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Published: January 13th 2006
Lost in Translation
Gazing over Tokyo from Park Hyatt Greetings from Ikebukuro, Tokyo. We've been here for one week, ｓｌｅｅｐｉｎｇ ｏｎ ｔａｔａｍｉ ｍａｔｓ，and taking in the sights one by one, trying to not get sucked into the vortex of intensity that is Tokyo. Ｗｅ ｈａｄ ａ ｒｅｓｔｏｒａｔｉｖｅ ｓｔａｙ ａｔ ｔｈｅ ｉｎｆａｍｏｕｓ Ｐａｒｋ Ｈｙａｔｔ － ｔｈｅ ｖｉｅｗ ｗａｓ ａｍａｚｉｎｇ． 27 million people populate the central city, and we've been a bit lost in translation, for lack of a better phrase. Ｔｏｋｙｏ ｉｓ ａｌｌ ａｂｏｕｔ ｆｏｏｄ ａｎｄ ｆａｓｈｉｏｎ． Ｏn one hand ｉｔ ｉｓ steeped in a historicity deeper than anything we can comprehend, but one the other hand is a string of Time Square's, pachinko parlors (the popular gambling sensation), crazy convenience stores selling dress shirts and sushi to go, and arcades wｅ ｗｅｎｔ ａ ｌｉｔｔｌｅ ｃｒａｚｙ ｏｕｒｓｅｌｖｅｓ ｏｎ ｔｈｅ ｂｏｎｇｏ ｄｒｕｍ ｇａｍｅ． Ｅｖｅｒｙｏｎｅ ｉｓ ｓｏ ｋｉｎｄ ａｎｄ ｇｒａｃｉｏｕｓ．
Ｏｔｈｅｒ ｔｈａｎ ｔｈｅ Ｐａｒｋ Ｈｙａｔｔ， ｗｅ’ｖｅ ｓｔａｙｅｄ ａｔ ｔｈｅ Ｋｉｍｉ Ｒｙｏｋａｎ， ｗｈｉｃｈ ｉｓ ｓｔａｒｔｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｆｅｅｌ ａ ｌｉｔｔｌｅ ｌｉｋｅ ｈｏｍｅ ｈｅｒｅ． Ｉｔ’ｓ ａ ｖｅｒｙ ｓｉｍｐｌｅ， ｎｏ－ｆｒｉｌｌｓ， ｔｒａｄｉｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ ｇｕｅｓｔ－ｈｏｕｓｅ， ｗｉｔｈ ｒｉｃｅ ｐａｐｅｒ ｓｌｉｄｉｎｇ ｄｏｏｒｓ， ｔａｔａｍｉ ｍａｔｓ ｔｏ ｓｌｅｅｐ ｏｎ，ａｎｄ ａ ｖｅｒｙ ｔｉｎｙ ｔｉｎｙ ｌｉｔｔｌｅ ｒｏｏｍ． Ｃｏｍｍｕｎａｌ ｂａｔｈ ａｎｄ ｓｈｏｗｅｒ， ｆｒｅｓｈ ｆｌｏｗｅｒｓ ｓｃａｔｔｅｒｅｄ ａｂｏｕｔ， ｄａｒｋ ｗｏｏｄｅｎ ｆｌｏｏｒｓ， ｈｏｔ ｗａｔｅｒ／ｇｒｅｅｎ ｔｅａ ｍａｃｈｉｎｅ． Ｕｐｏｎ ａｒｒｉｖａｌ ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｇｉｖｅｎ ｏｕｒ ｃｕｓｔｏｍａｒｙ Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ ｒｏｂｅ ｔｏ ｗｅａｒ ａｎｄ ｌｅｆｔ ｏｕｒ ｓｈｏｅｓ ａｔ ｔｈｅ ｄｏｏｒ．
After wandering the streets for a few days, we ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｖｉｓｉｔ the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine and garden, Senso-ji and Asakusa Jinja Shrines. The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace were beautiful even in winter. The grounds felt sacred, a quiet spot in the middle of a resounding city, the grounds once guarded by over 1,000 samurai.
