konnichiwa & arigato, my peeps….
these, by the way, were essentially the only two words i muttered in public during the week that was Japan.
like Hong Kong, Japan is indeed part of Asia…but that's about the only thing they have in common. think of it as a little more Europe, and a little less China. although communication in English is not so forthcoming, the people we did interact with were extremely courteous and friendly.
very civilized, very orderly. my kind of people.
case in point - our taxi ride to the hotel in Tokyo. our cab driver, an older gent, welcomes us to his land with a free pack of gum. a nice touch, not to mention the fresh breath.
and so, it began….
Tokyo: Beware - the Japanese vampire funboy
there's no denying the 'wow' factor that Tokyo presents. perhaps lessened slightly for a couple of kids from Hong Kong, but entirely clear as soon as we stepped out into the neon playground - that city has a beat. it is also massive. we get spoiled a little bit in our highly condensed world, where everything is 5 mins away via essentially free taxis. not the case in Tokyo, confirmed by the daily aches running through my arches. taxis are stupid expensive in Tokyo, so you're left to gaze at the city from underneath. the metro, a system of snakes & laddering all across the capital, handy to get where you need to go, but just not all that quick going down + across + up.
and so we rode & walked, & rode some more, hitting the spots on our consolidated list of must-sees. first thing i wanted to see, for whatever reason, was what i refer to as the 'times square' of Tokyo….or more accurately, Shibuya Crossing. you've all seen it…, a chaotic block of thousands of people crossing from one side of the street to the other. sounds fascinating doesn't it…, and so we went, and i can confirm the chaos. unlike the cool shots you may have seen from a movie, elevated above the street, when you're actually down amongst the masses, it's really not that sexy, you just gotta move.
this is just down the line from Kabukicho, the 'red-light' district. i know what you're thinking:
did i happen to stumble upon any undergarment vending machines…?
oh, that wasn't what you were thinking?
well, either way, i was unsuccessful.
not that i was considering myself to be a buyer, but more so an interest in uncovering the urban myth of whether people in Japan do in fact ante for panty. sadly, i can neither confirm or deny.
i can confirm that 'love hotels' do in fact exist. again, playing the role of less patron, more witness. from the outside, they don't seem all that different from a regular hotel, aside from the ability to 'rest' or 'stay'. the former is by the hour…for what i can only imagine is a power nap in-between walking your ass across the city.
amongst all of this, i didn't really have a problem with this part of town, that is, until the Japanese vampire funboys arrived. picture Lost Boys, only with subtitles, and cowboy boots. they came out from the darkness, every corner you turned, there they were. shuffling around in their boots, flipping their manes off the backs of their cool black leather, they huddled in groups handing out fliers to the innocent walking by. maybe it was the creepy factor, or perhaps the panic, but we actually did get lost in a sea of hair & rented love.
other highlights -
Tsujuki Fish Market - sushi, served fresh at 8am. i'll still choose pancakes, but when in rome i suppose…
Park Hyatt Hotel, 52nd floor - movie geeks will know this as the setting for about half of Lost in Translation, the epic classic of adultery & inappropriate friendship. Bill Murray, Suntory whiskey, piano bar…it's all there, and the view of the city is definitely worth the yen.
Hakone: cold feet for hot springs
the trip to Japan offered a fine balance of big city & little country. Hakone, about an hour south of Tokyo, is a little piece of green heaven and a stark contrast to the bustle we witnessed our first few days. the big thing about staying out this way is the 'tradition' it provides. forgo the chain hotel and stay at a ryokan Japanese inn. quaint doesn't really describe the setting of sliding doors and flatness. no chairs, instead, you get to sit on a pillow. no permanent bed either, it's folded up in the front closet. traditionally uncomfortable i have to admit, but very unique and glad we did it. the other very 'unique' feature of the ryokan is the hot springs, aka bath houses. not familiar with these? let me catch you up.
step 1 - throw on a kamono
step 2 - head down to the bath house
step 3 - disrobe
step 4 - crouch on a stool & wash self
step 5 - join the party in the tub
yes, the hot springs are a communal jam, where everyone's getting really friendly. i must admit, my first pass at bath time was a let down…i was the only dude in the place. lame.
second time through, success! another gentleman was keeping it warm for me, as i quickly slipped myself into the boil. was it awkward? perhaps a little bit…but in this case, it was elevated, given the fact he was a local, and thus not a lot of English happening. so, there we were. 2 guys, enjoying a bath side by side, unable to even share a clever 'boy, it's really hot in here…' quip. i'm pretty sure he snuck a peek.
finally, the last piece of tradition was what we ended up with on our plates that evening, and sadly, sushi does not make that list. very interesting dishes…most of which was a complete shot in the dark to I.D., but like camp, you either eat or go to bed hungry. so, we ate.
would i order it at a restaurant the next time i swing through Japan? no.
again, it's all part of the experience.
wrapping up the evening, we checked the cliche box, by watching Lost in Translation….
Kyoto: [fill in Accord-related joke later]
i must admit, Kyoto was the most surprising part of the entire trip. not knowing much about the place, i went in thinking it would be a poor man's Tokyo, but i'm here to tell you it has some serious game. it reminded me a lot of Brussels (or is it Bruges). a rich history, being the former capital of Japan, with hundreds of shrines popping up all over the landscape. mix in an amazing amount of small restaurants, bars, and shops tucked away on small cobbleston'esque roads, and you have an amazing little town. the big thing in the area of the city called Gion is the tendency to see the elusive Geisha running from client to client. misunderstood, there is still something that seems very taboo about the profession, although i am lead to believe it's fairly PG-13 these days. still, i was intrigued when out of the corner of a dark alley, we say the billowing white umbrella pop-up, and a woman in traditional garb making a jailbreak. the only piece of Japanese lore that didn't stumble across our paths would be the mighty sumo. the big boys, when not in a tourney, train at stables, mostly in Tokyo. something for next time. final bit to add, we met a local bar keep named Kenji-son in an Italian Bistro, an odd choice, but a good one. as we sipped on sake, exchanging broken English stories of life and adventure, he was kind enough to give us a few freebies courtesy of the house. finishing like we started, another local putting the 'free' in freedom.
so that's that. another Asian country done & dusted.
now we're really getting into the dregs….
as always, enjoy my non-Facebook album HERE
