Visit to Tokyo

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November 16th 2008

Published: November 16th 2008

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vkramer515

Cleaning Pumpkins

I have been back a week but I have not slowed down a minute since landing so I decided I had better take some time this weekend and post my travel blog about Tokyo. In one sentence, I must say it was one of the cleanest city with these nicest people! Wow, it was a great trip.

I started from Moscow and headed to Frankfurt. When I first started planning my trip, Aeroflot did not run non-stop flights between Moscow and Tokyo. One of the better connections was on Lufthansa through Frankfurt, which would also make for a great short visit to see Jetta, Piage and Liam (sister, niece and nephew). Well, by the time I actually booked the tickets, Aeroflot had direct flights and to mix and match Aeroflot and Lufthansa got to be very expensive and if I stayed just with Lufthansa then I had to fly back through Frankfurt on my return trip, which did not get me in until very late.

I still wanted to visit Jetta and the kids, so I bought a round trip between Moscow and Frankfurt and then another round trip between Moscow and Tokyo. It was great seeing the kids

Fruits of our Labor

and being with them to celebrate Halloween. I have not carved pumpkins in ages and then to roast pumpkin seeds. It made my day when Liam asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. I told him I had not really thought about it and offered for me to borrow his darth vadar mask and life sabar. As we talked more about it, he then thought I might want to be a "buckeye" since he was dressing up like Brutus Buckeye. He finally just told me to bring a black shirt and black pants and we will decide when I am here. As you can see in the pictures, we decided on a buckeye (a crazy nut, that sort of fits me...lol).

We did not do much, but we stayed busy. It is always good to see the kids and they both continue to grow up fast!

From Frankfurt, I flew back to Moscow but of course I flew into one of the international airports and then had to fly out of a different one, which is as far northwest as the other one is southest. After I scheduled the flights, although I left plenty of

Halloween

time intween, I thought maybe that was a bad decision. I scheduled Misha because I knew I could rely on him and did not think there would be much traffic. Misha came through but the traffic was a lot worse than I expected. I sat in the back seat of the car changing out certain things from one suitcase to a different suitcase. Thankful the traffic was not too bad and I made it right on time, but there should have been closer to four hours and I am really glad I did not schedule the next later flight from Frankfurt to Moscow because I would have never made my next flight. With it on different airlines and two different tickets, the one airline would not have been able to help had there been any problems.

Again, I find out how large Russia really is as we fly across most of it and then head south to Japan, which took 9.5 hours. I also never realized Russia boarded (by a sea) with Japan so except some international water (Sea of Japan) we flew in Russian airspace the entire time until landing in Tokyo. I knew Russia boarded China, but

Brutus and his Buckey

it curves down and around China to Korea as well. Russia is a HUGE country! Thankful no problems on the plane or trip and I did get five or six hours of sleep.

My tour guide that I set up for Tuesday offered to meet me at the airport and help me get to my hotel. He was great and was a big help. Tokyo is not bad not knowing the language but it was not the most English friendly. The biggest difference between say Moscow and Tokyo, people wanted to help you and you could trust them, the police, etc. There were no pushy taxi "official" drivers and the airport was new, clean, well organized, and modern. So it was just this big difference in one's initial opinion.

When I found my international phone did not work in Japan, I rented a local one "just in case." It came in handy but was not really necessary. In Japan you will find EVERYONE carries a phone and uses them but I never once heard one ring. The best part, I never heard that stupid ICQ "ut'o" or whatever it is when you get a message. I bet 90%

At the Airport

Liam, Piage and Jetta

of time on the train to/from Moscow and Obninsk that is all I hear for two hours. Now, when I say everyone used them, it is not necessarily to talk, they do a lot of messaging and in a lot of public places such as on the metro, you are not allowed to talk on them. Again, they are very polite people and very respective of other around them, which was a nice change.

As for the metro, they were so clean and well organized. They had signs telling you what carriage you would want to get on when you were making connections and/or which one was closer to the exit for certain siteseeing sites, etc. They were on time to the minute and the most amazing part was the lines they formed on both sides of the door so that the people on the train could get off while everyone else waiting to get on just stood in a single file line. It was the most amazing thing, none of this mob approach forming a wedge all trying to squeeze on first.

