Tokyo III

One weekend I went to Tokyo (that’s number three) with my kacho (section manager) and his wife. We had originally planned on taking bus tours around Tokyo, but since they were a bit pricey (maybe ¥6000 for a couple of hours) we opted on setting up our own plan by buying a Toei subway line day pass for only ¥500.

By the river in Asakusa

We began our day early in Tsukuba and we got off in Asakusa, but instead of going to the temple (which I had already seen) we went to the river where all the sakura trees were in full-bloom (mankai). We then went on a boat tour which was pretty interesting and all in Japanese, but they translated all the important things for me. The tour ended at this really awesome park, I forget the name, but it is north of the Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba. The park was very nice and the royalty used to come to this park for falconry and hunting ducks. After the duck hunts were no longer practiced here, they built a monument in remembrance to all the fallen ducks and that their animal souls may find peace, or something like that…very Shinto-like I think. We drank some amezake here, which although the name translates to “sweet sake,” it is non-alcoholic and pretty tasty. The park also has a very old pine tree (matsu).

One view of the park

The 300 year old pine

Since we were hungry at this point and we were close to the Tsukiji Fish Market (the largest in the world I think) we went there for a deliciously fresh sushi lunch. Most of the inside of the market is closed to tourists and since it was afternoon at this point, most of the fish had already been sold. Nonetheless, the place was bustling and the workers were driving these specialized vehicles that I was told only exist in Tsukiji.

Special vehicles in Tsukiji

After Tsukiji we went to Yasukuni Shrine for more sakura viewing. Because this is a very popular spot during sakura season, there were food booths all over the place. I indulged in a green-chocolate covered banana for my betsu-bara (other stomach, usually reserved for desserts) although the air was filled with the scents of takoyaki, okonomiyaki, roasted corn, and other such delicacies. Apparently at Yasukuni Shrine there are memorials for fallen Japanese soldiers, including WWII, so when the prime minister came to pray here there was some controversy brought to light by some Chinese and Koreans who felt it was undiplomatic to honor the soldiers who did many atrocious things in China and Korea during said war. I don’t really know many of the details of the shrine or of the actual controversy, but it was something I was told, and why this prevents some Chinese and Koreans from visiting this place.

Yummy bananas

Yummy octopus

We then went to the Edo Museum, where I got in as a student on my expired MIT ID card. They had a special exhibit on Genghis Khan and Mongolia, but we only went to the regular exhibit which showed life in during the Edo period. As far as museums go, it was pretty interesting and since I do not know much Japanese or Tokyo history it was worthwhile.

The museum, the building itself is kinda funky

Inside the museum and inside a carrier thingy

Katanas

As the sun began to set, we made our way to Ueno Park for more sakura viewing and to check out the crowds of people participating in hanami with their friends. Afterwards, we went to Ameyayokocho to check out the vendors screaming “sen-en, sen-en (¥1000, ¥1000)” and for dinner. We chose a raamen place, and I had a spicy ramen, which was phenomenal. I have decided that if I had to eat only one thing for the rest of my life (and not have to worry about paying for it) it would be sashimi, but spicy ramen comes in at a close second.

Some statue at Ueno Park, I think it's famous though

At Ueno Park

People enjoying hanami

Everything for 1000 yen

Yummy spicy ramen

This concluded my kacho and his wife’s stay in Tokyo, so as they went back to Tsukuba I stayed in Tokyo to do some more exploring. The main reason for my stay was that there was an MIT-sponsored dinner the following day, so I might as well stay in Tokyo until then.

So it was early evening and my stomach was extremely happy, so I decided to walk around some, so I hoped the subway over to Roppongi and had a nice stroll. I went by the Roppongi Hills which is a really fancy place with stores, restaurants, and apartments. I happened across a large bookstore so I stopped in and listened to several songs in their music section. I bought a book, Kafka on the Shore by Murakami Haruki, which was my first book by this author, but it was such a good book that I am now hooked and have bought and devoured another one of his books (Dance Dance Dance) by now. I did not bring any fiction books with me to Japan because I wanted to focus on reading my Japanese text books and dictionaries, but I just missed a good novel and I couldn’t keep away. And I’m glad that I succumbed to this temptation.

