Observation

Observation
Noun.

1. an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.

2. an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.

3. the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.

I am beginning to adjust to the culture and lifestyle here. Shrines and temples don't seem too exciting anymore. We've pretty much seen the most fascinating things in Tokyo and we can't figure out anything else to see.

Day 7: July 10, 2011

Today was probably the hottest day in Tokyo yet. We went back to Harajuku to see the famous Japanese cosplayers, only to find out that the event was canceled because it was too hot for the cosplayers. So we ended up visiting another shrine and then shopping in Harajuku for the rest of the day since air conditioning seemed to be the best alternative.

We visited another shrine and there was some kind of ceremony going on.

We found one cosplayer in the streets!

Entrance to Harajuku's little shops.

This guy was advertising an American-themed store down below.

 Japanese stores sell some of the most interesting things. One of the first clothing stores we went into only sold clothes that were "one size fits all," and I soon realized that "one size fits all" in Japan is a little too small for me since I am not nearly as small as the average Japanese woman. We also visited several other shops, many full of clothing that was dedicated to America, with clothing from boy scout and army uniforms to all kinds of clothing decorated with the American flag. I don't really understand why the Japanese love America so much. It appears they have more American pride than Japanese pride. We also enjoyed observing the many shirts with text written on them in incorrect spelling or grammar or simply just being a weird saying to have written on a shirt, such as "I like new popular things."

On another note, one of my main concerns about coming to Japan was experiencing an earthquake and/or tsunami on a level comparable to the Tsunami in March. I know, I'm a little naive. The chances of something like that happening are very rare and if it happens, it happens. A few days ago, a small 3.0 earthquake hit somewhere near this area as I sat in my hotel room. It was nothing too big. It was just like any of the earthquakes I have experienced in San Diego, CA. Today, as I was walking around Harajuku with some of my GSP friends, I got a text from my mom saying: "Earthquake scare? 7.1 we heard. Are you ok?" Apparently, there was another earthquake in northeastern Japan at 10am this morning and I didn't feel a thing. The news even described it as "massive." There were also supposedly six aftershocks (4.7-4.8 degree) throughout the rest of the day. Didn't feel those either.