We were in Tokyo, baby!*

Our 10 days in the Kanto region were pretty action-packed so recounting the places we visited & the people we came across would take a long time and -more importantly- a lot of work on my part! So I've decided to cut some corners and simply post a visual diary of the trip with some commentary along the way. This will actually help me remember certain aspects of our stay because the many sights & sounds of Tokyo have slightly blurred into a mish-mash of memories. The overall feel about it is one of pleasant surprise, as I had expected Tokyo to be impossibly crowded on any given day, hugely intimidating and a bit of a nightmare to navigate. None of these preconceptions proved to be fully true because while certain areas are as congested as I've ever experienced, others are delightfully free of traffic, crowds & highrises and even have a small-town vibe. I had definitely come to see the bright lights, big city version though: 8-lane pedestrian crossings, bookstores with cafe's attached (one of my favourite things), urban trend-setters (or just as often walking fashion victims!), ... Seeing Tokyo has also increased my understanding about Japan and has made me realise just how tiny and provincial Fukuoka seems in comparison! I think both Vaughan & I prefer our hometown though, both for its low-key atmosphere and the quality of life that comes from not having to spend hours on trains or engage in a daily battle for private space :-). And no matter how much fun we had, Tokyo still didn't kick New York of the number one spot on my list of the world's coolest mega cities. No offence... *(Anyone who's a fan of 'Friends' probably remembers the episode in which the whole gang goes to London & where Joey annoys Chandler by constantly exclaiming 'We're in London, baby!'. I have taken over this habit & use this sentence now whenever we go to an exciting city. Lame huh?)

ASAKUSA

We started off our exploration of Tokyo in one of the oldest & most authentic parts of the city, Asakusa. The choice was definitely influenced by the viewing of 'The Full Circle', in which Michael Palin visits this working-class area and found some pretty interesting spots. This building is one of the few modern ones by the way and is referred to as the Flamme d'Or. The golden object is supposed to represent a beer drop from the adjacent Asahi Brewery but we came up with very different interpretations.

The highlight of Palin's Japan-episode for Vaughan was the mentioning of a unique, rather unusual restaurant that serves thin freshwater fish called loaches which have been tipped into wooden tubs full of sake and consequently absorb the alcohol into their intestines. Never one to shy away from culinary challenges Vaughan had vowed to find this Komogata Dojo Nabe restaurant and try this dish. Combined with leek & soy sauce it was actually quite tasty, not to mention we were following my travel hero's footsteps ;-).

Most tourists to Asakusa don't get excited about tiny fish but come to visit Sensoji, a Buddhist temple which has been standing on the same spot for more than a millennium. You approach it from Kaminarimon gate, renowned for its colossal red paper lantern under which everyone usually takes a stupid photo. What can I say, it's hard to be original sometimes!

During our visit the crowds were immense, with many people gathering around a roofed caldron of incense. Apparently the smoke is thought to ward off misfortune and disease so I bought myself an incense stick as well. Quite hard not to choke on the fumes or burn your fingers, but I guess you get protected from that too :-).

While I'm always a sucker for historical sights I have been hit by temple fatigue since living in Japan & now equally welcome the normal, day-to-day aspects of places. So the discovery of Kappabashi or Kitchenware Street, an 800 m long line-up of stores selling Japanese pottery, cooking utensils, tableware and foreign treats set me aflutter with excitement, since both Vaughan & I LOVE food (eating it, not preparing it unfortunately!). Finding out where restaurant owners buy the plastic food displays was also pretty cool; it's such an intrinsic part of Japanese culture :-). In the photo Vaughan's eying some plastic sushi but at $7 a piece you're better off buying the real thing!

AKIHABARA

After a day in Asakusa we ventured south to Akihabara, the Japanese mecca of electronic goods. The main avenue is a jumbled mix of flashing lights, screaming audio messages offering discount prices & row after row of stores selling any electrical gadget under the sun.

Akihabara is pretty popular with tourists but it's mostly known for its regular customers, the otaku -a pejorative term for geeks. Japanese identify otaku as obsessive fans of any one particular hobby and the ones in Akihabara seem to be mostly male & disproportionately fascinated with anime (animation) or manga (comics & cartoons). I say it's a free world but judging from the amount of shops selling school girl & maid outfits (see picture) and plastic figurines of half-naked women these guys need to get out of the house more often!

