Totally
Smitten by Tokyo
Thursday,
July 3, 2014Fabulous Sighting of Fujisan:
So,
as hoped, the Mountain God was benevolent this morning and, as soon as I awoke,
at 6. 30 am in Michael’s Hotel at Mount Fuji, I rushed to the window to see if
the cloud cover over Japan’s tallest mountain had lifted. And guess what? It
had! There is stood, Mount Fuji, is all its brilliant, snow-streaked glory, as
we gazed upon it transfixed. Needless to say, we took loads of pictures, then
washed, dressed and got ourselves ready for our long trek to Tokyo—our objectives
in getting all the way to Fuji Five Lakes fully vindicated.
Getting
to Tokyo from Mount Fuji was far more pleasant than getting to Mount Fuji from
Kyoto—and also less expensive as we were able to use Japan Rail passes most of
the way. We caught a local commuter (Fujityo) train line (at a cost of 970 yen
each) from Gekkouji station for the 45 minutes ride to Otsuki, during which we
had fabulous views of Fujisan—much to our delight. Once we reached Otsuki, I
raced to the Chinese bakery outside to pick up almond croissants and coffees as
we had gone without breakfast. Procuring reserved seats through our Japan Rail
Passes, we found ourselves on a fairly good train line—although it wasn’t the
Shinkansen. I was able to blog on the train and bring my journal up to date,
and, two hours later, we were pulling into Tokyo Station, already feeling quite dazzled by Japan’s capital
city.
Thanks
to an old friend from Bombay, Vivek Pinto, who now resides in Tokyo and who had
arranged accommodation for us through his Japanese wife, Hisako, we found
ourselves checking into a really convenient hotel called Hotel Heimat right opposite Tokyo Station—it could not have been
better located. Since check-in time was 3. 00 pm and we had arrived at 11.00
am, we stashed our baggage in the storage room and went out to discover Japan’s
capital. And what a fabulous journey of discovery it turned out to be! We
simply loved it, from the get go.
Looking
for the Tourist Information Office:
But
first things first: the hotel did not have maps in English, so off we went
across the street to the Japan Tourist Bureau to pick up maps in order to get
oriented. While I had photocopied material from my travel guide books, I hadn’t
found the time to read them adequately before setting out on our sightseeing
mission. Hence, we had no choice but to wing it. Based on our location, it
appeared as if the Imperial Palace was our nearest bet—and so off we set in its
direction.
In
order to get to the Imperial Palace, we had to trek across Marunoushi, a
wonderfully commercial area that reminded us of New York’s Financial District.
We crossed the beautifully laid out grid of streets after catching an admiring glimpse
of Tokyo’s Main Station--a lovely red brick Victorian structure that reminded
us of Melbourne’s Flinders Station (except that Flinders is a warm yellow while
this was auburn).
Although
the Imperial Palace is not open to the public, it is worth heading towards the
grand, sprawling park in which it is located—the lungs of the city of Tokyo. It
is a vast green expanse that allows residents to get away from urbanity and
immerse themselves in nature. A short walk across a broad water-filled moat
brought us to the gates of the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace where a
large number of visitors were heading. Once past the main gates, we were given
an admission pass each (to be returned upon exit).
The
East Gardens are set in the property once owned by the powerful Shogun T…gawa
whose bastion was guarded by dozens of samurai who functioned from out of a
building called a Bansho. As we proceeded deeper and deeper into the gardens,
we passed by solid, towering stone walls that were deeply impressive. But, on
the other side, was the softness of a typical Japanese water garden with flowering
water iris, loads of azalea bushes and low maple trees that would, undoubtedly,
be very special at certain times of year. Even when not in flower, the entire
layout of the garden that was started during the Edo Period, i.e, over two
hundred years ago, was truly delightful with bamboo fencing, charming bridges,
a small waterfall, stone lanterns, etc. We lingered a long while in this space,
then found a shady bench on which to plan out the next part of our exploration
of this city.
Ramen
Street is located in the basement of Tokyo Station and is highly touted by
Lonely Planet as the place to go for really great Japanese-style noodles. Well,
we did get there as hunger pangs made their presence felt urgently. We could
not say where we were nor what we ate (as everything was written in Japanese) but
we chose our dishes at an automated vending machine, paid for them with cash
that we fed into the machine—thus, no money changed human hands! We had joined a
long line of locals waiting patiently at the door and figured that since the place
was so popular, it probably was good.
