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Published: August 18th 2006
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Tokyo Central Station
The old part of the station. Konnichi wa!
Believe it or not, this entry is to tell you about how I spent my last weekend in Japan. I have seen and done a lot of amazing things since getting here and I almost couldn’t imagine anything that would be as exciting as what I have experienced so far. But, much to my pleasure, this past weekend was one of the most amazing ever.
Saturday morning I set out see some really crucial things that there was no way I was going to miss while living in Tokyo. After leaving Tokyo Central Station (which is a really amazing building) I walked a few blocks to the grounds of the Imperial Palace. The only part of the grounds that are open to the public on a regular basis is the East Garden; it’s a massive green space full of gardens, paths, gates, and motes. After being there for 10 minutes it started to rain like crazy. (We were in the middle of a 3 day typhoon.) I made my way to a rest area with a porch and listened to the storm for 15 minutes - it was amazing. I left the East Garden through a gate that put
Let It Rain
Watching the storm from my porch in the East Garden of Imperial Palace. me right at Nuijubashi Bridge (ancient and famous) and then Sakuradamon Gate (equally ancient and famous). From there I walked to the government district. It was very cool walking the blocks and blocks of ministry buildings and seeing them be right next to the massive office buildings that Japan’s bureaucracy is known for. Cutting through a park got me to the Diet Building (Japan’s legislature). Across the street from there is the Prime Minister’s Residence (like our White House). The PoliSci nerd in me couldn’t have been happier.
After that I planned on getting on the subway and heading to the northern part of the city but I never found the right stop so instead I took a very long walk. By this time the sun had come out and the everything in the city looked incredible. After about an hour hike I arrived at Yasukuni Shrine. I was not planning on visiting another shrine while here (they really do all start to look alike) but this one I wanted to see because there is quite a lot of controversy surrounding it. The shrine has been around for centuries as a tribute to the millions of souls who have given
Ministry Of Justice
Doesn't look very Japanese, does it? The building was actually designed by a couple of Germans around the turn of the century and restored after the bombings of WWII. their lives in service to Japan. It only became a lightning rod for criticism after WWII when 1068 of the newly listed men were convicted as war criminals. Other Asian countries, especially China and South Korea, have protested and are offended that the prime minister continues to make yearly visits to a place that pays honor to Japanese citizens who committed such atrocities. In fact, just three days after I was there, Prime Minister Koizumi made his 2006 trip to the shrine and caused international uproar.
By the time I left the shrine it was dark and I was tired of walking. I almost decided to skip the last thing I had planned for the day and head home but instead I got in my first Japanese cab and rode back down to the southern tip of the city. I got dropped off in front of Tokyo Tower - an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower except it’s bright orange and 13 meters taller. After a quick elevator ride I stepped onto the special observatory deck at the top and the 360 degree view of the city at night was unreal.
The next morning I got up to start a
Diet Building
The equivalent of our U.S. Capitol Building. day that I didn’t think could possibly trump the day before. I started out in Shinjuku (another ward of Tokyo) which is where the Tokyo city government has their headquarters. The skyscraper district was amazing and home to some very cool architecture. Everything was quintessential modern Japan - tall, shiny, and expensive. The top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building has an observation deck open to the public. It was very cool to see another 360 degree view of the city but this time in the daylight. You can’t help but stand in awe of a city so massive.
Just a few blocks away from there is the Tokyo Park Hyatt Hotel. Why did I make it a point to walk to a hotel I was not staying at, you wonder? I wanted to see it because it is the hotel that the movie Lost In Translation was filmed at a few years ago. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll remember Bill Murray coming out of his very nice hotel and walking around the neon-light streets of Tokyo at night. Anyway, I was there and it is a very cool place.
After Shinjuku I took the train to Ikebukuru. I
Residence Of The Prime Minister
A little more modern looking than the White House? wanted to make a stop at Sunshine City, a massive complex in the heart of downtown. It was worth the trip just to go into Amlux, Toyota’s five-story showroom of its entire line of cars on the market plus concept cars. After sitting in some very nice models and getting a glimpse of what will come out in the future, I went to the basement to catch a live performance of Toyota’s newest robotic technology. My favorite was the iPartner; he’s a robot as tall as me who has some very impressive musical skills.
My last stop of the night was in Shibuya for a little more chaos. Right outside of the train station is the famous Shibuya Crossing. It has the honor of being the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. Each day about two million people will cross the intersection on foot in addition to the cars that fly buy. After crossing it myself five times, I went to the third floor of the Starbucks that overlooks it to get a birds eye view of the madness. It was unbelievable.
So, it was an absolutely perfect last weekend in this country that I have come to love. In
The Sun Came Out
The light coming out from behind the clouds made the whole city glow. a couple of days I’ll write my final thoughts about this trip and then sign off.
Until then,
PEACE
Travel Tip For The Complete Dumbass #7
"While standing in the center of the busiest crossing in the world, do not stop and ask a stranger to take your picture.” Why did it not occur to me that if you stop in a sea of people running from one side of the street to another that you will get trampled? I do not know. But, lesson learned.
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I am glad you say you now don't have to go to Paris!!!! COME HOME! Love and miss you Me