Tokyo (Japan)

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	With a short visit you'll still be gagging for more and you get better value for money than London
Disadvantages:	Some may find it impersonal, my feet were so sore by the end and its another long review !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Originally known as 'Edo', meaning 'Gate of the River', Tokyo first became a significant city in 1603 when Tokogawa Ieyasu based his military government, or shogunate in the then unimpressive little town. Over the following years the city became a base from which the whole of Tokogawa clan ran the country, but only earned the term 'Tokyo' ('Eastern Capital') when the clan was deposed and the Emperor's power was restored towards the end of the 19th century; relocating from Kyoto. Despite two massive tragedies, the earthquake and subsequent fires of 1923 and the Allied bombing of 1944/45, Tokyo has flourished. It is now one of the most modern and impressive capital cities in the world, with little of the old Tokyo or even Edo remaining.

My biggest regret in visiting Japan is that I couldn't spend more time in Tokyo. My friend and I had only scheduled a day and a half day there together, and one extra day on my own. My feeling is that Tokyo is much like London. You can spend quite some time there and you will still only scratch the surface of the city - it's somewhere that on first glance may seem quite two-dimensional, but when you get to know it really engages you without your realising it; possibly to the point where you take it for granted. I could be wrong, but that's what my instincts tell me.

Like London, Tokyo appears to have different areas that once were small villages or towns, and have now been absorbed by the metropolis. If I was to visit again - which someday I hope I might - I would probably concentrate a bit more on getting a feel for each of these areas rather than trying to see things more disparately.

GETTING THERE

If you are just visiting the capital then flying into Narita airport is going to be your best bet. You have a choice of two options in order to get to the centre of the city. The first is to take the Tokyo Express (costing 3,000 Yen) or to take the Keisei Oshiage line to Ueno station and take the subway system to your hotel (costing 950 Yen plus your subway fare).

Otherwise you may wish to travel via Shinkansen (bullet train) from whichever region you flew into. (More details available in my other review on Kyoto).

STAYING IN TOKYO ON A BUDGET

I would highly recommend the two places that I stayed. The first being Capsule Hotel Riverside (+81 3588 1811) near to Asakusa station (come out of exit A4 and take the small road on the right, the hotel is on the corner). It felt like staying in a capsule hotel had to be done when staying in Tokyo, and the Riverside is one of the few to admit women. Your 3,000 Yen per night gets you something it could never do in London. When you enter the room where you are staying, you will find a number of capsules along two walls; resembling something like an up-market dormitory room. You are provided with clean linen in a capsule that gives you plenty of room to lie flat, and comfortably sit up in bed - we had expected something much smaller and much more coffin-like. Fixed at the top of one end is a TV, which along with an independent light can be switched on by your head. Privacy is ensured by a small blind at the end of the capsule. On the top floor is the communal showers/bath (shower products are provided). In Japan you are expected to shower thoroughly and then once completely clean, soak in the bath. Once clean and relaxed you should put on the Yakuta (light cotton kimono) provided which you should also sleep in at night.

The Sakura Hotel (http://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp) is located more centrally near Jimbocho subway station. (Turn right out of exit A6 and then right again down the small road next to the Koban, the hotel is 200m on the right.) Again this guesthouse is very clean, providing private showers (again with wash products) in a communal wash area. I stayed in a dormitory room (3,500 Yen) with curtains round each bed ensuring privacy, although private rooms are also available. Again you are requested to wear Yakuta to sleep in - which can be bought for 2,000 Yen as a nice memento. An added bonus of the guesthouse is the small 24 hour café, which although does not serve completely authentic Japanese food, certainly comes in useful if you haven't had a chance to eat the evening before your flight.

TOURIST INFORMATION
The one we used was located opposite the exit to Yurakucho station in a building with silver signage (apparently the Tokyo International Forum). Until you walk up to the building, you will not see the sign for the Tourist Information Centre as it is only a small room in the building. At the information centre you should request the following leaflets: 'Tourist's information handbook' (which gives some useful tips as a foreigner in Japan), 'Welcome to Tokyo Handy Guide' (which has some maps and information on a few discounts), 'Tourist Map of Tokyo' and it might be worth seeing if they have any detailed maps of areas you are interested in seeing. Another Tourist Information Centre is apparently found in Narita airport.

Many of the people helping you will be 'goodwill guides' who are not paid for their assistance, so if they are occasionally a little too helpful, please bear this in mind.

GETTING AROUND
Day passes are available for the subway system. Probably the best to use is the one day Metro and Toei day pass (1,000 Yen) as the Metro system is actually made up of two different systems that work together. That way you should be able to travel on any subway train without any difficulties. You will need an English language Subway map which usefully numbers the stations. As some stations that are transfer points have different names, this map makes it a lot easier to get around. A large number of trains also have a board that shows the progress of the train, making it easier to work out whether you've missed your stop or not.

