Saturday, Nov. 29
After months of pre-trip preparations, a tough week of finals, and getting stuffed full of Thanksgiving goodness, our CDM study abroad group met at Ohare airport to begin the long trek to Japan. A 13 hour plane ride and 1 hour bus ride later we arrived in Tokyo at the Keio Plaza Hotel. Once we got our luggage settled and checked out our rooms we had some time to start exploring the Shinjuku area around the hotel.
Our group on the plane (Are we there yet?)
Shinjuku shopping area a block away from the hotel
Our first dining experience in Japan
Just blocks from the hotel we discovered the Shinjuku area was filled with electronic stores, restaurants, and arcades. The bright neon signs and displays reminded me a little of Las Vegas. We stopped in at a small restaurant and got our first meal, a beef dish with sprouts (which was really delicious!). Then before heading in for the night, we checked out the arcades. We explored one called Club Sega, where there was floor upon floor of claw machine games, slot machines, and a downstairs full of arcade machines featuring games like Street Figther and Tekken. But more importantly, it was pretty crowded. Arcades definitely seem alive and well in Japanese culture and it was neat getting to experience them firsthand.
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