Can Japan get any more awesome?

Get those dirty thoughts out of your mind. I’ll get to the blog title later.

As I said yesterday, my plan was to visit the Tokyo National Museum. “You’re in Tokyo and you’re going to a museum?!” I hear you ask. Well, I am not that into shopping unless it is LP’s or toys, so yep, a museum.

The museum is in Ueno, an area of Tokyo I hadn’t been to yet. It is interesting how while it all feels like Tokyo, each district has its own feel. Ueno was no exception. A gorgeous park houses a number of museums as well as the zoo. Apparently the zoo is only so-so, so it was off to the museum for me.

Spooky

The closest museum I can liken it to is the British Museum in London. It was full of historical artifacts from Japan and over Asia. And it was sweet. This is how a good museum is done. I know we don’t have the history in Oz, but it is museums like this that make you appreciate countries with many centuries of history behind them.

This is why their religion and culture is awesome... everything is so cool looking

The highlights are the art works and of course the samurai related things. But it was all good, and it was so engrossing it threw my plans out of whack a little. I had planned to also visit the Imperial Palace gardens since I had not got there, but by the time I was done, I really only had time to get back to the hostel for my evenings plans. Oh well, they could wait until tomorrow (my last day sniff sniff).

Being my last night in Japan I wanted to do something cool. As luck would have it (and I certainly have had my share of it) I was able to do something I really wanted to do somewhere in Japan… catch a baseball game. Now I have seen baseball in the US, but this was cool, because I had heard crowds here are something else. Plus being in Tokyo I get to visit Tokyo Dome.

When I mentioned my plans to Taka, my host here at the hostel, he got excited. The teams playing were the Fukuowa Hawks, and his team the Nippon Fighters, so he decided he would come too. By the time I got back to the hostel we had a posse of 5 to head out. Oh yeah.

So Taka led the way, and along the way we picked up some beer and food. Yes, believe it or not we could take our own beer in as long as it was in plastic cups. Man the Japanese have it right. We could buy beer in there, but at 800 yen a pop, it was a bit pricey. But their idea of beer at the baseball is the coolest thing I have seen. We’ll get to that.

Welcome to Tokyo Dome

So we arrived at Tokyo Dome, grabbed our tickets and went on it.

The motley baseball crew (Taka at right)

We elected to go the OK seats which were fine with me, round a bit from first base. I was happy just to soak up the atmosphere.

I even pose like a local now

Not being the Tokyo Giants playing, the stadium wasn’t full, but I could tell it was going to be some fun. You know what soccer chanting is like? It goes on all game. This is what we were in for. But this was cooler, as each team seemed to have their own horn section leading the way.

I have no idea what kind of animal it is

We also had the obligatory mascots to add to the fun. But the best part I had heard about, but until I saw it didn’t appreciate the awesomeness of it. You know how at the MCG you have to get up and go buy a mid-strength beer? Imagine if there were beer girls with kegs strapped to their backs that came and poured you beers. Now before you say “Matt, what kind of misogynistic fantasy land are you living in?”. I give you Exhibit A…

Japan, the greatest place on earth

Yep, there are girls with kegs strapped to their backs pouring beer. You even have your choice of the Asahi girl, Santory girl, and the Kirin girl. I kind you not. Suddenly 800 yen for a beer is not too extreme. But I tell you, these girls work. Hard. They are constantly buzzing up and down the aisles. For the whole game. And the game goes for over 3 hours. By 2 1/2 hours they were spent, you could tell. But it has to be better than a stairmaster.

Look more impressed guys!

Oh, there was a baseball game going on too, I wasn’t just fixated on the beer girls. It was good in that there were a lot of runs scored, but not so good in that Taka’s team got done 10-0. Oh well. He had fun and so did we all.

Farewell, so long...

So it was back to the guest house. When we got back I had to say see ya to a couple of the girls who work at the hostel, since I wouldn’t see them in the morning. While this hostel has been pretty basic, the folk who run it have all been awesome, so it is with a sad face that I will be checking out. They have already made me promise to come back. I guess I will have to keep my word won’t I?