Tradition

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Geo: 35.6895, 139.692

Japan is a country based upon tradition - it's something you see everyday here, with the Japanese leading very regimented lives, and having very specific, almost ritualistic, ways of doing things. There's something to be said for doing things a certain way, simply for the fact that it's how things have always been done; however, one of the amazing aspects of Japanese culture is that, while they have incredible respect for tradition, they are always pushing the boundaries of everything, from fashion to music to pop culture to technology. Normally tradition and the future don't mesh well together, but it somehow works beautifully in Japan, and this contrast makes for an amazing traveler experience.

Today was perhaps the best example of both ends of the Japanese spectrum, as we spent our final morning in Kyoto before heading to the bright lights of Tokyo. As we left our guesthouse, the owner followed us out the door, continually thanking us and bowing in that way that only the Japanese can, until we disappeared around the corner, a block away. They certainly have a way of making guests feel like VIPs, and it just seems to be something very ingrained into their culture.

We spent the rest of the morning touring Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto's Golden Pavilion, one of the city's most famous symbols, and the Northern Higashiyama district, an area positively oozing with character and tradition. It was a sharp contrast as soon as we stepped aboard our Shinkansen train bound for Tokyo, a high-speed train representing the pinnacle of technology, that regularly runs at over 300 km/hr, but is capable of traveling at speeds up to 580 km/hr.

After zipping into Tokyo and checking into our hotel, we eventually ended up in Shibuya for the night, just one of Tokyo's many famous neighbourhoods, and the stereotypical image everyone has of big city Japan - packed with flashing neon lights and billboards, and loud pachinko parlours, it's the furthest you can get from traditional Japan ...

Though New Year's Eve was a bit of a dud tonight - it doesn't seem that the Japanese are big on outdoor gatherings to ring in the New Year, though I'm sure there were some World-famous DJs spinning in massive club parties around town - counting down the last few seconds in 2013 best encapsulated the Japanese mentality on tradition and the future. You respect and commemorate the past, but all the while, excitedly keeping an eye to the future and all the wonderful new possibilities to come ...

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Photos

Kinkaku-ji ...
... Kyoto's brilliant gold temple.

Urban Legend? ...
... there's always been talk that women are groped in busy Tokyo subway cars during rush hour, and perhaps this is confirmation of that fact - women-only cars.

Creepy ...
.... I occasionally accidentally snap a picture, and was surprised to come across one of this guy as I reviewed the day's photos. Positively creepy, especially the angle of the photo.

Takashiyama ...
... may be the ritziest Japanese department store of them all, and is a shining example of brilliant Japanese marketing. A good portion of the food hall is reserved for bakery goods and sweets, but those are further divided into different sections with an associated brand. You could potentially buy a dozen different croissants from a dozen different Parisian-based bakers within the food hall - so you could buy a Fauchon croissant or a Paul croissant, depending on your preference. Quite frankly, all of the croissants looked the same, and none of them looked that good, so I question whether or not they are really different, or all just made by the same place but carefully branded differently. Either way, it's clear that the Japanese are masters of marketing and have an innate ability to make you want to buy things.

A Bargain ...
... in Japan's fancy department stores, their gourmet food markets sell these "cheap" cantaloupes - for the bargain price of about $55 CAD each! The most expensive ones we've seen so far are about $125 each - even though each one is beautifully-packaged and perfectly-shaped, with not even a blemish or the smallest indent on it, there is no way it could be tasty enough to justify the hefty price tag. Not sure which is more overpriced here - cantaloupes, or the strawberries that sell for $9 each!

The World is Ending ....
... a Japanese train is six minutes late!!! Scoff if you will, but in Japan trains are timed to the second, so we were actually quite surprised to see this.

Treated Like VIPs ...
... noticing how cold we were when walking into this boutique/cafe, the workers quickly scurried over with small blankets to help us warm up.

Cool But Odd Drink ....
... almost hypnotic like a lava lamp, with those basil seeds suspended in this lychee liquid like countless little eyes. The drink actually tasted quite good, but was quite viscous - almost phlegm-like.

Breakfast ...
... at Kohikan, a chain-type coffee shop we came across in Kyoto. The pancakes and toast and eggs were nothing special, but the coffee was phenomenal - we tried a charcoal-roasted variety.

Fast Food, Sort Of ...
... we'd walked pass this super-busy little cafe several times the past few days in Kyoto, and finally got to try it for a quick lunch before our Tokyo-bound train. In not much more time than it takes to get your food at McDonald's, lunch rapidly started appearing at our table - gyoza and a couple of alcoholic sodas appeared first, one was Calpis (a milky and slightly-tart refreshing soda) and blackcurrant.

Noodle Soups ...
... pork ramen and an almost Chinese-style one that had a bit of an egg foo young quality to it, with seafood, vegetables, mushy beef, and tons of egg. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes.

Burnt Tongues ...
... all-you-can-eat shabu shabu, combined with the fact that we arrived with only about 45 minutes before the restaurant closed (typical dining limit is 90 or 120 minutes, depending on what price you pay), made for some painful dining tonight. Two types of broth, and all the chicken, pork, beef, noodles, and assorted veggies you can handle. Even Japanese curry and rice was available!

Random Leftover Ice Cream ...
... dessert was also included in the price, but there wasn't anything good left by the time we finished dinner so we ended up with a random cup of tomato, lemon, and some other flavour I can't remember.