Spare Days And Red Carpet Stardom

19th August, 2010 - Now our trips to Japan have recently focussed on my wife's home of Sapporo, Hokkaido since we had children. So this trip was a bit of a question mark for us. We didn't know how things were going to go in Tokyo with our son, L-kun. Solution, we had programmed a spare day into our itinerary. And after such a long day in Yokohama we needed it. Our plan was therefore to go to Shinjuku for some easy shopping and walking. Other than that, there was no plan, and little expectation.

There wasn't so much photography going on, and to be honest (and this may shock and dismay), I'm not that inspired by the area in terms of photographs anyway. It's a fantastic location for "street photography", but  there's a grimness to much of the endless concrete.

However, I know that the streets of Shinjuku are full of little moments... but when you're walking around with your family and it's very nearly approximating hell (hot and humid), your mind doesn't always go to photography as a priority.

So the photos I was taking were largely random, and largely a function of accidentally pressing the shutter release on the camera at approximately the right time as I was walking.

Now it might also surprise that when we go to Japan we don't necessarily eat "Japanese" food... and T-chan certainly fills up on home-cooked food when she returns to Sapporo. But often times - modern Japanese food differs quite significantly from the image. Normally our lunches are quite, westernised... 

And when visiting the Kirin City cafe, one should of course partake of the Kirin.. Beer. Yummy.

Now after an afternoon of shopping in Shinjuku (and mostly window shopping at that) we arranged to meet up with T-chan's brother in Roppongi Hills later in the evening. Like many workers in Tokyo, work doesn't tend to finish early, and it's often hard to make plans. Anyhow we had a while to kill, so we made our way over to Roppongi... the suburb that at least used to be synonymous with foreigners and bars and the sorts of activities that tend to accumulate around those two things.

Today however, it was a different thing that was becoming apparent. There was a huge number of women walking around in yukata - or a summer kimono-style dress. It's often worn in summer to attend fireworks in the evening - somewhat of a Japanese tradition. So I wasn't too surprised to see it today...

Though there was no mistaking that there were a lot of young women in yukata all of a sudden... no matter where you looked.

And they all looked like they were going somewhere, or meeting someone...

In fact, as we walked around Roppongi Hills, it started becoming apparent that this was no ordinary evening. This was ridiculous! There hundreds of them. It was like we'd stepped in on a yukata convention.

As we walked down around the block, we came across an even stranger sight. Seemingly hundreds more young women squashed in around a bon-odori stage. This was all right next to the TV Asahi studio building (where we were going to take L-kun to see the Doreamon shop (Doraemon being a very popular Japanese children's character).

L-kun and T-chan went into the shop to have a look around (and to make their own Doraemon character), whilst I milled around outside trying to make head-or-tail of what was going on.  

As the minutes went by, the crowd grew and grew... and the security guards became more agitated. Someone was coming... a big black limo pulled up, and who should pop out? Why Julia Roberts of course....

Meanwhile, L-kun and T-chan were obliviously having fun inside...

And Julia (somewhat un-relaxed looking... perhaps it was the heat), strolled down the red-carpet to be surrounded by the sea of screaming, camera-wielding, yukata-wearing womanhood.

The big screen was as close as this paparazzi-wanna-be was going to get.

And about 30 or so minutes later, it was all over, and the Julia was whisked off again to who knows where. The life of a star. I do wonder, what someone like Julia must think of the whole thing. As it turned out this was her first visit to Japan... promoting the movie Eat Pray Love. From what I saw, she was getting the 5 min culture-shock treatment - though perhaps she gets used to that.

Their screams vented, and normality returning, the sea of femininity parted... and finally dispersed, their Hollywood-star-lust satiated.

Time to relax...

And what came of the women... they just melted away into the night. I have no idea where they would have disappeared to... but they certainly had made for an impressive sight.

Of course, L-kun was none the wiser... and after a long evening of making Doraemon, was happily (obliviously) eating his hard-earned ice-cream.... I could be wrong, but I think Julia would have killed someone for an ice-cream to get her through the heat.

So it's interesting how spare days can turn out bizarrely unexpected. 

Hitting Yokohama's Chinatown - Till It Hurts...

