Tokyo is one of the cities that you see all the time on television and in the movies. But it’s hard to ever really know if a place is going to be what you expect from a romanticised vision built up over years of gradual silver screen indoctrination. Before I landed I was hoping to see a city full of life and culture which glowed with neon at night. Happily, it seems the image in my mind was a pretty accurate one.
Although Tokyo is a city of around twenty-five million
people it doesn’t really feel like it unless you get stuck on the underground in
rush hour. This is because the city is split in districts such as the fashion
and electronics areas. This means people with various interests are drawn to
various hubs based on what they want. This in turn allows for some wonderfully eccentric
and colourful individuals to inhabit their preferred areas surrounded by like-minded
people.
The first one of these areas I found myself in was Akihabara
or electric Town as it’s otherwise known. Here you can get laptops out of
baskets on the street and just about any electronics you can think of. The place
hums with neon lights and the noise of game arcades and grabber machines fills
the air. Shops are crammed into every tiny corner and on a quest for Japanese
computer games I ended up in a shop which was actually in someone’s front room.
There’s a wonderful buzz around the place and it’s somewhere the youth of japan
go at night to hang out. It’s also where a lot of the drift racers come to park
up their cars for people to stare at and teenage girls dress as maids and hand
out flyers (a little odd to say the least).
However, the neon on show is no match for Shinjuku. This
district is famous for featuring heavily in Lost in Translation and is the area
where Yakuza like to hang out due to the many pole dancing clubs and bars. Don’t
let that put you off though as it’s not dangerous at all and is where most of
the night life of the city is. The neon on show here is staggering and is
probably the image of Tokyo that you have in your mind. It has a great party
atmosphere and many people simply wander around the streets looking at the
lights and taking in the glow (as I did).
The fashion district of Tokyo is the place to go to find people
dressed in some of the most stunning cos-play costumes you’ve ever seen.
Takeshita Street is where people come to show off their latest creations and
while wandering down the street in 35 degree heat I was amazed to see girls
dressed in full Victorian outfits. There are also an awful lot of imitation
school girls walking around which is another sign of how very strange Japan can
be at times. Even stranger perhaps are the amount of shops which sell costumes
for dogs. If you ever wanted your dog to wear a shark or Pikachu costume then
this is the place to get it.
As well the as the glittering neon skyscrapers there is also
a lot of culture and tradition to be found around Tokyo. The Shinto Meiji
shrine provided some much needed relief from the noise and heat of the city and
is a remarkable oasis of calm for those looking for shade and tranquillity. The
Asakusa district, though very busy, also provides a view of some of Tokyo’s
more traditional houses and is filled with shops and narrow streets just
begging to be explored.
Tokyo really is a city for everyone. I normally don’t like
big, busy, cities but there’s something about Tokyo that sets it apart from
places like Shanghai. It has a great atmosphere to it and the general
friendliness of the Japanese makes getting around it a real pleasure as you’ll
not be being barged into. I spent four days here and it didn’t feel like enough.
It’s just the sort of place you want to go out into at night and just take in.
you’ll always find something new and you’re bound to have a great time doing
it.
The Hotel
The hotel I stayed in was the rather wonderful New Otani. It’s
situated near a metro station and several streets of restaurants. The hotel
itself also has numerous shops and café’s inside it as well as four different places
to eat breakfast. It’s a grand hotel and I normally felt under dressed
returning from a day in the searing heat but it’s also very friendly and not as
expensive as you might think especially if you book ahead. The cherry on the
cake is that it also has a 400 year old garden complete with waterfall within
its grounds which is beautiful. The restaurants are as expensive as they look
though.
General Advice
The city can seem imposing at first but once you realise how
easy it is to use the metro system things soon fall into place. There is
normally an English translation for each stop and all you need to do is pay a
one way fair to your location – the most expensive of which is just 200 Yen. Though
not many people speak English the Japanese are incredibly friendly and polite
and will go out of their way to help you. It’s also a good idea to plan your
train journey on the underground map before you get on the train. Most
carriages have maps and electronics arrows but not all of them do so it’s a
good idea to know when you have to get off before you get on. The trains are
generally air conditioned which in the summer makes things a little more
bearable.
The metro system shuts down at midnight so make sure you
know how to get back or you could be out on the town for a very long time. Narita
airport is a long way out of town so if you’re flying into it you’ll also need
to get grips with the overland train which is a bit more complex.
There is also next to no crime (not even pick pocketing),
and police are normally at the end of just about every street so if you get
lost there is no need to panic. Always remember to take a card from hotel with
you as well, if it’s in Japanese all the better.
Food in Japan can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it
to be really. There are numerous 7/11 shops but small noodle houses offer up
good food at cheap prices as well. Fruit is very expensive though with apples
often coming individually wrapped and things like melons clocking in at about
thirty pounds. There are also lots of vending machines as far as the eye can
see so you’ll never be short of a drink if you need one. The water is generally
safe to drink as well.
