Akihabara – JACKMAN ESCAPADES

A Week In Tokyo

Off To A Wet Start …
We arrived in Tokyo 30 minutes ahead of schedule after a very comfortable business class flight on the new Boeing Dreamliner. This is a very quiet and comfortable plane so we both had a restful overnight flight. We checked into our East Ginza apartment and then went out for groceries and supplies. Unfortunately our first day in Tokyo was raining so we were a little limited in what we could do but managed our grocery shopping and a walk around the Ginza, the high class shopping district of Tokyo. Grocery shopping in Japan is a real experience as there is almost no English on any products so you rely on pictures and asking people for help.

Grocery shopping in a large department store in the Ginza

Edo Museum …
On day 2 in Tokyo we were presented with better weather and took off to explore Tokyo. Our first stop was the Edo Museum which covers the history of Tokyo from 1603 to 1868. We were extremely lucky to have the services of an English speaking guide who took us through the museum and explained many aspects of life in the Edo period. He was a very nice gentleman and a volunteer at the Museum and at the end of the 1 1/2 hour tour he insisted on taking our picture for his own personal website.

And On To Asakusa ….
Asakusa is a very popular tourist destination about 15 minutes by train from central Tokyo. It must have been school excursion day as there were hundreds of well behaved children all taking in the history and culture of the area. The main attraction of the area is the Senso-ji Buddhist temple. At the entrance to the temple is the Furai jin-mon (Gate of Wind God and Thunder God) adorned with a large red paper lantern that bears the inscription “Kaminari-mon” (Thunder Gate). Around this area are many tourist shops and restaurants. Our lunch consisted of tasting the many different snacks available from vendors in tourist the strip leading to the temple. From Asakusa we went by ferry and train back to our cosy apartment in East Ginza.

Enjoying Japanese snacks in the tourist area in Asakusa

We Venture Further Afield ….
Perfect weather on Friday and we were off to Hakone about 100km from Tokyo. This mountainous region of Japan and is a popular area for Japanese to take holidays and relax. After a 90 minute train ride we then hopped on a pirate ship for a cruise on Lake Ashi and then onto a ropeway (we would call it a cable car) to the top of the mountain range. We were lucky to see a perfect view of Mt Fuji topped with snow standing majestically in the background whilst in the foreground were the autumn tonings of the trees. What a great sight as there was no haze or cloud to block Mt Fuji. It was then onto a funicular railway which took us past sulphur mines and onto our last stop, Gora, before returning by train to Shinjuku where we spent 20 mins trying to find our way to the right subway line. Shinjuku is huge interchange station and even the locals get lost trying to navigate this station.

The pirate ship on which we cruised Lake Ashi.

The Weekend Arrives….
We decided to use the bicycles supplied by the apartment so took off after breakfast with our first stop being the Tsijuka fish market. It was quite busy with people buying up their fresh fish for the weekend and trolleys of workers delivering boxes of fresh fish everywhere. You must watch out for them as they whizz past you up and down the aisles. We wandered around the adjacent sushi restaurants where people have been queuing for hours just to taste the best sushi and sashimi in town. It is nothing to see 50 people lined up outside these restaurants.

The Tsijuka Fish market. The biggest fish market in Japan

Queues outside sashimi restaurants waiting for a table in the fish market precinct

From here we cycled to the Hama Rikyu Gardens, a park right on the river and surrounded by office buildings. It was a pleasant walk amongst some greenery and trees and away from the city. Back on our bikes and we rode around Tokyo for a few hours following the Sumida River, over many bridges until we were a long way from home. Our intrepid map reader, Rob, was able to get us back on track and we reached home just before dark.

A common sight in Japan. People with a telescopic pole taking selfies

Sunday it was back on our bikes early for a ride around the Ginza before the Sunday crowds visit the Ginza shopping and eating. We were almost the only people on the quiet streets and it felt strange that in 3 hours time there would probably be a million people in the Ginza. We couldnt go to Tokyo without going to Harajuka to see the young teenagers congregate in their dress up costumes. They meet at Harajuka Station and spend the day enjoying each others company. Takeshita Street is the street to walk down with all the food shops, teenager dress up shops and trinket shops on each side of this narrow street which is always busy, but packed on a Sunday.

