Day 3: Outside the city limits, Shinjuku area Tokyo, Kanda area Tokyo, Ueno area Tokyo

I only had a map for the city of Tokyo's train system, and nothing on the area I was staying in. I was staying outside of the city to save money, but I couldn't navigate without a map telling me which trains to catch. It is too expensive to travel in Tokyo and make a mistake if you have to change stations or double back. To prevent getting hopelessly lost, I went back into Tokyo central with Nick while he was on his way to his first day of work.

We parted ways after getting lost in Shinjuku station (again!). I decided to check out the Kanda region of Tokyo, which is loaded with museums and the Imperial palace. All I had to do was find the rather large park by walking from the subway station in one direction. Once I found the park I could get my bearings more properly. I also wanted to find the Akihabara area, which is said to be the densest collection of electronic malls in the world.

I set out with my giant backpack at noon to reach the park from the closest local station. I exited from a station that wasn't named on my Lonely Planet map guide. I didn't actually know where I was until I hiked for a short distance to find a map on the street that let me get my bearings. My GPS in tow, I marched down the humid streets sweating and determined not to get lost in downtown Tokyo among the endless grey businesses that dominate the area.

Just as I ran out of steam from the near kilometer hike, I found the first signs of trees and the park. I crossed the street anxiously, hoping to get into a museum and out of the punishing sunlight and into some air conditioning. Unfortunately, the national museums were closed for the day, so my trip to the park had been mostly in vain.

I did manage to see what I think was a dedicated Sumo stadium, and most of the park, with it's impressive moat and steep stone walls. My plan at getting a taste of Japanese culture derailed, I decided to head to Akihabara and check out all the electronics I couldn't afford to buy.

I started off from one of the exits of the park with what looked like a long hike in front of me. I could have either back tracked to the nearest subway station, or head through the city on foot with the hopes of seeing something other than the inside of a subway car on my journey around town. Since I had already ridden for over an hour on the subway in the morning just getting back into the city, I decided to hike it despite the heat.

I marched nearly two more kilometers with my heavy pack on my back to get where I wanted to go. I was fairly parched from the heat, and was drawing looks for my enormous back pack trailing behind me with it's flutter of straps and pouches. I finally found Akihabara, and while I would agree it was a dense nest of geekdom, I was somewhat disappointed that I had hiked so far to see something I could basically see in Seoul, albeit to a much to a much lesser degree. I went into one of the "video game slash comic book slash model slash everything else geeky under the sun" store that covered over seven floors. After I reached the "Fetish miniature doll with individual panty sets" area, I started questioning the social lives of it's inhabitants much more than I felt comfortable and quickly left.
To cool down I went into a local McDonalds to soak up the air conditioning. I ran into some Korean guys that were discussing their travel plans a table away. I tried some basic conversation with them, but they didn't seem to realize my level was only high enough to get a basic gist of what they had scene. "Mount Fuji for 2 days" was basically the only thing I caught, but I tried to look impressed and exited the conversation as quickly as possible.

Having no where else in the area striking a cord with me, I decided to head back to Uneo, where at least I knew where to go to look for accommodations. The Ueno area was another kilometer or so away, but I managed that in good time following back alleys with the help of my GPS. I checked into the Hotel Pine Hill, which re-entered my budget after the free night's accommodations the night before.

I was arriving later than I had my first night, and was surprised to notice that the area in Ueno I was staying in was downright sleazy. Big signs proclaiming "Adult movies" were lit up, and I was propositioned several times for massages on street corners at clubs with provocative names and disturbingly young looking models posed in provocative advertisements on their exterior.

I ended up eating at a Korean restaurant two alleys over from my hotel. I ordered Jja-Jjang-Myeon (for ~10 USD) (black bean sauce with noodles) in Korean, which the waiter understood after he deciphered my accent.

The conversation went something like this:
Torgodevil: "Jja-jjang-myeon please." (In Korean)
Waiter: "You want Jja-Jjang-Myeon?"
Torgodevil: "Nae." (Korean for yes.)
Waiter: "So, Do you want Jja-Jjang-Myeon or not?"
Torgodevil: "Nae!"
Waiter: "Why do you keep saying 'No' if you want Jja-Jjang-Myeon?"
Torgodevil: "I'm saying yes in Korean aren't I?"
Waiter: "Oh, you speak Korean. I get it."

I thought I was trapped in the "Who's on first" joke from hell, when all I wanted was some food that would silence my stomach from growling after my massive hike. I was told the finer points of how to eat Korean food by the owner of the restaurant. "Kimchi after every bite of noodles," he suggested. Sadly his Kimchi was not up to the standard I was used to in my home town. I dutifully ate a piece or two to placate him as he watched me eat over my shoulder, then went back to eating Kimchi at a more relaxed pace once he left.

I wound my way through the alleys of porno theaters and massage parlors back to my room where I promptly collapsed while watching a special showing of "Honey, I shrunk the kids" on television. While I wouldn't exactly call it a gem of our culture that I was wanting to experience in Japan, I at least got to see more of Japanese culture when I woke up the next day...