Goodbye, Headquarters!

May 30, 2014

As I write this, I am on a bus headed from Tochigi to Tokyo! 

I’ve got to tell you, I am so excited for the next five days! Today we’ll be in Tokyo, tomorrow Kamakura, then Kyoto, then Nara, then back to Tokyo, then home! 
Those who know me well know that I love to be busy when I travel; I like to get up early, sight-see, eat, explore, and do until I crash… then repeat. 
My time at Headquarters was a really neat experience, but I wasn’t quite busy enough for my taste! I’m feeling very ready to be back in a big city and back to traveling around! 

Still, I’ll miss HQ and the awesome experience I had there. It really was incredibly eye-opening. I’ve learned so much about the Eastern way of thinking and Japanese culture. It’s incredible how vastly different the mindset here is than the one I’ve had and known all my life. 
I feel that I’ve been challenged to open my eyes to new perspectives, and I’m so glad for that. 

I know that many aikido students will never get to study under sensei as prestigious as the ones I’ve come to know during my time, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity! I would never have known about aikido and what martial arts are really about had I not come on this trip and been to this place. I know now that I have the ability to do incredible things just by changing my attitude and finding the energy in others as well as myself. 

And I found out that I’m really good at forward rolling! I was consistently the worst in the class at everything (including breathing… like. What? How can someone really be that bad at breathing? Especially a singer! Sigh.) except rolling. I can roll like nobody’s business! I was probably among the best rollers and I will totally treasure the memory of out-rolling my peers for the rest of my life.

Well we’ve just arrived in Tokyo! Ah, feels so good to be back!

To end this “Goodbye, HQ” post, I’ve composed a beautiful, thoughtful breakup letter which I think summarizes my feelings on leaving HQ…

Dear Headquarters, 

It’s been a truly special two weeks. I will always treasure our time together. You challenged me, you were always consistent, and I learned so much from you! But you just felt too… safe. I’m looking for something with a little more adventure! More excitement! And well, Headquarters, that’s why Tokyo and I are getting back together. Please don’t take it personally, HQ! It’s not you, it’s me. You really are great. I really do think that! But. It’s time for me to move on. 

Best, 

Lizzie 

Mashiko

May 25, 2014

Sorry I've gotten a little behind on the blog! Homework has picked up (the unfortunate part of traveling in a university program) so I've had my hands full. After this post I plan to write a reflection on my time here at Headquarters, and then I'll be blogging from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara! Very excited to get traveling again.

This post is about a day trip we took over the weekend... To Mashiko!

Mashiko is known as the city of sculptors. Its the number one place in Japan for pottery, and it's easy to see why!

Everywhere you turn in Mashiko, you see beautiful pottery of every kind. Cups, bowls, plates, pots, sculptures... And painted in a beautiful variety of colors!
I knew, before I came, that we'd be going to Mashiko and I'd get to see lots of pottery. I imagined white, symmetrical, glazed pots skillfully covered with blue illustrations. I had thought that that's what all Asian pottery looks like! I was so wrong; that's what Chinese pottery looks like. Japanese pottery, on the other hand, is much more earthy and hand-made looking. Many pieces I saw were asymmetrical, rough, left unglazed in places. There were bright blue pieces, yellow pieces, white pieces painted with pink flowers; some were brown and dark green, some textured while others were smooth... I went into a countless number of shops as well as an outdoor market, and everywhere I was greeted with an overwhelming amount of pottery.

Pottery piled up high on floors, artfully arranged on shelves, upstairs, downstairs, outside, in shops... You could never imagine so many beautiful things! Each one unique and hand made.

I could've spent two days just wandering there. And I could've spent every dime I have! Oh to have a kitchen stocked with a rainbow of dishes from Mashiko!
I restrained myself to only two mugs. While I really like my purchases, I must say that it was incredibly difficult to pick them out while in that sea of gorgeous art!

Although I was very happy just to wander, the next item on our agenda was a TON of fun!
We were going to make some pottery of our own.

