Tokyo, Japan

Our travels in South East Asia started several weeks back - with the strange smells, loud noises and manic motorbikes, a.k.a. the hustle and bustle of Kuta, Bali. But then we knew what to expect of South East Asia - and that was it! However, arriving in Tokyo last weekend, we were greeted with a very different scene. For us, Japan was a whole new side of Asia - perhaps not suprisingly - like nothing that the rest of Asia could offer.



We decided to spend our 1 week just in Tokyo, rather than venturing out on day trips or excursions. It was such a different capital city to all the others we'd visited in Asia - we felt we should give it sufficient time to truly understand the vibe. Tokyo consists of a series of neighbourhoods, catering to one's every needs: plush shopping malls and designer brands; crazy pop culture and video games; boy's toys and gadgets to satisfy any geek and so much more. Perhaps something similar can be said of most Asian capitals - but the main difference we discovered in Tokyo was the genteel people and air of peaceful-ness that permeated everywhere (well, perhaps not the crazy loud video / arcade games halls called Pachinko... read below). Even in the busiest shopping and commercial hub (Shibuya crossing - again see below), the streets were full of people and yet strangely it felt calm and quiet. It's hard to explain.

A picture of the plentiful vending machines you find throughout the city - selling cigarettes, snacks and cold drinks. Apparently it's a 6 billion Yen industry in Japan!


The Japanese are polite and demure... their culture centers around etiquette: from the tea ceremonies to hosting guests, from the ritual bowing of heads before engaging in any conversation (even when ordering a Big Mac in McDonalds - I kid you not, the server bowed and greeted each and every customer) to the chorus-style welcome you get upon entering any establishment... it's almost intimidating when you first hear it: konnichiwa (hello) // moshi-moshi (hi) sung in unison by 5 beautiful women! And then there's the safety. Apparently the judicial system for dealing with criminals is severe - so maybe that's why people feel safe here, even a woman walking alone late at night. We were surprised to see people's bicycles just propped up outside their doors in the quiet residential streets of Asakusa where we stayed in our hostel - they wouldn't last 30 minutes in Shepherds Bush!

[Ma - on the last post, you asked about language barriers. We are pleased (and embarassed) to say that we suffered no difficulties in Cambodia and Vietnam - all the tourist stops are full of locals who can speak enough English to get by. We barely learnt the word for 'thank you' even! In Japan, we thought we may have had a harder time, but other than learning the basic phrases of 'hello', 'thank you' and 'bill please' we seem to have coped just fine with broken English and hand gestures.]



No trip to Tokyo would be complete without taking in the shopping districts. We went to 2 areas - Ginza and Shibuya. Both offered large American-style tree-lined boulevards packed with all the designer brands you could think of: Dior, Tiffany, Diesel, Chanel, Gucci, Armani... the kind of shops where it feels too expensive to even window shop! Especially for us backpackers, clad in khaki linens and crocs!! It was good to see it - and the sight of model-like Japanese women carrying arms full of shopping bags. Also at Shibuya, we got to experience the famous Shibuya crossing. A common sight on any video footage or postcard from Tokyo, this is just a very busy pedestrian crossing on a major crossroads. It is a wonderful sight - like water rushing to fill the void - people stream out from every corner to cross the road - lots and lots of people. Check out the pics and vids below!







I was bracing myself for a tough time in terms of food here in Tokyo, being a veggie. But I am surprised at how well I managed. Japanese cuisine is much more diverse and varied then the basic sushi joints we take for granted in UK. Yes, of course, I did indulge Alkesh in 1 sushi feast - complete with conveyor belt, he sampled raw-fish delights like sea urchin and shrimp (which is usually cooked in UK joints). The speed with which the chefs cut and slice and roll the sushi is impressive. I just enjoyed listening to the sing-song calls as each chef yelled out orders to his partners. And of course I nibbled on my simple cucumber roll which delighted the chef lots I think!





We enjoyed okonomiyaki - a Japanese style omelette-cum-pancake, cooked on a hot plate in the centre of your personal table. Usually, the customers do the cooking themselves, but as it was our first time, we asked for some help. It was a quite a ceremony and fun to watch the cabbage-based batter cooked with your choice of additions (mine was more veggies, Alkesh had seafood). The finished omelette is then garnished with Japanese-style BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and seaweed. Delicious!





We also sampled soba - Japanese noodles. I had a vegetarian ramen - noodles in a salty broth which leeks and tofu. Alkesh had these dipping noodles: a huge plate of cold noodles which you dip in a flavourful hot steaming bowl of browth. We also sampled some grilled meats and veggie skewers - the Japanese barbeque style of food, known as yakitori.



Here is a quick video of some street-food sweets that we sampled also - pancake batter style cakes filled with sweetened red aduki bean paste.


Along with sight-seeing and roaming the various Tokyo neighbourhoods, we spent quite a bit of time sipping on coffee in cafes or resting on sidewalks watching the world go by. I quite like doing this wherever we are, but 'people-watching' in Tokyo is by far the best fun! Firstly, all the women are immaculately turned out. Hair styles that come straight from a salon, flawless make up, slender bodies and milky-white skin - they all look stunning, even after a day in the office. The teenage girls are something else - taking the height of fashion to another level, Alkesh and I played the game of 'spot the craziest outfit'... girls wearing school girl outfits; to hippy-style bell-bottoms, flowers in hair and massive wedge heels; and even Japanese goths! Bizarre! Here are a few of our favourites we spotted!