Teenagers dressed up on Sunday in Harajuka

Meiji Shrine is set in Yoyogi Park quite close to Harajuka Station so we walked the 1 km into the shrine and found a few Japanese couples in their traditional costumes being married along with young children in their costumes all parading around with proud parents and grandparents.

Sunday best dressed for a special celebration at Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park

It was then a walk to Omote-sando and we found the street packed with a Halloween street parade. This was amazing as families all dressed up in halloween costumes and paraded up and down the street to the sound of music including a Scottish Highland Pipe Band would you believe. Crowds of people lined the street and everywhere to eat had queues outside waiting. We decided to return home before the peak hour.

Halloween, Japan style. A big street parade

Electric City Awaits Rob…
Today was our visit to Akihabara the electrical empire of Tokyo where you can spend a full day just looking at the latest electronics that take your fancy. Hundreds of stores dedicated to electronics, computers, animae and computer games. One store, Yodobashi has 12 floors of goods on display and almost every item you are free to play with at your leisure with nobody annoying you.

Yodabashi Electrical store. 12 floors of every electrical product imaginable

An Architectual Museum Worth A Visit ….
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectual Museum in Koganai about 25 minutes from Shinjuku Station was an interesting day. This museum is set on acres of land and holds a huge display of houses through the feudal times to present day which have all been moved from original sites and reconstructed in the museum grounds. Each house can be entered and you can envisage through the ages how the Japanese people lived. There is also a township of different shops reconstructed on the streets to give the feel of the times gone by. It was a good half day of sightseeing.

Traditional bath house in the Edo Architectual Museum

View from the 45th floor of the Municipal Government Offices in Shinjuku

Our day ended with a visit to the Tokyo Municipal Government Towers at Shinjuku to see Tokyo and beyond from the 45th floor and then a walk around Shinjuku before heading home and packing to continue our travels.

Tokyo – Our Final Few Days

In The Heart Of Tokyo ….. Our hotel for the last few days was situated right next to Tokyo Railway Station in the heart of Tokyo. Very convenient when returning from Kyoto and also for our journey out to Narita Airport on the Narita Express train. We arrived early afternoon and checked into the hotel then went out to explore the area spending much of our time in the Tokyo Station. It is just amazing how big these stations are complete with department stores and shopping centres and more restaurants than you can imagine. It seems that no one in Tokyo eats at home because many of the restaurants are full and some have ques outside of 30 to 40 people waiting for a table.

View From Our Hotel Window Down To Tokyo Station

Exploring A New Area ….. The following day we ventured further afield, but due to inclement weather our plans were a little curtailed. We hopped on the train and travelled 4 stops to a suburb called Okachimachi. There is a well known shopping arcade adjacent to the railway line called Ameyayokocho. This shopping arcade is built under the railway line and runs for a kilometer with other shops running off the side streets. And what a contrast to the Ginza. This area is where the locals shop. Prices are much lower but so is the quality of the stores. An interesting contrast to the Ginza and great if you are looking for sporting equipment or clothing.

Ameyayokocho Arcade – Where The Locals Shop

An Amazing Store ….. We walked from Okachimachi to the next station, Ueno, had a quick lunch then headed back to Electric Town, Akihabara to look in just one electrical store. Yodobashi Akiba. This 10 story building selling just electrical goods, cameras, computers and toys has to be seen to be believed. We took the elevator to the top floor and slowly worked out way down to ground floor level. We didn’t have time to do the basement floor and sub basement floor. One complete floor of this building is dedicated to cameras and camera accessories and every camera is on display so you can touch and feel it with no restrictions.

Yodobashi Akiba Electrical Store – 10 Floors Dedicated To Electrical Goods

Our Final Day ….. On our final day in Tokyo we went to Shibuya, about 20 minutes from downtown Tokyo. This is a major regional district and popular with teenagers for fashion and entertainment. It is an area where you can rent a hotel room by the hour or the half day. I have no idea why you would want to do this but if someone knows please let me know. We spent a couple of hours in Shibuya taking in the sights and fashions and then headed back to the hotel in preparation for our return home. A great two weeks in a most interesting and enjoyable country.

By the way. We stayed in a much nicer hotel that the one in the photo above. We payed by the day, not by the hour.

