Leaving Ourselves Behind

It must be said that we are not Tokyo’s target market. We eat lightly, go to bed early, aren’t huge shoppers and have no idea who Monkey D. Luffy is.

Nor have we heard of this movie:

Anime, manga, cartoon characters – this is the beating heart of Tokyo that belongs to the youth and while it is fascinating, we don’t have the foggiest idea about any of it.

For example, the massive Tokyo Station not only houses multiple train lines, but is also home to a hellscape of hundreds of shops and restaurants, all of them located on two or three floors without benefit of directories. When they describe Tokyo Station as being “a destination in itself”, that is not an exaggeration. One could spend untold hours simply looking for the right exit.

We stumbled upon “Character Street”, which features numerous shops featuring “characters.”

A cat character.

This one.

And many, many more.

Japan’s top football star, Takefusa Kubo, features prominently at an intersection in the neighbourhood of Shibuya. When we asked a nearby young woman about him and if he was as popular as the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, she just laughed. “Bigger.”

We noticed this huge line-up (possibly over a hundred people) waiting for their chance to enter this store and buy a plush key-chain of a character whose name entirely escapes me – something like Lavabo. Plush key-chains are huge here – everyone from schoolgirls to businessmen have then hanging from purses, backpacks and briefcases. They range in price from $10-$40, but apparently this one is $$$.

We found this out by talking to a couple of women standing nearby; one of whom was ready to line up for her daughter back in New York, except her daughter advised her that it would be ripped off her bag in the U.S. – that is the demand.

Then there’s Godzilla. There are several stores devoted to this colossal monster, born after the nuclear attacks on Japan and continuing to endure as a symbol of might against the trauma of war, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Our grandson, unaware of the backstory, simply wanted a “scary” Godzilla, so we found a smaller version for him.

A few blocks away, we visited another Godzilla, who every hour on the hour, roars and emits flames from his giant mouth.

The cute and cuddly Pokemon obsession continues – a hangover from when our sons were kids. Our grandson has an impressive collection of cards, but of course, there are always room for more to collect and trade.
I went to the Pokemon Center to check things out.

Once you walk through those doors, it is CHAOS. High-decibel music, crowds of frenzied shoppers pushing baskets piled with merch, scary price tags on everything; I began to feel a panic attack coming on. I asked someone where to find cards and they pointed me to a looong line-up, so I fled the store. (Pokemon is at the airport – I’ll try again there.)

I talked before about the subdued and chic way of dressing in Japan – the tailored trousers, the cropped jackets, the confident sense of style.

There also exists the street fashion – the anything-goes ensembles that Diane Keaton might have worn if she was Japanese.

Because why would you not wear a plaid shirt with baby dolls over top, a denim skirt festooned with hearts, topped with a plush white cat purse.

Your shoes would come from this selection.

If the weather was cooperating, you might also step out in this outfit, dressed up as a character.

We saw many, many young women dressed as fantasies – a startling mix of sexuality and innocence. In North America, young revealing fashion is often worn with brashness and knowingness, whereas in Japan, the young women seem more child-like. Just my impressions, of course and I could be way off base, but I’ve also noticed more gender fluidity among the young males – lipstick, nail polish, J-pop hair. It makes for really fun people-watching.

We’ve been trying lots of wonderful Japanese food, and I am so excited when the food arrives that I keep forgetting to take photos. Or, the food is yummy (like Japanese curry), but not very photogenic.

Anyway, I did get some shots when we visited Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market, in business since 1935. It was the world’s largest market until 2018, when the tuna auction hived off to a different location, and what remains now are a number of streets filled with fresh and prepared meat and fish, kitchenware and fresh produce.

It’s only open in the morning and our timing was all off – we should have arrived closer to lunch. I could not face sushi or oysters at 9:00 a.m., but it made for a wonderful outing.

And… Sushi Zanmei – part of the restaurant chain founded by the “Tuna King” Kiyoshi Kimura, who is famous for paying an all-time high of 333. 6 million yen (US$3.1 million) for a 613 lb. blue fin tuna in 2019. While he did admit he probably paid too much, he has been the highest bidder in eight out of nine years.

We walked and walked and walked around Tokyo. Took the subway of course, but often we would walk for an hour to our destination and then get so caught up in our wanderings that we’d just walk back to our hotel again.

Nothing like a trip to a huge metropolis to feel like the girl from Nanaimo who doesn’t see tall buildings that much.

This beautiful garden perched on the side of a building.

The very famous and youth-oriented Harajuku Street shopping area. We inched along with the crowds, taking it all in. Anything goes on this street – for a price you can cuddle with otters, capybaras and miniature pigs – disturbing, but popular.

You can wiggle wiggle. zip. You can also pay $890 CA for used jeans in one of the many thrift stores on these blocks. I loved every minute of this parallel universe.

We also loved the small streets and alleys, revealing neighbourhoods away from the hotels and shops.

We came upon this street, lined with papier-mache figures. We asked a local woman who told us this street hosts a scarecrow competition every year. This is Tokyo.

This is Tokyo too – the Sumida River running through central Tokyo – home to boat cruises and kayakers.

A quiet night close to our hotel.

Our hotel. It was our little splurge for our last few days in Japan – a bit more than we have been paying, but still way cheaper than a hotel room in Vancouver. Likely the last nice hotel room we will see for a while.

Our six weeks in Japan is over – we fly out tomorrow. It has been a wonderful trip, but we’re happy to be heading home.

Thanks so much for following along with us. Until next time.