29th entry - Trip to Tokyo (part 2)

My third day in Tokyo started with a half-day of meetings followed by a hosted lunch. In the afternoon I went on a city tour led by our Japanese counterparts. Our bus headed out across the Rainbow Bridge towards Asakusa, our first destination – a shopping arcade rich with colorful history and tradition, and was a well-known tourist area. Starting from a huge shrine at one end of the street, we elbowed our way through crowds of human traffic down 2 rows of shops before reaching the other end of the street, where there was a famous red lantern suspended above what was known as “Thunder Gate” in Japanese. The shops sold everything from souvenirs like fridge magnets and bookmarks, to low-priced kimonos (which I suspect was for tourists to bring home as a souvenir), to traditional Japanese fans and paper products and wooden carvings, to hand-made rice crackers and other traditional Japanese snacks. Unfortunately there was no time for time-consuming bargain-hunting and price haggling, as the group needed to make it back to the bus for our second destination.


Next, the bus brought us to Akihabara, a well-known electronics goods destrict. I heard that you could get just about the most technologically-advanced consumer products there, and prices are very competitive. At first I found a 7-storey shop selling nothing but sex videos containing any conceivable type of girl, and fulfilling any sort of sexual fetish or fantasy that one might have. I headed for a souvenir shop where interestingly, the shop assistants spoke Mandarin. I bought lots of stuff there, like postcards, coasters and bookmarks. There was even a photo studio cum rest corner corner where one could use the toilet, sit down and sip your own drink, and snap a photo of yourself in samurai clothing (complete with a wig and sword) with a beautiful Japanese garden in the background (a poster stuck to the wall). In the evening I chilled out at the spa and afterwards, I tried another sushi restaurant that claimed to sell Tsukiji seafood at the nearby Aquacity shopping centre. When I returned to the hotel, I revisited my itinerary in preparation for my own free day the next day.


My first real "Tokyo adventure" began after a hurried breakfast at the hotel. I took the Yurikamome monorail from Daiba Station just outside the hotel. The monorail took a scenic route across the Rainbow Bridge towards Tokyo City Centre. I alighted at Takeshiba and walked for about 20 minutes towards Hama Rikyu garden. According to Frommer's, this was considered by some to be the best garden in Tokyo. The most striking feature of the garden was its tranquility - its like entering a different world away from the noisy, polluted and congested urban sprawl surrounding it. Dense shrubs and high-sloping, rounded mounds on either side of the winding paths add a certain mystery to the garden, which has origins stretching back 300 years, when it served as a retreat for a former feudal lord and as duck-hunting grounds for the Tokugawa shoguns. What remained in the duck-hunting ground today were wierd structures not unlike giant tombstones with a wooden frame in the centre and a narrow rectangular peephole at the top of the frame. A huge pond in the centre of the garden was so calm that it clearly reflected the surrounding buildings like a mirror. The pond was spanned by three bridges and an interesting teahouse. I went to the teahouse and enjoyed a complimentary cup of cold green tea while enjoying the cool morning breeze.


An hour later, I walked about 10 minutes along the outer perimeter of Hama Rikyu garden and arrived at Tsukiji Wholesale Market. The vast compound was divided into fresh food and dried goods sections, with various Japanese food restaurants interspersed between the dried goods shops. From the entrance, I walked through seemingly endless rows of fresh vegetables and fruits stalls before reaching the seafood section. Much of the activity had taken place in the morning and by the time I got there many stalls were either cleaning up or displaying possibly half of their wares - fresh mussels and giant clams, sea urchins, scallops and all sorts of fish (even fugu or puffer fish). I chanced upon a filming crew on location at one of the stalls, presumably making a info-ed documentary about the fish. Asking around in broken Japanese (using only the words I picked up from my flight) I managed to locate the restaurants, where I bought a bowl of fresh sashimi with rice. Later, walking around the market compound, I found a shop selling dried fish flakes that were usually used as a topping for okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake). Surrounding the Tsukiji market were avenues of shops selling traditional Japanese foodstuffs and kitchenware - it felt like a gigantic bargain-goods shopping district.


