sakura blossoms

Japan Adventures Day 1

IMG_8305IMG_8311IMG_8313IMG_8317IMG_8349IMG_8351IMG_8363IMG_8375IMG_8379IMG_8382IMG_8568IMG_8401IMG_8408IMG_8421IMG_8442IMG_8484IMG_8497IMG_8512IMG_8516IMG_8521IMG_8583IMG_8561IMG_8596IMG_8553 Dress: Forever 21, Jacket: Vintage, Tights: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Thrifted (Dolce Vita), Backpack: Amazon

Finally getting my Japan photos up, took so long because well, I TOOK SO MANY PICTURES! I went through all my pictures and I took about 2500 pictures...over 2 weeks. After going through all of them, I think I will start grouping my days because there are so many pictures. Look forward to that!

So my first day in Japan...was magical and everything I ever wanted. I was surronded by Sakura (cherry blossoms) and my friends and I even stumbled upon a Sakura Matsuri (festival). I was really hoping we would find at least one Matsuri during our trip, and we actually stumbled upon a few! But before that we spent the day wandering Tokyo, trying to get the lay of the land, visiting the Tskuji Fish Market, and the Imperial Palace Garden for some Hanami (Cherry blossom viewing).

Originally, my friends and I thought we would go to the Fish Market at 3am and try and see the auction, but we were way too tired from our flight the previous night to make it. Instead we went at 10am, walked around the market and got to see the last bit of the market before the fisherman started to clean up. Seeing the market when it was "calm" was crazy, everyone was zooming by and little cars were shuttling fish, "calm" has no place at Tskuji. After, we went across the street to get our breakfast of nice and fresh sushi. Or chirashi bowls, which were delicious! The server at the restaurant was so fun and made the wait that much more entertaining (heads up if you decide to go to Tskuji, you will wait about an hour for some of the fresh sushi)! I learned I was switching around some words, and basically saying "hello!" to my food rather than "delicious/yummy". So, that was an amazing experience.

After, we wandered Tokyo a bit (passing cute shops and grand official buildings) we found a cute little coffee shop to help boost our energy. Unfortunately, everything was in Japanese and the owners spoke no English so thank god for real time translate apps! Once we were rejuvenated, we headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens and were greeted by Sakura everywhere! And because there were sakura everywhere, people where everywhere enjoying the Sakura. While you might imagine Hanami as quiet and tranquil appreciation of the blossoms, people are having a jolly time laughing, drinking beer, playing drinking games, and eating under the sakura. It was fun to watch them and totally a new experience!

And as I mentioned after some of our own Hanami viewing, my friends and I stumbled upon a matsuri and took full advantage. My friends and I ate so much food, I thought we would have to roll ourselves out of the place. And let me tell you, that Matsuri was kinda a maze. So many little pathways led to different food stalls and booths, and another pathway to a sitting area and then another pathway for floor seating. It was confusing but oh so fun to see a Matsuri in full bustle! Then another surprise found us at the end of the main path with a temple! The temple was beautiful and large and a great start to the other temples I would see during this trip.

Well, my first day in Japan felt jam packed and only led to many more adventures. Keep an eye out for my next Japan post, I will be sprinkling in regular post between my Japan posts! TTFN, ta ta for now.

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