GINZA

In the high-class, fashionable district of Ginza full of luxurious department stores & designer shops the only thing I could afford was to rub shoulders with these quirky dolls in the Chanel window display. Never liked brands anyway...

Tokyo might be an interesting, vibrant and cutting-edge city, I certainly don't think it's beautiful. But maybe I should stop comparing everything to places like Paris, London or Sydney huh!

Ginza houses Kabukiza, a historical building where kabuki, traditional Japanese theatre, is performed three times a day. Vaughan had never seen a performance and when we were lining up to get tickets we were offered free seats by an American couple on their way to the airport. The kindness of strangers :-).

SHIBUYA

A world away from kabuki you can find an altogether different part of Japan: the modern, fast-paced thriving Shibuya area, the youth fashion centre of Tokyo with probably the highest concentration of trendy -at times gaudy- boutiques, bars and cafe's in the world. If you want the finger on the pulse of what's hot for the under-25's (and proceed to feel decidedly un-hip and over the hill!) then this is still the place to be. And apparently half of Tokyo crosses the street here too because the Shibuya Crossing is an awe-inspiring sight. The tiny black figure in the middle waving with both hands is Vaughan by the way, an ant among ants!

KAMAKURA

To get a break from the hectic city life we took a day-trip to Kamakura, just a 45-minute train ride from 'our' appartment in Yokohama. These days Kamakura is a bit of a backwater but in the 12th & 13th century it served as Japan's capital, with numerous temples, shrines and other monuments to show for this glory period.

Temple architecture doesn't excite me as much as it used to but the natural settings in Kamakura were often well-worth the visit alone. Bizarre how there are still autumn colours in late December; these were vivid & gorgeous.

This Great Buddha is the main drawcard of Kamakura but to be completely honest, for me it was a bit of an anti-climax. Every single travel guide on Japan claims this is a must-see, which might either explain my slight dissapointment or is just a gross exaggeration. OR have I become one of those jaded, blase travelers who can't appreciate greatness anymore? Hm, not sure what it was but let's hope not the latter!

IMPERIAL PALACE

December 23rd is traditionally celebrated as Emperor's Birthday & for that occasion the Imperial Palace in Tokyo opens its doors to the general public, something which happens only twice a year (other time is January 2nd). We didn't want to pass up on the chance to check this out so that's why both Vaughan & I passed through the gates, signed the imperial registry and then wondered which part of the palace we could actually visit. It turned out that the building itself was completely off-limits (unlike the Belgian royal palace where you can walk through several rooms a few weeks during summer, very cool!) so we ended up getting only a faint glimpse of what life is like for Japan's imperial family. They all seem pretty uptight & stressed out so I can't imagine we missed much (apologies to any Japanese reading this!) ;-).

Fear not; contrary to what this photo suggests, I havent turned into the flag-waving, nationalistic type! The image of the man sleeping next to the Japanese flag made me walk over, & when I found a stray flag on the grass it made for an entertaining shot. The actual rise of Japanese nationalism is less amusing, maybe I'll write a post on that someday.

HARAJUKU

The area around Yoyogi Park in Harajuku is known around the globe for the weekly Sunday display of mostly teenagers dressed in the most inventive, outrageous or downright bizarre outfits you'll ever see (Gwen Stefani even had a song called 'Harajuku Girls' on her first album & modelled a fashion line on the unique Harajuku style). At first it seems these groups are too cool for school, but it quickly becomes clear that they're easily approachable & love the attention that tourists & photographers pay them. In a country where conformity is demanded on a daily basis it's certainly an amazing spectacle to witness... Vaughan & I wondered afterwards what kind of lives these people return to on Monday morning and whether high school, office work or any other job could compare with the thrill of showing off in public. Not likely I guess.

SHINJUKU

I've heard Tokyo described as a forest of skyscrapers but in reality -and rather surprisingly- the city is relatively free of huge, towering high-rises. This photo, taken from the free observation room in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices in Shinjuku, shows this clearly, wouldn't you say? It's still an impressive urban sprawl that reaches as far as the eye can see though. And no Mount Fuji in sight, boohoo :-(.

With thousands of bars & restaurants the district of Shinjuku reportedly attracts about half a million visitors every night, so no wonder that the Shinjuku train station is said to be the busiest on earth. Bright lights, big city indeed!

MOUNT FUJI!

Two minutes before boarding our flight back to Fukuoka the elusive Mount Fuji decided to reveal itself after all. This isn't the usual image of Japan's national icon but I was just stoked to finally get my first glimpse of it :-).