This blog is another slight diversion from my life in China. The week before last week was "Golden Week" - 6 days of holidays for National Day, and one of the largest movement of people in the world. The government estimates that during that week, 610 million Chinese travel. Extra trains and planes are put on to cover the holidays. Let's just say that's alot of extra inflight meals.
Being in Asia, I had a lot of options available for the week. I could stay in Beijing and enjoy the less people/less traffic week, or I could travel somewhere else in China. I could go to Vietnam, Cambodia or even go and lie on the beach in Thailand. All very tempting. But I decided to go and visit Tokyo.
It was a mad, hectic and very enjoyable 5 days in Tokyo, so I have decided to dedicate this blog to my time in Tokyo, and write about the top 5 things I did (or in one case didn't do) in Tokyo.
1. Eating
What better place to start my Tokyo blog than to talk about the food. I know when I think of Japanese food, I think of Sushi, Tempura, Ramen and my favourite Teriyaki Chicken (with the additional sake of course), and of course it was everywhere. One of the things I did love about Tokyo is that the food was convenient, fast, and relatively cheap. And if you can operate a vending machine, life is good.
One of the places I found in Tokyo (actually I didn't find it, I followed my guidebook) was called "Ichiron", a restaurant chain that specialises in ramen. I managed to find one near the Tokyo National Museum (even though there was no English signage. I had to ask someone where it was). The way it worked at Ichiron was this - you entered the store and bought your ramen ticket from a vending machine. The waitress then gives you a form which you complete to let them know how you want your ramen (it's specially prepared for you). You then sit in a cubicle, fill out your form, and hand it to the staff. Within about 5 minutes, your ramen appears, prepared exactly the way you want. Brilliant!
Left: The vending machine, which includes pictures AND English menu. Right: The form (in English) asking how you like the flavour, how much garlic, texture of noodles, and whether you would like fries with that (OK, maybe not the last bit)
Below Left: The cubicles. It reminded me of the voting cubicles in Australia
Right: The final product, all delivered through a bamboo curtain which is then lowered so you can sit in your cubicle, and enjoy your ramen.2. Kabuki Theatre
Never let the weather spoil a good holiday, so even though it was raining on my first full day in Tokyo, I hit the streets. The night before I discovered that near Ginza shopping mall was a Kabuki theatre (traditional Japanese dance/drama), so I went for a look. The show was due to start at 11am, and I arrived about 10am. I found an English speaking staff member who said that I could line up and buy a ticket for one act, for just 1000 Yen (About AUD$10). The first act was 40 minutes. After he told me that the whole show was 4 hours, I decided to take his advice. I took my place in the line and waited to buy my ticket. The first 90 people in the line get a seat. Anyone after can stand at the back of the theatre. I was sitting next to a girl and her mother who were Japanese, but actually lived in Perth (what are the chances?!). They told me we were very lucky to get near the front of the line as it gets very popular.
So, what can I say about Kabuki theatre? The costumes were colourful, the show was very dramatic, and the females roles were played by men (which I discovered was part of the tradition). And the language they use is so old, that most Japanese find it hard to understand. It is something you have to try, but I recommend buying the English audio translation, as I understood nothing!
3. Tsukiji Fish Market
According to my guide book, one of the things you must do in Tokyo is visit the tuna auctions at the Tsukiji Fish Market. The fish market is the biggest wholesale fish market in the world, and the auction takes place at 5:30am each morning (except Sunday). It is recommended that you arrive at 5am and register, as they only take 120 people. Let's do it!
I did the right thing - early dinner, back at the hotel, and in bed by 9pm. Had the worst night sleep, and ended up getting about 2-3 hours sleep. When the alarm went off at 4am, I did think about sleeping in and skipping the fish market. But hey, I'm on holidays! So,I dragged myself out of bed, hit the shower, and was in the taxi at 4:30 for the short 10 minute drive.
Now let me paint the scene. The guidebook (and the hotel staff, the website, every forum I read) all said that you need to be there at 5am to register, and they let the first group in (60 people) around 5:20. I had 3 hours sleep, it was raining (again), it was dark, and I was heading to a fish market. The taxi driver spoke English, so he knew where I wanted to go. I arrived at 4:45am to be greeted with the sign "Registration for Today Finished". Finished? Finished? Is Finished Japanese for "Come in an enjoy our fish market"? How could it be finished? I went up to the security staff and asked for an explanation. They said (in very broken English) that I was too late, I need to come at 4am!
