Back to Nagoya!

Sunday, October 31st, 2010 in: News

Sosha and Shinobu finally got back from the Philippines, escaping a week’s worth of tanning by spending their time in the reefs, earning their scuba certification (new idea for a travel goal!). Over their week away, I held down the fort and made myself at home. I thought that Tokyo was too cramped and crowded to consider living, but with a spacious enough personal space, I realized that it’s quite livable. I’m not entirely sure if I’m cut out for urban life, considering I’d never actually lived in an apartment, but for the first time in my life, I actually longed for that experience. Not exactly the best time to want to settle down, but worth noting.

As my second week back in Tokyo was coming to a close, it was time for me to return to Nagoya and start my second phase of working for REWIND. Since my funds in Japan had dipped to an all-time low (I never said Tokyo was cheap), I had to resort to the night bus to get my ass back to Nagoya. Sosha must be working on his sainthood application, cause he performed a bloody miracle and found me a ticket for under 2,000 yen. We detoured to the abura soba shop by Waseda to get our last meal together, and hauled my luggage out to Tokyo to cram into lockers for the day. I had to use my enormous REI duffel bag to accommodate the metric ton of crap I’d acquired in China, and I realized the danger of having available luggage space–it never stays empty for long. As it was, the duffel bag wasn’t too crowded, but it had a ton of irregular objects that made carrying it a legitimate pain in the ass. Sosha and I went up towards Ueno to wander around the outdoor shops in that part of town, and I confirmed my suspicions that tech gear in Japan is outrageously priced. Some of the Columbia quick-dry pants I’d been looking at started at 6,000 yen, already 40% more expensive than what I’d seen online. A single pair of Icebreaker underwear ($30-35 on amazon) were over 8,000 yen. I guess I’ll be having a few things shipped to me. I marveled at what a luxury it must be for Japanese people to be outdoorsy; pretty much the only thing that is cheaper than back home are business suits. I guess that’s a sad reflection on a society when the demand for business attire outweighs the demand for leisure wear. Despite the high prices, it’s still fun to see what’s available. Back home the only major outdoor shop we have is REI, which carries a decent but far from comprehensive selection. One gem we came across was a crazy-looking backpack from a company called Klattermusen. They’re pretty comfortable and highly adjustable, and apparently are very environmentally conscious. They’re also ridiculously expensive, like Arc’teryx expensive. A 30 or 40L model like the one below was about 40,000 yen, and the 100L model was over 90,000.

Certainly a unique look. I’d never heard of the brand before, but the guy at the store said they were getting more popular with the hardcore mountaineering crowd, the ones that have money. I was amazed at how many outdoor shops there were in such a concentrated area, reminded me of the mall of eyeglass shops in Shanghai, or the shoe shops at Yashow in Beijing. Competition must be fierce, and yet, they are still all charging ridiculous premiums for these brands. I stroke my beard thoughtfully.

We got back to Tokyo station to grab my things from the locker and grab one last beer at the conbini, but when we went to the bus stop listed on the website, the people in the red jackets with their clipboards said we were in the wrong place. We double checked with the site on Sosha’s iPhone and it said to ask the people in the red jackets with the clipboards. They got all apologetic and talked amongst themselves, and told us that all Orion Tours buses left from the other side of Tokyo station, which is a huge difference.

Tokyo station is quite large, and we had 15 minutes before my bus left for Nagoya, so we shotgunned our beers, grabbed my obnoxiously heavy luggage and bolted to the other side. We made it in time, panting and dripping with sweat, perfect for a 5+ hour bus ride. I gave Sosha a sweaty hug and told him to pass it on to Shinobu as I threw my bags in the cargo compartment. I settled into the narrow seat and wish I’d loaded up on deodorant after my last-minute sprint through Tokyo station. I guess we all have to be the sweaty foreigner at some point.

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