The place where we went to work is a tiny, one-room art studio. We broke into two groups (One had art class while the other saw the city, then swapped. I was in the group to explore first.) in order to fit in the space.
Once inside, we sat at tables and were all given aprons, a hunk of clay, and some tools. Then an adorable Japanese woman demonstrated a few different methods for sculpting mugs and bowls by hand. 

I listened with one ear but, as she spoke, was eyeing the three electric pottery wheels off to the side of the room.
I have always wanted to try sculpting on a wheel and, when the woman asked if anyone wanted to try it, my hand shot up.
I was giddy as I climbed over the bench and lowered my legs into the sort of pit they'd created for the wheels. I quickly learned that I picked the wrong day to wear a skirt as I sat on the very dirty, clay coated bench and straddled the wheel (sorry, Mom, there's just no ladylike way to sculpt on a wheel). 

FYI- not my hands or my work; this was the instructor's example

After that, I pretty much got to work! We weren't given much instruction on the wheel. The woman's husband got it going for me, starting the wheel and forming a basic scooped shape, and then I just experimented with it until I'd created a cup I was proud of! I found the pottery wheel very relaxing. 
I ended up making several things: a bowl, a plate, a couple of cups... It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! I think the hardest parts might be centering the clay on the wheel, getting started, and cutting your finished piece off of the clay when you've finished. All things the instructor did for me. 
But I'd definitely do it again! I think it'd be really cool to create a piece from the very beginning, fire it in a kiln, glaze/paint it up, and fire it again. That would take like a month, but I'm putting it on my life bucket list anyway! 
After I'd made a few things I was proud of, I hopped off the wheel and gave hand sculpting a try.
I really didn't like it so it's probably not worth talking about. Basically I went from feeling like a legit artist on the wheel to feeling like a toddler with play-dough. 

I'm smiling in this picture, but I crushed up that mug in frustration shortly after it was taken and returned to the wheel. 

Fingernails crusted in clay and faces smiling, we left the studio and headed to lunch. 
Oh this lunch was so good. Shrimp and veggie tempura with cold soba noodles. The tempura was crispy and fresh and the tempura was perfectly flavorful and slurp-able.

Having taken in the beautiful pottery and delicious food, it was time to start heading back to Headquarters for the night.

...But not before a stop at another Japanese onsen! 
This onsen was much bigger than the first! After a little spa time, Mary, Kirby, and I found a nap room and crashed in there til it was time to go!
The nap room is seriously just a big room for adults to nap. How awesome is that? 
The room is full of recliners and blankets, and a TV in the front of the room plays sumo on low volume. 

Americans would totally be all about this! 

After the onsen, we returned to Headquarters for dinner and homework/social time before bed. 

I really have enjoyed this weekend away from headquarters and am definitely looking forward to more exploring and sight seeing as we begin traveling soon! 

Have a Nice Days! (Utsunomiya)

May 24, 2014

So glad to say that today I was able to take a break from aikido training and see more of Japan! (Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very grateful for the opportunity to train here at aikido headquarters... But I think I’ve earned a mindless day of shopping and dumplings!) 

Utsunomiya (oot-sun-oh-MEE-uh) is a much smaller city than Tokyo, and far less crowded, but still has plenty going on. It’s known as the dumpling capitol of the world (not “of Japan”... “of the world.” Granted, these are Japanese people telling me this...). It’s also known as the “Strawberry Kingdom” and the center of jazz music in Japan. That’s a lot of titles for one place! Pretty cool, huh? 

Our first stop in Utsunomiya was at the Shinto shrine in the center of the city. Unfortunately, every Shinto shrine looks pretty dinky after the Meijii Shrine in Tokyo (I mean, the Meijii Shrine is an entire man-made forest!), but I was still glad to see this one as it serves as the heart of the city. 
Dr. Baba explained that the shrine is 1600 years old (relatively new for a Japanese shrine, if you can believe it!), and was moved to its current location 137 years ago. In other words, the permanent structure we explored today is 137 years old, and the city was built around it. In fact, Utsunomiya literally means “the place where the shrine was moved”, or at least something close. 
Dr. Baba then went on to explain that, in Shinto belief, everything has a creative side and a destructive side, and this shrine is particularly revered as it is meant to enshrine the creative side of nature. 

