First Week in Japan

Japan 1 - Tokyo

 Hard to believe we are now in the USA.  So much seen and done during our time in Japan that our brains are overloaded but internet access so difficult couldn't get anything posted. However, all that is about to change as we are in a hotel with free wifi and an extra 24 hours to fill , courtesy of the international date line.

We flew out on the 16th from Tokyo on an overnight flight and were surprised to arrive in LA on the 16th having booked a hotel on the 17th and our campervan on the 18th.  Having checked the date with a nice lady at Travellers Aid, she booked us into the Hacienda Hotel near the airport and we phoned the rental company to see if they could bring the pick-up date forward. They can let us have it in the afternoon and a bonus is that will pick us up from the hotel. This is particularly re-assuring as our usual process of public transport and walking doesnt seem to compute too well here. Quite a change from Japan. . .

So where were we? Oh yes, arriving in Japan

We watched three films on the flight over  from Auckland, but Peter has been struggling for days to remember the first two – the Outsider and the Changeling as it happens, both very good. The third was Whale Rider based on a story from same author as one of the books he read in New Zealand. It was interesting to see it again after having spent some time there.

 First job on arriving at Narita airport was to collect our Japan Rail Passes. These have proved to be a major success as Japan Rail not only runs the high-speed Shinkasen bullet trains but also a fabulous network of local trains which you can hop on and off  like the London Underground. However Tokyo has a separate subway system so we bought SUICA top-up cards for that at the same time before heading in to town.

 Our next task was to find the Tokyo Backpackers hostel. This involved the rail link into Tokyo and a couple of stops on the subway.  Everywhere is a mass of posters, billboards and flashing signs but fortunately most of the key information is repeated somewhere in English, and after a day or two we found we became adept at zeroing in on the English text buried deep in the Japanese.  We were grateful on that first trip however for the help of a lady whose English was marginally better than our Japanese and guided us through 9 levels of interchange in Tokyo Central.

 Every barrier, although automatic, is staffed by one or two uniformed officials. They rarely speak English but will sort you out if your ticket gets stuck in the machine or your top-up card runs out of money.

Everything here is so busy and crowded they employ an army of people in uniform to keep things moving along whether it's in car parks, rail platforms, road-works or zebra crossings. Sometimes it seems a bit extravagant - like the funeral parlour car park we saw which had eight uniformed attendants, one for every three cars, all standing there to attention doing nothing presumably while the service was taking place - but they certainly do manage to keep the trains running on time.

 The train network is just incredible. Trains are frequent and punctual and travelling around the city is an art form in three dimensions as you change from line to line and even upgrade to a super rapid train which leapfrogs several stations and then of course the Shinkansen which, with the Rail Pass, has made it possible to do several day trips across the country.

And so to the Tokyo Backpackers. The hostel was distinctly aimed at youthful backpackers more so than the 'Youth' Hostels in New Zealand and we were clearly the only guests over 30. In the evening sounds of drunken karaoke could be heard arising from the lounge, but it was comfy enough and convenient and fine for a couple of days.

 

Tuesday 24^TH Day 106 Ueno Park, Tokyo

 Our first morning, after a bit of a lie-in, we decided to head for Ueno Park. After a couple of changes and a short walk we found the park to discover that the cherry blossom season was under way. 

Although the trees were barely coming into bloom the main avenue had already been organised for the ‘harami’ picnics. Either side of the central promenade, underneath the cherry blossom cherry trees, a series of blue tarpaulins were laid on the ground and, although it was still quite cold, people were already sitting down and unwrapping their food and drink. We came across this scene in every park and shrine - all of which have  dozens of  cherry trees - that we visited over the next couple of weeks. Spaces are reserved well in advance by office parties, groups of schoolfriends and families. Don't however look for scenes of quiet meditation or Zen-like simplicity. Alcohol flows freely from the fairly early in the day and cherry blossom time seems to be one big party. Also the parks surrounding shrines and temples are filled with stalls selling all kinds of food and gifts, predominantly pink and fluffy in sharp contrast to the stark simplicity of the calligraphy and traditional artwork..

 

You also notice that this is very much a Japanese occasion. While tourists are entirely welcome, it is clearly not put on for their benefit. Cherry blossom time is a major event everywhere we have been.

 

As well as shrines and temples Ueno Park has a zoo and a boating lake and, at the northern end, the Tokyo National Museum. By the time we reached there, including stopping to admire an amazing juggler called Laby and going into view the Horyuji Treasures Museum, it was well into the afternoon and we were getting hungry so we went into the cafeteria for some late lunch . Although less formal than the restaurant this was still quite an elegant place with a proper Japanese menu. Selecting from these is made possible by the use of coloured photographs or plastic imitations of what is on offer but this only takes you so far. It doesn't tell you what's actually in the dish or, more importantly, how to eat it. Margot's in particular mainly consisted of noodles in miso soup, not the easiest thing for a pair of chopsticks and we were relieved to see at the next table a couple of ladies in full kimonos and we waited for them to begin to eat so we could see how it was done. To our dismay, both picked up a knife and fork and set to work, so no help at all. 

