June 3, 2008

1:21 AM


:P

Day 3 (Tuesday)

Destination: To Ooedo Onsen Monogatari

So I was planning on going there straight. I took the Yurikamome line train to Tokyo Telecom Center Station. Coming out, I saw a nice giant fountain, so I walked there to take a few pics. After that, I saw the famous rectangular building with a hole in the middle, with a ball there. So I strayed further from the original destination. Then I noticed this place called 'Miraikan'. Sounded familiar.. I went closer and realised that that was the place I visited on the tour 3 years ago: the ASIMO building. I did what I always regretted not doing that last time -- get souvenirs.

Destination: Ooedo Onsen Monogatari

Basically an onsen theme park set in the Edo time period. Pay the entrance fee, pick your choice of yukata, and go to the changing room to change into your yukata. Walk out and you'll find yourself in a remake of an Edo town at night (the ceiling is black, duh). Theres food, games, and entertainment here. Korean food, Japanese food. Theres those Japanese festival games too, like throwing shurikens, darts, balls, and cork-shooting guns. 378yen per game. Some souvenir shops around.. or get a caricature of yourself. Alternatively, go for a relaxing hand or foot or body massage. At a price, of course. Naturally, all these come later. Onsen first!

The baths are split as usual. In the men's section, theres a total of 5 indoor baths, and 2 outdoor baths. The temperature averages 40 degrees celcius, and you can actually see the steam coming out. Change in the changing room, from your yukata to your birthday suit. Enter the onsen, rinse your body abit, and choose your bath! Theres a lot of people here compared to the Asakusa Kannon Onsen, with lots of families coming here. Old guys, fathers, and their kids. Apparently the onsen experience is a natural family event in Japan.

This time, I managed to soak my whole body into the water. I can understand how its so relaxing, but sometimes the water just feels way too hot to enter fully.. dunno why. Hopping from bath to bath is fun! Enter this bath for 5min.. get out and enter another one... get out and go out to the outdoor bath.. then go in again... wheeeeeeeee! Overall, the onsen experience ownsss. I guess it would be better if the heat didn't all rush to your head and cause difficultly breathing. But thats how hot water is..

Went for the bath a first time, went back to the Edo town for lunch and stuff, tried out the foot baths (not particularly exciting), then went back to the baths for a second time. Finally left the place at 3pm.

Destination: Ginza

Since it was that late already, I decided to forget about Shibuya and Harajuku (2nd visit) for today. My legs were still dying from the day before. Went to the Ginza area to see the Apple and Sony buildings.

Apple: Not much to comment about the stuff for sale. Just ipods and macs. They have this cool elevator thats automatic. Automatic in that it moves by itself, you don't have to press the button. Theres no button to press anyway.

Sony: Not much stuff of my interest either. But they had a dancing music player. It rolls about and has these 2 flaps that open and close while it plays your music. Adds an edge to it. They also had some interesting steps leading to the basement that played a note while you walk on the steps.. so you can play a scale by walking the whole flight of stairs.

Ate ramen at some random ramen shop, and went back to hotel, dying..