18th August, 2010 - One of our favourite places to visit when in Tokyo, isn't even in Tokyo. Yokohama is a separate city that lies to the south/south-east of Tokyo, less than 50 kms away from the heart of Tokyo. And it's definitely one of the places I would recommend as a 1 day trip outside of Tokyo (with Kamakura being next on my list). In fact, you might have to be quite observant to realise that you've left Tokyo at all - as it's sprawl all the way there. Indeed, Yokohama is the second biggest city in Japan. Though it might seem you are escaping one megapolis for another, that's far from true. Yokohama has a much different vibe to it. This is the second time we've been here (the last was over seven years ago... check out here)

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

The best way to get there is most probably on the JR Tokdaido line out of Tokyo Station (about 27 mins) and costs about 450 yen (or you can take it from Shinagawa Station for about 290 yen). Other alternatives are the Keihin Tohoku line (same as above, but slower) or the Tokyu Toyoko line from Shibuya. The best option likely depends on where you're basing out of, and where you want to go, as the train lines will serve slightly different areas.

Now - if you need a map around Yokohama... you need only look down. There's wonderful stylised maps (in the style of the Japanese man-hole cover artwork) scattered all over the city. And what more do you need than the one, sponsored by... er your local Telco...  By the way... if you're looking for a slightly more conventional map, then try the following pdf map from Yokohama Visitor's Guide.



One of the big attractions in Yokohama is the Chinatown, or Yokohama Chukagai... although it might seem incongruous to visit Japan, only to go to a Chinatown. It's the largest in Japan, and one of the largest fullstop (of course, not including just about anywhere in China) - and a well-travelled destination for many travellers to Yokohama.

Yokohama was actually one of the few prescribed trading centres in Japan, and a natural entry point for Chinese as well as other western traders - after the opening up of 1859. Things slowed down (for obvious reasons) during and after the war, but it remains a vibrant centre of Chinese culture, and importantly cuisine, in Japan today. There's not a great deal of real historical remnants to the city, having been mostly destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and then again during the fire-bombings of WWII. We'll touch on some of the cultural elements in a few posts...

Yet there remains a distinctly Chinese ambiance... even if it has taken on a bit of a kitsch over-tone. And don't get me started on very touristy souvenir shops...

Or the much more enjoyable (though still cliche) building architecture... 

Though some of the building detail work in the buildings was impressive...

There are definitely some odd things around as well... I still can't quite work out what these street markers were supposed to be (it's most probably obvious to everyone but me)... 

And somethings were just dramatic in their seemingly casual placement... not sure if this is the Feng Shui at work here. I certainly got some good energy from it (unlike the building it was attached to, which was largely falling apart).

 One of the things I love about Yokohama's Chinatown is the exuberant window displays... 

Though some left a little to be desired...

This actually reminded me a lot fo the lion foot that we came across on our last trip here.

One of the best reasons to come to Chinatown however is for the food... although I have to admit that we don't too bad in that area back in Australia either... But Chinatown here is in a whole other league. There's so many food places to visit...

Each of the restaurants just a little more colourful or different than the last. There was only one small problem however.... and this is one that I can't emphasise enough. Chinatown is VIRTUALLY CLOSED on Wednesdays. Ok - there's still a lot to do, but most of the restaurants that we wanted to visit were closed. This was not mentioned in our trusty Lonely Planet guide (or for that matter the Japanese guide that T-chan was using). Now that was a disappointment, as over-filling our bellies with glorious Chinese cuisine was one of the plans for the day. However, we adapted quickly enough (sweat running out of every pore will do that to you)... and grabbed a less than inspiring meal in a local cafe (which I might add had terrible service... but even then we weren't put off).

In fact, such was Yokohama's hold on us, that not even the weather put a dampener on our time...

Now, when we came here, it was (like most of Kanto's summer days) boiling wet. No - not boiling hot. It was too humid for that. Instead, we just boiled in our own juices. Bring plenty of money to buy sports drinks (aka Pocari Sweat etc). You'll definitely need them if you're travelling in the summer. Or you could always try a refreshing mango smoothie.... though I'm not sure if there were some 'special' ingredients in that drink...

The pictures definitely don't convey just how damn hot it was... and indeed it was so hot that the buildings were spraying their customers with water to keep them cool. At least I think that's what they were doing... and I think that was water... perhaps they were just for the greenery...