If you are interested in paying per journey, you will need to find the name of your station on a map or list at the station. This may occasionally take a little searching to find (at Jimbocho station it is on the wall facing the same list in Japanese) and pay the Yen stated.

ATTRACTIONS

- Shibuya

Hachiko Statue
Just outside the JR Shibuya station is the statue of a dog and local landmark called Hachiko. In the 1920s a professor who lived nearby owned a dog that would go to the station every day to wait for his master to come home. The professor died in 1925, but the dog, Hachiko, continued to wait for the professor everyday until it died 11 years later. The dog's commitment to his master touched the Japanese who decided to erect a statue in its memory.

One Unpleasant Sight
Using a different exit which brought us a slightly different area we chanced across a shop with a Scottie sign - some of you may know it’s the breed my family have always had, so we took a closer look. Unfortunately we found that the main windows contained four medium sized glass boxes that magnified the heat on the two Scottie puppies in each. One stood up and peed and succeeded in lying on the patch of newspaper he had just soaked. Admittedly they did look clean, and most of the newspaper looked fresh, but it is certainly not the way that puppies or dogs should be kept or sold. Although something I knew I would see, I had honestly hoped that I wouldn't.

Shibuya Itself
Shibuya is one of the two youth orientated shopping districts in Tokyo. I was a bit disappointed by what was on offer. Most of the female fashion at the moment appears to be hip-hop based, with most of the funky T-shirts coming in male sizes. I was pretty disappointed that we didn't see any of what I would have classed as mad Japanese fashion. Possibly the fashions I'm thinking of were Tokyo of the late 80's - something that doesn't exist anymore as more countries seem to have more similar fashions.

Having visited in both the early evening and afternoon, I would suggest visiting in the evening. Most shops appear to be open late, and there is much more of an atmosphere to the area. The neon flashes out, and the youth bikers roar up and down on their Harley Davidson's aiming to impress. (Although I hate Harley's and much prefer the Japanese sports bikes it certainly adds to the atmosphere!)

- Ueno

Ueno-koen
The majority of the city's museums seem to be located in or around this park. To be honest, there isn't really a great deal to the park itself that you can't see elsewhere. Its green, it's pretty, but it feels very European. One entertaining sight is the lake though, which in the middle of August was completely overtaken by water lilies. At first glance, you wouldn't even realise it was a lake!

On a more negative note, what you do see in the park is a large number of homeless people. Japan does seem to have a very minor problem with homelessness compared to Britain, and Ueno Park is where you will see most of them. In the shade of some of the museums you'll see a row of tents, or men and women trying to shelter from the heat on benches in the shade.

Shitamachi History Museum (200 Yen)
This little museum is great fun to visit if you have a couple of spare hours. It’s a very tactile museum where you can get a real taste of old Japan through mocked up interiors of Edo's Shitamachi - the downtown quarter of old Tokyo. Provided you take your shoes off (as you would do any house in Japan) then you can open cupboards, pick up boxes and get a real feel of life. These were the sort of wooden houses were often at risk of fires, and earned the term Edo-no-hana or 'Flowers of Edo'. Apparently these flowers bloomed so frequently that buildings were thought to have a life-span of only 20 years.

As I opened one particular cupboard that contained the Japanese style futons (thin foam mattresses that you place straight on to the tatami-covered floor), I was struck that some elements of Edo have carried over into modern life. The friend I was with who had spent three years in Japan had lived in a small apartment where she pulled out her bedding and spread it on the floor in the same way as those who lived in Edo must have done.

Tokyo National Museum (500 Yen, 420 Yen discount from 'Handy Guide)
At the time I visited there building work on the Main Hall that was due to finish on 1 September.

The first of three buildings I entered contained an interesting mixture of religious statues from China and various exhibits from Korea and Egypt. As I was more interested in seeing something Japanese I moved through these quickly. The second building is both a National Treasure due to its Western design and contains one from the first permanent capital of Nara along with some clay and wood statues. This beautiful picture, which is not normally viewed by the public, is certainly awe inspiring. But it is the display in the final building that I found most interesting. This shows exhibits from Japanese history and places them in a historical context - helping me to get much more of a grip on the historical timeline.

Korin-cho Motorcycle Neighbourhood
Having owned a motorbike I would have been interested to visit this area and visit the motorcycle museum in the Corin Motors clothing shop - unfortunately there wasn't time!

Ameya-yokocho Arcade
This area was famous as a black-market district after the Second World War and today is a lively shopping area with plenty of interesting stalls. I managed to pick up a nice pair of shoes for 1,900 Yen and some good green tea for around 800 Yen. Bartering may well be an option as both shops threw in extras when I paid the full price. There is plenty of food that you can eat straight off the street, such as fresh fruit on a stick and hot snacks. Apparently there are other shops and stalls that sell good soba noodles, but we didn't try them.

