9 October 2024
Our visit to Japan got off to an inauspicious start, our red suitcase failing to show up on the baggage carousel at Narita airport. A lengthy delay to complete the formalities with the airline was followed by several rather long train and subway rides to the centre of the capital. We then had a great deal of difficulty in finding our way out of the sprawling Akihabara rail station and locating our hotel. This meant that we were two very tired travellers as we finally hit the sack very late that first night, wondering whether this was really a good idea after all.
We need not have worried, things would rapidly improve. Over the next three and a half weeks, we would discover a country with a totally unique culture and become completely mesmerized by what we saw, experienced and tasted there.
How to describe Tokyo? A megacity with four times the population of Switzerland; a sprawling, neon-lit concrete jungle of seemingly endless skyrises, apartment blocks, billboards, highways and overpasses: yet as we discovered, everything works and impeccably so. It may be the world’s largest city but it is also the world’s safest and probably the cleanest too; we did not see a single piece of litter during our entire stay there.
Also, despite the vast throng of people everywhere, Tokyo’s inhabitants do literally go out of their way to respect your personal space. This unique system only works if you comply with their unwritten social rules; luckily for foreigners there are strategically-placed posters everywhere listing the can do’s and can’t do’s when interacting with the locals. It was fascinating.
It is impossible to see all of note in Tokyo in just a week so choices have to be made. It is essential to plan and then stick to it. Otherwise, the city being so overwhelmingly huge, you can spend a lot of time just getting around to see the attractions if you have not figured out first how best to use the incredibly extensive train and subway system to get to where you need to be. We also learnt very quickly that you also must know in advance which exit to use, otherwise you could be wandering around an underground labyrinth until the end of time.
So here is our list of places we chose to visit and which gave us an overview of Tokyo as well as an introduction to the Japanese way-of-life:
Day 1: We found our bearings in Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronics paradise and later that afternoon, we rode the subway to Ginza, the city’s most polished neighbourhood. Proudly ranking alongside Fifth Avenue and the Champs-Élysées, it is one of the most famous shopping strips in the world. It's a compact area, but you could easily spend a day here sashaying from Mikimoto and Louis Vuitton to Uniqlo (we went to Uniqlo).
Day 2: Tokyo’s most visited temple is Sensō-ji, which enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy). The main entrance to the temple complex is via the fantastic, red Kaminari-mon gate and busy shopping street Nakamise-dōri. Either side of the gate are two statues and under the giant red lantern is a beautiful carved dragon. Stalls along Nakamise-dōri sell everything from tourist trinkets to genuine Edo-style crafts. At the end of Nakamise-dōri is the temple itself, and to its left, the 55m-high Five-Storey Pagoda, the second-highest in Japan.
Then it was on to Shibuya, rumoured to be the busiest intersection in the world (and definitely in Japan), Shibuya Crossing is like a giant beating heart, sending people in all directions with every pulsing light change. Hundreds of people – and at peak times upwards of 3000 people – cross at a time, coming from all directions at once, yet still being able to dodge each other with a practised, nonchalant agility. The best spot to take photos was from the nearby Starbucks, if you were lucky enough to find a space there to stand (we were not).
Late afternoon found us at Tokyo’s grandest Shintō shrine, the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, whose reign (1868–1912) coincided with Japan's transformation from isolationist, feudal state to modern nation. The main shrine, built of unpainted cypress wood with a copper-plated roof, is located in a wooded grove accessed via a long winding gravel path. At the start of the path, we passed through the first of several towering wooden torii (entrance gates).
Day 3: The world-famous wholesale fish, fruit and vegetable Tsukiji market shifted across Tokyo Bay to a new home in Toyosu in 2018. We checked out the area around the old Tsukiji marketplace hoping to see some remnants of its former glory but were disappointed by what we found in what can only be described as a tourist trap.
Early that evening, we undertook a two and half hour Guru walk around the Shinjuku neighbourhood, starting at the Tokyo Government Metropolitan Building which offers a free 360 degree view of the city from its observatory on the 45th floor. The vista was simply stunning. At night, the towers put on a laser light show but we were already on our way to discover (according to our guide) the darker side of Tokyo. Shinjuku's east side is home to the city’s largest nightlife district with a rather unflattering reputation: touts stood on street corners trying to lure unwitting tourists into shady bars run by local crime syndicates. A blinding array of billboards and neon promised food, sake, karaoke and love while hordes of Japanese salarymen crowded into the little bars (izakayas) with their bosses to let their hair down after a day of rigid politeness in the office.
Day 4: A day trip to visit Mount Fuji (see separate post).
Day 5: a ten minute walk from Ueno station through the park of the same name brought us to the Tokyo National Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of Japanese art, including ancient pottery, Buddhist sculptures, samurai swords, colourful ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), gorgeous kimonos and much, much more. We could have spent the whole day there but we decided to just focus on the Honkan (Japanese Gallery). We were also able to access the usually off-limits garden, which includes several vintage teahouses. That afternoon found us at the Tokyo Skytree complex. The broadcasting and observation tower used to be the world’s tallest.
Day 6: While I visited the pretty East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (in its heyday the largest fortress in the world, although little remains today), followed by a trip to the nearby Tokyo Gallery of Modern Art....
.....Mylene took an hour-long train ride to Kamakura, a picturesque coastal town wrapped in green mountains, with wide beaches, a surf community, organic restaurants and winding lanes. Japan’s first feudal capital in the 12th century, its glory days coincided with the spread of populist Buddhism in Japan This legacy is reflected in the area's proliferation of stunning temple. It still boasts Japan’s oldest Zen monastery (Butsuden) while its most iconic site is an 11.4m bronze statue of Amida Buddha. Completed in 1252, it weighs over 850 tonnes.
Day 7: Another day trip, this time to the small town of Kawagoe. Its main street is lined with kurazukuri, clay-walled warehouse buildings, reminiscent of a town from the Edo Period (1603-1867). Nicknamed ‘Little Edo’, Kawagoe’s symbol is its beautiful 16m-high wooden bell tower with famous bells that chime four times daily. This gem of a town also boasts Kita-in, a Buddhist temple with historic buildings and a beautiful garden.
We then collected our baggage which we had left at Kawagoe station and returned to Tokyo for the next stage of our tour, to Kyoto, aboard the quintessential Shinkansen (bullet train).
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