But the realities with are with a 3 yo, in the middle of summer, there was always going to be one way this was going to end. With Daddy providing some physical (more than moral) support.

But children are resilient... and 30 mins later, L-kun was running around like he had an infinite supply of energy. This, as it turned out, was directed mainly at a new game he'd discovered. Following in people's footsteps - indeed preferably before they got out of them. About 5 seconds after this photo was taken, L-kun's game ended abruptly when he stepped on T-chan's shoe and broke it. Let's just say she was hobbling most of the day before she could arrange a replacement.

Even walking around Yokohama in broken shoes, on one of the hottest days of Tokyo's hot 2010 summer, with most of the restaurants closed wasn't enough to spoil the day for us.... We love you, Yokohama's Chinatown - even when it hurts... which T-chan's feet were starting to do. And whilst it wasn't the best start to the day, it was a great day, and we had a lot of fun - which we'll go into in more detail over the next few posts.

Evening in Shibuya - Lit By People Power

17th August, 2010 - whilst the focus of Shibuya may well be Hachikō and the nearby massive intersection, you should be prepared to take a little bit of a stroll around (even if you've just got a short time in Tokyo), and enjoy the multitude of shops that surround the district. Now, I can't honestly say that I'm an expert at what to do in Shibuya... we spent only a few hours walking in and out of shops and grabbing a bite to eat. However here are a few of the things that you might want to try:

1. Visit Hachikō / The Shibuya Crossing
2. Centre Gai (see below)
3. Shopping, shopping, shopping (credit cards may need resuscitation after visiting here)
4. Music shopping at Tower Records and HMV are both great shops
5. The TEPCO Museum used to be here - yes that TEPCO - but all of the museums have been closed since the March 11 earthquake.  They used to contain large models of nuclear power plants, and video docos about how safe they were. Closing them down was perhaps a wise move.
6. Walk-through (or other) Dogenzaka... Love Hotel Hill... interesting adult-oriented entertainment just looking at the photos of the rooms. 
7. The night-life... it's always moving here, and there's plenty of clubs and bars here
8. And of course, Shibuya is a natural launch pad into Yoyogi Kouen and Harajuku!

Right across from Shibuya's famous crossing you'll find Center Gai, a great little street with an explosion of interesting little shops. And it's somewhat admiral to see the Japanese  having exactly that - fun - despite the incredibly stifling conditions... Though as the afternoon wore on, and the sun began to sink, there was at least some relief (small as it was) from the heat. But Tokyo is a city full of the heat of life, whatever the season.

Center Gai Entrance

Speaking of heat.... now a quick word on Love Hotels...  these establishments are found all over Japan, but the Dogenzaka (or Love Hotel Hill as it's otherwise known) is famous for them. The name Love Hotel was (according to Wikipedia at least) originated in 1962 in Osaka... from an establishment strangely enough named, "Hotel Love". However the concept has been in Japan for many centuries prior. For a generally conservative culture (no, Japan is not the sex-capital of the world that the internet makes out), Love Hotels form an important aspect of society where relationships are often hidden away (e.g. through lack of privacy or company rules), time-poor... or just, well, seedy. Generally the word Hotel on a gaudy street sign can be read 'Love Hotel'; especially if it resembles a renaissance villa - or a windowless bunker - more than it does a normal hotel).

Hotel Moti sits comfortably alongside Chiyoda Inari Shrine Image from Google StreetView

I'd definitely recommend a walk around Dogenzaka for the experience - or you could always try out some rooms... you'll find a short-term 'rest' (4 - 7,000 yen for 2-3 hours) about half the price of an all-night 'stay' (8 - 12,000 yen). Not that I'm an expert... at all! For the adventurous, these also make for very reasonable accommodation options for couples (obviously not families), being relatively cheap, well "featured" and often in convenient areas. Indeed the rooms are generally much more comfortable than their business hotel counterparts for the same price... and the in-room entertainment options tend to be a little more varied shall we say. The only problem is that they are not bookable, and you can only order a stay after say 10 - 11pm. Best suited if you're travelling light, or if you've stowed suitcases/bags in a locker... or if you just want a very different sort of accommodation story.


And, no, we did not visit any Love Hotels on this trip to Shibuya, but there was still plenty of other things to do.  Healthy activities... like walking...

