Leaving Ourselves Behind

It’s been just over a year since we’ve browsed travel sites, booked flights, planned itineraries and figured out packing and boy, does it feel great to be “on the road” again.
Mind you, we put travel aside for a very good reason – we were house-hunting and attempting to create more balance in our lives and we’ve very luckily done just that.

We found a house in Nanaimo we love, we’ve spent more time with family and friends and our travel plans have been scaled down from being away six months a year to planning a couple of trips that will take us away for about four months.

So…first up – six weeks in Japan. Wouldn’t you know it – everyone else seems to have had the same idea and we left with a bit of trepidation. Would we be adding to the dreaded over-tourism that is plaguing so many parts of the world? Well yes, of course. Would we be welcomed or attacked with water guns, as has happened in Spain? So far, we do feel very welcome and not a water gun in sight.

What we have noticed are many signs reminding us of how to behave. The Japanese are quiet, respectful, thoughtful of others and orderly, and tourists had better follow suit. Since these sign are in English, I’m assuming tourists are their target market.

This sign was amusing – probably erected in frustration as “the store across the street” was a high-end restaurant that did not appreciate having the fast-food patrons loitering by their door.

One of the first things we’ve noticed about Japan is how clean and quiet it is – and we’re in Tokyo, with a population of over 37 million people. To put that in perspective – greater Tokyo has just 5 million fewer people than all of Canada.

Traffic is as busy as you might expect, but there are so many electric vehicles here that the noise factor barely registers. There is zero garbage on the streets; even more incredible because there are almost no garbage cans anywhere. Walking on the street with food or drink is frowned upon. Locals walk in conversation with others or solo with their ear buds in; and mercifully, no-one, but no-one talks on their phones in public; a bit of etiquette that we are reminded of via loudspeaker on the subway!

We had just finished commenting on the fact that we barely saw dogs or cats anywhere (another source of potential street messes), when along came this pretty trio. Their owner was happy to show them off.

Then, just around the corner, we met this foxy little Japanese breed, the Shiba Inu. Her owner was using her to entice people into her “doggie” cafe, but when I asked if I could pat her, I was cheerfully told I would have to wash my hands first!

After three days in Tokyo, we are finally lifting out of our jet lag fog and are pleased to report that we have joined the long line of newly-minted Japan fans. This is an extremely easy country to be in, as it makes so much sense. Everything works well, trains and buses are on time, the people are friendly and accommodating and most signs are in Japanese and English. But it is still foreign and exciting and every corner brings something new to discover.

We are staying in Asakusa – an historic neighbourhood that has a good mix of older buildings, ancient shrines and modern attitude. We are beginning our trip with four nights in Tokyo and will be ending it in November with another five nights. In between, we have a cross-section of destinations that we’re hoping will give us a good first-time overview of the country.

One thing that is distinctive about Japanese hotels is the diminutive room size, compared to North American hotels. Ours is a walloping 11 square metres; cramped even by Japanese standards. We honestly could not swing a cat in our room. But it is in an ideal location, offers breakfast, laundry and as many toothbrushes, razors, combs, and cotton pads as we could possibly need. Japanese hotels are all about the amenities.

I love Japanese fashion and Tokyo is a candy store, both in terms of shopping (insane) and street fashion. Men and women alike favour a look that is monochromatic, casually elegant and drapey. Pants are wide, sweaters hang loosely, fabrics are natural, colours are black, charcoal, white and beige. Not a sofa floral print nor a rayon sundress to be found.
With the exception of a few young girls with teensy midriffs exposed, fashions tend to be a little covered up.

Unless you are a young girl who dresses like you just stepped off the pages of an anime cartoon.

Notice the shoes? Japan is not the land of stilettos – this is a country whose women go for fluffy slippers in public, sensible low heels, running shoes and fantasy platforms. Navigating city streets with step stools attached to your feet is simply not an issue here.

