Konnichiwa! I foolishly arrived in
Japan knowing only one word in Japanese, and since that was
'sayonara' ('goodbye'), it wasn't exactly the most useful starting
point for a conversation! But though English isn't very confidently spoken here, people are generally very willing to try and communicate
using sign language and pointing etc., and generally are very helpful
and patient with gaijins ('outside people') like me.
I had a week in Tokyo before starting
the clock ticking on my three week Japan rail pass. For the first
three nights I stayed at the excellent "K's House" hostel
in Asakusa, sleeping in the smallest bedroom I've ever been in - the
room was exactly the same size as the little bed, plus just a slither
of carpet to step on to. Because I hadn't realised that my first
weekend in Tokyo was a Japanese national holiday, my next
accommodation options after that were limited to four nights in a capsule
hotel, or a bed in a dorm further out in Ikebukuro, which I went for.
The distance from central Tokyo didn't
really matter, since the city's rail network is so good - Ikebukuro
is the second busiest train station in the world (second to Shinjuku,
one overland stop down), and once I had the hang of the Tokyo
underground, getting around the city was very easy and quick.
Shinjuku station at rush hour is a
sight to behold, and trying to buy a ticket and find the right
platform seemed an impossible task at first, but somehow was actually
pretty easy, and there was never even any queuing. Incredibly, even
at rush hour there's a lot less hassle and shunting than somewhere
like Kings Cross at the best of times. It must be a marvel of
planning and people-flow design with an average 3.64 million people
passing through every day (thanks to Wikipedia for the stats!).
Tokyo's underground has some great
signs, including a picture of people partying and drinking on the
train, with the stern caption 'Do it in the pub.' But my favourite
was this one - no translation needed!
A shinkansen (bullet train) leaving Tokyo
While in Tokyo I went to Ginza, the
ultra-posh shopping district full of flagship skyscraper
shops for Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton etc, plus trendy galleries and
art 'spaces'. On the last night me and Aussie 'KD' went into
one and found ourselves at the opening do of an arty film poster
exhibition, complete with the chic French artist, plus glasses of
champagne being thrust into our hands!
On the same night we managed to find
the GoldenGai area near Shinjuku, where a network of narrow streets
are crammed full with tonnes of miniature bars - most with space for
only three or four customers. We ended the night in Rappongi, the
expat 'playground' of Tokyo, which was a disappointment, the only
place where you get hassled on the street - by pushy club promoters
and prostitutes.
Harajuku's an area full of indie shops
and restaurants, and is where the hip Tokyo kids hang out. It's now
famous for the 'Cosplay-zoku' girls, mainly troubled adolescents who
get glammed up to the max and parade about at the weekends. Gwen
Stefani brought them to international attention with her song
'Harajuku Girls'.
Harajuku's also home to a troupe of 50s
american style dancers, the Takenokozoku (I think), who spend their time
gyrating around like the Fonz, and slicking back their quiffs.
iStockphoto sales have been going well
recently - October was the first month when I earned more from photos
than I took home in a month's salary from my old 'proper' job at
HSBC, but unfortunately the tax still has to be paid on the photo
royalties. But I knew it would be hard keeping my wallet in my
pocket in one of Tokyo's eight story camera shops (they sell
everything techie - a lot more than cameras)... I managed to only buy
what I came for - a tiny pocket camera for taking snapshots
of things, which I've often missed out on when it involves wielding a
heavy and conspicuous SLR.
Suntory - 'The boss of them all since 1992'
One thing that you're never far away
from in Tokyo is a vending machine. The Japanese take them to
another level, with hot coffee or soup in a can being available, as
well as food, disposable cameras and all sorts of other things.
Tokyo International Forum
As close as KD and I got to the Imperial Palace in the centre of Tokyo
My first foray outside Tokyo was to
Nikko, where I stayed in the spartan but excellent Daiyagawa hostel,
run by a very friendly old woman with an excellent sense of humour.
Here I met a German chap called Klaus who lives in Osaka, and has an
unbelievably apocalyptic view of world future. For instance, on
China... "No, no there is absolutely no doubt. Of course, the
streets of Beijing will be a bloodbath within a few years... China
will become a barren desert, nothing more. No question" Most
other countries had similar, grim futures! But otherwise he was a very nice guy, and good company.
The path wasn't very well trodden!
We spent a day escaping the bus-tour
crowds by hiking in the hills above Nikko, eventually making it up to
the Yashio-no-yu Onsen. We stopped for lunch at Chuzenji-ko where a
wonderful old lady served us udon noodles, and told us - with Klaus
translating - "I like to give good service; I am happy when my
customers are happy; I like to drink milk."
For somewhere that's famous for being
expensive, travelling in Japan is not actually that bad, though
apparently ten years ago it was. Even in Tokyo, hostels cost roughly
the same as Australia or NZ, and food isn't much more. The Tokyo
underground is a fraction of the cost of London's, but I did get a
shock when having to pay for the half-hour local bus ride down from
the onsen back to Nikko - it was ¥1650 - over £10!
The next day we joined the multitude of
schoolchildren and retirees and looked around the impressive ancient Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples of Nikko.
One shrine is covered with carvings of
monkeys in poses supposedly designed to teach children about life's
lessons. This one is thought to be the origin of the phrase 'See no
evil, hear no evil, speak no evil'. Incidentally, inside the shrine
was a sacred white pony, donated by someone in New Zealand!
From Nikko I was on the way to
Kawaguchi-ko near Mt Fuji this morning, the plan being to photograph
Fuji-san complete with its trademark hat of snow and all the autumn
trees. But the already bad weather got worse as I went west from my
connection in Shinjuku, so with the forecast looking worse still, I
decided to cut my losses and spend the day travelling on to Nagoya.
The consolation is that Nagoya has a futuristic Robot Museum, so
watch this space for (hopefully) stories of amazing robotic
inventions!
This was by far the best laundry I've
yet used, complete with washing machines and super-fast dryers
that talk to you, a 'sneaker washer and dryer', a selection of
magazines to read, trolleys to cart the laundry around, and even a loo with a heated toilet seat!
Mr Average Salaryman, from a Japan Tourist Board introductory booklet to Japan
All photos © George Clerk. All rights reserved. Licenses available at www.istockphoto.com/resonants or contact me at photos@foogaloo.com
