Cat Cafe, Mega Tax-Free Shops, Exclusive Back Street Bars and Free J-Pop in the Street

---

The plan today was to start at Tokyo SkyTree, the tallest building in Japan, but the light drizzle meant thick cloud and so there was no point paying to go up with no views from the shrouded tower.

So we took a train to Ueno where we wandered around the park and I managed to get a fresh set of insect bites despite dousing myself in the repellant we'd bought in Hiroshima. Maybe it isn't repellent and the shop assistants in the pharmacy are still having a good laugh about it now - my legs are a frightful mess. Glyn pointed out some tabby cats, one of which looked at me with a face that demanded I keep my distance. Nearby was a makeshift tent made from tarpaulin under a tree where I saw one cat run inside as a woman peered in, talking to a guy that I presume lived in it. There are a few homeless in Tokyo and they seem mainly to be in the parks.

We did a lot of wandering in the park and with my directions, wandered straight out and got lost into back streets. Glyn found our way back in via lots of steps, he was super-pleased about this. Ueno park is so huge that it contains a zoo, a few museums, various shrines (of course), plus a fountain. There was also a Hiroshima Flame of Peace, another hopeless prayer for the end of nuclear weapons.

Close by was a huge tax free store called Yodabashi that had been recommended to us by a friend at Camera Club. Seven floors of every electrical item you never knew you needed, but quite pricey. I ogled the huge TV screens, some of which were bigger than a cinema... ok, not quite! The walls are completely covered in advertising, not a single area is left unused. It's quite mind blowing as you go through it steadily trying to ignore the jingles constantly playing in a loop.

Recommended by Trip Advisor, we went to Neko Maru, a cat cafe on an 8th floor that took a bit of finding. Now I had hoped that this Cat Cafe was more of an actual cafe than the one we visited in Hiroshima, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's just not the case in Japan. I know that in the Cat Cafe in London (Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium) they serve hot drinks, sandwiches and delicious cakes, but in Neko Maru, there's just a coffee machine that no one appeared to use. However, the cats were gorgeous: a variety of breeds and some playing and behaving like utter loons! There was one large long haired ginger with a bald tail that was fluffy at the end which was rather odd. There were more cats than I realised at first due to many of them hiding up on high or in boxes or tight corners. We only spent half an hour there as it is Y700 each for 30 minutes but I could happily live there.

It was time for lunch so we went for sushi in a crowded restaurant where the chefs prepared everything in front of the customers who sat in a ring around them. There was very little in the way of a veggie options, but I managed although the chef sneaked wasabi into my cucumber sushi and my sinuses were tingling for a while afterwards. Unexpectedly we got splashed by some fish having a fight in the tank behind the chefs despite no one bothering them at that time. The staff looked surprised and insisted on mopping everyone up, it wasn't that wet!

My guidebook stated that the Imperial Palace was open until 4.30pm Tuesday to Thursday, which insinuates that there is somewhere to go in. So we took a train to Tokyo Station and walked to said palace under the watchful eye of a hovering helicopter above. But all we could do was walk around the perimeter and take photos of the famous Nijubashi, which is just a bridge and to be honest I've seen better on this trip and elsewhere.

On the way back to the station we popped into the Tokyo International Forum, part of which is a glass atrium around 60 metres high with glass and steel walkways that apparently resemble a ship's hull. It's a cultural centre but all we could see advertised were floors of cafes. There didn't seem much else in the Central District that we wanted to see so took the JR line west to Shinkuju.

Shinkuju Station is the busiest in the world (with 2 million people passing through it everyday and staff are employed to push commuters into the trains during busy times so they don't get trapped) but luckily we arrived before rush hour, but still, it was packed. The corridors connecting the lines and train networks are lined with 100s of shops and department stores, so Glyn and I struggled to get out. It was like one of those horror movies where you think you are escaping a haunted house only to find yourself back in the middle again. We thought we were never leaving until I spotted an escape up some sneaky side steps where I could see daylight in the distance.

