Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam, Part 4, Tokyo

I can't believe I'm already writing about the last piece of the Japanese leg of our trip. We packed a lot into each stop on our trip and Tokyo was definitely no different. Let's jump right in.

Day 1: Arrival & Sightseeing Part 1
The night before we left for Tokyo I stayed up way too late (working on things for this blog and my youtube channel) and I was extremely tired and cranky when we set off for the train station. Luckily we were taking a train into Tokyo (I really LOVE trains and as many flights as I've taken in my life, I actually prefer them to planes). The Odakyu "Romancecar" got us to Tokyo in less than 2 hours, which wasn't enough time for me to get the nap I desperately needed but did leave us with plenty of time to get our bearings in Tokyo without losing the whole day to travel.

Outside of our hotel

We arrived on the tail end of morning rush hour and Shinjuku station was buzzing with people trying to make it to school and work.  I was still a bit drowsy and cranky at this point so it probably felt a lot more chaotic than it actually was--imagine Penn Station or 42nd Street stops at rush hour and it was pretty much no different. After a quick stop at the information desk we hopped on a train and headed to our hotel. (Note: I found Tokyo's  metro system to be extremely easy to navigate--much easier than NYC's. All of the stops are numbered and the ticket machines are simple to use, often calculating the exact fair for your trip so you rarely end up overpaying or coming up short. Also the trains are SUPER clean and comfy). We stayed at another ryokan hotel, the Homeikan Daimachi, similar to the one in Kyoto. However, this one had bathroom facilities outisde of the rooms, which were shared by all of the guests. There was a "family/private" facility that could be locked and used by a single family or person as well as larger public bathrooms for men and women. Both featured a traditional Japanese bath/onsen similar to that seen in Hakone, which was great for our travel-worn bodies. Additionally, breakfast was served in the rooms each morning at a time selected at check-in.

As usual we dropped off our bags and hit the streets.
Stop 1: Shibuya Crossing
Anyone who has ever watched a movie or television show filmed in Tokyo will be familiar with this area of Tokyo. It gave me a bit of a Times Square feel, although MUCH more crowded (if you can imagine that) and way more visually stimulating. The most mind-blowing thing about this particular spot is the sheer number of people that constantly flow across the street at the crossing's four corners. We joined the crowd a number of times during our exploration of the area, but eventually made our way onto the second or third floor of a nearby building to watch from above. I assume the crowds in Times Square look almost as impressive, however the fact that no one even attempts to cross once the light has changed, regardless of traffic flow, and that the mass of people is almost the same size every time, makes it seem almost like a beautifully choreographed dance (see YouTube video below for a clip). For some reason I found myself completely mesmerized by this, and watched at least 3 crossings before my parents were able to tear me away to move on to our next stop.

Cool art on our way to the Harajuku area

Stops 2 & 3: Harajuku Area (Omotesando & Takeshita Street)
Although it was raining we decided to walk to our next stop and take in a bit more of the city. We were well equipped with large umbrellas and jackets and the rain left the air a bit cooler so it made for a nice walk, and we saw some interesting shops/stores along the way.

Seen on Takeshita Street

Side street off of Takeshita St.

As mentioned in previous posts about this trip, my mother visited Japan as a chaperone on a trip and she took us to many of the same areas. Omotesando and Takeshita Street were at the top of her list for Tokyo, and I'm glad we prioritized them. The areas were definitely designed to cater to a younger/more hip crowd with Omotesando featuring many high-end stores and cool coffee shops and restaurants. The area was packed with tourists, but many Japanese teenagers were also out in this area, particularly when we got to Takeshita Street, which caught my attention for its interesting clothing shops and amazing graffiti/wall art. Unfortunately by the time we made it down to this area many of the shops were already closing, but we did get some great photos and I got to check off my only mandatory activity: eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant!

My stack of plates at the sushi spot

Day 2: Technology (and shopping) Day
Stop 4: Miraikan (a.k.a. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)

Dad in front of the Miraikan

ASIMO

During her research for this trip, my mother happened to stumble on a bunch of videos and articles about the advances in technology taking place at the Miraikan, particularly those involving the development of androids and humanoids (robots). She was particularly interested in seeing the ASIMO demonstration as he(?) is known as "the world's most advanced humanoid robot". It took us a  bit longer than anticipated to get to the museum, and due to technical difficulties we had to stick around until after the 4 PM demo (we arrived around 1:30, but it was DEFINITELY worth it. 


