Japan IV: The Many Faces of Tokyo

And now it’s time for the last installment of my Japan blogs! So, the last post ended with Ross and me headed back to Tokyo on the shinkansen. I want to mention that that train ride was especially nice. Yeah, we got to see Mt. Fuji, which was cool, but Ross and I also got to just sit and talk, which was great. I mean, when you go somewhere like Japan, you want to experience everything the country has to offer, but in doing so, plain ol’ hanging out can get inadvertently pushed aside. The train ride helped rebalance everything.

Anyway, we detrained at Shinjuku Station (the busiest train station in the world—2 million people each day) to go in search of our hotel. I must say that the station is a bit of a maze. We knew we had to head west from the station, but navigating the building (which included multiple corridors and countless stores) wasn’t intuitive. But, with some persistence, we made it to the Kadoya Hotel, which turned out to be a pretty good hotel. The lobby needed a good fumigation, as it wreaked of cigarette smoke, but our room was nice and big. And, it was very conveniently located. While I’m focusing on the hotel, let me mention a hotel attendant named Abe (AH-bay…not like Abe Lincoln). Similar to Adachi at the Marunouchi Hotel, Abe was especially helpful, and it was nice when we saw him behind the desk (particularly since the other attendant, who was older, did not have very good English skills).

So, what to say about Tokyo….it reminded me a lot of New York City. First of all, it was definitely a city that never slept. And then, there were countless neighborhoods, each with very distinct characteristics…very similar to New York. What was cool was that, even though there were plenty of sights to see, the real fun came in taking in each of the distinct neighborhoods. Having said all that, though, there were distinct differences from NYC too. First, it didn’t feel like a melting pot. Everyone looked Japanese. Sure, there were random folks with crazy-colored hair, but by and large, it felt like a single ethnic group. Second, Tokyo was cleaner…at least it appeared that way. Third, the people kept to themselves more. This was the general impression I got from the locals in all the cities. They were respectful, and they were willing to help if you asked them questions, but unless prompted, they acted as though you weren’t really there. And, of course, that had pros and cons. There was very little yelling or honking, which was great, but there was also very little smiling. Oh, and speaking of honking, there were very few cabs, because cab fares are prohibitively expensive. The trains and subways are where it’s at. Lastly, I never felt unsafe in Tokyo. The city has very little crime, and much of the crime it does have is the mafia kind, which usually doesn't concern people who mind their own business. :)

Alright, since the neighborhoods are the interesting part of Tokyo, I think I’m just gonna list the different neighborhoods and include a few thoughts about each.

Shinjuku – Where we stayed. The west side is home to lots of high-rise financial buildings; the east side has lots of electronic stores, some shops, movie theatres, etc. The station itself is home to a mall’s worth of stores. People don’t really live here, but the train station makes it so lots of folks hang out here. Lots of neon signage, btw.

Kabuki-cho – Just north of Shinjuku, this is the area for adult entertainment. We walked through it during the day, when everything was closed, and yeah, I’m guessing it does get hot and heavy at night. But, the plus is that outside that area, there’s really no visible sleaze.

Harajuku – Just south of Shinjuku, this is wear the crazily dressed school kids hang out. And, I mean, really crazy. Think “outrageous Halloween costume,” but that’s every day. Lots of bright colors, lots of accessories, and if you’re a guy, apparently lots of drag. Go figure. And, the area was PACKED with teenagers. Where were their parents? Good question!

Shibuya – Just south of Harajuku, this is the Times Square-esque part of Tokyo. If I visit Tokyo again, I might want to stay here, because I feel we didn’t experience this area quite enough. Shibuya Crossing is the main intersection here, and literally hundreds of people cross there every time the Walk sign turns on. It felt like controlled mass hysteria. :) We also visited one of the big clothing boutiques in Shibuya. The guys’ clothing was…almost indescribable. First of all, I’m pretty sure that an American size small was a biggest size they had; stylistically, the clothes were like biker-meets-cowboy-meets-raver. Too bad my name’s not Harley Spur Glowstick. ;)

Asakusa – Over near the center of town, this is Tokyo’s take on old school. Unfortunately, it doesn’t retain the authenticity that we saw in Kyoto. It was nice to visit, though.

Roppongi – This section of town provides nightlife that caters to foreigners. Lots of bars and clubs. There’s also a huge complex called Roppongi Hills that is meant to provide everything people need to thrive—housing, retail, restaurants, entertainment, medical facilities, etc. It’s an interesting concept. And that’s where I paid the most I’ve ever paid to watch a movie--$18 (I think that’s what it was) to see I Am Legend, which I didn’t even care for. It was a nice theatre, though.

Ginza – Ross and I both liked this neighborhood a lot. Where as most of Tokyo felt very “Downtown,” Ginza was correspondingly “Uptown.” A little bit more refined, but still very urban. It just felt very cool. Lots of unique buildings, and lots of high-end stores, too.

There are a few more things to mention. One morning, Ross insisted that we go to the Tsukiji Fish Market (the busiest fish market in the world), and I reluctantly agreed. The tough part is that you’ve to get there at the 5:30-6:30 AM timeframe in order to see anything interesting. :( :( I don’t like early mornings. But, we went, and I confess that it was pretty cool. Every morning, thousands of whole tuna are auctioned off to local restaurants and distributors, which was really fun to see. And, after we were done looking around, we had early-morning sushi right there in the market. Now, I don’t really care for sushi, but if there’s anywhere to have sushi, it’s gotta be there, right?

On the trains to and from the market, we saw this group of American guys—probably around our age—and they were being SO DISRESPECTFUL! Yelling at each other across the train and dropping the f-bomb nonspot. It would’ve been rude stateside, but it was exceptionally rude in Japan. And, one of the guys tried to hit on a teenage girl on the train; she wisely ignored him. But, you know, I’ve got to say that any time we saw someone being disrespectful, THEY WERE ALWAYS AMERICAN! It was really a shame. I suppose that’s one reason why our country isn’t well-liked abroad.

One other cool thing Ross and I got to do was attend a sumo tournament. There were some disrespectful Americans there too. They tried to start the wave when they got bored. Save it for a triple-A baseball game, kiddos. :(

Summing up everything, I had a STELLAR time in Japan! It was so much fun!!! I hope I get the chance to visit again someday. :D