Once again, we were blessed with a beautiful day! Everywhere we’ve gone in Japan so far has been cooler than I expected, but very sunny and pleasant! 
Perhaps because the weather was so nice, several families were at the shrine, bringing their young children to be blessed. 
I’ve got to say, Japanese babies are the cutest babies. I don’t want to offend anyone, but it’s just the truth. There’s no denying it. Especially the little girls who have the straight-across bangs and chin-length blunt cut hair. Oh my goodness.
This little boy in particular was adorable! I saw him goofing around at the shrine and, since I’m a total creeper, I took a picture of him. 

He totally caught me... Oops. 

After a while, it was time to leave the shrine and finally indulge in these famous dumplings we’d all heard so much about! 

We headed to the mall (malls everywhere... you cannot escape the Japanese shopping mall) where there is a sort of food court of gyoza (Japanese dumpling) restaurants. Basically, a bunch of restaurants are on a rotating schedule to get to use the space, several gyoza restaurants are in the space at once, and customers are able to get the best dumplings from some of the best restaurants in one spot. 
As talked up as these dumplings were, they did not fail to deliver. 
I ate a sinful amount of dumplings.
A waiter would bring a plate to the table, everyone at the table would eat one, then a waiter would appear with another plate, then everyone would eat one... In the end, I’m not sure how many dumplings were consumed by our group, all I know is I’m glad Furman was getting the tab for that meal! 

I’m not sure if anyone regretted our high-calorie lunch but, if they did, then I’m sure they were glad for the several hours of walking that would comprise the rest of the day. Pretty much the entirety of our day post-gyoza-feast was spent shopping. 
First we headed down a beautiful street full of every kind of shop and store imaginable. 

My favorite stop on the street was at a gorgeous grocery (think Japanese style Whole Foods). I love looking at all the foreign products. There were crazy jams, jellies, desserts, drinks... I could’ve spent a day in there! 

I probably could’ve spent a fortune in there, too. There were more than a few curious things in there I considered purchasing, just to try. 

tomato jell-o, anyone? 

Once I’d made my way down the street of shops, I headed into another giant shopping mall with my friends. We spent forever in there, checking out the crazy fashion and finding funny trinkets. 

like this super classy humidifier

or these awesome coin purses
(This is a good time to mention that the other day I told a sensei I'm a Texan, and he responded by widening his stance, pulling imaginary guns out of imaginary holsters, and saying "Texas! Pew! Pew!" pretending to shoot me. So that's good.)

When we finally needed a break, we stopped into a Starbucks. I told my friend that I felt so dumb for going to Starbucks while in Japan (like could we be any more in our comfort zone?) but, when that mocha frapp craving hits, there’s no ignoring it. 
In the end, I must say that I’m glad we stopped at Starbucks, not only for the frapp, but for the adorable message the barista put on my cup. 

I was the only one who got a cup message. Chalking that up as a win for the day.

The entire group reconvened at the Shinto shrine a few hours later. We were super lucky again to see another traditional Japanese wedding! At the Meijii Shrine, our guide told us that it’s fairly unusual to see, and we’ve seen two now! Woo hoo! 
In fact, I would’ve missed it if it weren’t for a kind stranger. I was sitting just outside of the shrine, sipping my frappaccino and instagramming a picture of my lunch, when an elderly Japanese man tapped my shoulder and said “Traditional Japanese style wedding! Go now! Go!” and practically pushed me into the Shrine just as the bride was entering. Thanks, friend! 

From the shrine, we loaded on to the bus and were dropped off at another mall on the other side of town. This mall was more famous for electronics, and I enjoyed a nostalgic trip down memory lane when I found the Pokemon section! 

I was very tempted to purchase this $40 stuffed Pikachu... Just look how cute he is! 