After Roppongi I made my way to Shinjuku because I heard this is a good nightlife place, and after walking around and keeping my ears pealed I happened across a club. Im not sure where it was or that I could find this place again, but it was OK as far as clubs go. The cover was ¥2000, but I didn’t mind since I had a yearning to dance and the trains had stopped running so it was dance until 5am or wander aimlessly some more. The music was pop-ish, with some JPop, American pop, and other electronic stuff that was not techno or drum n bass, but I don’t know how to classify it. Anyway no hip-hop/R&B/reggeaton, so it was a good change from the norm of my American clubbing experiences.

The club closed at 5am and the trains were running again so I bought another Toei day pass and made my way to Harajuku and walked around there. One thing that I noticed traveling solo with my Toei line day-pass, was that not all subway lines are Toei. So I know the difference between the subway and say the metro or the JR (Japan Rail) because of their logos, but apparently there are two subway companies and they use the same style of logo (a colored circle around a letter). This created a lot of confusion for me and it was only after I returned from Tokyo that I noticed the difference in subway lines (only 4 are Toei and the rest are non-Toei).

It is very interesting to see the city so empty and all the artistically-graffitied store fronts. I walked around a stretch of stores that promised gothic-lolita style attire and accessories, posters of the latest and most popular boy bands, and other things that Japanese teenage girls may desire. I was not terribly hungry, even after several hours of dancing, but since I was getting a bit tired I stopped by a Burger King and ordered something cheap, I don’t even remember what. I took my purchase to the upstairs seating area and took a nap. Cheapest hotel in Tokyo, or maybe that is McDonalds, anyway I’m not complaining. At around 9am though the place was getting crowded and I felt I was rested enough after my on-and-off 2.5 hr nap, so I left and made my way to Yoyogi Park.

Pretty barren for the most populated metropolis in the world. I like the graffiti and notice the gothic lolita sign, as well as the 7-11. :)

It was a very nice park, but on my way there I ran across a hippie festival, so I left the park and returned to the festival. There were live performances, like belly-dancing, food booths selling things from takoyaki to tacos to shawarma, and even a hands-on mud-brick building station. There were also goods and activities centered on several nationalities from American Indian to Tibetan to Jamaican to Palestinian to Indonesian. Vendors were selling jewelry, hemp clothing, drums, soaps, incense, and many other great things. I talked to several people and heard many interesting stories. I love these types of fairs.

A belly-dancer

This guy looks pretty rad, man. I wanna look like him when/if I grow up.

Yay for music and collaboration

After I had fill of some great drumming and didjeridoo-ing I walked to Shibuya, to the famous crosswalk area that I believe is the densest place in Tokyo, but maybe I just made that up. It was interesting and I like the Japanese pedestrian crossing system, but I personally enjoyed the Cairo pedestrian scene much more due to its chaos.

Just a band I saw

I killed some time walking around Shibuya and checking out a bunch of overpriced stores. I did however go to a Uniclo, which is a clothes store that is generally cheap for Japan, but has really good stuff. I bought 5 pairs of socks. I didn’t need any socks, but these are special Japanese socks. Two pairs have two compartments for the toes (think mittens) and three pairs have five compartments (think gloves). The reason I bought so many pairs was that it was the special and I couldn’t just buy one and one, so now I have plenty of Japanese socks. Now I just need Japanese-style sandals.

In Shibuya

When dinner time came rolling around, I made my way to the bar where we were meeting, which was close to Shibuya. The only people I knew at the meeting were this guy Erek who was the same year and lived in the same dorm as I did and Pat who is one of the MISTI coordinators. We introduced each other, had really good food, and shared contact information. I unfortunately had to leave early, since I still needed to catch the TX back home.

Once back in Tsukuba I picked up my bike and rode home. That was one of my best sleeps, and definitely a perfect way to end a great and generally sleepless weekend.