The pop culture is quite well developed here. Japanese comics permeate through most of what kids do. Anime and Manga are 2 of the most famous comics. Entire industries have been set up to allow fans to live their lives through their favourite comics. Of course there's all the usual merchandise: clothes, stationery, accessories etc. But then there are entire cafes and underground bookstores where children spend hours and hours reading their latest favourite comics. Servers dress up in costumes like their favourite characters. It truly is a fantasy world.



Another aspect of the youth's past-times here in Japan is pachinko. Think of the 2p/1p penny arcades in seaside resorts back home - then multiply the lights, sounds and variety by 20 fold and you start to get close to what these places are like. The sound of coins clinkings, winnings pouring and game sounds is truly deafening. It's a sight to behold in of itself. Grown business men, still in their suits, spend their lunch hours and evenings glued to these machines. One guy had three shoe box-size baskets by his side to hold his already amassed-winnings - crazy stuff!



I've taken some time to explain some of the social phenomena we witnessed in Tokyo - I guess it's fair to say we focused our time on trying to understand these different facets of Tokyoites. But of course Japan is steeped in religious culture also. We visited two or three temples and shrines. These were all surprisingly Chinese looking - much of the architecture was 'borrowed' from China (as was the Chinese-style characters that are used in Japanese script). We visited Meiji-jingu shrine in Yoyogi park. This was a very serene, simple and large space. As is custom, Japanese people write poetry in the form of short verses, called waka. These are in turn displayed at the shrines (on paper or wood) to bring them good fortune.





We also visited Sensoji temple in Asakusa. A brighter, more typical temple design - we watched with curiosity and the strange rituals worshippers went through to bestow good fortune on their homes and families. One such ritual was the shaking of a drum which held many chopsticks - you pulled one out at random and noted the Japanese character etched in to one side. This character then corresponded to a small drawer from which you pulled out a fortune. If it was good, people took it home with them. If it was bad, they tied it up near the temple to leave it behind!

We also spent 1 morning roaming round the very grand and well-put-together collection of Japanese art housed in the Tokyo National Museum. The exhibits portrayed the history and culture of Japan, through the wars and various reigns of emperors, from the last 2 millenia.



I think one of the reasons Alkesh was keen to visit Tokyo was to pay homage to the 'mecca' of technology. And being the dutiful wife that I am (!!), I followed him around 2 major sites. First was the Sony Centre. A 6-storey high showcase to the latest and greatest Sony products. The emphasis was on display and demonstrations - all the gadgets were out and powered for you to enjoy! Shuvo - we thought of you... I think this would be your heaven!! As we entered, Alkesh was handed a brand new Sony small-bodied SLR... his for 5 minutes to snap and zoom away. Pretty cool, huh! Next, we checked out the very best of laptops, AV equipment, home-entertainment systems and... 3-D TV! Alkesh and I were treated to a free demonstration of football, video games and cartoons - all in 3-D, from the comfort of your very own sofa... if you can afford it! I have to admit, even I got a kick out of this!



A few days later, we also visited Akhiabara - a.k.a. 'Geek town' or 'Electric town'. The name did not disappoint. Packed with outlets selling every possible gadget a geek would need to design his own computer, AV system or personal office - from the streets lined with shacks to the fancy AC shopping malls, it was gadgets everywhere. I noticed Alkesh jotting down model numbers and brands... I think some of these will be finding their way in to our home in the coming years. I'll just nod and say yes!



Mona - some pics of pens for you, as promised! This is us in the MUJI store. If Alkesh can hang out in the Sony store I promised myself, I'd spend at least 40 minutes in Muji stationery!




Yesterday, our last day in our penultimate stop on these world travels, we took in a traditional Japanese performance of Kabuki at the National Theatre. This art form began in Kyoto around 1600 by a troupe of beautiful young women who entertained the crowds with this new type of dance. Before long, the order-obsessed government officials declared the entertainment a threat to public morality. Troupes of mature men took over the roles and the art form evolved in to it's present-day form. The performers wear pronounced and ornate costumes, masks and make-up - playing both male and female roles. Our performance featured a comical story of a emperor who lied to his wife so he could spend the night with his lover. Alas his plan backfired and he came home to be beaten and yelled at by his wife. We had running English commentary on personal headphones to help us understand the Japanese songs and speech. It was a great spectacle and interesting to understand this ancient skill.



We've managed to fit in quite a lot of sight-seeing, eating and soaking up culture in our 1 week in Tokyo. Even though the flights to and from here have been a bit irksome, we're really glad we got to see the multi-faceted life of Tokyoites. It's quite a scene! We've also stayed in our last hostel (only hotels with AC for us in India now!) - which we won't be sad to leave behind on these travels! Of course, there's also been lots of sports to keep us entertained in the evenings lately. Watching World Cup games abroad is quite interesting - seeing how the locals support other countries' teams, and travelers from all over the world jostle with one another over their allegiances. Can't believe big teams like Italy, Brazil and Argentina are already out! And of course Wimbledon has not been without it's upsets either.
If you didn't already detect a somewhat foodie focus section earlier on in the blog - here's one more pic for good measure!


Of course no trip to Japan can be complete without 1 pic of Hello Kitty!


Our next and final country on this 6 month extravaganza is India. A country that arguably we should know most about - it is with excitement and some apprehension that we hit the busy-ness of Mumbai and the serene countryside of Kerala. All with a good helping of delicious food and chaat of course!! Just a few more weeks until we are reunited with our family and friends - very much looking forward to that now! Onwards and upwards...