Gomennasai - that mean’s Sorry in Japanese, apparently it’s what we’ll be saying a lot of when here, I figure i should say it after putting you through hell in the first email which wasn’t actually speaking about the holiday I left it that I’d just landed in Japan like some super hero J
DAY1 – TOKYO
Well I know I left you with baited breath where I’d just passed through custom’s being faced with an army of official looking placards of names, each one I reckon is waiting to know if I’m that name on their placard, alas to disappoint the fan club there’s no one to meet me here L but I toy with the idea that maybe I look like I am that person they are waiting for but then move onto the next person in the end to cause as much chaos as possible, but no I forgo the temptation, and mosey on past.
After seeing a sign for the JR Rail Pass which is my ticket to Tokyo, I give that lost look to the girl behind the counter, with no effect she’s seen it all before, and directs me to go downstairs to where the real JR Railpass office is, of course I knew that, then heading to see there’s escalator’s and thinking I need to take my bags off the trolley the old guy directs me that I can take the trolley onto the escalator, I’m hoping that this doesn’t end up with my trolley and bags smashing their escalator, though fortunately it doesn’t though so steep was the escalator that momentarily I’m caught off balance and almost go over the trolley onto the bags!
Okay so made it down with my dignity intact to the bottom of the escalator, where I see a load of other Johnny foreigners queuing up outside these shops with JR RailPass in lights, clearly unsure I join the queue that actually isn’t a queue it’s just two people standing looking like they were in a queue, momentarily perplexed I then join the real queue trying to make it as subtle as possible, as the queue advances I have to leave my bags on the trolley outside the place, with initial concerns about someone taking them, then it hits me this is Japan, my bags safe outside so after a few more minutes inside I manage to get my RailPass woohoo!!! J
So now we’re on our way, the Airport Express is taking me to Tokyo, fairly easy up to now though my phone hasn’t got a signal yet, though I’ve done the 2 button reset the Orange customer rep told me to do when I arrived, still nothing so far, but I’m not concerned at the moment, just sitting back enjoying the view of the countryside and small dwellings that make up houses in Japan it takes about 1hr to get into Tokyo main terminal.
Onwards with the aid of my trusty map provided by the JR RailPass employee back at Narita Airport, while circumnavigating this huge rail/metro terminal with a backpack that would make the Ghurkhas proud I find a great Information booth I’m in luck the girl speaks excellent English and helps direct me to my station.
I’ve purchased ahead of arriving a Japan RailPass, these give you for a period of time unlimited rides on their network which is such a cost saving if you do a lot of it, though there is a massive metro network too, the RailPass is only viable just on that JR network, but Tokyo has great JR Network that can get me to almost every place I will need for my initial visit to Tokyo, as for the Metro network too, I’m told that a Suica (Oyster equivalent) card is what I need which you can get from any kiosk at any station for a 1-2 day pass apparently onwards to the hotel without knocking the Japanese like a paddle does a pinball with this stupidly heavy backpack, I know they would fly if I turned suddenly, I feel like an articulated truck carrying my rig on my back...
I join the Yamanote Line, our equivalent of our Circle Line and head to Hamamatscho station 3-stops away, immediately to those who have never been here, it’s a sensory explosion, each train that arrives is joined with sound effects that you would expect to hear in a Sega Sonic the Hedgehog game, and when you get onto the train, all these screens tell you in English and Japanese which direction your going, how long it will take to get you there, sooooo efficient! Makes our underground look ancient... Arriving at Hamamatscho station I drag my bags off and follow the crowd, taking the north exit down the stairs to exit via the barriers you show the attendant at the barriers the RailPass and they wave you through simples.
I’m on the streets with what feels like a 300lb backpack with my trusty map I’m heading towards my home for one night only in Tokyo, I know your saying “one-night” trust me it gets better, okay so I manage to find the hotel, it’s called My Stays, which when I find it I’m told as it’s 12:30 I can’t go to my room as it’s not check-in time until 3:00pm, ah the only time Japanese efficiency has scuppered me...so after some quick re-loading of my backpack and daypack I leave my backpack to the hotel concierge who struggles immediately lifting my bag I feel sorry for him but he’s got it in hand though not sure if his legs will buckle under the weight of putting the bag in the back, with no Wi-Fi I’m a little dumbfounded what to do cos though I printed some notes which I got from my friends before coming here, most of the others I kept on-line to read...foiled again I had to unpack my bag a 2nd time this time the concierge still recovering from the hernia of carrying my bag again the first time has to do so again for a 2nd time... I’m sure that he’s quietly cursing in Japanese expletives under his breath, armed with my Lonely Planet guide, I’m off into Tokyo...
