So, I’m back in New York.
My flight was pretty good however, guess what was the first thing they served during the flight… Yep, you guessed it, shrimp! I could have swore that most airlines avoided allergy causing foods due to some past incidents, but I guess I was wrong.
While I spent a rather short time in Japan I can say it really grew on me. I have come to like Japan more than I had ever expected. Japan felt like home 
Note: Now I can see how dirty New York really is hehe.
-Enrique
So I haven’t been updating/keeping ya guys up to date for the past few days simply cause I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary.
I got a hair cut at Hayato NY (famous salon here in Tokyo) and I totally did not like it (you would think 7,000￥ for a basic hair cut would be amazing). They cut it too short for my taste.
I’ve also been hooked on the arcade for the past 2 day.
Also, I’ve been visiting more restaurants, cafe’s, and dessert shops.
I would also like to mention that for anyone who likes sweets, icecream, etc. you must visit Jiyugaoka, and go to “Sweets Forest” and buy yourself at “Mixn-Mixreams” their icecream mixes on top of a waffle. I wish I could bring this back to New York somehow, is that good.
Check their site out: http://www.mixn-mixream.com/season_special/index.html
Also check out Sweets Forest which also has many shops (all sweets of course) and a beautiful setting/environment: http://www.sweets-forest.com/index2.html
Things I’ve learned so far (Part 4)
-Supposedly drinking an entire bottle of soy sauce actually kills you.
-Do not open a pill/capsule! (I opened a benadryl capsule to only take half, and my entire mouth/tounge/lips etc. got numb. It felt just like a dentist anesthetic shot).
-Japanese summers are extremely hot (Puerto Rico’s temperature is higher, but here is more humid).
-Enrique
After taking a day off/resting it was time to head off to Kyoto.
All tour guides, books, etc. will tell you Kyoto is a city that should not be skipped no matter how busy/packed your schedule may be. This couldn’t be more right. What makes Kyoto great is not only the old-fashion/old-era vibe, structures, and temples but also its people (Kansai people are more down to earth, funny, and humble). A highlight of the day was at Fushimi-Inari where by total coincidence I met Ana Maria Canseco. First of all I must say she is a total sweetheart. Furthermore, for those who say the TV does miracles, she looks even better in person, so take that! Pretty much everything was beautiful so is hard to choose which pictures to upload, so I will just pick some random ones.
Here comes the shinkansen.
Walk into the heart of Kyoto.
Start of the temple/shrine adventure.
Entrance to Fushimi-Inari
Let the 鳥居(gates) begin! (not sure about you, but this is one of my favorites shots)
Ana Maria Canseco at Fushimi Inari.
Guess I didn’t know which facial expression to use at the moment (it was something between amazement, happy, and in shock).
Entrance to Golden Temple
Think you can make it into the pan?
Strong 抹茶(green tea powder for tea ceremonies) and Japanese sweet.
Beware of poisonous snakes.
Sorrounded by bamboo
Random things while on the philosophers road.
Pure Water Temple
Come on, is Japan you know I had to throw the v sign!
Ok, let me move out of the way so you can see the temple.
Called the pure water temple for a reason.
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Note: Noticed how empty it was? Well, thats because I was actually the last person to set foot on the place before closing. I literally had to run to make it on time (arrived 1 minute before closing time). This temple is usually so packed with tourist and school trips that you can barely take pictures.
So ok, it was time to venture out and try some more restaurants (I’ve been surviving on KFC due to my allergy). Note: I will probably write down a list of all the restaurants and went to in the future.
Lets start things off with Krispy Kreme. You may be asking, “What! Krispy Kreme?” Yes, Krispy Kreme is super popular here (they taste slightly better though). I was lucky the line was only 30 minutes and not the typical 1 and half hour line.
The one and only, sumileTokyo.
Yum, Yum, Yum!
Things I’ve Learned So Far (Part 3):
-Trains are always on time/punctual. In fact you could set your cell phone/watch to them (I kid you not).
-It appears almost every package out there has some explanation and step by step guide of how they should be open.
-Garbage cans are literally non-existant. Yet the ironic part is the streets are litter free and very clean.
Decided to visit Kawagoe (Little Edo) to get more of the old Japan vibe. The moment one starts walking down some of Kawagoe’s streets you emediately feel like you returned to the past. The houses, the streets, the food, everything is from the Edo era. (a pity some streets allow cars to come in ruining the vibe however, it was still amazing). While pictures say a thousand words, this is a place were pictures could never express the vibe nor beauty of the town.
Walking to Kawagoe
For fans of traditional Japanese sweets/candy Kawagoe is like heaven.
If only cars couldn’t enter.
Had to take a picture! This house looks pretty American.
Thats more like it, back to normal.
Well, after partying last night and coming home super late (or should I say early?) I had a crazy knee pain (I hit myself with something) and today I woke up with pain and limping. However, I wasn’t going to stay inside the house the entire day, but I still didn’t want to wonder too far. Therefore, I went to 本門寺. Being is 10-12 minutes by car from where I’m staying I was able to go to many of the temples in the area (theres like a small temple every 2-3 blocks). Here are some pictures (you can find more about it online or videos if interested as they even had a special today on TV about it).
With a knee pain, these stairs seem endless!
-Enrique
Ok, so I’ve been to roppongi during the day and as some of you may know I didn’t really like it. However, Roppongi at night is a whole other deal! One can say the entire city changes at night. Other than the insane amount of がいじん and the 100’s of Nigerian guys telling you “come come happy hour” or “are you looking for a dance club or a strip club?” the place is quite nice. After going to Outbacks and walking around for 2 hours or so, I ended up going with 4 friends to a dance club. Now, you guys know me, I don’t like drinking however, dancing is a whole other deal. So in less than 10 minutes I was in the main stage hehe. I took a few quick snap shots while I was taking a break (note:keep in mind this club was packed, had the strobe lights going, and had gas clouds all over so I’m amaze they even came out hehe).
Ones on the left were not Japanese (I think they were Brazillian)
Check out white boy getting his groove on!
-Enrique
草分け 