Yesterday, we placed our fortune and wishes for 2006 at the Meiji Shrine, and then headed to the spiritual center of Asakusa and met a friendly salary man, Hideo, who taught us the significance of the statues and symbols surrounding the temple and shrine. We
picked our fortunes in front of the Buddhist temple and apparently Amanda is going to have a really bad year, nothing good can come of anything, but Rich, on the other hand received a "regular fortune," which ｃａｎｃｅｌｅｄ ｏｕｔ Ａｍａｎｄａ’ｓ ｂａｄ ｏｎｅ， ｓｏ ｗｅ’ｌｌ ｂｅ ｏｋａｙ ａｆｔｅｒａｌｌ． Hideo found Amanda's luck to be worth a serious giggle fit.
At the Meiji Shrine we ｒｅｃｅｉｖｅｄ ａ ｗａｋａ poem written by the Emperor Meiji himself:
”Ｔｏ ｆｅｅｌ ｎｏ ｔｒａｃｅ ｏｆ ｓｈａｍｅ／Ｂｅｆｏｒｅ ｔｈｅ ｕｎｓｅｅｎ ｋａｍｉ－／Ｓｕｃｈ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｍｅａｓｕｒｅ／Ｏｆ ｔｒｕｅ－ｈｅａｒｔｅｄｎｅｓｓ．” Ｈｍｍｍｍ．
Rich's Japanese has gotten us through a few possibly troublesome situations in the subways, and he has taking to slurping up his noodles in style with the salary men in noodle shops. Ｅｉｇｏｇａ ｗａｋａｒｉｍａｓｋａ （ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｕｎｄｅｒｓｔａｎｄ Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ？）．We once considered ourselves sushi lovers, but we never really had sushi, apparently. Ｔｈｅ ｗｈｏｌｅ ｏｃｔｏｐｕｓ ｗａｓ ａ ｌｉｔｔｌｅ ｔｏｕｇｈ ｔｏ ｇｅｔ ｄｏｗｎ． We did like shabu shabu， ｒａｗ ｂｅｅｆ， ｐｏｒｋ， ｃｈｉｃｋｅｎ ｔｈａｔ ｗｅ ｃｏｏｋｅｄ ｏｕｒｓｅｌｖｅｓ ｉｎ ｂｏｉｌｉｎｇ ｗａｔｅｒ... Carli showed us a great time. All you can eat and drink for two hours.
Ｎｅｘｔ ｓｔｏｐ ｐｏｓｓｉｂｌｙ ｔｈｅ ｓｕｍｏ ｔｏｕｒｎａｍｅｎｔ， ｏｒ ａ ｓｈｒｉｎｅ ｗｈｅｒｅ ｔｈｅ ｍｅｎ ｔａｋｅ ｏｆｆ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｃｌｏｔｈｅｓ ａｎｄ ｇｅｔ ｓｐｌａｓｈｅｄ ｗｉｔｈ ｃｏｌｄ ｗａｔｅｒ －－ ａｎｄ ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｃｏｌｄｅｓｔ ｗｉｎｔｅｒ ｉｎ Ｔｏｋｙｏ ｓｉｎｃｅ １９４６．
Ｍｏｒｅ ｔｏ ｃｏｍｅ， ａｓ ｗｅ’ｒｅ ｏｆｆ ｔｏ Ｋｙｏｔｏ （ｐｏｓｓｉｂｌｙ） ｉｎ ａ ｆｅｗ ｄａｙｓ．
Ｒｉｃｈ + Ａｍａｎｄａ
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anonymous
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Cool! It sounds like you are having so much fun! There are actually some really good jazz music there too, should try to go to some. Have fun in Kyoto! It's beautiful there.. ( i met a monk that spoke 10 languages at one of the shrines when I visited). Miss ya! mi