After wandering for a while there, two girlfriends and I found some place to get dinner, rest our feet, and gab until it was time to head back to headquarters for the night. 

I really did shop til I dropped today! 

I apologize for my lengthiness! Thanks for reading and, of course, have a nice days. :] 

Sweatin' Scribes

May 22, 2014

I am very proud of myself as I write this! Today I tried two very new things: calligraphy and a traditional Japanese bath. 

Our calligraphy class was first thing after breakfast this morning. 
The same man from the tea ceremony the other day served as our instructor for the morning. I didn't realize this before the trip, but calligraphy is considered an art form just like aikido, and there are degrees of proficiency in the art (similar to earning belts in martial arts). The man who led us is a tenth don, the ultimate honor in calligraphy, and is one of only a few in the world.  
Not only was it incredible to watch him perform (I love that tea ceremonies and calligraphy-sessions are considered "performances"), but at one point he physically took my hand and, as I held my brush, showed me exactly how he moves as he paints each character. What an opportunity!

We talked about how certain skills we've learned in our aikido training are the same skills necessary for improving our calligraphy. We had to have the proper posture, a can-do attitude, stability, etcetera in order to create the pieces.
Calligraphy is hard. There is a very specific technique, and I wasn't surprised at all to hear that this tenth don calligrapher still has to practice and study every day. 

Difficult as it is, I'm quite proud of the work I did today!  I think I did a pretty darn good job for a first-timer! In the piece below, you'll see the Japanese character for "friend". The paper on the left shows the example from the professional; mine is in black (on the right). 

...and he didn't hold my hand for this one! 

We'll be returning to work on calligraphy again next week, and I hope to improve even more! At the very least, I've gained a ton of appreciation for calligraphy as an art form! 

After we returned from calligraphy, we had lunch and continued our aikido training. When we finished up, we were surprised to learn that we'd have a chance to relax our tired muscles, take in more Japanese culture, and get away from headquarters for a few hours... We were heading to a Japanese onsen! 

An onsen is a traditional Japanese bath, complete with showers, indoor and outdoor hot springs, a cold pool, and a sauna. 
In other words, five different places to soak up (pun intended) Japanese culture and five different places to be totally naked with strangers! Woo hoo!
I could be all casual like "Yeah I was naked with five other girls who I've only known for a week plus a couple of random Japanese old women. It was chill." But I'm actually not that cool. I panicked a little at first. 
We were originally told that it'd be okay to bring swimsuits to the onsen, but a sensei explained that that'd actually be very rude. 
Well what do you say to that?
Nothing. 
You just nod and take your clothes off.
After the aforementioned mini panic and a very awkward 30 to 40 seconds, I chilled out and ended up having a really fun time! The outdoor hot springs is on a sort of balcony, over looking beautiful green trees and rice farms (Sorry, no pictures aloud in the onsen... for obvious reasons). And it wasn't painfully hot like many natural hot springs I've been to before! 
The sauna, on the other hand, was a different story.
I've been in a sauna before, but this one knocked the wind out of me. It is. So. Hot. 
I think I lasted three minutes in there (and probably sweated more in those three minutes than in all my twenty years... TMI?) and I'm calling that a major victory! 

In the end, the hot springs were a really neat experience. I left feeling so relaxed and like I'd definitely bonded with the other ladies on my trip! 
...I guess nudity just brings people together? Am I aloud to publish that? 

In the end, I'm counting both the calligraphy and the onsen as personal victories! I improved my calligraphy skills in just one session annnnnnnd was naked! Woo!  (That sounds incredibly lame. It is what it is.) 

Tomorrow is my last day of training for the week, so get ready for my next blog post from Utsonomiya! 
More adventures to come! 

Training and Tea

May 21, 2014 

(I really like alliterations. Have you noticed?)