As I’ve arrived on a Sunday I use my friends recommendations Harajuku and Shinjuku, fortunately these are all on the Yamanote (Circle) line, so are a few minutes away, 18mins according to those screens on the trains, I realise how big these are, compared to ours in London they are much larger which considering those video’s I’ve seen of people being squashed into them in the rush hour I can imagine that they have to be...
As we arrive in Harajuku, it’s got a very down to earth atmosphere, the people around the station are mainly students and a few tourists, those tourists are eagerly waiting on the Jingu Bridge that crosses into the nearby park of the Meiji Shrine, for the spectacle of the “Harajuku Girls” as they are called though strangely for the moment I don’t see any which surprised me, for a moment I wondered if I had arrived too late/early?
I decided not to wait on the bridge and decide to go for a wonder into the adjoining park, it’s a long walk to find this Meiji Shrine, there are a lot of locals in the park so finding it isn’t a problem, unlike our parks the Japanese keep their parks immaculate.
Past one Shinto archway, past another and there in front is the Meiji Shrine, a very picturesque yet subtle area in the middle of this park, as you enter it grabs you how meticulous the Japanese are with their buildings more so than I’ve noticed in other countries, again it’s immaculate you won’t find any litter around the place, but it’s peaceful many families come there, I also see some photographers setup as well at first I thought it was for a money making scheme, but after I’d taken a few snaps around the shrine I am amazed to see a that those photographers were setup for a wedding shoot, seeing the entire family in all their garb and the Bride and Groom in traditional Japanese attire does make for a stunning shot, though how they must feel when an army load of tourists light them up with their flashes on their cameras like it’s some paparazzi media event, but its such an ordered affair, meticulous down to the finest detail the wedding dress, even the children must sit a certain way, whether that’s just how it’s done in japan or not it’s a wonder to see.
Heading back to Jingu bridge, to see if I can see any of the Harajuku girls I now see more people gathered and it’s not disappointing, the styles of what the girls wear is quite amazing, some must have taken hours to get ready, some have masks, others have entire costumes that would make an S&M club proud, others are dressed in doctor’s uniforms and some have costume blood on their clothes, more arrive and the frenzy of tourists taking shots gets more intense, I take shots of the girls, and then shots of those taking shots of the girls, it’s quite an event, I read that in the Lonely Planet some of the girls who go there are bulled at school, to be honest if this is their form of expression then I’m surprised because it takes guts to do that, but perhaps in some way, when they are there with their friends, perhaps it is just a release but they do it so well it’s very impressive the detail they go to as well.
A couple hundred shots later I’ve taken all I can and head off to Shinjuku, when I arrive it’s a shopping frenzy, but another great buzz, wondering around getting lost seems to go with the territory in Japan, still going one way then another leads to some interesting places, I find an amazing sushi restaurant one with the conveyor belt and plates of sushi moving past you. I sit down wondering how this all works, I grab my cup but where’s the teabag? A kind local girl next to me shows me that this green stuff is the tea, a couple of spoons and then use this hot water dispenser done, now onto the good part, as the sushi is freshly prepared in front of me my eyes wander down the conveyor belt, it’s like watching a fashion parade of models but this one is with food, that looks good, so does that, not sure about that one, and on and on it goes, I would have grabbed any as inter-mingled with the dishes are signs that tell you the white plates are 148Yen, the blue are 200Yen and the red is 300Yen, so going on that I pick my dishes, some are Eel wrapped around rice with some yakatori sauce, others are squid with rice and some subtly sweet sauce, sprinkled on top, it’s quite amazing such variation of flavours it’s like you’re watching a theatre show, even the chefs are comical in how they their work, though methodical to see perfectionists they all are, with as many eyes on them doing this they don’t cut corners with the food.
You feel that this is quite a social event, I get the feeling that many of the locals regularly go there, so strike up a banter with the chefs, it’s completely mesmerized me seeing these works of art pass me all that’s missing is some classical music and you’d be complete.
I have to get some pictures of this food, down the line of the conveyor belt and right in front of me the chefs pose for a picture as well it’s all that entertainment factor you get at this place, for my first meal in Japan it’s right up there!
