Tokyo, Japan- Day 2

Japan Entry- July 2, 2010

Japan, as of yet (and by that I mean Tokyo) has been nothing but enjoyable. This morning we met up with Pete’s friend Albert and his wife Celia (two locals) and were lead on an amazing tour of downtown Tokyo. We walked through several shopping and fashion districts, and were lucky enough to be visiting on the first day of summer sale. This translates into complete craziness. After entering a mall, you are surrounded by streamers, bright banners, blaring techno music, and young Japanese women standing on chairs with bullhorns yelling invitations to come into their stores. It is overwhelming and humorous. The shoppers themselves seem to be part of some fashion show, dressed in their very best as they browse the racks. We walked two floors before we were scared out of there.

We then wandered a few more streets and discussed the ins and outs of Japanese culture. It is truly a beautiful and courteous culture. No detail is spared in every part of daily life. The people are incredibly polite and welcoming, and very proud to be Japanese. We went for sushi for lunch and enjoyed the best eel I have ever had, as well as toro tuna that melted on your tongue. As with our other Japanese meals, each flavor is distinctive and clean. There are no additions to lessen the purity of high quality ingredients, and it makes for a satisfying and very tasty meal.

After that, we headed to a Park that holds a Shinto shrine. On the way there, we walked through a hippie market celebrating Earth Day. I indulged in a snowcone (orange flavor) as we “window” shopped stand to stand. There were different gathering of musicians and the style here was strictly Bohemian. As we were exiting, Pete was approached by two men with bold hair and a TV camera. They wanted his opinion on which style of six different men’s haircuts he found most appealing. Pete deferred to me, and next thing I know, I am on video voting for these hairstyles by placing a gold dot next to my first and second favorites. There was an awkward silence at the end that I filled with bowing, waving, and uttering “Origato”. It was all caught on film. We got a good laugh from it, and no worries, Pete made his own video that I am sure he will be sharing.

Finally, we made it to the shrine. The park surrounding it is vast and beautiful with tall trees and a silence that makes you forget you are in one of the most bustling cities in the world. We walked and walked. We saw several traditional wedding ceremonies talking place, and were in awe by the precision and balance of the design. We enjoyed a lovely, long exit and went into another fashion district that draws a younger crowd. I am told the area was largely influenced by hip hop culture, but it has faded in recent years. Now, it seems to be known for hosting numerous, competing crepe stands. One of which we ordered and enjoyed a chocolate sauce, banana, vanilla ice cream crepe from.

We continued to walk into a more upscale shopping area. We wandered in and out of side streets, people watching and observing fashion and acts of civility. At one point, a woman sat next to us and lit up a cigarette. As to not litter (the streets are clean enough to eat off), she pulled out an ashtray to put her ashes in. We ended the night at a local sukiyaki. It specializes in small plates, mostly grilled meats and tofu dishes. We had some amazing peppery, dry rub chicken wings, as well as a variety of grilled chicken. Pete had several tofu dishes, of which our favorite was tempura tofu skin.

At the end of the day, we are full, a little tipsy, and very tired with sore feet. It is all okay, as tomorrow morning we wake up early to head to Hakone. We will spend tomorrow afternoon in a traditional Japanese onsen (healing hot springs) at the base of Mount Fuji.