missing) piece of a jigsaw puzzle, and finally putting the picture together. We managed to hit some of the high spots of Tokyo while he was here: Ueno, Shimokitazawa, Asakusa, Meiji Shrine, Shibuya, Roppongi, and several coffee shops all around the city. My boy is definately caffeinated. We shared some fabulous meals, some movies, hang time and fun. It is refreashing to see the amazement of Tokyo on a newbie's face. I realize what was once new and wondrous to me is becoming familiar. So to see Chris' jaw gape at the architecture, the style, the staggering humanity of Tokyo reminded me that, "Yeah! This IS pretty amazing!" But now our last puzzle piece has gone missing again, as Chris boarded NWA today to head home. He's airborn even as I write this. He returns to frigid Montreal to celebrate the New Year with some old and new friends. For a farewell dinner, last night we ate at Gonpachi. Shoes off, sake, Japanese "tapas," and some of the best food we had ever tasted.
I am delighted that my sister-in-law and my two nieces are here to see the sights and travel a bit around Tokyo and beyond. Tomorrow we will go to a sea-side town called Kamakura, where we will see the second largest Buddha in Japan, and hopefully do some hiking in the nearby hills.
Words cannot express how GREAT it is to have some gals to pal around with. Today, the 4 of us (ALL FEMALES) walked to Yoyogi Park, Harajuku, found a noodle shop for a yummy lunch, got caught in a storm, bought cool cheap umbrellas, visited the Meiji Shrine and then wandered our way back home, stopping for a warming pick-me-up at a coffee shop along the way.
Right now the Meiji Shrine is being prepared to receive hundreds of thousands of visitors in the next 48 hours or so. You can tell there will be a huge party/carnival/festival there tomorrow night. The rest of the city is shutting down, in preparation for December 31-January 3. This is the biggest Japanese holiday of the year. Everyone is preparing for the new year by meticulously cleaning their houses and businesses inside and out. Then they are decorating their front doors with pine branches- one on either side. Many doors have sacred straw festoons on their doors. These are all ways to welcome good luck into their homes and lives for the fresh start of the new year. Betty and I got a couple of the straw decorations at the park today. Mine is on the front door. Had to take the Christmas wreath down.
Practically everything will be closed except the convenience stores. Everyone travels to be home with family. This city was already feeling like a heavily populated ghost town today, if that makes any sense. The usual Harajuku Sunday crowd was no where to be seen, and there was only one rock band playing on the sidewalk. It was surprisingly quiet. HOWEVER, I did catch the dancing Elvises for the first time ever. They have been dancing at Yoyogi Park every single Sunday for years now. I guess nothing says "Happy New Year!" like dancing Elvi. (Elvi: noun, the plural of Elvis) Matt coined that word.
I've got to get to bed.
Check out the video of Elvi below!
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