Glyn had spotted a sign to 'Skyscraper District' and with a name like that, who could resist? It was like Land of the Giants, as these skyscrapers are huge, but spaced apart enough to let the sunlight reach the pavements. We spotted the Sumitomo Building which seemed to be close but just turned out to be really big and just far away. This is a business district, so ground level was clear of shops and tat, but had the occasional bar playing awful jazz music (not that there is any other type of jazz music). What is it with business districts and jazz? Does becoming a successful business high flyer make a person develop a taste in dullard music?

Anyway, the Sumitomo Building is full of wealthy looking business folk that Glyn and I looked rather incongruous next to (looking a bit worn with a multitude of insect bites) plus some shops and bars. The 51st floor has a free observatory and this was our destination. The lift made my ears pop slightly and the view from the top was as impressive as expected. We could also see down the middle of the building is it is hollow.

We were flagging a bit so Glyn suggested stopping for tea as he had spotted a branch of CoCo Ichibanya which is the world's largest curry restaurant chain, having branches all over east Asia and the USA. They even advertised veggie curry, so it was good for me and I do like Japanese curry. I ordered one with aubergine, spinach and tomatoes - it was lovely. Like many cafes around here, we were sitting at a bar, facing the guys who were cooking our food. Great stuff, I wish they had them in the UK.

Afterwards we headed east to the area of the brightest of bright lights. East Shinjuko was originally targeted at commuters from the west side to entertain them after a day at work. So this place is full of Pachinko, cinemas, loads of cafes and other things. It's had to get across just how massive and extensive the coloured lights are, but if you know the lights around Piccadilly and Leicester Square in London, they are a fart in a jar compared to this hurricane of gaudy and loud electric. We saw a Robot Restaurant and not quite sure what that was (and with an entrance fee of £48 I will never know), plus a few dodgy looking peepshows where the porno cartoon images outside had the heads of underage girls atop women's bodies - ew. Thankfully, not too much of that about (that I saw). It was all very noisy and extremely busy.

Having read about a place called Golden Gai in my guide, stating it was a warren of dimly lit alleys containing small bars that attracted writers and bikers alike, we walked further to find it. And it turned out to be a rather intriguing but unwelcoming place. I read afterwards that It is composed of a network of six narrow alleys, connected by even narrower passageways which are just about wide enough for a single person to pass through. Over 200 tiny shanty-style bars are squeezed into the area, many only being big enough to fit in 5 customers. We noticed that most had a cover charge from Y500 to Y1000 which seemed ridiculous and purposely putting customers (tourists?) off.

Walking down one tight alley only wide enough for us to walk single file, we spotted a bar with a Sex Pistols poster and a Misfits one. I said we should try this even if there is a cover charge, viewing the pink mohawked bartender through the tray sized window. But upon entering, we were faced with a silent glaring waitress and the bartender snapped that they were still getting ready. We didn't feel inclined to return later. Shame. Further down, another bar claimed to have no charge on the signage outside, but upon entering, the barlady told us there was a charge before we even spoke a word. We were feeling extremely unwelcome. The only bar that genuinely seemed to have no charge was a Harley Davison bar that was already occupied with four Americans and therefore full, so we decided to give up and go somewhere where we were accepted. Reading about it later, some of the bars are exclusive and you do have to be formally introduced to the patrons, but others are meant to be welcoming, however it is not a cheap place to drink. And photography is not allowed... ooops!!

We returned back to the loving arms of the bright lights, wanting a sit down and a drink. We have struggled in Japan to find places that serve drinks only and so we went to a food place that let us drink on the street. Glyn had shaved ice - these place rarely sell coffee which is what he would prefer.

On the way back to the station, one large building with three screens high up in the sky was playing the recently released DVD from Shinee, a J-pop boy band performing a gig at the Tokyo Dome. The area around the screens was full of young people, mostly girls, avidly watching and recording on their phones. It was free entertainment, but Glyn didn't seem to be impressed!

Finally we came across some Japanese protester shouting in the street with a few police around him. The police presence in Tokyo has been minimal so I was intrigued. I have no idea what he was shouting about, but there were a lot of people opposing him, silently holding banners that contained English translation declaring to be against hate speech and racism. Maybe that guy works for the Daily Mail?

---

Photos

Lunchtime
Ueno