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I had my first Tokyo trip last July but having lost my camera (I managed to leave it in a karaoke room), I waited until I had a few trips undermy belt and lots ofpictures before writing. I can’t expect anyone to read stories with no pictures. My guess is that most folks look at the pictures and never read the stories anyway!
Tokyo is an amazing city and one of constant stimulus – in the form of a costumed girl with a bullhorn yelling about a product, or Pachinko sounds crashing into the street, or the shriek of trains in Shibuya, the heart of Tokyo is no place for a solitude seeker,.
From the shopping to the incredible food to the sheer sprawl, I have barely scratched the surface. But I know I’ll keep going back!
Jam Bui!
Susie
I’ll start out by airing my ignorance – I kind of thought Hong Kong and Tokyo as a bit closer together than they are. Call it insular Americanism, but Asia is simply a lot bigger than I imagined. So upon my first trip to Japan, I was shocked to see “4hr30m” printed on the itinerary next to my 10:00am flight. (I had a similar experience with Thailand – 2hr30m; Seoul – 4h10m; Shanghai – 3h20m; a quick “hop” around the region is not quick at all – it’s pretty much the equivalent of Portland to New York!)
Upon arriving in Narita in 3:30pm, it was about 75 minutes total to get through immigration, through customs, buy a “limo” ticket and get in line for the said limo (which is really just a bus). Then I sat back for what ended up being a 2h10m bus ride into the city. Who knows why Asian cities are obsessed with putting their airports HOURS from the actual cities they serve. I arrived at my hotel at 7:00pm. At that moment I realized Tokyo was not going to be the best “weekend” trip.
The first thing I really noticed about Tokyo was the massive urban sprawl. I was shocked about how big it was. And with all the towers and buildings that dot the expanse, those iconic red lights that blink from the top of every building in the city, make for an amazing night visual. The hotel I always stay at, The Cerulean, is conveniently placed in the heart of Shibuya and has great views from every angle. I spent much of my first few hours sitting in the window box enjoying the view.
Over the four trips I have taken to Tokyo since I moved to Asia a year ago, a few things I’ve described below have become favorites and memorable moments.
It is very obvious that karaoke started in Japan. They have endless amounts of karaoke clubs that stay open all night, serves food and drinks, and rent rooms for groups from 3 to 30. My first night of karaoke was an experience. I had met up with a friend of friend who I had been in a wedding party with years before. He worked for the UN and invited me to a little “gathering” at the UN building in Tokyo. As the party wound down, a little group emerged that included (excuse the labeling) a Scotsman, an Irish lad, a Brit, a Swede, and Indian, Libyan, a German, and me, the American. If Karaoke could bring about world peace, we made the first attempt that night.
This entire building is dedicated to karaoke.
The shopping in Tokyo is unbelievable. Everything exists. Major thoroughfares like Ometesando, that house the luxury brands like Prada and Ralph Lauren, the meandering backstreets of Harajuku (Cat Street being the notable one), with its tiny eclectic boutiques, design showcases and funky cafes, and general merchandise stores like Shibuya’s Tokyu Hands, that simply overwhelms you with confusing and crammed spaces that take up floor after floor and offer sections as random as “magnets”, “datebooks”, “small furniture”, and “health aids”.
Omotensando Hills -- a truly beautiful mall.
The Prada building - considered an architectural landmark
Cat Street in Harajuki
Japanese restaurants are a gift from heaven. The sushi is so fresh and perfectly assembled that it’s a serious conflict as t whether you eat it straight away or take a picture first. The Shabu Shabu, whether hot pot style or the more expensive bamboo steamer style, so enticing that I managed to eat as much red meat in one night as I had in the previous three months (Kobe beef is pretty unbelievable; there is a sound reason why Mr. Bryant is named after it.) And finally my favorite style of Japanese food, Yakitori. You may come out of these restaurants smelling like the food, but it’s so worth it. It’s like an incredible feast of hors du oeuvres – perfect!
When I really like something now I refer to it as "Shabu Shabu" good. That's how much I love this type of food.
Language is the other thing that made me laugh a bit. When you don’t understand Japanese, the conversations between people sound like the most long-winded dramatic ones ever had between two people. Anywhere you are in Japan, you are constantly being talked at; onegei, arrigato, gezeimus, oyhaio, shimasu are the most common words and once you work them correctly into your greetings, inquiries and courtesies, the whole thing seems a bit less daunting. I have sat in a cab with a Japanese co-worker as he gave the address to the driver – the conversation went on for what felt like twenty minutes. When I asked if there was a problem with the directions, the answer was no. Go figure.
But this is what truly makes the city charming; especially when at comes at you through a bullhorn as a sales gimmick from a guy in tights......
Gonpachi - an amazing Teppenyaki place -- it was the place they used to design the set for Kill Bill V. 1.