Tokyo, A Whirlwind First Four Days

Our flight from Australia arrived on time and was uneventful. We were in shock when arriving at the departure lounge as there was a queue of around 120 Japanese teenagers boarding the plane. Our immediate reaction was, this is going to be the flight from hell with noise, screaming and constant disruption. How wrong we were. These teenagers were the best behaved you have ever seen, and literally you would not have known they were on the plane. A credit to them and to their teachers. The trip from Narita Airport to Tokyo by Narita Express takes about 75 minutes in a spotlessly clean and modern train. Your first impression of Tokyo is that everything works, it is spotlessly clean and the infrastructure is all in immaculate condition.

Shintomicho Subway Station — A Spotless Subway Station

Our First Day ….. Our apartment is located just on the edge of the Ginza, one of the main areas in Tokyo for shopping, entertainment and restaurants and in an ideal location to explore Tokyo. We are a few minutes walk from 5 subway stations and only a short taxi ride from the main Tokyo Station. The apartment is only 18 months old, very modern with all the comforts of home. Joyce, the owner, met us at the apartment and provided an excellent overview of all the features and briefed us on the local area and the recommended tourist attractions of Tokyo. Great service and much appreciated. We spent our first day orientating ourselves to the local area where our apartment is located. We did some supermarket shopping, visited the gourmet section of a department store and stocked up on a feast of King Prawns, Sashimi and a few unidentifiable treats that we just had to have.

Gourmet Food Department — Matsuya Department Store Gourmet Food Section

Venturing Further Affield ….. Day 2 was a packed day firstly with a visit to the Imperial East Gardens and a viewing of the main entrance to the Imperial Palace which has the most beautiful Nijubashi bridge. We took on the Tokyo Subway system shortly after peak hour with a visit to the Shiniyuku Area which is famous for shopping and entertainment with well over 500,000 people passing through the area each day. We went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building which houses the tourist bureau and has a viewing platform on the 45th floor for a great view of Tokyo.

Palace Entrance — Bridge at the Entrance to the Imperial Palace

And Then On To Disneyland …. From Shiniyuku we went home for a short rest and then off to DisneySea which is next to Disneyland. This is all part of the same complex but DisneySea has a nautical theme and according to the locals is the better theme park. We spent a great evening there, went on a few rides, had a meal and witnessed the spectacular sound and light show on the harbour in the centre of the complex. The complex closes at 10:00 PM so we experienced a Japanese rush hour on the trains at 10:30 PM.

Day 3, Spent With A Local ….. Friday we spent with Joyce, the owner of the apartment we are staying in. She was a wonderful host and took us to Asakusa, about a 15 minute ride subway ride to the North of Tokyo. We visited the Senso-ji Temple, the Asakusa Shrine and many of the unique tourist areas around the shrine and temple, including a walk down Nakamise Street where all the shops sell different kinds of traditional items, and w visited a very interesting small museum where the traditional crafts of Japan were displayed. After a quick lunch of noodles and tempura, we hopped on the futuristic ferry for a trip down the Sumida River into Tokyo Bay finishing up at the Odaiba Marine Park. This area consists of multiple shopping centres, amusement parks, museums, businesses and apartment buildings and even hosts a man made beach all built on reclaimed land. It was a great day and getting an insight from our host Joyce was very much appreciated.

Futuristic Ferry — Ferry to Odaiba Marine Park

Cycling Around Tokyo ….. Prior to leaving Australia, we had booked a full day cycling tour of Tokyo which we did on Saturday and what a fantastic day it turned out to be. A group of 12 people and two guides set off on a ride around Tokyo. In Japan you are allowed to ride bikes on the footpath as long as you proceed at a reasonable pace and so it turns out to be a very safe method of getting around Tokyo. We cycled along the Sumida River to Tsukuda-Jima, the old fishermen’s island then onto the Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market. This was a real eye opener. Every type of sea creature imaginable was for sale at this market and it was a highlight of the tour. We then proceeded cross Tokyo Bay to the Odaiba Marine park and had a Bento Box lunch and Sashimi fresh from the fish market. From there we took the water bus across to the mainland to visit the Zojyo-ji Temple and the Tokyo Tower, then on to the Imperial Palace. It was a great day and all the people on the ride were fun to be with. Plenty of laughs and two fantastic guides made for a great day.