The lonely salaryman, finished office-work for the day then has to start his other work... drinking and socialising in bars and clubs. Whether it's with the office workers (building team spirit) or it's entertaining clients. It's not all fun and games by any means (even when it appears to be fun and games), but instead can be just as demanding as their day jobs. However, this is a trend that is perhaps on the decline... with life outside work being considered less and less company time. At least that's the ideal.

Salarymen and visitors alike take temporary refuge in the many food establishments that you find in any busy district. As night approaches the sights, sounds and smells of Shibuya change to reflect a different Japan yet again. These are not normal places for a tourist to seek nourishment, though I'm sure if you're game you will find a rewarding experience.

As the sun goes down, the city slowly transitions to the more social hub that Shibuya also is. Even with Dogenzaka a drunken stroll away, it doesn't feel at all sleezy... not compared to say Kabukichō just off Shinjuku. Instead it feels like a comfortable place for young people to go out and have some fun.

There are times when you come across something that makes you do a double take... for example an "Outback Steakhouse" - playing on the Australian outback of course - right in the middle of Shibuya. I'm not entirely sure, but looking at the menu doesn't really lead me to believe that there's a whole heap of anything Australian about the restaurant other than some of the names of foods (such as Alice Springs Quesadilla's... huh? Since when were Mexican's in the outback???)

And speaking of Aussie influences, the photo below shows another characteristic influence of Australia that you see regularly. Of course, what I am talking about is the use of the kangaroo symbol on the Seino Unyu (forwarder) trucks. Not sure what kangaroos have to do with freight transport, but I'd kinda think anything that bounces around - or for that matter sleeps - as much as kangaroos wouldn't be the best symbol for a freight company. In Japan, these symbols make sense however. 

 Now I have to admit that Shibuya's not the place I'd ideally choose to explore with our 4 yo son in tow... there's a lot to do here, but not much which is designed for children that young. And during this trip, shopping was about as fun for him as a massive case of diarrhoea. T-chan did very well, especially in the Tokyo heat.... which I have to say only becomes marginally more bearable when the sun has set (during the height of summer). In fact, of all the places you might want to avoid in such weather, a busy shopping district overflowing with body-heat might be one such place.

Indeed, the people swarm into the district, like moths to the campfire. And I've always wondered how many of these people are Tokyoites as compared to visitors from elsewhere (including abroad). It is a nano-cosm within a microcosm within a sea of humanity. It may not be as bustling now as it once was, but it still remains a centre-piece in Tokyo's crown. 

Shibuya is a hub of modern Tokyo - it represents the excitement, the commercialism, and the youth of the modern megatropolis. In the Tokyo's stifling summer heat, it also represents the Japanese willingness to persist: to work and play.... and in some cases, to do both at the same time.  It's also a symbol of something very Japanese too... the attraction of the crowd... when many places across the world have sought to provide an open ambiance, Shibuya has become famous for just how crowded it can become.

It may not be the ideal place for a temporary stopover (with a 4 yo), but it's not that bad either. And yes, It is a typical neon paradise, like much of Tokyo. But it's powered by people - who give it energy, creativity, and passion. It's just a great place to get into the vibe of one of the worlds truly BIG cities.

Sweaty Summer Shopping in Shibuya

17th August, 2010 - After a sweltering welcome to Tokyo, and an even hotter search for a spare locker at Meguro station, we finally found ourselves a great deal less encumbered, but nonetheless unsure of what to do. We knew we had to wait for H-kun, T-chan's brother to get away from work. But we also knew that in Tokyo, that could be just about any time. We had decided to head to Shibuya, just a couple of stops onwards from Meguro station on the famous Yamanote Line that is the main heart-beat of Tokyo's complex and yet highly efficient transport network. By the way, I've thrown together a bit of a graphic which shows the Yamanote Line with approximate timings... something that's difficult to find on the net... So the good news was that Shibuya was only 5 mins from Meguro station.... so it wasn't too far to go in the hot afternoon.

Yamanote Line Map - Numbers are mins between stations

Shibuya is one of the main districts in Tokyo, and definitely one of the major centres on the Yamanote Line. Anyhow, Shibuya's a bit of a strange amalgam of experiences... firstly, it's still a major business district, and that means salarymen. Lots of them. After about 2005, the government started promoting a energy-efficiency campaign known as "Cool Biz", which in part advocated workers to start to wear short-sleeved shirts so that the air-con could be set to a rather warmish 28 degrees. Hmm - nothing like working in a high-rise building with 1000's of hot, sweaty bodies and no opening windows.