- Central Tokyo

Kokyo Higashi-gyoen
The Imperial Palace East Garden is certainly a pleasant place for an afternoon stroll, although is closed when the Imperial family require it for any functions. On entering via the Oteman gate you will have any plastic bags checked, and continue through to a point where you must take a plastic token that is to be returned when you leave. Notes around the garden give interesting historical facts about anything of note that went on in the garden areas and the buildings that once stood there. If you choose to, you can wander up to a couple of observation points to get a better view of the reproduction castle which was rebuilt in 1968 on the site of Edo-jo after Allied bombing destroyed much of Tokyo.

I found the fact that a number of Japanese headed away from the paths and lay in the centre of the grass very surprising, as I'd thought they'd have been far more respectful.

The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (Free)
The Emperor has made available a number of beautiful examples of pottery from the Imperial collection. Although the exhibit is not large, it is a welcome break from the heat and contains a number of breathtaking pieces. The colour of one blue vase and the detail on it were simply stunning.

- Ginza

This area is famous for having Tokyo's first department stores, and they probably are worth wandering round for a bit if you have a little time to spare. You won't find anything particularly different, but it will give you a chance to see the more conservative fashion on display - a great deal of which tends to be pretty baggy.

Ginza is also a prime area for good restaurants. We met up with a work colleague of mine who showed us a small sushi restaurant that served it in its cheapest version where you pick plates off a conveyor belt. This is a bit more of a hit and miss affair, I ended up selecting an expensive item (sea urchin) that looked interesting, but tasted disgusting; even my Japanese friend admitted she wasn't a fan of that dish! I would definitely recommend a more expensive place that does set meals for your first taste of Japanese sushi.

Big Echo
Big Echo Karaoke bars are far from being found only in Ginza, but the particular one we visited was there. Interestingly the Japanese tend to perform their Karaoke in a much more private way than you would expect, which at least saved me a little bit of face. My confidence on stage may have been high in its day, but ask me to open my mouth to sign and I start cringing. One of the large chains, such as this, may be your best bet as they do provide books of the songs in English. If you do have an opportunity of doing Karoake anywhere other than Tokyo then I would suggest it as drinks and Karaoke for three people, for two and a half hours, cost around an incredible 15,000 yen.

- Shinjuku

This area is one of the more interesting places to visit at night. Randomly we requested directions from three young Japanese men (one of them later turned out to be Korean) and ended up going to dinner with them and around ten more of their friends. Unfortunately we didn't visit this during the day, as this probably would have been an interesting place to shop with department stores rubbing alongside discount shopping arcades.

Apparently good noodles can also be found in various department stores in Shinjuku.

Kabuki-cho
This is the red light district, and is probably the most similar to some parts of Soho and is definitely worth a wander at night. Entertainingly, even as women we were still hassled to come into the bars by men holding leaflets that featured various skimpily clad ladies. It was good to see the odd bar that had men's faces displayed for the women as well though.

Print Club (400 Yen)
Again this is something that can be done all over Japan. Just find a Pachinko or similar games arcade and enter one of the little photo booths. This very Japanese phenomenon allows you to pose stupidly, and decorate your chosen pictures which then come out as stickers.

- Roppongi

I was a bit disappointed by the Roppongi Intersection, which I had been led to believe would be a lot more impressive than it was. This crossing is a bustling area with large neon signs, but it certainly didn't leave as enormous an impact on my senses as I expected. However, had I had longer, I would certainly have liked to have eaten out in Roppongi - although again there seemed to be a little bit of hassle to go into certain bars.

- Kamakura

Rather than visiting shrines in Tokyo, I would suggest visiting the more impressive shrines at nearby Kamakura, which takes approximate 50 minutes on the JR line (800 Yen)

OTHER THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DONE OR SEEN
- Have an onsen (mineral spring) bath at the one in Roppongi. Although people should note that as only the Mafia have tattoos, this may cause problems at public baths.
- Witnessed a traditional tea ceremony (these can be seen at hotels in Tokyo)
- Seen part of a Noh or Kabuki theatre performance

GENERAL INFORMATION
As this review is very long, I would direct you to my other review on Kyoto if you are interested in general information about Japanese food and people, which includes some useful words.

MONEY IN TOKYO
Unlike much of the rest of Japan, International ATM's are found in most major shopping areas so there is less of a concern in carrying enough currency.

I can only hope that one day I do have the opportunity to go back to Tokyo to scratch a little more of its surface, as it is certainly an intriguing city.

_______________________________________________________

This trip was taken in August 2004. At this time of year Japan is very hot with Tokyo being particularly humid. If you have fair skin it is essential that you use suntan lotion even when it is overcast. (That's the one time I got burnt!)

The exchange rate was: 197.245 Yen to the pound.