We woke up today at 4:am. So we were walking around outside by 5:30 a.m. local time. The morning was brisk, I'd say low 70's. Breakfast was included in our hotel stay. Otherwise the meal options are ¥500 ($5.20 US, of that $3 is for the coffee).
Advertising for our breakfast at the Moriva Coffee cafe, in the hotel elevator.
Actual pic
American style Breakfast: Black coffee served "hot" and "bitter." Coffee jello and I poured the Guar Gum over it, the bread wasn't croissant-ish and had a touch of wasabi in the mayo :-) yum! Farm fresh scrambled Eggs, ketchup and salad.
I knew coming when planning this trip that Japan has Starbucks. I didn't want to actually come here because its like the States right? Not completely.
We enjoyed a Soy Latte (which came with a soy paddle to avoid milk allergies contamination), and a French apple cinnamon crueler. The Soy milk is so much creamier.
Here's our tray (everything's served on trays or bags...at McDonald's we see people carrying two bags... One for hot and one for cold. They never bag into one - ying and yang maybe?). In the lower left is a bag with 1 flimsy napkin inside. Everywhere you get just ONE! The cups are in English except for some kanji script on the bottom - see it below the brown hot cover? - and for one on the lid. Ninja is here because I took one of my sons favorite toys with me on the trip, to include in photos, so my sons know I was "really" here in Japan. If a picture of their toy is in the picture, I must really have seen these things then.
Signage is very similar in concept, color and shape. And the order boards are both in Japanese and English. Ordering was easy.
Starbucks in the States has meetings going on and business being conducted, there's a lot of noise and hub-bub, people on there cell phones, etc... Here it's so quiet. Totally Quiet!! Here people sit individually, in silence. Almost Stepford Wives quiet. The music is piped in at a low tone. There no sound except for ordering and the coffee machine steaming.
People seem to sit individually, not near eachother, and no one is in pairs. When we went outside 3 business men sat the same way, all dressed in white shirts no tie, black pants, smoking and having coffee. It's a little weird to be honest? Where's the sharing of ideas, meetings, interactions?
Japanese Kanji Starbucks receipt
Then we walked around Shin Yokohama which is like a suburb of Yokohama. After a while we noticed how Crazy Quiet it was. No cars honking! No people talking as they walked to work. No one looking at their phones (which everyone has an iPhone or this other Long slim one).
Bicycle commuters are everywhere, bringing them on bikes and moms with babies in strollers.
It seems to feel very 1960's/70's by looking at the buildings with a touch of trendy. Men's suits and white or blue shirts. On Street corners People's whisper so not to make noises. The street crosswalk picture is a green lit guy wearing a fedora.
Car storage video - very futuristic like "Minorty Report" with Tom Cruise.
Railways very organized. People walk in orderly lines down stairs and wait for commuter to exit the train.
Its very male heavy on the trains. gives it a "Mad Men" 1960's feel especially with how they dress.
These photos are from our arrival on Day 1: but you can clearly see the "Mad Men" feel on the train. And a few people walk around with those face masks. Japan is VERY sanitary conscious - borderline obsessed.
Orderly waiting in line.
Train car "Mad Men" esque.
Out doors at the station. Again some buildings are modernized (left) next too retro ones.
As the blogs said women dress very feminine to borderline sexy for work AND school. They are also "juniors section" almost in some of their attire.
A lot of pink, hello kitties, high platform shoes. Most shoes 99.9% are clean, unscuffed and in like new condition. Mikisan said its safe for women and people to ride the trains, even late into the night all over Japan. Except for the occasional fellow trying to feel you up at that hour.
Stylish dude. Everyone has new like shoes, business people are polished and shiny, workers & students are trendy.
Outside our first stop train stop to a school visit. A Bicycle "Stand" for all the commuters. There are NO LOCKS on the bikes anywhere!!! No in front of stores, homes, school, No Locks....
Happy Travels
