Tuesday
Running entirely on momentum, we emerged blinking onto dizzying wonder of Tokyo transportation. Tokyo has both an extensive, efficient subway system and an extensive, efficient suburban railway service. I was soon at our Asakusa hotel, showered and "ready" to face the day. And it was only 8am. Constantly thinking about time was to be my undoing, but that was several hours away yet.
We started with a trip to a local temple, the surrounding shops and market stalls still yawning themselves awake. I watched the rituals of washing and praying, and felt like I was intruding.
Being an outsider in Japan - it's something most visitors comment upon. You stand out, and as someone who tends to stand out anyway, it was especially noticeable. I've had quite a few stares, one or two laughs, and I swear (although this could be jetlagged delirium) I heard someone tutting at me.
A short walk to the river and our first experience with cherry blossom. We weren't the only ones stopping to admire and take photos, it's a huge deal over here. Even the slightest flourish seems to inspire instant picnics and celebration.
We then went down to Ginza which gave me Oxford Street vibes, only more so (much more). Every shop we walked into, we would hear the same greeting/chant from all the staff. I really need to find out what it means.
After that it was off to Akihabara aka Electric Town, with its deafening, smoky Panchinko parlours - speed pinball basically - and tower after tower of video game parlours. No place for a jet lagged man.
On to Ueno we went to one one the biggest parks in the city. More blossom was in effect, the trees even cordoned off for their own safety. We had a punt around the boating lake with each boat carrying one if not more brave and violent seagulls.
Then we took our first Shinkansen (Bullet Train) down to Yokohama for the Ramen museum. A museum about food? I can dig. The exhibits were all without translation, but below ground the place took on its true identity: a 1950s shanty village with each hut serving a different type of Ramen. Pretty unbelievable. But the food was amazing.
It was round 5pm when we left, and I was dead on my feet. It had felt like I had lived the last 48 hours with little rest, so had the earliest of nights.
Some general observations so far:
- Everywhere is spotless.
- Nobody walks across any road until the light is green.
- Each station has its own unique jingle.
- Even the street cleaning machines sing to you.
- You can walk around with £400 in your pocket like it's nothing.
Wednesday
Body clock adjusted but still not quite aligned, we set off for Mitaka and the Studio Ghibli museum. After a pleasant walk along a stream we were met with a large queue of families and school trips. You are told to book tickets well in advance, and with good reason. This relatively small venue may very well be the best thing in Japan - infinitely charming and fascinatingly detailed, just like the Ghibli films themselves. Your ticket is a reel of film from one of their creations. There is a stunning animation room that still baffles me to think about. Plus a mini cinema showing exclusive short films that will apparently never be shown anywhere else. Unfortunately we didn't see the adventures of Cat Bus Jnr, but we did get a sweet little tale about a lost puppy. The gift shop did very well out of me, not to mention everyone else there.
A long walk followed through various residential neighbourhoods. Space is at a premium in this country. Flats and tower blocks of all shapes & sizes dominate any direction you look in. And this area was no different. Everywhere seems to be reaching for the sky, but to juxtapose that you see countless tiny cafes & bars jammed under railway arches which only seat a handful of people.
After a walk around the shops of Shinjuku, it was down to Shibuya to visit That Massive Busy Road Crossing With All The Lights And Adverts. It was very busy and far too much fun was had crossing over it several times. Dinner was a pot luck choice, we selected one of a long line of faceless towerblock hallways and went up to the floor with the best photos. A good dinner was had. The sweet dumplings were the best.
On the way back I thought someone was hassling a group girls in front of me. They kept on being shown a piece of paper which they stared aimlessly at. Then someone started taking photos of them as they walked across. "Did we get it? Shall we send them back? Explain it to them again". They were models or something, and all those shots had me being gormless in the background.
An extended walk home and I was feeling shattered but not as dead as yesterday, which can only a good thing.
Thursday
Our last full day in the capital. Most of it was spent around Tokyo's answer to the Docklands: huge shiny buildings, monorail, that sort of thing. Panasonic's exhibition centre was full of facts, Nintendo games and staff members wanting to practice their English on us. Toyota's centre was, by comparison, closed.
After that it was off to Miraikan. There was a facinating exhibition looking at the end of the world, mainly its innevitability and the questions we should ask ourselves as a result of it. The exhibit was created in response to last year's devistating earthquake and tsunami. I had heard that as a rule Japanese people were generally unwilling to talk about this subject, but on the basis of this exhibition they are starting to accept it and air their emotions. It was moving, thoughtful and just the right side of ambiguous. The other highlight was Asimo, the most advanced robot in the world. His demo would have been more impressive had I not already seen it on QI a few months ago, but a robot kicking a football and doing a little dance will never get old.
The day ended in a cat cafe. A room full of cats and a free drinks machine, what more could you want? They are designed for locals who don't have the space or time to have a pet, but still want to have the experience of being ignored by one until you feed it. There were around a dozen felines draped around the place, you got the impression that they'd had a hard day of fuss and attention. But they were still a cute bunch, and when we were given treats to feed them they were all over us. It made me a little homesick for our Tom waiting back home.
Tomorrow we head south for the next leg of our journey. I could happily spend 2 weeks just in Tokyo, but we have so much more to see.