By noon, I figured it was about time to move on to my next destination - Ueno. My dad, who had been to Tokyo a few times already, told me before I went on my trip that I should visit the place. From the tourist map, I gathered that it might be worthwhile to see it because there is a nice park and some museums around the area. To get there, I needed to take the JR Yamanote (circle) line from Shimbashi station to Ueno station. En route to Shimbashi station, I wandered into Ginza shopping belt and got distracted by the expensive-looking high fashion shops. I came to the well-known Kabukiza theatre where Japanese folk opera performances, kabuki, were staged. As I had neither the money nor the language ability to appreciate such shows, I prodded on until I eventually reached the Shimbashi station.

Like many railway stations in Tokyo, Shimbashi station was an interchange where many lines converge and commuters could hop on and hop off different lines going to various parts of Tokyo city centre and its suburbs. It also had shops and restaurants. I stood in amazement in front of a huge information board above ticketing machines and their queues of people, wondering how on earth I would be able to find my destination station and the fare I needed to pay. I had done all my research through various railway maps and so on but all the preparation came to naught as I was confronted with station names purely in kanji (Chinese characters but pronounced in Japanese), which were not indicated on the maps. In the end I gave up, and looked for the ticketing booth, praying that the man spoke English. Thankfully, not only was the man able to understand what I was saying, but he also gave me a cheaper 2-way ticket. I took the JR Yamanote line and headed for Ueno station.

Arriving at Ueno, I looked for the Ueno Park exit, which was quite easy to find. The park was a huge compound just across the road from the Ueno station. It connects a zoo, several shrines and many museums, including the Tokyo National Museum, the Orient Museum, the National Science Museum, the Shitamachi Museum, the National Museum for Western Art and the Tokyo Metropolitan Fine Art Gallery. No wonder then that I saw all sorts of people - old folks, school children, youngsters, tourists and even office workers there. Starting at the entrance, I explored the Shinobazu Pond which was almost entirely covered with lotus plants, and its neighbouring man-made lake where one can ride swan-shaped floats that you need to peddle like a bicycle on the water. Along the way, I saw a number of statues, including one of a samurai Saigo Takamori, an important personality of the late Edo and early Meiji Period who played a central role in realizing the Meiji Restoration of 1868 (from Japan-guide.com). Crowds of onlookers stood mesmerized as they watched bizzare performances by all sorts of buskers. I tried to look for a pagoda but ended up going to the National Museum instead. I thought of paying to get in, but changed my mind at the last minute when I realised that I might not have enough time. Instead, I walked along the perimeter of the park until I reached the Ueno station again. The station also had lots of shops, and I stopped at a 100JPY shop to buy some water and more greeting cards, as well as 2 paint brushes (which I thought was a real bargain).

My happiest moment in Japan came when I hit the well-known Ameyayoko shopping avenue, across the road from the Ueno Park and opposite the train station. The amazing shopping arcade was a seemingly endless row of shops selling clothes, assessories, foodstuffs, fruits, fresh and dried seafood, souvenirs, etc etc. I found among the shops some that were selling dried scallop snacks that my parents loved, which I bought at a discounted warehouse price together with a packet of dried fugu snack. At another corner I found a huge store selling all sorts of Japanese snacks and foodstuffs, including my mum's favourite Choya Umeshu, (Dento series)
a sweet plum wine which was only sold for S$15 (compared to S$30 plus in Singapore's supermarkets); and my favourite soy-sauce squid stuffed with Japanese rice. It was exhausting to cover the entire street, and just when I thought I had finally come to the end of the arcade, the street opened into a fork with shops down both lanes! At one point I was so tired that I simply could not walk any further and so decided to plonk myself down in a KFC outlet, where I discovered that a set meal costs more than triple in Japan compared to Singapore, and the "look-n-feel" of the meal is similar to MOS Burger. Seated next to me was this old couple (in their 80s) who I approached to ask for directions (just to be sure where I was on the map). I discovered that they were deaf and apologised for disturbing their, and when the old lady tried to motion to me to show her my map (presumably to allow her to point the way for me) her husband waved his disapproving hand in front of her (presumably to ask her to mind her own business and dont try to be "helpful" and give the wrong advice instead). When my legs had recovered their strength, I decided to continue my journey to the Imperial Palace, hopefully with enough time to make it back to the hotel in time to visit the spa (so as not to waste the voucher).

