Yokohama Lull

To be honest, life in Japan isn't what I thought it would be. It's crazy, exhausting and high-tension...ALL the time! The formal procedures are endless and super time-consuming...and of course it doesn't help when my Japanese is crappy. I have lost count on the number of times I'd nodded listlessly over whatever it is the person in front of me is trying to convey. I'm irritated by their inability to just GET TO THE POINT and they're obviously irritated at me for being this idiot gaijin who can't seem to comprehend the things that come so naturally to them. 

Little things have also started to annoy the hell outta me...like people stopping in the middle of the stairs when I'm trying to catch my train or the the non-stop loud blaring noise in busy areas like Shinjuku or Shibuya coming from salespeople specifically hired to scream their lungs out in an effort to draw in customers. Dude, people will buy your shit if they wanna buy your shit, you know! Seriously now I know why they're so many suicidal, agoraphobic Japanese. 

In any case, I got a chance to escape crazy Tokyo for a while when I took a visiting friend to Yokohama. The main agenda was of course to visit the Ramen Museum but we discovered that this port town has a lot more to offer. 

Our first stop was at Chinatown. Well, Chinatown here is like Chinatown everywhere else in the world except it's cleaner. There were still throngs of people walking about and we didn't spend more than 15 minutes browsing through the busy alleys but like I said, Chinatown's the same everywhere. One of my favorite findings, though, has got to be the yummy Chai-flavored soft ice-cream...oh and this souvenir store that sells tons of beautiful Japanese crafts. 

Then we continued all the way to Osanbashi Pier. Osanbashi is this super cool International Passenger Terminal designed to resemble a ship. A lot of people go there with their date/boyfriend/girlfriend to chill and just enjoy the view (Rainbow Bridge and City Center with the signature Ferris Wheel look amazing from Osanbashi). I wish there were places like this in Jakarta....uhuh...yeah...Well, wishful thinking aside, here are some pics I took. 

Last but not least, the Ramen Museum! Entrance only costs 300Yen, excluding the Ramen of course.  The museum itself is a 1:1 replica of a section in Tokyo in 1958 (that's the year when Instant Noodles were invented). So you stroll around the alleys in the upper level, pick a ramen place you like, purchase a ticket from the vending machine, eat really fast, then on to the next vendor (you can buy mini portions if you feel like trying every single flavor). There are about 10 Ramen stalls originating from various parts of Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido, etc and each of them specializes in different kinds of Ramen: Tonkotsu, Miso and Shoyu. Our poor friend who happens to be a Muslim was severely disappointed because there was only 1 halal Ramen vendor. Well I could only fit 2 mini portions: the miso from Ryshanhai (Yamagata prefecture) and a shoyu-based Yokohama one. Oh boy, I must go back there at least one other time before I leave. Drool*