Stop 5: Ginza District
This part of Tokyo is another area known for it's high-end stores, entertainment and restaurants. We thought this would be a nice area to find some souvenirs as we hadn't really purchased anything up until this point and the area has a lot of history, keeping many of its traditional street signs and building markers around. Luckily we did find a few stores and I must say I did quite a bit of damage in the souvenir/gift department. My mother also kept stressing that we must stop into a Japanese department store and visit go down to the lower (underground) levels. Apparently beneath each department store, particularly in this area, is at least one floor filled with high-end gourmet food and beverage counters/shops. It's quite unexpected that these shops are down there and definitely something worth seeing. Some even have a wine tasting counter where you can have a few sips of wine before continuing on your journey...although keep in mind this is "the good stuff" so it's going to be a bit costly.

Stop 6: Akihabara (a.k.a. The Electric Town/City)
This was another area that my mom continuously heard about as she prepared for this trip. Akihabara is home to many, many, MANY electronic shops and is known as the center for diehard anime and manga fans. Admittedly, I was a bit worn down by the time we reached this part of town and my feet literally went numb due to the culmination of walking and climbing done throughout the week (and also the poor choice in shoes on this particular day) and I reached a bit of a brick wall in terms of sightseeing. However, I did enjoy the general atmosphere of the area and if you have even the slightest interest in electronics, anime and/or manga this area is a MUST SEE.

We pretty much shut down after this and groggily headed back to our hotel to search for food so we could eat, shower and pack. Luckily our flight wasn't too early the next day and we were extremely excited to get to Vietnam and meet up with my brother.

Our stop in Japan was a whirlwind and while I know we just scratched the surface of what this amazing country's culture I loved every second. As I've stated before this is a place where you want to stay away from guided tours and pre-packaged activities as much as possible. Every city is so easy to get around and the people are so kind and willing to help that you can always find someone to assist should you have a question. Of course I've made a video of the last stop, which you can watch below:

I hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse into the first half of our trip. If you have any information you'd like to add/correct about or any questions/concerns about any of the locations/activities I've discussed throughout these past few posts please don't hesitate to leave a comment here or on the corresponding YouTube channel. Also take a minute to become a follower of the blog and/or subscribe to the channel so you can stay updated on the upcoming posts covering the Vietnam leg of the trip (these won't be posted until I get back to the states as I am currently wrapping up the last two days of travel as I type). If there is anyone that you think might find this blog interesting please pass it on. Once my travels are done it will take on a bit of a different flavor, but will still very much document my journey through every day life. Thanks for joining me so far and as always....

Enjoy the journey...

Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam, Part 3, Hakone

Welcome back to the journey everyone! Views are up on all of the videos and blog posts and I really hope everyone is finding them both entertaining and informative.  Remember, I’m fairly new to the blogging world and BRAND new to the vlogging world so please ANY advice/feedback/tips/strategies/suggestions are more than welcome (I JUST realized I should have been filming in landscape mode on my phone. Sorry for the annoying portrait view in previous videos…).

Anyway, back to the trip…

Our second city in Japan was Hakone. When planning the trip, my mother purposefully placed this city between Kyoto and Tokyo to build in a bit of a rest period. The atmosphere of this city is much more relaxed and was a very welcome change of pace after the busy (but fun) three days traveling to and exploring Kyoto.

Day 1
Arrival: We arrived in Hakone in the afternoon, after riding the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) in from Kyoto station. The trip was about 3.5 hours and took us to a neighboring city, Odawara. Once we arrived there we purchased a 3-day unlimited pass which not only afforded us unlimited access to buses and trains but also discounts on entrance fees to various sights within Hakone and the surrounding areas. From Odawara it was about a 30-40 minute bus ride to our BEAUTIFUL hotel, The Fujiya, which is one of the first resort in Japan and has hosted the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono as well as political leaders from various countries.

Many of the sights and activities we wanted to engage in were closing once shortly after we arrived so our first day we spent most of our time in and around the hotel.

The Fujiya has a beautiful garden that takes about 25 minutes to walk through and the sunny weather provided a perfect opportunity for us to grab our cameras and work on our photography skills. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

We then walked to Naraya Cafe (about 10 minutes from the hotel) where we enjoyed ice cream and beverages while soaking our feet in a hot spring bath! Our feet were a little swollen and tired from the previous three days of travel and the hot soak felt SO GOOD! Finally, it was time to head back to the hotel for tea in the Fujiya’s famous Orchid Lounge for…well..tea and of course some sweet treats. During the tea my mother convinced me to join her in taking a Japanese bath or onsen. The process was initially very intimidating and overwhelming to me (click the 'onsen' link for details) and I actually walked out twice before trying it, but I'm so glad I did. Soaking in the hot spring water left my skin feeling cleaner and softer than its ever felt and I've never had better sleep. I loved it so much that I ended up doing it again at our hotel in Tokyo...but more on that later.