4am?! Where did it say that in the guidebook ? I knew I should have bought the Lonely Planet guide instead of the brand I bought. I bet Lonely Planet says 4am. But what was there to argue about. There was nothing I could do. I walked around the outer markets, tried to find the courage to try sushi at 5am in the morning (it didn't happen), then pulled up stumps and went back to the hotel for bacon and eggs.
Below: My only proof I was at the fish market (apart from a slight fishy smell which I carried around with me all day)
4. Akihabara and the Maid Cafes (AKA "Nerd Central")
The day I went to Akihabara was a day where I experienced both ends of the cultural spectrum. In the morning I went to the Tokyo National Museum - looked at the art, the swords, the fashion, the history- you know, everything you do at a museum. Always nice to get a bit of culture. Then 3 hours later, I was being offered coffee and cake (including singing and dancing) by a young Japanese girl dressed as a maid!
Akihabara is also known as "Electric Town" - you can buy everything electronic. From cameras, and TV's to spy cameras, games, comics, costumes, DVD's. For me, it was nerd central. I was home! But one of the other things that this area is known for is the "maid cafes". I read about these in the guide book (who am I to say no to a pretty girl dressed as a maid), so I wanted to discover them for myself.
The whole idea behind the maid cafe is they are designed to target the nerds (Ie. Me!) who frequent the area. The girls are dressed as maids, they serve you tea/coffee/beer/cake/desserts etc, plus they will sing and dance for you. I approached a "maid" on the streets, and got a brochure. She explained that there was a 1000 Yen cover charge, and they have many kinds of drinks. OK, sure. Let's give it a try. If anything else, I could get some nice photos.
"No photos! No photos!". the girl explained as she was leading me up the stairs. OK, so I am going to pay 1000 Yen (plus) for a beer and a biscuit, served by a pretty girl, and I won't be able to show photos to my friends? Forget it....And I have to say, the girls looked very young. Or maybe it's just me getting old.
5. Skytree
From my hotel room I could see the "Skytree" - Tokyo's newest tower, and now officially the tallest tower in the world. It has only been opened for about a year, and gives you a great view of Tokyo. On the Wednesday after my visit to the Imperial Palace Gardens (that didn't make my top 5. Hey, it's a garden!) I decided to go and check out the "Skytree" - along with 8 million other people.
Lining up for a ticket to the Skytree reminded me of lining up for the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios. You join the end of the line, which you see has about 100 people in it. You slowly move forward, then you get to the front (or what you thought was the front), turn a corner then move into the "second" waiting area, which has about 500 people in it! At this stage you have already waited 20 minutes, and probably have another 30 minutes. You are committed now, so you just keep inching forward.
Because it was a clear day (the only clear day when I was there), it was busy. Line up to get a ticket. Line up to get in the lift. Line up to get in the second lift (to the very top). Line up to get the lift down. Line up to get your photo taken. Line up to join the line up to the toilet. You get the idea.
But the view was spectacular. Being the tallest tower in the world (and only 12 months old) it was pretty cool. A few quick snaps from the top.
(I can't remember anything in these photos, except taking the pic of me in front of the mirrored elevator doors - below)
5 days is not long, but I managed to get in a whole lot more, including a visit to the Imperial Gardens, Ginza Shopping Mall, Harajuku (just like the Gwen Stefani song), and the Tokyo Dome where they play indoor baseball. As I wrote on my Facebook page when I came back to Beijing, Tokyo is now one of my favourite cities in the world.
Oh, and let me leave you with a few quick observations
- Thanks to the Shangri La hotel and their heated toilet seat, I get a shock (and a cold bum) using normal toilets.
- Japanese are very friendly and polite. They stand to the left on an escalator, they wait for you to get out of the train before you get on, and they don't talk on their mobile phones on the train
- I travelled on the subway everyday for 5 days, and I still don't understand it.
- The "Super Drama" TV channel on Japanese TV has the Big Bang Theory. How is that drama?
- In Akihabara (see above) they sell photos of young girls for 100 Yen. I am still not quite sure what for - maybe for fashion tips for the girls, or maybe they are superstars. Maybe just to show the nerds photos of girls they will "never" get.
- Did I mention the warm toilet seats? Oh yeah, I did.
- I spent the whole time singing lines from "Turning Japanese" and "Domo Arigato Mr Roboto". Probably not a good thing to do in Japan.
- Japanese can't make pizzas (one night, to have a break from the cuisine, I went to a bar for a beer and a pizza. Let's just say that I have tasted better pizzas from a microwave).
There you have it blog fans. My quick trip to Tokyo. Next time I am going to hike up Mt Fuji, and I might even go back to the fish market. Let's hope they don't change the time to 3am.
Sayonara!