[Note: Post 11-3-11, they introduced "Super Cool Biz" which sought to introduce even more energy conscious casual wear into corporate Japan]

Now way back in our first trip (in 2003) I wrote about the story of Hachikō, the famous story of the Akita dog that was so devoted to his master (whom he awaited everyday to return from work at Shibuya Station) that on his master death, he remained patiently waiting for his master to return. Of course he never would, but night after night, he would return to the station by himself to wait expectantly. For nine years he waited, until his own death in 1935. His story of single-minded loyalty remains an inspiration to the Japanese people. Hachikō is the story of resolute determination in a time of great national change and turmoil... such was the state of Japan in the 1930s. It is, in typical Japanese style of tale of stoic tragedy.

Statue of Hachikō

The statue of Hachikō remains a well-known meeting place outside Shibuya Station, and there's always a crowd of people waiting nearby. And crowds are something that Shibuya is quite famous for.

Indeed, Shibuya is known perhaps most of all as a young person's shopping district.... and there's a lot of shopping centres to visit (if you're so inclined). Just outside of Shibuya Station is one of the busiest and best known pedestrian crossings in the world, just next to statue of Hachikō. It's always a good spectacle to see the multiple avalanches of humanity colliding mid-street. Just down the road (on the left had side of the image below) you see see one of Shibuya's famous shopping buildings, Shibuya 109 ("Shibuya ichi maru kyu"). This is a must visit place for young fashionable people... however, according to my wife, we weren't quite young... or fashionable... enough. So we set our sights on more "age appropriate" shops.

And there's no mistaking that this is a young person's paradise... And there's certainly a wide range of fashions (good and bad) on display. Of course, the real fashion-centre is Harajuku, just up the road (or 2 mins by the Yamanote Line). 

Everyone has somewhere to go in the heart of Shibuya - and they follow that path with incredible determination. Shopping in Japan is like that. Of course, not everyone is shopping, with Shibuya being a place to go (like us) when you've got a spare afternoon. It is a melting pot of lives, criss-crossing in frenetic profusion. Converging momentarily in a nexus of common humanity - but no sooner has that happened and the crowd has moved on to be replaced by a completely new set of actors in this street-theatre.

Shibuya station is fairly large, and because there's many major roads intersecting around there, it can be a little disconcerting at first while you get your bearings. Always advisable to take a map of the area, and Google's StreetView is always an excellent way of familiarising yourself to the surroundings if in doubt. Of course, these days of the smart phone and/or tablet, you have a ready map at hand. And it's a good time to mention one thing that I hadn't actually realised before (being a bit of a noob).... if you travel to many parts of Japan you'll see two major department stores... Tokyu and Seibu (or stores owned by these companies). Both of these chains actually spawned from their respective private railway companies, and Shibuya was Ground Zero for their railway and shopping wars. It's interesting to see just how interconnected the Japanese economy is.

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

Now this was our first day in Tokyo (again) so we were only "window shopping"... plus we were already tired from the high humidity. However, T-chan shows great strength and determination when it comes to shopping. The only problem is that she's out-of-practice. L-kun is there to offer moral support (by which I mean, to be as generally distracting as possible). Some good stores include Gap, Forever 21 and H&M which have a great range at good prices, and aren't geared around annoyingly annoying Japanese kogals.

Whilst in Shibuya, you can also check out other famous Japanese stores like Tokyu (and of course Tokyu Hands), Seibu, Loft, Parco, Tower Records, Marui, or one of my favourites, Don Quijote. It may not be class, but it's always good to get a snapshot of what's happening in Japan... and another great place to pick-up some quintessential Japanese knick-knacks. And of course, you can always find a 100yen shop nearby, if you haven't experienced one before.

Of course, L-kun was also keen to have a look around... though I think he thought his rather wet hair was the result of rain. Hence the umbrella. No L-kun... that's the Sweaty Summer Shopping in Shibuya for you... it may not always be comfortable, but it's always an experience. The crowd just can't be wrong.

Stay tuned for the second Shibuya instalment...