Since my last post, I've been thinking more and more about how practical the study of aikido is to daily life. I'm a theatre major, so I've been pondering the importance of a unified mind and body as an actor. Of course we wouldn't use that vocabulary in an acting class, but the same principles apply to both aikido and theatre: you need to understand your body, know where to draw strength from, feel what's happening in the mind and body of your scene partner, control your energy, use the energy of those around you, remain aware of your surroundings... Studying aikido can only help with all of these concepts! 

For the first half of the day today, we continued training and practiced these principles further. We specifically focused on respecting your opponent instead of trying to control him/her. I so wish that I could reach through the computer and show you exactly what I mean. Some of these exercises make no sense to me until I actually do them and feel the difference! 

Yesterday's class was very physical; lots of rolling on the floor and getting up and down and up and down. I woke up very very sore, so I was glad for a more relaxed day today! We spent a long time doing something called "kiatsu". Kiatsu is also hard to explain (blogging about this experience is much more challenging than blogging about sight-seeing in Tokyo!). It's sort of like a massage. 
You don't knead muscles; you just place your fingers on certain spots on the body and try to send energy there. It doesnt immediately feel great like with a massage, but it has long-term healing effects. The founder of aikido healed his own stomach ulcer with kiatsu, and a sesei yesterday really helped a sick girl on our trip! It sounds weird, and I wish I could explain it better. Hopefully, as I continue to train, I'll start to understand it more myself and I'll be able to ease your skepticism in future posts! 

After our training session for the day, we had lunch (the food here is so unreal delicious) and then broke into two groups for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony! 
I have been pumped about the tea ceremony for weeks! Did you know that one of the earliest schools of Japanese tea ceremony is from the 1500s? America wasn't even founded until late 1700s! These people were doing this tea-serving choreography while Colombus was sailing the ocean blue! That completely blows my mind. 
The ancestral home where the tea ceremony took place isn't far from the dojo. We had to split into two groups since the tea room is small and the home is so old that there was some risk we'd break through the floor. I was in the first group. 

in front of the ancestral home where the ceremony took place

Once inside the beautiful old building, we removed our shoes, put on white socks, and filed into a small tea room. Normally, both the tea maker and guests would kneel (or "sit seiza" as they say here) during the entire ceremony, about an hour. But, since we're weeny foreigners with weak knees (seriously, try sitting seiza for as long as you can; your feet will fall right to sleep... and it hurts!), they allowed us to sit cross-legged. Since I was wearing a dress, I opted to sit on my hip, which was actually incredibly uncomfortable after a while. I would've complained aloud, but the very old man who made the tea sat in seize the entire time without batting an eyelash, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and whine about my knees later to my blog (Dear readers... Ouch. -Lizzie). 
The actual ceremony is beautiful. Every little detail is given tons of attention and done very intentionally. The tea maker moves so slowly, precisely. It doesn't look like he's done it a hundred times; it looks like he's very specifically chosen this performance just for this audience, and we are the most important audience he's ever had!
On top of that, the tea is delicious. I love green tea anyway, but this is frothy on top from the whisking he does, and it's the perfect temperature! 
Even the way we were to drink it was choreographed. We were to pick up the bowl with our right hand, place it in our left palm, rotate the bowl to the right twice, and drink our tea in three and a half mouthfuls. Another student noted that I was a pro at drinking my tea in the perfect three and a half mouthfuls. Must be in my blood! 

When the ceremony was complete, we spent some time talking about how certain principle of aikido were used in serving and drinking the tea. We had to use proper posture in order to hold the bowl correctly, the tea maker extended his energy through the whisk as he prepared our drinks... things like that. Really interesting to think about how we could all use aikido training in daily life! 

After the training and tea ceremony, we were all done for the day. Since then, I've spent the day getting caught up on homework, blogging, and hanging out with my classmates. I had better get to bed now! I've got another full day ahead of me tomorrow: more aikido training and a calligraphy class! (Not sure how I can make an alliterative title out of that just yet... Thoughts? Post in comments?) 

Wax On, Wax Off (Aikido Training Days 1 & 2)

May 19 & 20, 2014

Hello from Ki No Sato Headquarters, Tochigi! 

