Blogs from Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, Asia

Konnichiya, Efter en liten omständig resa in til Shibuya, fick lite hjälp av spärrvakter för att betala och komma rätt. Stiliga - ser ut som kommendörkaptener med välpressade uniformer och stora uniformsmössor. Tänk på det nästa gång du passerar spärren med den extremt trötta på Slussen. Kom fram till mitt kapselhotell, väldigt nära Shibuya crossing. Shibuya är ett område i centrala Tokyo med massor, jag menar massor med shopping och sedan så klart en massa restauranger och barer. Själva korsningen är väl som Tokyos Times Square eller Piccadilly circus. Jag har läst nånstans att varje gång det blir grönt för gångtrafikanter kan det knalla över tretusen pers på samma gång. Galet ju och det där med social distansering funkar ju inte här. Min podd var inte incheckningsbar så jag tog ett varv för att börja bygga ... read more

When dining with neophytes at a Japanese noodle bar, the question always comes up. What are the various types of noodles, and which one will I like? The short answer, try them all. Or just order what I order! So, basic flour and water, like most pasta, right? But in Japanese noodle cooking, the broth is the key. Stories abound, as some Japanese artisans trace their secret recipes back a century or more. And noodle apprenticeships can last decades! In Japan, there is a fellow who travels around the entire country, doing nothing but reviewing ramen! As I recall, he averages about two bowls of ramen each day. You can find his story in "Rice, Noodle, Fish", a great read for those of you who love Japanese food. I use the book as a reference quite ... read more

My next day in Tokyo started with a trip on the metro to the Shibuya are of the city. I had previously looked at the map of the metro and determined it was much like a bowl of multicoloured spaghetti and chickened out of doing it by myself so I was happy to be going on the metro with Michie so I could try and understand it. We took the short walk from the hotel to the nearest metro station and set off for Shibuya. We arrived after around 15 minutes and I had a much clearer understanding of how to find my way around the metro station! When you exit the station there is a statue of a dog - Hachikō - I had never heard of this dog, but, he is quite famous in ... read more

Our alarm goes off at 5am. The immigration staff at Melbourne Airport are in their usual form, and are ordering everyone around as if they’re primary school children. They are particularly severe on the elderly and anyone whose understanding of English is a bit limited. We arrive at Narita Airport and buy a SIM card for our phone. The girl behind the counter gives it to us very respectfully with two hands and a slight bow. I take it from her with one hand and then quickly remember reading somewhere that when someone gives you something in Japan it must be received with two hands, and that to do otherwise is considered highly disrespectful. I break into a cold sweat, and begin to wonder whether coming to Japan might have been a huge mistake. We’ve spent ... read more

We are hurtling to the airport on the 16.40 Narita Express, Tuesday afternoon in Tokyo blurring by. We missed all this with our late night arrival. The darkness from two weeks ago is filled with city and suburbs. The train line is part of life with no buffer zone between track and buildings to speak of. They don't have the luxury of space we take for granted back home. The houses get bigger and the apartment blocks fewer as we get closer to Narita. Space is still at a premium with car pack stackers still common. Rice paddies and bamboo forests now surround the houses and people go about their daily lives. I see a farmer walking on the ridge between two paddies with his dog in tow and children, finished school for the day are ... read more