From Ueno Station, I returned to Shimbashi Station (actually it made more sense to go to Tokyo Station but I bought a return ticket so I had no choice) and walked to the Imperial Palace. Before embarking on my journey, I decided to deposit my shopping bags (containing 3 1-litre bottles of Choya as well as other merchandise that I picked up during the day) at a convenient locker at the station (for a fee of 300JPY). I had to cut through the Hibiya Park, which was about 15 minutes walk from Shimbashi and diagonally opposite the Imperial Palace grounds. Last century, Hibiya Park was the parade ground for the Japanese Army, and now Japan's first "western style" park has become an oasis for tired workers to have a few minutes repose from office-related stress. On weekends, the place was said to be popular among courting couples, but I didnt see that many couples when I was there (mostly old folks and families with children running around). The Park also has a library, public tennis courts (which were all fully occupied), 1 or 2 western restaurants and a flower shop, as well as an open-air arena where concerts are often held (info courtesy of mytravelguide.com). When I finally arrived at the Imperial Palace ground, I realised that I could only get a glimpse of the palace and a well-known bridge from the moat surrounding it, as the rest of the palace was off-limits to public. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the walk there and admired the willow trees and bonsai-like firs in the garden around the moat. Evening was approaching, and after buying a take-away sushi bento from a food-court near Shimbashi station, I took the train back to the hotel. After a rejuvenating spa, I returned to the room, ate my sushi dinner and waited for my darling S to call - S was so incredibly sweet to call my room everyday long-distance from Singapore as I missed S so much on the trip.

Next morning, it was breakfast as usual at the hotel. I went down to the concierge to book my airport bus limousine and set off for Tokyo Big Sight, a large convention centre at Daiba. I decided to set off on foot to take in more of the sights in the vicinity of the hotel. My first stop was the Fuji TV station, with its futuristic building and observatory tower, but it was not open - then I realised that most of the shops do not open till 11am. Next, I strolled over to Palette Town, which was a large 24-hour entertainment centre. I was fascinated by a bunch of guys playing a new type of Romance of 3 Kingdoms game using a stack of cards that they moved around on a sensor board (as though moving battalions of armies on a battleground). Each game was 200JPY (more than S$2) and I was amazed at how willing these guys were to part with their hard-earned money for a few minutes of gaming. Just outside the entertainment centre was an outdoor amusement park with a giant ferris wheel (costs 900JPY per ride, almost S$13). Tokyo Big Sight was about 10 minutes' walk away, which was a very unique futuristic piece of architecture (which reminds me of the Singapore Science Centre). I chanced upon an interesting trade-fair cum home exhibition featuring the latest in Japanese renovation technology. As the hotel check-out time was near, I decided to take the Yurikamome monorail back. I packed up and left my luggage with the concierge as I checked out, and went back up to the spa, where I relaxed and showered and ate a light lunch at the spa lounge before it was time to board the limo bus for the airport.

At Narita Airport, checking-in was not a big problem as there were several rows dedicated to JAL. I had time to visit some of the shops at the airport and bought some more souvenirs at a book shop (Kaizosha), as well as a snack - a pack of 6 pieces of unagi (eel) sushi for 490JPY (slightly over S$1 each) - in case there was a delay in in-flight service on the plane. The flight back was even more empty. I bought 2 bottles of Estee Lauder perfume on a promotional discount at the Duty Free Shop at Terminal One for my mom. By the time I got home, it was nearly 1am.

Overall, my Tokyo trip was a short but satisfying one, like an appetiser before the main course, tantalising my taste-buds for the delicious dishes to come. Of course, in my case I am not sure when I would ever get to taste the main course, and I guess it would depend on whether I need to be on a "diet" (in which case I might not be able to afford a main course after all). What I do know for sure is that I would love to visit Japan with S next time, so that we can both enjoy the main course together. Even if it will be another appetiser, at least S and I can get to savour it as a couple.