I visited the districts of Asakusa, Ginza, Shibuya, Roppongi and Shinjuku early in my trip. I enjoyed each one for its own uniqueness. The similarities I did notice were found in its style of visual communication and the busy, hectic pace. The major attraction that we all loved unanimously was the Tskukiji Fish Market in the Chūō area. So much amazingness to see and take in. The dynamic market scene with the smells and sounds of the crowds were mesmerizing. We loved the browsing the stands for souvenirs, everyday household goods, snacks and seaweed. I highly recommend the Chuka Soba Inoue ramen noodle stand not too far away from the market for your noodle fix. It was worth the wait: the savoury, rich shoyu broth complemented the unctuous, al dente noodles and the delicious accompaniments. The lineups were evidence of the shop owners’ prowess and success – it also earned an accolade from The New York Times.
Asakusa boasted Senso-Ji, a venerated Buddhist temple that contained arteries of bustling, open-air street markets. We enjoyed browsing the many souvenir and confectionary shops as well as attempting to find our luck at the oracle station inside the temple. Asakusa had fabulous outdoor street stalls catering to those who are peckish and the fashion is a smorgasbord of eclecticism. I noticed many smartly dressed ladies in a uniform of camel coats or puffy coats. What was interesting to me was the politeness of the culture but in the busy areas at night, there was the requisite calling out to potential customers in Japanese, which tended to be de rigueur for most of North America’s Chinatown areas.
Ginza was a shopper’s delight but alas, due to long hours commuting and pounding the pavement, I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I should have. I noticed many of the prestigious department stores like Mitsoukoshi, Matsuzakaya, and Matsuya. These stores were immaculate – clean and well kept with many staff. Service was very attentive and the shopgirls had adorable outfits with hats to match! Many of the high- end shops like Hermes, Cartier, and Bulgari boasted fancy storefront windows and architecture. I enjoyed watching many of the passersby with their sharp wardrobes and pride in appearance. Even the wide pedestrian walkways were no match for the throngs of people. As I gazed out onto the alleyways, I noticed that they were filled with many shops as well in order to fill up the precious real estate.
Shibuya was a human zoo of local shopping boutiques and malls combined with gritty back alley food shops. The famous all girls Shibuya 109 mall was adjacent to the equally famous Shibuya Crossing. I definitely felt like I could have been Scarlett Johansson’s character in “Lost in Translation” when the pedestrian walkway filled with a sea of people from 3 directions. I noticed that many Japanese girls favoured miniskirts, knee high boots, strawberry blond hair and foxtails attached at the hip. Everywhere I looked there were Pachinko parlours and avant-garde fashion. So many hip young things were loudly blasting music, congregating in groups puffing away on cigarettes and playing with their mobiles.
Roppongi is known as the nightclubbing district and while the music I experienced wasn’t cutting edge, I enjoyed myself watching how the beautiful young things took to the party scene. The international club that we visited called Vanity Lounge was filled with expatriates on Christmas Day and it was sort of like a scene from Tokyo Drift for me. This compact space had us move like a snail into the main room that had sweaty bodies and go-go dancers in bikinis writhing to yesterday’s hit music remixed. I met a British gentleman who was very enthusiastic about the holidays and Japanese women. He was wearing a Rudolph suit complete with antlers and though quite inebriated, managed to find me again in that crowd of homogenous looking women. We observed a very international set at this club and throughout the strip as we zipped past the neon lighted district. British-African men solicited us to go to Pachinko parlours and other adult entertainment sites while many girls posed for photos in that signature Hello Kitty manner. When we finally got home, we were exhausted but we had grins on our faces after filling up on beer and participating in that infamous Tokyo nightlife!
We stayed at a modestly priced hotel in the Shinjuku area called Shinjuku New City Hotel and though their English wasn’t perfect, it was passable and they were always polite. I enjoyed the shuttle bus service to the organized chaos that is Shinjuku station as well as their lobby display of traditional Japanese crafts. I love that there is Asahi beer and Japanese candies at all times in their vending machines. Every day, we would walk through the cavernous underground tunnel walkways filled with solitary souls and find our way back up again outside to more of the unrelenting neon visual overload. From my floor and out the window, I could view a wonderful slice of the big park across the street and the gleaming steel towers beyond. On a trip out of our hotel to find some late night noshing, we came upon a restaurant that seemed to have all older male staff. They were crusty and appeared to be only interested in the sumo wrestling match on the big screen but they served up some delicious but expensive sashimi. I noticed what appeared to be a a few Yakuza types out on the street on our way back. I certainly loved that the city never sleeps!