Fortunately, slurping is allowed, indeed encouraged, so we managed to get it down without embarrassing ourselves too muc. We have to say that now, after two weeks, we are getting pretty adept and have eaten a vast range of dishes from the posh restaurants to wayside caffs without causing the locals too much amusement.

 

As we finished up they were rather surprised to hear an instrumental version of Old Lang Syne. Apparently this is in widespread use to indicate to customers that the restaurant or museum is about to close. It seemed slightly bizarre  but  sort of makes sense. It is a bit like the widespread use, or abuse, of the English (and increasingly French in the more upmarket stores) language as it is used more to give a  mood music aura of cool rather than any strict meaning. This can lead to some gems and makes reading t-shirts and shopping bags a part of the fun.

 

 

As we walked back down the avenue Ueno Park was beginning to liven up as the lanterns came on and the students and ‘salary men’ arrived from their colleges and offices. Apparently guarding the company's tarpaulin is the most important responsibility of the most junior employee and can make or break a career. Several times we would see a young man in his business suit sitting alone in the park in the middle of the afternoon waiting for his colleagues to arrive at 5pm.

 

Leaving the park we made our way back to the station through garish pachinko slot machines, and restaurants and bars catering to businessmen delaying their journey home. We were told working late and then hanging around town drinking sake, playing the slots and going with colleagues to karaoke clubs is part of the ‘salary man’ way of life as evidenced by the number of men in suits catching up on their sleep on the subway the following day.

 Finding our way back to the hostel we picked up some snacks from a bakery and convenience store and ate in our room and early to bed

  

Wednesday 25^th Day 107  

Next morning we had breakfast in the room and packed as checkout was 10 a.m.. However, we were able to leave our luggage in reception and spend some time in the internet cafe as well as popping round to find an ATM at the local Post Office. Later in the morning Eno arrived and took us to our new hotel - the ‘Day Nice’ where we left our luggage as it was too early to check in. En route we discovered the importance of knowing which exit to use from the subway as the trains and platforms are incredibly long with exits at either end and on either side of the street. If you choose the wrong end there is a long walk back but on the other hand there is usually only an elevator or lift and one exit. Sometimes difficult choices have to be made.  However after three months on the road both Margot and Peter are pretty good at getting all 30 kg each of their luggage up and down stairs.

 

We met Keiko back at the subway and went for lunch at a nearby shopping complex food hall.  This time a real Japanese meal with a variety of dishes - food, but not as we know it. The main difficulty for Margot is a degree of unfamiliarity here with the concept of being a vegetarian. Sometimes restaurants interpret vegetarian as meaning not very much meat, or just chicken, or  even 'anything but beef' so everything has to be scrutinised and on occasion handed over to Peter to finish. Apart from that we have turned nothing away and eaten a multitude of things that we did not recognize or had ever eaten before. Having said this the food here has been fantastic whether in restaurants or in private homes and within a day or two we were actually chewing and enjoying everything rather than just closing our eyes and swallowing.  Most important, our stomachs seem perfectly at ease with this new diet.

 

By now it was check-in time so we ambled back to the hotel, popping out later for something to take up for supper. This time however, no convenience store but back to the shopping mall and an enormous supermarket with every conceivable dish on display. Making a choice was a night’s entertainment in itself  with no English labels to speak of and so much to choose from.

 

Thursday 26^th  Day 108 Asakusa

 

The real treat of our new hotel must have been the toilet. It had one of those systems that not only warm the seat but double as a bidet as well. Made slightly wary by the instructions that offered you the choice of  ‘jet’ or ‘splay’ we soon mastered the controls which end with a warm breeze to dry you off. All it needed was Auld Lang Syne  to let you know you could pull your pants up. Peter wants one at home but not sure we can fit one in our luggage.

 

Refreshed and cleansed we set off for the subway again, this time to Asakusa, the location of perhaps the most famous temple and pagoda in Tokyo. As you approach the shrine through the Gate of Kaminari-mon  or ‘Thunder Gate’ hung with a massive red lantern, you enter an avenue leading up to the temple lined with little stalls full of just about everything you could ever want - or not want for that matter. The Senso-ji Temple itself, built in 628AD,  is magnificent and as elsewhere the visitors and worshippers mingle happily.

 The pagoda is just nearby, again very impressive but what really makes it interesting is just wandering around in the crowds. We are never too happy taking photos of people but here the crowds are so dense, and nearly everyone is snapping away,  so people inevitably walk into shot and we see them as fair game. No doubt we feature in lots of other visitors photo albums too. 

With our stomachs crying out for a bit of respite we settled for a sandwich lunch before heading to the Sumida River for a boat trip to Odaiba, a brand new island reclaimed from Tokyo Bay and home to mainly leisure and entertainment complexes. Opposite the riverboat terminal is the Asahi Beer Company Headquarters and the tower block is meant to look like a glass of beer. No-one seems to know what the golden vegetable on the adjoining roof is meant to be, or why.

