Ramen-tic Skies, Electric Nights

Day 10- Attraction Day

My day to shine had finally come. I was the one in charge of mapping out the travel for the day and getting our group where we needed to be by certain times. I had spent the whole night preparing and made sure not to rely on Tom since he was the one who had been doing all the travel logistics prior to this day.

I made sure the group was up and out the door by 8:30. It took about an hour and a half to travel to our first location: The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. I was quite excited to visit this location. The first (and only) floor we visited had a lot to do with technology and robots. There were little robot dogs that would respond when you touched them and robotic eyes that would follow your movement. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with a robot that would respond whenever I would pet it or wave. The eyes would close in bliss and the arms would wave up and down. It was one of the coolest things I had seen.

Robots of the future

I then headed over to a section where I could create my own message using a selection of black and white balls. I put them into a machine where the balls travelled all over the room and ended up right in front of me. The message ended being a series of code that made a robotic chicken move up and down. I had no expectations when it came to what the message would be, but it was still a little surprising.

The next area involved the use of technology and how it could help people who were aging. I got to try my hand at a video game where halfway through the vision was obscured partly (like in someone who is growing older) and I had to continue playing as if nothing happened. I did not do terribly, but I certainly had a few missteps overall. There was a game that entailed distinguishing different words over a set period of time while also having the words grow softer each round. I did not technically try this, but I did watch as Tom tried his hand at it. He received a solid 7/10 correct. Not bad.

Once 11:20 hit, we headed over to the dome theater to watch a feature presentation. I was handed a translator and into the theater I went. The presentation involved space and satellites and the Japanese space program. It was interesting enough, although I could barely hear anything through my translator device. Nevertheless, I watched the short film and learned all about the satellite that was sent on a mission to bring back information from an asteroid. I think the most interesting part was learning about the company used to develop materials for the satellite and how it was deeply impacted by the Fukushima tsunami.

After we left the theater, it was time to move on to the next part of our day. Sadly, I did not get to explore the rest of the museum, but I enjoyed what I was able to see. Lunch was up next. We ended up going to a burger restaurant where I tried the avocado burger. I almost cried it was so good. I have not had an avocado in months, and this one was the perfect softness and ripeness. The burger itself was incredibly messy, and I used about 6 napkins just trying to clean up the sauces running down my hands.

10/10 burger

A quick 10 minute long walk later and we were at our next destination: teamLab Planets. We met up with another co-worker, Nicole, and headed inside. The first thing we had to do was take off our socks and shoes. I was not exactly thrilled to be walking around barefoot, but rules are rules. The next step was to put our belongings in a locker and then head inside to the exhibits.

The first exhibit was absolutely breathtaking. The entire room was filled with mirrors and flowers dangling from the ceiling. The orchids would gently brush my shoulder as I walked around and the aroma of fresh flowers was subtle. I did not even realize the flowers were real at first glance. There were so many colors: bright blues, vivid oranges, glowing purples. I took a few pictures (more like 40) and simply observed the vast spaces I was in. I could have stayed in the room for hours upon hours.

Flowers galore

The second exhibit was somewhat similar to the first. There were mounds of moss upon which clear alien eggs were perched. Mist was billowing in the background, and I felt as though I had crash landed on a foreign planet. Honestly, I was half expecting a xenomorph to appear from inside one of the eggs. I got shouted at the tiniest bit for sitting on a brick wall for a picture with a friend, but I only did it because an Instagram influencer had done it before me.

Alien forest

The third exhibit was a dark room with pillow fort vibes. The walls were covered with fabric and the floor was a mixture of trampolines and cushions. It was a little hard to walk evenly across the surface and the room had a heavy scent of feet. Not my favorite exhibit out of the bunch.

The fourth exhibit was absolutely magical. Again, the whole room was covered in mirrors, but instead of flowers hanging from the ceilings there were lights. Thousands of strings of lights were cascading from above, glittering like stars in the skies. Every so often the lights would change colors. They would start off a brilliant white and slowly fade to blue and then fade to rainbow which then faded to green; it was spectacular to watch. We headed over to a corner so as not to be in the way of anyone on the path. We had a grand old time watching the lights turn colors trying to guess what color or color pattern would appear next.

Exhibit 5 involved us rolling up our pants. The entire room was filled with knee-high warm water. Inside the water were holographics of koi fish, starfish, and other small fish swimming around. The fish would glow in bright colors, and we would watch them swim around until they disappeared. Eventually, we grew warm from the water and tired of the overwhelming chlorine stench.

The sixth exhibit was another light display. There were giant balls situated throughout the room that would turn various colors. Some of the balls could be rolled around, and I saw children shoving them towards siblings or throwing their whole bodies onto the balls. We ended up playing a round of hide and go seek in the room. Tom was the seeker, and we all ran to hide. I ended up hiding right next to two of my companions, but I managed to be found second to last.

Ball is life

The seventh and final exhibit was a magnificent display of lights and colors. We walked into a dome shaped room that made you feel as though you had vertigo. We laid on the floor and stared up at the ceiling where there was an AI generated projection of flowers and leaves. It was impressive to watch, and it almost lulled me to sleep I was so relaxed. The flowers would move from one side of the dome to the other while changing size, shape, and color. I also felt as though I could stay in this room for hours upon hours.