We visited Tokyo’s oldest department, Isetan Shinjuku, in business since 1886. Today, it is an uber-luxury, multi-floor emporium for shoppers with deep, deep pockets. Note to self for any future visits – don’t enter this store wearing Merrell hikers and Eddy Bauer pants – you should know better. Nonetheless, it was loads of fun to have a peek at all the goodies, and appreciate the finer things for a bit. And the sales staff were not one bit snooty.

What was Issey Miyake thinking? No matter that the top looked like it was made of packing material and the shorts looked like grampa’s favourite loungewear, this will sell on brand name alone.

The food floor was a treat – row after row of specialty items being snapped up and carried off with scarcely a glance at the price tag. Never mind that these grapes cost $65 (per package). Here’s the photo of the farmers who grew them.

The architecture of Tokyo seemed surprisingly banal to me. Possibly many of the original buildings did not survive WWII, but in Asakusa, there is still a number of older buildings that have a distinctive look.

These apartment buildings are quite utilitarian.

A lot of whimsy in Tokyo – who wouldn’t want to have a tea cup for a balcony?

If you are looking to sample Japan’s famous Kobe steak, the three steers might be your first clue you’ve come to the right place.

Some street scenes – the Skytree building is one that dominates the skyline in our neighbourhood.

Cyclists rule in Tokyo – they zip in and out of traffic and nary a helmet to be found. (My anti-helmet brother would be delighted).

Shrines and temples! We will no doubt come across hundreds of shrines and temples in our travels, but the Senso-ji Temple, built in AD 645, is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

You approach the temple by entering first through the gate of Kaminarimon.

In between this gate and the temple runs Nakamise Street; an historic shopping street. Today the small shops sell souvenirs and food, and their metal storefronts are painted with murals depicting their history of several centuries.

The Senso-ji Temple

A monk preparing for service inside the temple.

A “geisha” peeking outside the temple. In fact this geisha was in costume, posing around the grounds, accompanied by a photographer. It is also quite popular to rent kimonos and swan about town, taking numerous selfies.

We visited the Tokyo National Museum, which is the oldest and largest of Japan’s top-level museums. It features Japanese archeological artifacts, explains Buddhist and Zen principles and offers the history of samurai warriors, kimonos, and painted screens and scrolls.

It also explained the history of netsuke.

Netsuke, which were miniature sculptures originating in 17th century Japan, featured prominently in one of my favourite books, The Hare with the Amber Eyes, a biography by Edmund de Waal. It told the story of a wealthy Jewish family who had all their art confiscated by the Nazis, but their collection of netsuke was hidden and saved.
This collection in the museum, featured several intricately carved pieces…including a hare with amber eyes.

From ancient temples to precious artifacts to modern skyscrapers – all symbols of Tokyo.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is a huge tourist draw, as it has observation decks on the 45th floors of both its towers, with 360 degree views of the city, and it is absolutely free.

This vantage point really gave us a sense of the magnitude of greater Tokyo, as well as the density.

Luckily for Tokyo residents, there are a number of outstanding greenspaces to escape the concrete jungle. The nearby Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a treasure – 146 acres of tranquility.

And no, I did not forget to mention food. So far, we have had pretty flawless meals. We’ve eaten stellar ramen at a tourist place (first night), unbelievably tender and fresh sushi, and today we discovered a 10-stool hole-in-the-wall specializing in onigiri; rice balls wrapped in seaweed. If that doesn’t sound appealing, then imagine fresh sticky rice filled with pork kimchi, salmon and pickled plums, made to order, served with miso soup, filled with silky tofu. Incredible. Please forgive the slightly out of focus photo, which come to think of it, does not do this food justice at all.

Finally, just because these two were the cutest.

So, our brief intro to Tokyo has been wonderful and we look forward to returning to discover more. Next up is Kanazawa, a coastal city three and a half hours away by the famous bullet train, the Shinkansen.