 Fortunately as it turned out, the direct boat was full and we ended up having to change boats in downtown Tokyo. The first boat was a lovely old ferry with brass fittings and leather seats. The journey down river took about 50 minutes  passing increasingly modern and tall buildings as we went. These contrasted somewhat with the blue tarpaulin shelters of the increasing number of homeless suffering from Japans economic problems. As with most things here the shelters are nevertheless well constructed and neatly maintained. 

Approaching the city centre we changed to a more modern boat which headed across the bay to the island past the Rainbow Bridge, a long curved suspension bridge carrying both vehicles and a monorail. Looking back over the stern we could see the sun setting over the city centre and Tokyo Tower. Landing at the ferry terminal next to a scale model of  the Statue of Liberty we

 meandered through the huge entertainment complex which seemed to cater for every leisure activity and then up to the monorail – a computerised driverless system that enable you to sit up front and watch the view. 

This starts off with a succession of entertainment and sporting complexes which gradually die out leaving a succession of perfectly formed stations in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the reclaimed land to be developed. Whether or not this will be delayed by the recession, the driverless trains will no doubt continue to stop there regardless. 

There being no conductors we rode up to the end of the line and back just for the hell of it and by the time we got back to our starting point it was getting dark so we carried on over the Rainbow Bridge to downtown Tokyo where we admire the lights, mingled with the crowds among the second hand book stalls and bought some snacks to take back to the hotel.

 

Friday 27^th   Day 109 Rippongi

Nice day (though cold still) so we headed for Tokyo Metropolitan Government building –  rather disconcertingly known as  the twin towers  - and up to the 45^th floor  for a  free 360 degree look around the city and beyond. On a clear day Mount Fuji is visible but today was not one of those days though there was a display which clearly showed where Mount Fuji should be and Peter is 100% certain he could see a Mount Fuji shaped outline through the haze. Nevertheless some stunning views across the cityscape. Our guide book advised us to sneak into the staff canteen a few floors below but everything was in Japanese and no photos or plastic replicas so we chickened out and went to a  convenience store and got a picnic instead. 

We took this to a park in Rippongi which was unfortunately still in winter mode and a bit bare, but anyway we had to get back to meet Yuki and Eno and relocate to the R&B hotel. We all went out for a meal in one of these places businessmen go after work to eat and drink. You get a semi-private table, like a booth, and a succession of strange but interesting and very tasty dishes and a chance to watch the comings and goings. Beginning to acquire a taste for Japanese food and improving our chopstick skills. Getting back to the hotel about 9 we decided to watch one of the DVDs  Matt had loaded onto our external hard disk. These were supposed to fill the long leisure hours at or disposal but so far Peter has watched one and this was Margot’s first. We selected “Thank you for Smoking” which was a good choice – highly recommended. 

Sat 28^th Day 110 Ueno again

 Next day we decided to re-visit Ueno Park, in particular a little museum focussing on daily life in the neighbourhood in the recent past.. It turned out to be a little gem, along the lines of the Castle Museum in York, with rooms from various types of building and different periods. One particular ‘semi-detached’ house was so small and with such thin walls you wondered how the two families both living and working there) co-existed amicably. There is in fact a phrase describing the necessary blend of laissez-faire and consideration for your neighbour which even today seems to make Tokyo work. People just seem to accept that they live in a very overcrowded city and they are bound to get in each others way but they just have to rub along as best they can and not get up-tight. Its one of the things we really like about the place and could see a lot more of (i.e. less road rage) at home.

 The museum also had a collection of traditional wooden childrens toys and puzzles that you were allowed to play with and we tried the lucky dip which told our fortunes, good for Peter but less so for Margot. There was  group of kids in a workshop being shown how to make traditional toys, and as we left one of the volunteer curators told us he had been to York and very much liked the Castle Museum and we were presented with little keepsakes to take home.

After giving our stomaches a bit of a rest by having sandwiches at the Café Renoir, and paying for the privilegeWe strolled on through the park but today was warmer and the blossoms were blossoming and the hamami picnicers were out in force. 

We left them to it and carried on north of the Park to a big cemetery full of  Buddhist memorial stones. We looped back by way of an ‘artists’ districts with some lovely traditional homes and shops.

 

At 3pm we were due to be back near the hotel to meet Keiko and her husband who were taking us top tea. We met ‘Ken’ and Keiko at the subway and set off agin. Although we are now getting the hand of reading the signs and getting about, we still have no idea how it all hangs together so when with friends we just follow blindly. We surfaced near a promenade alongside a canal lined with cherry blossom and , you guessed, picnicers. By this time of day the saki was flowing freely but there was one group who did a very professional 7-part harmony to the deilight of the neighbouring families, and us too.

 

Tea was booked at this enormous hotel – the Four Seasons – set in absolutely beautiful gardens that were the setting for various wedding parties, some western some traditionally Japanese. There was a couple on a  bridge as we wandered through with both bride and groom so exquisite we were inclined to think it was a photo-shoot for a magazine rather than an actual marriage. The tea saloon was equally splendid and Pete felt a little on the scruffy side as his wardrobe was more geared to tramping in New Zealand. We were served greentea with Japanese sweet delicacies