Advertisement
Published: July 16th 2006
Edit Blog Post
I spent a week in Tokyo, first with my friends and then with my mum, who came to take me home. Tokyo has to be one of my favourite places so far, probably because it was here, after 10 days in Japan that I started finally getting to grips with Japanese culture - I love it!
As our guide book says, you have to be open minded in Japan and do your best not to come with preconceptions - easier said than done! I realised that as soon as you make one assumption, something will happen to prove you wrong. For instance, we found the Japanese very pro recycling - we spent ages on the streets emptying our lunch bag trying to figure out which of the 3 bins the napkins (combustible) and plastic bottles (non-combustible) could go into. However, we would also spend a painfully long 15 minutes watching them wrap a shopping item in 3 layers of plastic packaging because you said it was a gift, when really it was for yourself. In Harajuku, we saw lots of young people dress up in costumes inspired by characters from manga - only to then watch the teenagers exchange business
cards and bow to each other. Another interesting experience was queueing politely to board the train at rush hour, only to be shoved on by at least 5 people behind me before I even had time to decide whether there was a tiny space I could squeeze into!
The most curious tradition to me as a foreigner has to be their religion. Most Japanese are not religious, but if you thought this might mean they are atheist, then you would be wrong. Instead, they prefer to hedge their bets with a variety of religions, and so it is quite normal to have a Shinto baptism (Japanese religion), a Christian wedding in a chapel and a Buddhist funeral!
Tokyo
Tokyo was just as I imagined it with lots of high rise buildings and adverts glaring day and night. Meiji-Jingu shrine was quite simple and the public are not allowed to go inside. Sensoji was a bit more interesting, as it had a few buildings and incense burning outside which gave you good health for a year if the smoke went on you. Before entering, or going up
the steps to a shrine, everyone must wash their hands and mouth to cleanse themselves. Sensoji also had lots of Japanese souvenir shops around it to amuse us, where we spent ages looking for chopsticks!
We visited Happoen gardens, thinking they were public gardens but it turned out they belonged to a hotel. They were lovely and peaceful when I first went, with 500 year old bonsais. When I took my mum on a Saturday it was bustling with tourists and 2 wedding ceremonies. One girl had on a gorgeous kimono, the other a Western wedding dress, but apparently they often wear both in one day.
The Tsukiji fish markets were unlike anything I have ever seen. Although most of the hustle was between 5 and 8am, at 9.30 when we finally made it there it was still heaving with people. Rows upon rows of fishmongers, with the biggest fish I've ever seen, bigger than me and then others which was still alive. One guy offered us some to try but we politely said we were vegetarians - cowardly I know, but it was bloody and probably very raw!
Shopping in Tokyo is unfortunately a no-go. I
was tempted by their clothes because absolutely everyone is smartly dressed and the women look gorgeous, but even if I could afford their steep prices, the outfits I saw just didn't suit anyone who had any hint of a curve. As Meera discovered when asking to try on a pair of shoes, the lady giggled as she said they had no higher than size 36.
My mum and I also went to an onsen where we got to try fish feeding - as in letting fish nibble on our feet. It was very strange at first, but my big left toe seemed to give them enough to munch on for 15 minutes!
My friend Keiko and her husband also kindly took us out for the day. We had a fantastic time - the highlights being a tea ceremony at the Imperial hotel and watching Kabuki Theatre at the Imperial Theatre. Both were great experiences, but it did prove to me beyond a doubt that I really do not like green tea! During the tea ceremony we had to kneel on tatami mats (it was so painful after more than 2 minutes that I had to accept their offer
of letting foreigners sit more comfortably), and 2 ladies prepared the tea with special utensils while we ate a Japanese sweet. The Kabuki theatre was great - we watched a 2 hour play with an ear piece that provided a translation and a commentary throughout the performance. My mum and I loved it, more than some of the locals who missed some of the detail because it was in old Japanese.
Keiko and her mother also kindly entertained me for a day in Kamakura - one of the old capitals of Japan. It is a pretty city, and there we visited many shrines and temples - some with spectacular views of the city surrounded by mountains and the sea.
Only 3 more days to go after this, and then its home sweet home!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.18s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 13; qc: 65; dbt: 0.0695s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Maman d'Eric
non-member comment
J'aime le Japon !
Les photos que tu as prises sont superbes, Eleni ! Ou bien tu as un excellent appareil photo ! Non, je plaisante. Cela m'a l'air vraiment superbe, le Japon ! La culture est vraiment fascinante. J'ai envie de faire une aquarelle de la photo du jardin Happoen ! Bon retour puisque pour toi c'est la fin de ce merveilleux voyage ! Bisous xxxxxx et a bientot !