{"id":1390,"date":"2013-02-26T15:24:55","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T15:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.egeve.com\/up\/wordpress\/2013\/02\/26\/exploring-tokyo-s-neon-wilderness\/"},"modified":"2022-10-29T15:36:26","modified_gmt":"2022-10-29T14:36:26","slug":"exploring-tokyo-s-neon-wilderness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.egeve.com\/en\/exploring-tokyo-s-neon-wilderness\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Tokyo’s neon wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eccentric, edgy and unimaginably cool, Japan\u2019s capital is a city like no other. It can dazzle and shock at each turn, but if you are in for the ride, Tokyo is an unforgettable experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I can’t sleep. It’s been close to 33 hours since I’ve had any shut-eye and it doesn’t look like I’m getting any in the hours to come. I\u2019m not delirious yet, but bear with me if there are some chronological aberrations in my narrative. You see, the days seem to have all merged now; and for this I blame jet lag, jumping time zones and the sensory overload of Tokyo\u2019s neon canyons. In my mind\u2019s eye, I\u2019m beginning to see a looping time-lapse of the past two days.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And then there\u2019s the endless supply of sushi. It\u2019s 6am on a bitterly cold winter morning at Iwasa Sushi, a tiny sushi restaurant the size of a small living room on the fringe of Tokyo\u2019s famed Tsukiji Fish Market.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Misae Iwata, our genial host and landlady, is an early bird, chatting away with the patrons as the sushi chefs send plate after plate in my general direction. I\u2019m with a bunch that\u2019s just spent the past two hours sauntering around the world\u2019s largest fish market. Honestly, after the first few rounds I can\u2019t tell them apart \u2013 there are obviously recognisable sushi like the o-toro (fatty tuna) and the uni (sea urchin), but then I see something with a suspicious consistency that\u2019s been given a miss by many before it\u2019s passed on to me. \u201cShirako,\u201d my host offers enthusiastically. The slippery, off-white fish offal (Shirako is actually milt, the sperm-filled reproductive gland of male cod fish) storms my palette before I suck it all down. All is calm. A voice inside my head coos gently, \u201cNitin, that\u2019s a lifetime of bragging rights you\u2019ve earned right now. Welcome to Tokyo.\u201d
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It\u2019s impossible not to be overwhelmed by Tokyo. Japan\u2019s capital is a bustling metropolis that grabs you by the collar and pulls you right in. The past and the present blend seamlessly in this city \u2013 you will confront the square and the eccentric, the modern and the orthodox, the seedy and puritanical. It is the city\u2019s many layers that make it such a magnet for travellers.
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Despite their workaholic nature, Tokyoites still believe in a good night out. The city has a throbbing nightlife, and you are never too far away from a bar. There\u2019s a reason why Tokyo has more than 200,000 restaurants. Dinner invitations in Japan will lead you to a restaurant rather than the host\u2019s home, the Japanese prefer entertaining out.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The city has 247 Michelin-starred restaurants; to put it in perspective, Paris has 77. But it\u2019s not all about Michelin stars \u2013 the Yakitori grills under railway bridges in Yurakucho, the nondescript sushi restaurants in Shibuya, the speciality tempura diners in Akasaka, \u2013 Tokyo can be daunting, even for the most intrepid foodie. At Robataya, an intimate Robatayaki restaurant in Roppongi, it\u2019s not unusual to rub shoulders with the stars. Apparently Eric Clapton and Kristen Stewart drop by when they\u2019re in town. Food meets theatre at Robataya; the two chefs really put on a show whilst grilling meat and vegetables on an open hearth. If the food doesn\u2019t blow you away, the atmosphere will.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Stepping out of the fabulous The Peninsula Tokyo, located on a corner facing the Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park and within walking distance from the upmarket shopping destination Ginza, I couldn\u2019t help but notice how orderly things are here. It may have been a working day with people milling out of boutiques and offices, but they all seem to move with such purpose, it\u2019s almost as if they are all controlled remotely.