Yokohama day...

Let's see... what exactly did I do in Yokohama? Nothing much, really... just walking around and aimlessly taking pictures. Yes, I have turned into a Japanese tourist. With no schedule and no rush though, so I do pride myself on that.

While going through a huge indoor mall searching for food, I did see Cold Stong Creamery. Yummy. There was a line outside so I didn't really bother. One thing different though... the ice cream packers started to sing and dance in symphony every now and then. I thought it was quite funny. The Japanese customers loved it.

1000Y to go to the top of Japan's tallest building... look, I've been to Japan's highest spot, Mount Fuji, already. No thanks.

Took a bus to the Sankaien Garden (三溪園). Got off at the wrong station but nonetheless managed to get to the Garden (By the way, the "en" in Sankaien means garden already, so the translations don't really work out). Beautiful garden with some awesome Japanese houses. Had a very Zen feeling to it. Meanwhile, Japanese tour groups whisked by at high speeds. The phenomenon of Japanese tourists is quite ironic actually: Japanese emphasizes patience and spending a lot of time on your craft (For a really bad example, see Tom Cruise's The Last Sumarai). There's something Zen about everything the Japanese do. I distinctly remember Alan admiring some Japanese video gamers who have made their play more of an art than entertainment. Anyway, Japan is also about JIT production and efficiency.

Back to the tour groups: Japanese tour groups seem to have become some manufacturing production line. They are fast and efficient. Ironically, at the Sankaien Garden, where peace and tranquility rule, where people are supposed to be quiet and enjoy the environment, where I reflect on life a little bit, tour groups drive by and snap their pictures and leave. Quite amazing.

These are areas where no one speak English... so when I left, I had no idea where to go. I didn't want to go back the original route, so I took another exit and spent the next hour walking beside a highway... until I finally hit the railroad station that I thought was a couple of minutes away from the garden exit.