Day 2: To make up for not being able to hit any of the sights on our list the day before, we got up pretty early and covered nearly everything before closing time!

Stop 1: Hakone Open Air Museum
Easily my favorite part of the trip so far! I love art museums, especially when the work is uniquely displayed or presented. I was literally rendered speechless by the sheer size of some of the work presented and the combination of art and nature was perfect. Ultimately, I ended up putting on my headphones and wandering around the museum by myself for most of the 2-3 hours we were there, and of course took a TON of pictures. I could make a whole post just devoted to this place (and probably will), but for now click the link and enjoy the few pics I've included here and in the video below.

We were also able to enjoy another foot bath here, which for some reason included oranges. Here is a clip of my mom sharing HER thoughts on the matter:

Stop 2:  Gora

Our next stop was to a cute little area called Gora. This is where you can catch the Hakone Tozan Railway, which is the first step in getting to Lake Ashinoko (sight 3). Since we were starving we sat down and had a delicious soba noodle lunch (Gora is filled with soba noodle spots) and then hopped on the train. There isn't much shopping or other activities to do in this area, although there is a park in the area that has wonderful gardens and views. 

Stop 3: Lake Ashinoko

Hakone is one of the cities from which you can get a clear view of Mt. Fuji. Lake Ashinoko, or Lake Ashi for short, is the perfect place to do this and is usually done by taking the ropeway or a boat cruise. Unfortunately for us due to increased volcanic activity in the area the ropeway was shut down (something I was actually not too upset about since the thought of dangling above a mountain didn't seem very appealing to me). Seeing as our only option was the boat tour we hopped on a bus that took us down to the dock and we got on a beautiful boat that took us on a ride across Lake Ashi and dropped us off on the other side where we could shop and eat if we wanted to before catching a city bus back to the train station. While the boat ride was very peaceful with beautiful views, it did get a little crowded with tour groups and we had a bit of a cloudy day and could not get a clear view of Mt. Fuji. However, the shopping on the other side of the lake was pretty decent (mostly touristy souvenir types of shops) and we were able to finally get some delicious bean-filled buns! 

At this point a lot of things in Hakone were beginning to close and we needed to head back to the hotel and figure out what we were going to do for dinner. I will say that if you visit Hakone during the week, plan on eating an early dinner as most of the restaurants don't stay open very late. We ended up eating in our hotel's bar, which was actually really delicious, but there were a ton of places nearby that we wanted to try. As you can tell, Hakone has a very different vibe from Kyoto, but it was just as enjoyable. As I said before my mother planned this portion of the trip to give us a chance to rest before taking on Toky, and as you'll see in the next post we definitely needed it. 

As always I've gone ahead and made a vlog of our short time in Hakone. Make sure to check it out and leave a comment to let me know what you think:

Before I close out I'd like to take a second and say that I almost didn't write this post because of all that is going on in the world in the past week, particularly around the lives of Black people throughout the diaspora. However, as I was looking for guidance and inspiration in my own processing of emotions around these events I came across the following quotes and offer them to you merely as food for thought:

"In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it."  -  Marianne Williamson

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends." - Maya Angelou

 

Next post will again require at least one or two days for me to get ready, but it is one you defnitely don't want to miss!

Enjoy the journey...

I'm 30!!! Oh and I Vlog Now.

So I guess you all noticed that this blog bit the dust pretty quickly after I started it. My research took off, I started TAing for one of my professors and I was president of a rapidly growing student organization. Basically, my schedule went from 0 to 100 (cue Drake) and some things got pushed to the side...sadly this blog was one of them. Things are much calmer now and with the end of the school year, I have decided to revive the blog and add a little extra feature..videos! I won't say much more because this first vlog speaks for itself (it's pretty long...sorry), but I hope you all enjoy it. Check out the video, subscribe to the channel and keep checking in over the summer! It should be an exciting ride. Enjoy the journey!!

Ivy Rose Reacts: Black-ish In America

Just as the semester is finally starting to rev up, TV makes its triumphant return with Fall premieres. Luckily, I don't have classes on Thursdays because I can already tell that Wednesday nights are going to be a problem for me with the return of Modern Family, The Middle,  The Goldbergs  and the premiere of ABCs new family comedy: 'black-ish, which struck an unexpected chord with me and motivated today's post.

Here is ABC's description of the show: Andre 'Dre' Johnson (Anthony Anderson) has a great job, a beautiful wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), four kids and a colonial home in the 'burbs.  But has success brought too much assimilation for this black family? With a little help from his dad (Laurence Fishburne), Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family that honors their past while embracing the future. 