Once out of the exhibits, we put back on our shoes and headed out to dinner. We ended up going to a buffet style restaurant situated in a mall. I had some curry and rice, bread, and potato salad. The bread was absolutely delicious and I grabbed another 2 rolls before I left; I am a carb lover above all else.

After dinner, we headed to our last stop of the day. We met up with yet another co-worker and bought our tickets for Round 1. Round 1 is a giant arcade that consisted of multiple floors displaying arcade games, basketball courts, baseball hitting stations, and giant claw machines, to name a few. My first course of action was playing a round of ping pong with Nicole. We were both horrible and would constantly hit the ball off the table. I then played a round against Tom and did just as well as the previous round. We both decided to hit up the arcade games and went over to shoot some hoops. I made 3 out of 10 baskets (it was rigged against me, I swear!) while he made 10 out of 10. The punching game was calling my name so we decided to try our hands at it. I did about as well as I expected (my hits were petty subpar), and my character was, unfortunately, still killed by the bad guy at the end. My ego feeling a little bruised, we played a Transformers game where I led the both of us to victory. I also tested my southern abilities at riding an electronic bull. I lasted almost an entire minute, so I made my roots proud.

The best bull rider around

Meeting back up with some of the co-workers, we decided to go roller skating. I have not been roller skating in about 10 years, but I was confident in my abilities. The operator made us put on full gear before we went out on the rink. I'm talking helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and hand gloves. I wore less when I was learning how to ride a bike. None the less, I put on my gear and was immediately pulled out to the floor by Nicole who had us racing in a circle in no time. I slowly found myself getting into the swing of things and made it around the rink many times without needing to go anywhere near the edge. Score for me!

Feeling a little drained from skating, a few of us moved over to the basketball court. We started out by playing a calm round of H-O-R-S-E. Well, it started out calm and then slowly devolved into utter chaos. After winning the game (yes, I did beat Tom) we played a 2v2 game of basketball. Nicole and I were on a team, and we played spectacularly. I would try and get the ball from Tom while Nicole tried to stop Ashley from getting the ball. By the end, we were all hot, sweaty, and tired. Technically, my team did win, so it was a great night.

I managed to get everyone home all in one piece, so my day as the navigator was complete.

Day 11- Garden Day

Because we had been so busy the past few days, the group consensus was to have a late start to the day. I was feeling a little under the weather, but a pork pun picked me right back up and I was ready to start the day.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden was up first. The garden was quite large and had several different areas within the walls. There was a stunning Taiwanese pavilion built in honor of the Showa Emperor's wedding. The structure was used as a tea room and overlooked a gorgeous little pond. I found it fascinating to observe the architecture and compare it to traditional Japanese architecture, or even that of Korea.

There was a neat little museum in one of the gardens that showcased various fauna throughout the four seasons. I think my favorite were the plum blossoms, similar to that of the cherry blossoms. The flowers were so dainty and delicate. I truly wish I could see the blossoms when they bloom in the springtime. I have no doubt they are absolutely magical to walk under. Moreover, the rest of the museum had some facts about the developer of the garden and history regarding the time period.

Plum blossoms

Following the museum, I entered the tropical greenhouse. I was in utter awe from the first step. There were bright colors every way I looked, and the temperature was balmy and perfect. There were so many plants I recognized and so many I did not. The orchids were beautiful and vibrant. The leaves of plants were stretching outwards as if begging you to touch them. The lily pads were perfectly perched in the water, ready for someone to lay upon them. Even the cactuses looked comfy enough to sit atop, like an ottoman. My time within the greenhouse was far too short (a common theme for this trip), yet I enjoyed myself the entire time I was in the four walls.

Slice of paradise

Meiji Jingu was the second stop of the day. The first gate at the entrance was enormous; an impressive mix of brown wood and gold elements. The shrine was intermixed with the surrounding forest (a forest created for the purpose of the shrine, mind you). I thoroughly enjoyed picking up the historical pamphlets located at the beginning of sites because I would get to learn (don't mind the inner student coming out). The shrine was built to honor Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken who were beloved by their people. Over 100,000 trees were donated by Japan in 1920 for the creation of Meiji Jingu. The walking paths were serene, and I felt as though I could lose myself in the forest.

With our hearts content from the forest, we headed over to the Harajuku region to look at the different stores. It was interesting seeing the different fashion of the women walking around. The outfits were a mixture of pastel colors, steam-punk goth, or maid-esque clothing; very eclectic. The area itself also had some unique stores (filled with lots of maid costumes) and several shops boasting Hello Kitty characters.

After Harajuku, we went over to Shibuya Crossing, made infamous by the opening scene in Resident Evil: Afterlife (or at least it left a lasting impression on me). People were everywhere and it was a little overwhelming. The crosswalk was a mixture of diagonal, vertical, and horizontal lines, and once the light turned green you just had to push past people to make it safely to the other side. The entire experience was about 5 minutes long, but it was still cool.

Dinner was last on the list. Three of us ended up stopping at an Indian restaurant right next to the hotel. It was the best Indian food I have ever had in my entire life. The naan was about 1 foot in length, the butter chicken was incredibly creamy, and the kebab was juicy and smoky. I ordered a separate plate of cheesy naan bread, and that was amazing as well. I ate to my heart's content and had the most food I had eaten in the entire time I was Japan. I do not mess around when it comes to this particular cuisine.