There was once I was standing "in the line" to get on and the platform

Tuna Auction

This was wild and well worth getting up at 5 AM to see, as they brought the fish in off the boats and had tuna auctions.

conductor came up to me and asked if I needed any assistance. It was obvious I was a tourist, but I did not have a map or anything, but he just wanted to make sure I did not have any questions. But the best example of their helpfulness is when I came out of the metro there was a map of the area. (By the way, this was really nice because there were maps all over the city and always at the exit/entrance to the metro stops so you could find your way fairly easily as you exited the station.) I was not lost, but I was looking for a restaurant the hotel had recommended. This guy (just a normal citizen, not a police officer or anything) came up and asked if he could help. I showed him the restaurant and he told me it just a few blocks down on the left. I did not see it so I still had a little puzzled look on my face but it matched with my directions so I started that way. He then asked, do you want me go with you and show you. I told him it was not necessary,

Fish Market

You talk about a crazy place, they had everything and anything you can image and even some stuff you could not image or want to know what it was. Talk about being fresh, some was still alive and they would kill it right there for you.

but he decided to go anyways. When we get there, it is closed. He tells me not to worry, there is another very good one just around the corner that he will show me, and he does. As I shake his hand to say thank you and goodbye, he said, now you know how to get back, correct? For all I knew, he was going to wait for me to walk me back, which he did not but it was amazing he walked and talked with me when he had no plans to go this way. But that is how most of the people were!

The hotel I selected was right in the center of the business district (Shinjuku) and very close to the metro (the busiest one in Tokyo) so there were plenty of trains to/from it to get home if I could ever pick the closest exit. If not, it was a walk! The price at the hotel was very good in my opinion at $65/night for being in the center. It was mostly a bed (queen size) with a bathroom that was smaller than the one I had on the cruise ship, but it did not

Imperial Palace

Sort of their "White House" or "Kremlin".

job. For as close as it was to everything, it was very quiet and like most things in Tokyo, very clean and very friendly. I just loved it, not only at the hotel, but everywhere, when ever they would hand you something like a pen to sign your credit card receipt, they would sort of bow and hold it with both hands that were formed into sort of a cup formation.

Needless to say, I was greatly impressed with their customer service! The other thing that was interesting, they do not accept tips. It is almost like an insult to them to even offer a tip. So even with just great customer service, they do not expect or even want a tip; it is part of their job and everyone is very proud of the job they have. Now I am sure this is not true with everyone, but as a general statement this was very true with the people I met.

I have to tell a funny story about customs. I decided to get a massage and use the fitness center/sauna. Like most places, you had to take your shoes off as you entered. No big deal,

Meiji Temple

"The shrine building, built in a peaceful and holy site surrounded by trees deep within the shrine precinct, is a representative example of unique Japanese shrine architecture. Its style is called Nagarezukuri, and madeby Japanese cypress wood from Kiso."

I am use to that here in Russia. After that you put your shoes in a little shoe locker and get house shoes. From there you check in to get your locker, key and a uniform, yes, a uniform. I sort of followed what everyone else was doing and I went to my locker and put on my uniform and now you take off your houseshoes, but before you walk around barefooted, you must wash your feet and if you use the toilet area, you must put on a different set of houseshoes that they provide at the entrance to the bathroom and of course wash you feet when you leave.

I thought it was sort of strange to have this uniform that you took on/off as you entered the sauna or whirlpool, but I went with the flow. When it came time for my massage, I went back to my locker to get a towel and take off my uniform. I knocked on the door and entered to see this guy's eyes get huge and started to get all exciting and yelling, "no, no, no; you put on clothes, you clothes, you clothes!" So I went back to

Senso-ji Temple

Walking from Nakamise-dori, which had all of the good tourist shopping stuff.

my locker to get my uniform and go back. Not only did I get a massage with my uniform on, but he also put several warm towels over me and massaged me through all of this. It was not bad, but very different. Someone later told me they apply pressure to pressure points and it is not really a massage like we normally think of which is why you are fully clothed. It was no big deal, but funny.

The other technology I really like is PASMO (that may not be spelled correctly) card. I may not have this exactly correct so if someone is reading this and can clarifiy, please do. But in their phones, they could scan their phones for just about everything from vending machines to train tickets. You just scanned your phone which had a certain amount of money placed on it. It was very convenient system. I would just hate to loose my phone.

So that is my impression of the city. If it were not so far away, I would definitely go back and I am sure I will go back but it will not be something that I just do over

Five-Story Pagoda

This replica of teh original was constructed in 1973 in the Senso-ji Temple area.

a weekend. I will be posting a second posting for the real reason I went to Tokyo to see Cirque and wow was that an experience so hold on and it will posted here shortly as well!

If I may quote my guide, "...because in this city of high-energy, high-fashion, high-technology, and high-prices, you will also find vistas of unparalleled seenity and natural beauty. Tokyo's temples and parks are extensive and well-groomed...and respected by the locals and visitors." He was so right!

Before I forget, speaking of high prices, I actually did not find Tokyo that expensive. Yes, it was a big city with big city prices, but I did not think overpriced and much much cheaper than Moscow. If you wanted, you could spend large amounts, but if you went off the main street, you could find some great food at very reasonable prices. And yes, I did have sushi for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I even tried sea urchint (sp?) and although the flavor was okay, the texture was more like watery sand. My favorite was the tuna but I think that was because I got to see it being auctioned that morning. Needless to