Touring the Classic Japan... (Part 1)

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I am a history nut. I love everything history. When the opportunity to travel to Japan came up, I grabbed it without hesitation. Will not really, I hesitated at first because it was a guided tour. I am a free bird. I am used to traveling on my own. You know… with a map on right hand and translation book for idiots on the left. I didn’t want to waste any time shopping or be entangled in tourist traps. But what caught my eyes about the travel itinerary was no mentioning of shopping (Score!). Temples, Castle and hot springs leaped out of the pages begging me to visit. I was drooling from just looking at the food pictures from the brochure. I took the chance and signed up for the tours. I enjoyed every aspect of the tour and look forward to traveling to Japan again with Supervalue Tours, the tour organizer.

So bear with me as I share with you my experience on The Classic 9 Days Tours by Supervalue Tours.

First Day in Japan
After the looong transpacific flight from Canada to Tokyo, I was ripe as a fallen orange. If only I smelled like one. Anyways we met our Tour Guide, Akira at the Airport. He was nice and courteous and escorted all of us to the Hotel which was near the airport. Thank god. After the long flight all I wanted was a hot shower and relax for a bit. First Night hotel we stayed at Hilton Narita, it’s about 15 minutes from the Airport. But not before having a small panic attack because we were on the wrong side of the road. In North America we drive on the right side of the road. But not Japan, like the British they drive on the left. One we arrived at Hilton Narita, I noticed the hotel lobby was both contemporary and unpretentious. Warm color glow lights up the grand atrium and a rock garden right in the middle of it all. That night we had a warm comforting dinner of mini-hotpot. With my belly full of yummy grub, I retired back to my room to sleep off my exhausting flight.

Second Day in Japan
I woke up next morning feeling refreshed, glance over at the clock. It reads 4:00am (!@#$% stupid Jetlag). After watching the only English language channel available on TV, CNN News, for 2 hours I headed downstairs for breakfast. The breakfast buffet offers a whole variety of food catered to the international travelers. I had a little bit of everything from traditional Japanese breakfast of rice porridge and fish to Western Breakfast of bacon and eggs. If only I had 4 hands to carry the trays.

After over-indulging in breakfast I rolled myself through the lobby and boarded the bus to begin the tour. As we head toward Tokyo from Narita we had a clear day with some clouds, which was lucky for us because we got a chance to see the Mount Fuji from afar. First stop of the day was the Tokyo Imperial Palace; which is previously known as Edo Castle, the main stronghold of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 – 1868). We arrived at the outer garden of the Imperial Palace; the park is filled with rows and rows of oversize bonsai tree. The nice little strolls through the park make me feel like a garden gnome passing through a magic forest (And no I was not high… just overstuffed). We weren’t allowed to enter the palace but allow taking pictures of its outer wall and the bridge at the entrance. The whole area is crowded with tourist of various nationalities, all pushing and shoveling hoping to take an unadulterated picture of the bridge which looks like John Lennon spectacles.

After the leaving the imperial palace area, the bus headed to the Historical District of Asakusa. Asakusa is home to the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, The Sensoji Temple. The Temple was built around the early 6th Centuries in dedication to goddess of mercy. On both end of the Asakusa are two large wooden gates. First gate is Kannondo, which hangs a pair gigantic sandal made of straw and the other is Kaminarimon, which hangs a giant lantern. For centuries worshippers has flocked to the temple to seek blessing and to celebrate the many temple festivals. Both the temple and the gates have not stood well in the test of time. The Hamainarimon gate was rebuilt in 1950 after it was damage in World War 2 by allied bombing.
Between the two gates are the shopping streets that Asakusa is famous for. Like the temples and gates itself, Vendors has occupied these street for centuries. Providing goods and treats for the pilgrims and tourist. There are many small restaurants located in the side street surrounds the shopping area. For lunch we were given the 2 options to choose from 2 different restaurants; one is Sashimi set with tofu or Kamameshi (baked rice Pot). The two restaurants own by the same family, is renowned for their tofu making skills. Both restaurant situated on opposite end of the street and can seats about 20 customers at a time. I decided to try the Kamameshi, it was warm and hearty. The sweet aroma of the rice dish had me drooling before the waitress removed the clay cover. Every mouthful was both sweet and savory. I did not waste a single grain of rice.

After lunch we head over to Ginza, the most luxurious shopping districts in the whole wide world!!! I bought a small smoking pipe for my dad for father’s day and it cost me about 300.00 USD. Not cheap. The streets are filled with chic cafés and designer boutique stores. Even though I was just window shopping… I felt underdressed.

Tokyo is the capital of Japan, with a population of 12 Millions; it’s the largest populated Metropolis in the world. It’s a magnificent concrete forest with neon signs and banners lights up the street at night. If you’re short and dark hair like me it’s easy to blend in Tokyo. On tour, the Tour guide was explaining about the Japanese people and culture. I was surprised at how order and form Tokyo people are. No Jay walking, no annoying honking of the car horn. The people here are discipline and polite to the fault. The unity of the people during tough time is admirable, they don’t point finger at each other when things goes wrong. Instead they work on how to solve the problem, which to me is much more effective. Even in a metropolis like Tokyo concrete build and neon lights and all. There is a small forest area. An oasis would be the best way to describe it; The Meiji Shrine. The shrine built in 1920 is dedicated to the First Modern Emperor of Japan, Emperor Meiji (1852 – 1912) and his consort Empress Shoken. The Shrine is located on a 175 acre garden and visited by the local and tourist alike. From the main entrance of park toward the Shrine is a 10 minutes’ walk. We passed through walls of large Sake Barrels donated to the temple and various species of trees that have brought in from various part of Japan. As we come toward the Shrine, we notice a wedding in procession. According to the Tour guide, young couples from all over Japan comes to Tokyo to wed at the Shrine in hopes to gain the blessing of the old emperor for marriage prosperity and fertility. During the hour time we spend visiting the shrine, I forgotten that I was actually in the heart of Tokyo. The common noises associated with a city this size is drown out by the sound of nature. I came to appreciate the subtlety of the Japanese culture. How it pay attention to details big or small. I could sit here forever but Shinjuku awaits me.

Shinjuku a district that never sleeps; it’s filled with night’s clubs, bars, pubs and various eateries. It’s a major entertainment district of Tokyo. Hight rises with eye bleeding bright neon lights, Shopping malls and boutique stores lines the streets there is always something for everyone. And for the more risqué crowd, Shinjuku is also known for its red light district. We were given the chance to dine on our own at Shinjuku. I choice a Japanese style beer house; which offered all kinds of skewers and tapa dishes. The specialty of this restaurant is free range chicken Sashimi. Growing up in Canada this type of dish is unheard of, however in Japan it’s a delicacy. I gave it a try and was quite surprise by it. The sauce that was used was a ginger mixed with soy sauce. The chicken sashimi had a nice texture and the meat was a bit sweet. It compliments the local brew and warm sake quite well. That evening we stayed at Keio Plaza which is right at the entertainment area of Shinjuku. After waking up at 4am, I was very tired. And luckily the tour pace was very casual we didn’t rush from one site to another. With the close proximity of the hotel and the evening activities, I know I don’t have to walk a great distant or rush back to hotel to get a peaceful nice sleep.

To be continued…

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