At a strange turn of events, I was able to visit the beautiful country of Japan for four days at an amazingly affordable price. We were able to stay at a five-star hotel in Tokyo city (and boy, was it FIVE STAR!) for 3 nights with free breakfast and fly China air for US$700 total. It was actually a last minute desperate attempt to re-enter Taiwan due to a visa problem, but it turned out to be a great trip.
We traveled all over Tokyo with our two day metro passes, visited from the famous tourist attractions to places nobody’s ever heard of. We dropped by Harajuku, the famous fashion center of Japan, and just sat for hours staring at the interesting people.
Perhaps due to the fact that it was a weekday, the typical “craziness” that you hear of Harajuku was absent. But I spent a significant amount of time amused by the young people, all living their life through fashion.
There was an impeckable amount of Japanese young adults with perfect bleach blond hair, with no sign of black roots. Never before have I seen a community so focused on fashion and the matter of appearances. The way they confidently fit in their unique styles, it was uncanny for an Indiana/Pingtung girl like me.
And of course, no trip to Harajuku is complete until you see a few “Lolitas,” or people who dress like Western dolls, walking around.
Lena Morris 