And
we guessed right! It was absolutely fabulous! A lunge mound of thick noodles
arrived in a separate bowl together with a thick, coconut-milk like broth
filled with pork, fish and mushrooms. We ate heartily as we listening to the
slurping of fellow-diners all around us. At a neighboring table, we were joined
by an American couple named Brad and Sarah with whom we entered into
conversation. They gave us tips on how to prepare for an excursion to the
Tshujiki Fish Market to view the daily auction of tuna.
Ginza—The Beating Heart of Tokyo:
Many
moons ago, when I was still a teenager in Bombay, I had read an article in
National Geographic magazine about Tokyo’s Ginza that carried the visual feast
of brilliant pictures that had made me feel like dropping everything and
visiting the area. Well, I only had to wait for four odd decades before I was
able to bring reality to my yearnings. Using a walking tour that appears in the
DK Eyewitness Guide, Llew and I found our way on foot to this most colorful
part of the city that contains a bunch of upscale stores including the very
classy Parisian establishment, Printemps. Of course, I was thrilled, as I loved
all things French. And how elated I felt when I found a lovely classy hat such
as I have seen the elegant Japanese women wearing. I am not entirely sure that
I will have the chance to wear it myself but at $25, it made a worthy souvenir
of my stay in Japan and I was pleased to pick one up.
Out
rambles in the Ginza continued with ducks in and out of stores such as the super-expensive
Mikimoto (home of the world’s finest pearls), Matsuya and Mitsukoshi (very
luxurious Japanese department stores in which the shoppers dress just to
shop!). It was great to people-watch and I did a great deal of it. I am
absolutely charmed by the elegance and style of Japanese women that reminds me
very much of the kind of sophistication one sees in Paris. At all times, they
are simply superbly turned out, their outfits marvelously color-coordinated,
their bags and shoes totally trendy. We stepped into a Starbucks for an iced café
mocha, the half an hour, continued our rambles in the midst of a very busy
afternoon with folks to-ing and fron-ing as they went about the serious
business of shopping. Japan is evidently prosperous and there is no sign of
poverty anywhere, not even a homeless person anywhere to be seen. If there is
one country that seems to have wiped out poverty, this is it.
Having
been on our feet for most of the day, we felt the need for a nap and rest. So, testing
our Japan Rail Passes for use on the local Tokyo subway system, we were little
to discover that they overlapped. Seekign the station nearest us, we found our
way back home in about ten minutes—that’s how well situated our hotel is.
Without minutes, I was asleep while Llew pottered with his smart phone. It was
about 7. 30 pmn that we set out again—this time to discover Tokyo by night. And
what a magical place it is!
After dark, Tokyo scintillates. And
I mean, seriously. The entire city is lit up brighter than Las Vegas. Imagine New York’s Times Square or London’s
Piccadilly Circus with their spectacular neon lights, their changing
billboards, their hordes of people scurrying about—and there you have it. All
of Tokyo is like a circus after night falls.
Using
our guide books, we headed on the subway line for Shibuya where the world’s
most famous crossing exists. We were instructed, once again, to bag a seat at
Starbucks which is head above their heads. Each time the lights changed,
hundreds of them surged forward like so many ants (from our perspective) hurrying
to their next destination which lights winked and blinked all around them. It
really was a stupendous sight.
After
about half an hour of watching this fascinating, orchestrated surge of human
movement, we took a walking tour throuogh the area known as Central Gai with
its hundreds, no thousands, of young folks (high school and college age, who
frequent the slot and pachinko machines in the brightly-lit amusement arcades
and karaoke bars that make up this area. Record shops, boutiques, eateries,
catering to their special needs cram this area and make viewing the rabble of
humanity a fantastic sight. The drizzle did not dampen our spirits as it cooled
the place down for Tokyo, like Kyoto, is awfully humid and it can be
uncomfortable staying outdoors, even after the sun has set.
By
10 pm, we were flagging and decided to pick our steps back home. It was been a
superb introduction to a city that appeared to be constantly on steroids—but it
truly was love at first sight.
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