 While it may look like this generation's Cosby Show (upper/middle class black family living in suburban America), after watching the first episode I can already tell there are going to be some pretty significant differences between the two.  Where the Cosby show attempted to show that black families were just like any other American family, 'black-ish complicates that argument and attempts to shed light on the unique set of issues facing many black people in this supposed "post-racial" society we find ourselves living in today. Although I grew up in a more diverse neighborhood than that of the family on `black-ish, I connected to the show as it works to answer a question that I've been grappling with for quite some time: What does it mean to be black in America? 

The entire first episode of the show focuses on Andre (Anthony Anderson) trying to make sure his family "keeps it real", but what does that mean and why does it often seem like the answer to that question is buried at the bottom of a barrel of stereotypes created long before many of us, and our parents, were even born? While I wouldn't call myself a Don Lemon fan I did find his reaction to `black-ish  closest to mine. Yes, some of the jokes were a little overkill in their attempts to make a point, but overall the show asks America to lift the lid off of the "black box" and expand the definition of what it means to "authentically" express one's race (which by the way is not synonymous with culture). With different ethnic, economic, educational and family backgrounds black culture can differ from house to house and yet the lens through which society views black people remains small and expectations for behavior limited. 

This limited scope is what leads one word, such as urban, to cause a black face to pop into the minds of many; it's what reduces multicultural education to adding books with black and brown faces and the occasional use of a popular rap song to teach a lesson; it's what causes black college students to find themselves as the voice of their people in many of their classes and it's what places a black teenager in a hoodie walking through his neighborhood at night or playing his music too loudly at a gas station with his friends or walking across the street in the middle of the day as a threat to society.

As I continue my studies, which find me primarily focusing on the use of culturally responsive/sustaining approaches to education as a method to close opportunity and education gaps,  I stress more than ever the need for people to have a strong understanding of their racial, ethnic/cultural backgrounds as they learn to define their individual identities. However, as the face of America continues to become more diverse, our definition of what it means to be Black/White/Latino(a)/Jewish/Christian/Muslim/Male/Female/Gay/Straight and whatever other signifier you want to add to the list has to expand with it.  Maybe I read too far into what the creators of the show were trying to do, after all it is just a prime-time family comedy, but hey that's how this black-ish chick reacted to it. 

"We've finally been able to get to a place where we can pull apart the monolithic idea of one race or another and actually move the dialogue into a class or cultural conversation, realizing that there are different layers, pieces to the experience,"

        - Tracee Ellis Ross, in an interview on `black-ish

Stepping Up to the Mic

"Silence is the residue of fear....So this year, instead of giving something up, I will live every day as though there is a microphone tucked under my tongue."
 - Clint Smith

That quote from slam poet and educator Clint Smith's Ted Talk, "The danger of silence" (go ahead take the 4:18 to watch the video),  was the final push I needed to take the leap and venture into the world of blogging. I've always been quite the talker and an avid writer, keeping a journal (or two) since I was seven, but somehow after 6 years of undergraduate and graduate school I lost my voice. Much like the experiences Clint Smith speaks of (seriously watch the video...it's powerful), I found myself in situations where it felt safer and smarter for various personal and professional reasons to just keep my thoughts, opinions, questions, objections, etc. to myself. Now in the last year of my 20s, with four years of classroom teaching, two summers of training teachers for one of the most controversial organizations around, and one year of doctoral studies under my belt I no longer feel the need to hide behind my silence. 

So here I am: 29 years old, single, one of three Black women in a doctoral cohort of 16 at an Ivy League institution in the middle of New York City. I'm an educator at the very core of my being, but spend just as much--if not more--time seeking knowledge as I do sharing it. I've learned to live each moment intentionally while making sure to have as much fun as possible along the way. I'm a Florida girl at heart and am most at peace lying on the sand looking out into the ocean, but I've never felt more alive than I do in the bright lights of the concrete jungle. Some might say that I am a "true Gemini" riding a constant roller coaster of emotions, but that just makes the journey more exciting in my opinion. 

This is a blog to entertain, to teach, to share, to open myself up, to push myself, to give back, to learn, to take in, to expand my world, to process and on many occasions to vent. I'm terrified and excited to invite the masses into my mind--and for those of you choosing to enter take this as your official warning that it's often a crazy, jumbled mess in there. But here I go...time to step up to the mic....

 (Photo credit: http://dogwoodinitiative.org/blog/mob-the-mic-success/image/image_view_fullscreen)