Since you last heard from me I've been here, practicing aikido and training with my classmates.

me in my dogi- the outfit I wear every day for training 

I will be completely honest: before today, I was not very interested in aikido. I knew it'd be a part of the trip (a big part; we're staying at Headquarters for two weeks and training for 9 days), but I figured I'd sort of have to push through it if I wanted to go to Japan. That being said, I've been so surprised by how genuinely interested in aikido I've become! Let me explain what it's all about...

Aikido is a Japanese martial art. When you hear "martial art", you may picture Jackie Chan busting someone's face or something out of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. I know that's what I thought of just a few days ago! However, that's not what aikido is about at all. 
The purpose of aikido is to unify one's mind and body. You do this by learning about proper posture, finding the center point of your body, relaxing, extending positive energy, and thinking of your body as one tool, not as a bunch of pieces stuck together. 
It's really incredibly practical! I know that I will probably never be a black belt, but I can definitely benefit from understanding my body and practicing good posture, relaxing, staying positive... etc. 

It probably sounds hokey to talk about "positive energy" and "oneness", but seeing these principles put into practice in the dojo is incredibly powerful! For instance, for the past couple of days we've worked on something called "unbendable arm". It's really insane! When someone grab your arm and tries to bend it, your natural response is to furrow your brow, tense up, and fight them. If you do this, your arm will bend. Especially if you are a naturally weak/small person like me! But if you stand with good posture- weight on your toes, shoulders relaxed, mind on your center point (a few inches below your tummy)- and think positively (the little Japanese sensei will literally poke your cheeks and say "smile! smile!"), visualizing the energy coming out of your fingertips, you will have no trouble at all keeping your arm straight. It's all about focusing on the parts of your body that aren't being held instead of fighting the person that is holding you. 
The other day we did a really cool exercise where five different people held someone down with all their force, and that person was about to sit up and even throw someone else with little effort (I was even able to do this after several tries and lots of encouragement!) 

In the same way, you don't really fight in aikido. Instead, you lead your attacker. 
If someone grabs your arms, you can try pushing against them, but you'll find it's really difficult (again, this is especially difficult if you are me and everyone is bigger/stronger than you). So, instead of pushing against them, you respect them and the way they're directing their energy, and you can use that energy to lead them to the ground or away from you. 

It sounds silly and confusing, but if you ever get the chance to try it out, you really should. It's incredible. Some of the exercises look more like dances or even magic tricks than martial arts! 

It's so cool to think about what a complete 180 the aikido way of thinking is from a western viewpoint. In American culture, we've all been trained to believe that the biggest, strongest, fastest people are the winners. But today I watched a 70 year old sensei flipping a 20-something, super fit young woman and rolling around the dojo. Such an unbelievable sight! 

What's even more awesome is that I'm getting to learn about this art in the biggest dojo in the world! And I'm training with the greatest aikido sensei in the world (sensei who trained directly under the founder of aikido)!  

where the magic happens

Despite all that I've said about peace and relaxing, aikido is a super workout. I am sore after two days of this (12 hours total of training now). 

The accommodations are definitely an adjustment after getting used to the Keio Plaza... but, after a long day in the dojo, I can comfortably crash pretty much anywhere! 

Oh and I am definitely the worst in my class. I am. The. Worst. (In my defense, most of the people on this trip have done aikido before.) But I've learned a lot and am working hard! So, despite the fact that I majorly struggle every day (and I don't even have the "I'm short"/"I'm weak!" excuse I normally use when I'm doing something physical!) and it gets frustrating at times, I'm really enjoying my training and look forward to learning more about this art form. 

oh and the food here is fantastic

Anime City

May 18, 2014

Today was the first day that we didn't have anything scheduled to do as a group, and it was our last day in Tokyo. Kirby, Viet, and I wanted to see the crazy, cutesy, and (for lack of a better word) weird side of Tokyo. So the three of us made plans to visit Akihabara and Harajuku. 

