Tokyo Two in One

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Greater Tokyo has a population of 37 million people, and Tokyo City 13 million people. Tokyo is listed high in the worlds most liveable, richest and safest cities, depending on which list is consulted. Tokyo is definitely the largest city I have spent time in, beating: Istanbul 13.5 million, San Francisco 5.8 million, Zhengzhou 4.4 million and Sydney 3.7 million.

Kanda (my current residence) is a district in Chiyoda, the centre of Tokyo. The Tokyo Imperial Palace (home of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko) is 5 minutes bike ride away. On 2 January I dropped by for the annual New Years Greetings (with 70 thousand others) in a well-managed and well-behaved crowd. For four flag waving, photo-snapping minutes, the Imperial Family stood and waved behind glass, and the Emperor delivered a 43 second greeting for peace.

Kanda JR (Japan Railway) station is 3 minutes walk down the road. The surrounding area is crammed with restaurants, bars, karaoke parlors, capsule hotels, konbini (convenience stores), coffee shops and apartment blocks. Usually, the streets are crawling with people, taxis and vans from 6am to way past midnight. However, in the days leading up to New Year, the numbers thinned, until on 2 January, only the konbini were opened and the streets were empty of all but the occasional taxi. This was an ideal situation to learn to ride my bike around the neighborhood. Reputedly, everyone went “home” for the New Year holiday.

At 11pm, New Years Eve, rugged up against the freezing cold, we headed for the local shrine (Shinto) to greet the arrival of the Year of the Horse. The streets were quiet and seemed deserted, but at the shrine there was a 150 metre cue flanked by fish, okonomikyaki (as you like it pancake), corn and other food stalls. We checked out the shrine courtyard, beautifully lit with hundreds of lanterns, and then wandered off unsuccessfully looking for the local temple. At five minutes to midnight the peaceful, orderly cue had stretched nearly 2 kilometres around the block, ready to file in at midnight. Luckily, Toni and I had been to the huge Meiji Jingu Shrine during the day and made our New Year wishes, so we skipped the crowds. Offering prayers and incense for family and friends who have passed on at Tsukiji Temple (Buddhist) completed our New Year Celebrations.

Toni’s one-person apartment is 24 square metres, exactly 6m x 4m, and the rent is the same as for our 3-bedroom house on quarter acre, 2 kilometres from the GPO (centre of Adelaide). It contains kitchen/dining/sleeping all together, with a genkan (shoe removal room), bathroom/laundry and balcony. I begin every morning by packing away my Oz futon, under the bed, and end every day by sweeping the timber floor before setting up my bed again. I leave the 8^th floor apartment by climbing down the 112 open-air stairs to “ground” myself. From 12.30 to 1.30 each day, sunlight hits the walls of this “not unsunny” apartment.

Returning to Japan after three years has a comforting familiarity, a homecoming, even to unknown Tokyo. Settling in requires victories over spoken and written Japanese (better than I was, thanks AkiSan), tussles with Suica recharge machines (Metro etickets), which bread rolls really are vegetarian and the etiquette of the local Sento (Japanese bath house). IKEA Tokyo, Istanbul and Adelaide are all spookily similar, except for the canteen food, and the layout of the display home spaces (Tokyo wins on the most functions packed into one space!) Then there are the glorious outings to cultural icons: Disneyland starlight parade, Department Store Art Exhibitions and Tokyo Dome (baseball stadium) winter light displays. I think that I should be able to entertain myself here for 9 weeks of holidays.

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Photos

Preparing Chinese banquet
With Thanks to my Jinhua cooking teachers!

Bathroom/Laundry
Shower room to right, toilet cubicle to left

Tokyo Disneyland
Celebrating 20 years!

Comments

[trees]

love new cultures
Wow im super impressed ! And im sure you will be able to entertain yourselves with the old and the new.....I love looking at yr photos and reading yr adventures ...stay safe.....its heading to 41º next week for a few days : )) goodnight Trees

[paid to travel]

Dizzying blend of old and new
Hi Trees, My turn to slip some arm chair travel your way. Trade you 2 degrees for 41.

[Andrea]

You make me want to go back there, Jacinta! I loved it, a lovely, lovely 3 weeks in Japan. Loved reading your blog. X aos

[paid to travel]

Then come back!
Thank you for reading. Everyday I find something else gorgeous about Japan.