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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That purpose and discipline extends to the city\u2019s fantastic urban transport system. The Tokyo Metro is clean, efficient, quiet and easy to use. Signs ask patrons to refrain from speaking on mobile phones and Tokyoites seem disciplined enough to stick to texting and surfing the web on trains. For most tourists, mastering the JR Yamanote Line is key to conquering all of Tokyo\u2019s hot spots. The circular Yamanote Line loops around the city\u2019s main tourist haunts, and I jumped aboard to visit Akihabara, geek haven and possibly the biggest electronics district in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Akihabara has seen its star fade away, eclipsed by the rise of Korean electronics industry, but this place was, until not so long ago, the industry\u2019s bellwether. Akihabara is a warren of electronics shops that sell everything from components for RC cars to the latest cameras and digital watches. It\u2019s also the home of Japan\u2019s Otaku culture, the Tokyo\u2019s geek elite and comic-book nerds congregate here, spending hours in the manga stores and video-game parlours, the scale of which you can\u2019t imagine unless you actually walk through them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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All along these streets, it is not uncommon to spot girls \u2013 pretty and some possibly in their teens \u2013 dressed in French maid pinafore uniforms, distributing invitations to Maid Caf\u00e9s. These are cosplay restaurants where the waiting staff are dressed like, err, French maids. If you think that is eccentric, you haven\u2019t heard the half of it. Tokyo is home to cat caf\u00e9s, where patrons pay to cuddle cats, and cuddle caf\u00e9s, where you pay to snuggle up to a complete stranger. More recently, Shinjuku opened its first cuddle caf\u00e9 that lets patrons rent butt pillows. For a fixed amount, the caf\u00e9 will let patrons rest their tired heads on the derri\u00e8res of its female staff. In my entire journalistic career, I doubt if I will ever write a stranger sentence than that last one.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I hopped on the Yamanote Line and headed to the shopping district of Shibuya. Like New York\u2019s Time Square and Piccadilly Circus in London, Shibuya Crossing is a riot of neon lights and TV screens. The intersection, right outside the train station, is one of the busiest in the world. I stood there and soaked it all in \u2013 it only took a moment to realise that I was in one of the world\u2019s biggest cities.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Shibuya is young, trendy, atmospheric and full of trendy bars and caf\u00e9s. Just ahead from here is Omotesando Avenue, widely referred to as Tokyo\u2019s Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es, full of upscale boutiques and design houses. Further ahead is Harajuku, the epicentre of Japan\u2019s edgy street fashion movement. Harajuku\u2019s Takeshita Street has a counterculture vibe, reminiscent of London\u2019s Camden High Street, with its token representation of punks and tattoo parlours. Fashion houses have been known to use Takeshita Street, lined with indie fashion boutiques, caf\u00e9s and restaurants, to test the market for their products. If you are ever in the neighbourhood on a Sunday, be sure to catch the cosplay fashion show that takes place on the bridge.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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West of this bridge stands the Meiji Shrine, an ocean of peace and quiet, unperturbed by the madness and the modernity surrounding it. A Shinto shrine dedicated to the 19th century Emperor Meiji, this place is a wonderfully serene haven of worship, devoid of tourist traps. Don\u2019t miss the 12-metre-tall Torii gate, made of 1,500-year-old cypress, at the entrance to the 200-acre park.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I took the Yamanote Line to Yurakucho to explore Ginza. One of the first districts to modernise following the Meiji Restoration, Ginza is right there with the toniest shopping addresses in the world. With its expanse of wide avenues, dazzling neon, stylish bars and endless upscale boutiques, Ginza will top most must-visit lists in Tokyo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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It might take a week to soak in everything the city has to offer. I could easily have spent an entire day in just one of the stop-offs on the Yamanote Line, I could have done two at just Akihabara. Easy. I\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s difficult: getting Tokyo out of your system \u2013 and I mean this in the nicest possible way.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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