I was so glad to get a chance to do some exploring with only a couple of other people, but I'll admit that I was intimidated by the idea of navigating Tokyo's complex subway system. Viet and Kirby both expressed interest in figuring out the subway map, so I gladly let them take the lead! 
All I did was follow the two of them very closely, and they got us through the crazy subway and to Akihabara in no time! 

Akihabara is saturated in bright colors and J-pop blares from every store front. There are about ten three-story arcades all in a row on the main street, and in them everything is ultra cutesyfied! I named the blog post "Anime City" with Akihabara in mind. Images of Mario, Hello Kitty, and Pokemon characters are everywhere you look: on backpacks, waiting to be won inside claw machines, pasted onto walls... along with many other anime/manga character that I didn't recognize. As long as it's cute, it has a place in Akihabara. 

We stopped into one of these arcades to find a photobooth. Photobooths in Japan are especially fun because, after having a picture taken, patrons can edit the photo to give themselves bigger eyes, lighter skin... even makeup! The three of us had a great time taking pictures and editing them. Some of the stickers and crazy makeup options in the booth are just ridiculous! 

The photobooth was Viet's idea, so I got to make the next request: crazy themed restaurant.
Kirby did some research, and insisted that she'd repeatedly read the "maid cafes" in the area. I immediately thought back to the red light district from our first night in Tokyo and wondered if Kirby was confused. When she went on to explain that waitresses dress up as maids, call guests "master", and play games with them, I was certain Kirby was confused! But Kirby insisted. So when we stumbled upon a girl, dressed as a maid, passing out flyers for a nearby maid cafe, we all decided to check it out.

I don't know how to describe the maid cafe. I've actually put off blogging because I know that this experience will not be an easy one to put into words. 
My friends and I stepped out of an elevator into a tiny room where a few people were eating and about five Japanese women, costumed in ridiculous maid costumes, served lunch. As shocking as the neon pick decor and adorably designed meals are, the most shocking thing is probably how not skanky the whole thing is! The girls are really covered up and more ridiculous than sexy. 

The maid cafe was such an "only in Japan" experience. Instead of saying "Excuse me" or "Ma'am" when trying to get a waitress's attention, we were to say "Meow meow!" and gesture in the air as if we had paws. The maids talk in hilariously fake high pitched voices and chant things like "Delicious delicious cute cute!" as they work, encouraging us to chant and clap with them. One of the girls was wearing some sort of woolly, giant ears which she ceremoniously put on Viet's head after he placed his order. She told us in broken English that Viet is the master and Kirby and I are princesses. I'm still really unsure of what this means, but I didn't know what was happening during most of the lunch anyway.

Our food was presented as a scene and was decorated at the table. Not only was our food adorable, but my tonkatsu and curry was surprisingly really tasty! 

our maid also painted a Hello Kitty on the tonkatsu, but I didn't get a good picture :[

At one point, the lights went crazy, music started blaring, and all the maids started excitedly singing! We eventually figured out that it was someone's birthday and there was no need for alarm. 

We took some pictures with a couple of maids and they decorated them with paint pens. Just so ridiculous. 

When I left the maid cafe and walked back out into the street, I was seeing spots of pink in the air. We wandered around a bit, but nothing in Akihabara was going to top that experience, so we left and headed for Harajuku. Takeshita Street in Harajuku is the spot to find the crazy Japanese fashion that you always hear about. It's not as anime-crazy as Akihabara, but the cutesyiness of Akihabara is still strong! We weren't able to spend a ton of time there, but we did enjoy wandering around the shops for a bit and looking at some of the crazy items for sale. 

We successfully navigated the subway once again, and our adventure came to a close.
Next it was time to rejoin the group at the hotel, load our things onto a bus, and say goodbye to Tokyo. 
I hate to leave Tokyo! I've loved my time here. But I know I'll be back for a short while at the end of our trip, and I know the next leg of the journey- studying Aikido, a Japanese martial art, in Utsunomiya- will be full of new things to learn! 

Seeya soon, Tokyo!