Japan Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5
Running entirely on momentum, we emerged blinking onto dizzying wonder of Tokyo transportation. Tokyo has both an extensive, efficient subway system and an extensive, efficient suburban railway service. I was soon at our Asakusa hotel, showered and "ready" to face the day. And it was only 8am. Constantly thinking about time was to be my undoing, but that was several hours away yet.
We started with a trip to a local temple, the surrounding shops and market stalls still yawning themselves awake. I watched the rituals of washing and praying, and felt like I was intruding.
Being an outsider in Japan - it's something most visitors comment upon. You stand out, and as someone who tends to stand out anyway, it was especially noticeable. I've had quite a few stares, one or two laughs, and I swear (although this could be jetlagged delirium) I heard someone tutting at me.
A short walk to the river and our first experience with cherry blossom. We weren't the only ones stopping to admire and take photos, it's a huge deal over here. Even the slightest flourish seems to inspire instant picnics and celebration.
We then went down to Ginza which gave me Oxford Street vibes, only more so (much more). Every shop we walked into, we would hear the same greeting/chant from all the staff. I really need to find out what it means.
After that it was off to Akihabara aka Electric Town, with its deafening, smoky Panchinko parlours - speed pinball basically - and tower after tower of video game parlours. No place for a jet lagged man.
On to Ueno we went to one one the biggest parks in the city. More blossom was in effect, the trees even cordoned off for their own safety. We had a punt around the boating lake with each boat carrying one if not more brave and violent seagulls.
Then we took our first Shinkansen (Bullet Train) down to Yokohama for the Ramen museum. A museum about food? I can dig. The exhibits were all without translation, but below ground the place took on its true identity: a 1950s shanty village with each hut serving a different type of Ramen. Pretty unbelievable. But the food was amazing.
It was round 5pm when we left, and I was dead on my feet. It had felt like I had lived the last 48 hours with little rest, so had the earliest of nights.
Some general observations so far:
- Everywhere is spotless.
- Nobody walks across any road until the light is green.
- Each station has its own unique jingle.
- Even the street cleaning machines sing to you.
- You can walk around with £400 in your pocket like it's nothing.
Wednesday
Body clock adjusted but still not quite aligned, we set off for Mitaka and the Studio Ghibli museum. After a pleasant walk along a stream we were met with a large queue of families and school trips. You are told to book tickets well in advance, and with good reason. This relatively small venue may very well be the best thing in Japan - infinitely charming and fascinatingly detailed, just like the Ghibli films themselves. Your ticket is a reel of film from one of their creations. There is a stunning animation room that still baffles me to think about. Plus a mini cinema showing exclusive short films that will apparently never be shown anywhere else. Unfortunately we didn't see the adventures of Cat Bus Jnr, but we did get a sweet little tale about a lost puppy. The gift shop did very well out of me, not to mention everyone else there.
A long walk followed through various residential neighbourhoods. Space is at a premium in this country. Flats and tower blocks of all shapes & sizes dominate any direction you look in. And this area was no different. Everywhere seems to be reaching for the sky, but to juxtapose that you see countless tiny cafes & bars jammed under railway arches which only seat a handful of people.
After a walk around the shops of Shinjuku, it was down to Shibuya to visit That Massive Busy Road Crossing With All The Lights And Adverts. It was very busy and far too much fun was had crossing over it several times. Dinner was a pot luck choice, we selected one of a long line of faceless towerblock hallways and went up to the floor with the best photos. A good dinner was had. The sweet dumplings were the best.
On the way back I thought someone was hassling a group girls in front of me. They kept on being shown a piece of paper which they stared aimlessly at. Then someone started taking photos of them as they walked across. "Did we get it? Shall we send them back? Explain it to them again". They were models or something, and all those shots had me being gormless in the background.
An extended walk home and I was feeling shattered but not as dead as yesterday, which can only a good thing.
Thursday
Our last full day in the capital. Most of it was spent around Tokyo's answer to the Docklands: huge shiny buildings, monorail, that sort of thing. Panasonic's exhibition centre was full of facts, Nintendo games and staff members wanting to practice their English on us. Toyota's centre was, by comparison, closed.
After that it was off to Miraikan. There was a facinating exhibition looking at the end of the world, mainly its innevitability and the questions we should ask ourselves as a result of it. The exhibit was created in response to last year's devistating earthquake and tsunami. I had heard that as a rule Japanese people were generally unwilling to talk about this subject, but on the basis of this exhibition they are starting to accept it and air their emotions. It was moving, thoughtful and just the right side of ambiguous. The other highlight was Asimo, the most advanced robot in the world. His demo would have been more impressive had I not already seen it on QI a few months ago, but a robot kicking a football and doing a little dance will never get old.
The day ended in a cat cafe. A room full of cats and a free drinks machine, what more could you want? They are designed for locals who don't have the space or time to have a pet, but still want to have the experience of being ignored by one until you feed it. There were around a dozen felines draped around the place, you got the impression that they'd had a hard day of fuss and attention. But they were still a cute bunch, and when we were given treats to feed them they were all over us. It made me a little homesick for our Tom waiting back home.
Tomorrow we head south for the next leg of our journey. I could happily spend 2 weeks just in Tokyo, but we have so much more to see.
Japan Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5
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