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Articles Tagged ‘Park’

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Ueno-Koen and the Omikoshi at Ameyokocho

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

One night in an internet café is tolerable.  Not so comfortable, but sleep is possible.  You can get computer work done and then easily pass out in your oversized recliner when you are ready.  Very helpful for blogging, uploading photos, and staying in touch with out a ketai (cell phone).  It is a worthwhile experience, and definitely a must for a budget traveler in Tokyo.  However, two nights in a row is too much.  In the few times I’ve stay in one before I never realized the quality of sleep wasn’t as good.  Compound two nights in a row and you simply don’t get enough rest.  None of my friends could put me up for another couple days, so I decided to seek out a cheap bed.  I found a ryokan in Minowa.  Hotel New Koyo is only ¥2500 per night for a private room and located near Ueno and Asakusa, two areas that were on my itinerary before coming to Tokyo.    [read on]

A Walk in the Park II: Yoyogi-Koen

Saturday, May 26th, 2007

Since the internet café didn’t have a shower this time I started my day heading to Roppongi to find a cheap sento (public bath only… not a full fledged onsen) recommended by Lonely Planet.  The ¥400 sento turned out to be closed, so I broke down and used the upstairs onsen for an outrageously expensive ¥1280!  

I was even more surprised to find that this place was an overpriced dump, unlike the elegant onsen I found in Yamanashi!  The faucets hardly worked; if it wasn’t spitting out scalding hot or freezing cold water it wasn’t working at all!  The sauna and bath were both unbearably hot.  I couldn’t stand more than a few seconds of it before getting out and regretting the shocking sum I spent to endure this unpleasant experience.  Please heed my advice and avoid the Azubu-Juban onsen like the plague.  It is overpriced, dysfunctional, and if it will give you the worst impression of this sacred part of traditional Japanese culture.   [read on]

11.19 – A Walk in the Park

Sunday, November 19th, 2006

Not a single day so far has been a disappointment. Each moment has been drastically different than the last. Today was no exception…

After a late night of drinking and an amazing conversation with Melissa, I awoke around noon. As I came downstairs the sound of whistles and drums began to fill the air Sml speaker. Directly in front of the hostel was a parade/demonstration to change a local law involving child custody rights. Pretty random, but only held interest for so long.

I met with Melissa, who spent the morning befriending a cool girl from Canada named Emily. The three of us decided to find some food. A few minutes into our walk we drawn to the sound of live music coming from the nearby Plaza De La Reina. We found a lot of people hanging out continuing the demonstration that we witnessed earlier. We only stayed a short while… enjoying the beautiful weather, and listening to the sounds Sml speaker of a funk band.

After we found our meal in a sub shop, we decided to head to the Turia Gardens. As we strolled through the park we came across a variety of unexpected locales and interesting characters. [read on]