Once I’m done all in comes to about 1,100Yen about £10 for 5 plates of amazingly tasty food, and entertainment, so we hit the streets again, I hear there’s a vantage point to watch the crowds as they cross the street here, but I can’t find it, still wondering behind all the steel and glass mega shops you go down another alley and the buildings are classic old style Japanese as they used to be, these keep their business from the big corporations by keeping things personal, and I sense that the Japanese like this too mixing shopping with entertainment, it’s a good mix one we need more of here I feel.
After a few more hours of wondering around I decide to head back, I’m really getting the feel for it here already and it’s only been a few hours, but back to the hotel and my room is now finally ready.
This time the concierge has engaged help from someone twice his size to carry my backpack, though I offer he struggles to say no whilst his arms lift the weighty backpack, I hope his work outfit isn’t too tailored cos lifting that your arms would probably bust their seems, still upto the 9th Floor, first problem I can’t open the door, the hotel employee says pull not push, okay radical in it’s simplicity but it works, first time I heard of a hotel room opening outwards...still the room is nicely designed and though I offer the guy a tip he politely refuses and off he goes...
The room is great, speakers to plug in my iPod, and a HD TV and a fab bathroom with one of those Japanese toilets, which have their own control buttons, one seems to be a fountain, another a bidday, and another for something else I can’t decipher, still when you get to christen this it’s amazing even the seat is heated...wow the Japanese really know how to make having a crap entertaining, all that’s needed is classical music while you “work” and you’ll be ordering one for back home the next day.
Though saying that the seat seems to be getting warmer, I just hope that this doesn’t end up getting too hot, that’s all I need my butt being branded like a cow does in the old west, with the words “Made in Japan” burn’t into my butt cheeks... fortunately I don’t spend long enough to find out.
I flake out for an hour and get the munchies once more, this time I head to a Japanese Curry place I saw on my way to the hotel and have two dishes, some fried prawns and salad then some chicken katsu curry, this is amazing food, again such great culinary delights here I wouldn’t mind living here if they are this amazing...
My belly full, I manage to squeeze out of the table and pay the waitress, again I offer a tip but politely amusing it’s refused, I should really find out if tipping is the norm here like it is most other places, still I decide to walk this off before heading back to the hotel.
Walking towards this huge orange and white Eiffel style tower in the distance I feel it’s getting quite late about 11:00pm so I turn back only to be chatted two by a couple ladies at first I thought ah I’m getting to be noticed by the local populace here in Japan, only to find that they actually belong to a massage facility, politely I refuse and I’m on my way to my hotel.
I set my alarm for 3:45am as it’s Monday tomorrow and I want to head to the Tsukiji Fish Market...
I must have been zonked as I don’t recall the alarm but it’s 4:47am annoyed as I wanted to get there before the market opened for tourists at 5:00am I’m dressed and out of the door within 10mins I have to get a taxi there, which fortunately even at that time there are some around, as they pull up their doors automatically open for you, which judging how good the driver is if he’s too close you’ll be twatted by the door like some comedy sketch, fortunately they are masters of their art so I jump in and somehow manage to pronounce that I’m wanting to get to the Tsukiji Fish Market, fortunately I chose this hotel because of its closeness to the market, so not quite screeching around the streets like Starsky and Hutch, but speeding through the near empty streets we arrive by 5:12am.
I give a tip to the driver and he directs me with his white drivers glove to the entrance, I head down this street not really knowing if it’s the right way or not, but finally at the end I turn and I know I’ve arrived, fortunately the security guard has pamphlets in English to direct me to where I go. Though actually getting there in one piece is an adventure in itself, with these motor driven carts flying past at 30mph and hand drawn carts coming from other directions I feel somewhat like that arcade game Frogger for those who remember that, jinking back and forth, reciting the green cross code that I hopefully make it across, I don’t want to dive across because there’s no telling what kinds of fishy products are on the ground, still across I make it, then I have to traverse the hundreds of sellers with their stalls of caught that morning wares of all types of seafood some I’ve never even seen before, most still alive to keep their freshness most probably, most sharpening blades that wouldn’t go amiss in a slasher movie yet custom made for the purposes for which they do their work day in day out...
I finally find the warehouse where the Tuna are stored for auction, and seeing other foreigners I know I’m in the right place, we head towards a door that reads “Foreigners Only”, and start to queue, besides the fact that by my standards I’m late I’m actually in about 8th place, then as we see the doors opened I realise that actually I’m probably in the 2nd or 3rd batch of people that went ahead of me, it’s chaos in there, and we’re narrowly confined to a small sectioned off part of the hall itself the sight before me is amazing...
