Enfys Patrol in Tokyo!

On our first day in Tokyo, Enfys patrol had an early start at 7.30 in the morning. Despite us all complaining to Lee, we got everything done with time to spare because of it so... I regrettably have to apologise to Lee for doubting him and complaining. Enjoy it while it lasts though Lee, we won't be apologising again!

We bought breakfast the night before and ate it on our first train journey. Now would be a good time to mention we had a Japanese guide taking us around. I believe her name was Anna (at least that's what it sounded like when Lee was talking about her) but I may be wrong. She was the daughter of Lee's HoHo host who studied English while in university in America, so we were very lucky we had someone who knew the area and spoke the same language as us. On behalf of Enfys I'd like to express our gratitude for taking us around Tokyo, we certainly appreciated the concrete jungle that is Tokyo more because of it.

Our first stop was at a place called Yanaka Ginza Street in a area of Tokyo called Nezu. Nezu is a very old, traditional part of Tokyo and we stepped into the History books when we stopped here. Yanaka Ginza Street is a shopping street where lots of shops sell traditional Japanese items. The shop we went into sold everything from fans and chopsticks, to playing cards and rocks! We were a bit slow packing and took a lot of selfies and eventually had to leave Nezu, but not before our guide bought the members of our patrol staying in Ueda for HoHo an Ueda charm to remind them of a time that seems so long ago now.

We left and came across a traditional sweet shop. Our guide bought us these fish shaped sweets which were filled with pickled sugar beans. None of us liked the sweets but it was great to try something new. Plus, the fish shaped design was awesome!

We caught another train whose destination was Akihbara and it was incredible. It's one of the most modern areas in Tokyo and we were ants in a maze of skyscrapers plastered in screens and bright lights. We went into an arcade and played this Taiko drumming game. It was like guitar hero but with drums instead of guitars (what a suprise!) Olly J and Georgina had a competition to see who could get the highest score and Georgina won (though Olly does think it was a bit of a fix).

Enfys were then taken by their guide to some Tokyo back alley (which did look very shady) and through some curtains to a noodle bar where we had noodles and pork. Despite prior worries, it was one of the nicest meals I've had in Japan and we've all learnt not to judge a book by its cover.

Enfys then decided to participate in some retail therapy at a shopping centre. Two members of Enfys bought new watches, some others bought clothes and one bought a goody bag of tech parts. A lot of us also went to Starbucks and a few of us have decided is actually a traditional Japanese coffee shop, to stop us from feeling bad about going there so much.

Shortly after, we all went to the oldest shrine in Tokyo which was build during the Muzi period of Japan. The atmosphere was so tranquil, that we came out of there feeling very happy and peaceful. We even tried a type of Shintoism praying called nirei nihaku ichirei which translates to 2 bows, 2 claps, 1 bow. These are the movements you have to do during the praying and the prayer is a way of showing respect. At the shrine, we also saw a traditional Japanese wedding which looked more like funeral to us used to Western culture. The Bride wears a white kimono and the groom wears a black kimono. All of the other family members were dressed in black also. After this we once again went to a coffee shop based just outside the shrine and had ice cream and ate fresh fruit, something that I have missed greatly while being here.

After this we did some very quick shopping in Harajuku, which the girls in our patrol loved, but the boys were very unimpressed. We then got on a train and went back. It was a great day that was enjoyed by all and on behalf of Enfys I would once again like to say thank you to our guide for the day. You certainly saved us a lot of time!Read more