Japan Part 1: Tokyo, Our Favorite City
December 18, 2022 - Arrival, Raw Bird, and 7-11
(G)- After all the hullabaloo in attempting to make it to Japan, we had high hopes for our time there. Tokyo was the obvious first stop. My good friend C (see India post) had visited Japan numerous times and talked it up quite a bit. We both held our reservations, but we needn’t have.
We landed and grabbed the first train to the stop near our hotel. The first thing that struck us was the punctuality of the train. It arrived EXACTLY on time, not late, not early. After boarding the train, two things struck us as the train pulled away from the station right on time, the sound level and cleanliness.
As anyone who has been fortunate enough to ride a train in Japan will likely tell you, they are almost dead quiet. Even speaking above a whisper would have broken the clearly preferred tranquility of the atmosphere. For two travel-hardened vagabonds like us, the silence was a relief to our ears and our minds. There is nothing like trying to navigate a strange new transportation system while simultaneously being forced to practically yell into the ear of the person next to you to get your point across.
The extreme cleanliness exhibited itself both inside and outside of the train. It was a bit rainy that morning when we headed into Tokyo. So as we enjoyed the quiet nature of the train ride, we were lulled into a sleepy calm that directed our eyes to the rain-soaked countryside. Usually, a bit of litter is to be expected around train tracks, but here we noticed none. Not a broken bottle, not a box of cardboard, not even a bit of plastic. The train chugged on through the gray weather and before long we had arrived at our stop.
Hoisting our packs we exited the train, found our bearings within the station, and headed out into the city. T had planned our hotel accommodations to be near several points of interest, but a bit on the fringe of the “good area”. As we walked down the street, we were again struck by the profound lack of city grit and grim. We had grown quite accustomed to the sooty, dusty streets of most cities around the world, but that simply didn’t seem to exist here. In short order, we found our hotel and made an attempt at early check-in.
To anyone visiting Japan, be aware that early check-in, isn’t really a thing most of the time. If the Japanese culture is guilty of anything it is perhaps that they are too precise. Check-in at 3 pm, means exactly that and not before. A 7 kg weight limit on your carry-on bag means exactly 7 kg and no more. Of all the things a culture could be guilty of, this is the best one. You are never at a loss of understanding and things mean exactly what they should, follow those rules and you’ll love it as much as we did.
So, unable to check in, we were pleased that the hotel was more than willing to hold our packs while we burned the 7 hours left until the correct check-in time. Per usual, T was beginning to exhibit signs of hanger and we were both sorely in need of a caffeine shot. Fortunately, we spotted a Starbucks on the way in, so we set out to obtain our caffeine fix.
Situated on the second floor above the exit of our train stop, the Starbucks afforded us a great view of the street below. We enjoyed people-watching while sipping on our Christmas spice-themed drinks. While these perked us up a bit, they were not substantial enough to satiate T’s growing hunger. Admittedly, I, too, was beginning to hear growls from my stomach so we set out to find the nearest, best sushi venue that was open for lunch. We headed through the Shinjuku neighborhood. This was one of the areas that we had planned to visit and we enjoyed briefly getting the lay of the land on our way to sushi.
T had found a sushi restaurant online. Unfortunately, upon arrival, the venue required a booking and was already fully booked. One valuable lesson we learned regarding dining out in Tokyo is to always book ahead of time. This usually requires a phone call, and unless you’re fluent in Japanese, we would recommend having the hotel concierge make the call on your behalf. A bit dispirited, we continued our search.
On our walk back we found a small, unassuming sushi shop, called Ko Sushi, off a main intersection. It looked as though it might be closed, but encouraged by our stomachs, which were now actively conversing in hungry growls, I decided to attempt opening the screened door. We were in luck! We gestured to the chef behind the small bar that there were two of us. He gestured to one of 3 tables situated opposite the bar. We sat down and were greeted by the chef’s son, who fortunately spoke enough English and understood enough of our poorly pronounced Japanese that before long we had successfully communicated that we would eat whatever their daily special was. At least the picture on the menu made it look delicious.
In short order, we were presented with hot green tea and miso soup. These were a welcome adversary to the wintery chill of the street outside. T, who normally doesn’t enjoy miso soup as much as me, had no trouble devouring her bowl. Next up was our sushi, it was spectacular, and not just because we were hungry. The freshness and care with which these pieces of Nigiri were created was a work of art. The pride with which nearly all Japanese chefs craft the cuisine they present to their customers is something they earn every bit of. This was no exception.
We had been informed when ordering that one of the sushi items was not raw fish, but raw “bird”. A quick google translate and we understood that one of the pieces was raw chicken. I can say with some degree of certainty there is nowhere else in the world that I would consider eating raw chicken, but when in Rome…
Down the hatch!
The Nigiri course was a fantastic ride. The tastes ranged from sweet and tangy, to spicey, and even back around to that savory umami (mushroom earthy) flavor everyone always goes on about. Feeling fat and happy, we sat at our little table after finishing our food and took in more of our surroundings. As we had eaten, an old woman had entered and spent part of our meal preparing a fresh bag of green beans at the bar. Through her mannerisms, it became quite obvious that she was the mother of the chef. The chef had been working with a woman of similar age, and our server had indicated to us that he was the son of the chef. The few other people that had entered and eaten at the bar or tables were clearly well-known to the staff and seemed both surprised and amused by our presence in the little shop. We had found an honest to goodness mom & pop shop in the heart of Tokyo and couldn't have been more impressed by it. As we finally paid our bill and received two small candies for our walk home, we received endearing smiles and bows from the small family. We bowed in return and then stepped back out to the street with high hopes for the rest of our time in Tokyo. We would not be disappointed.
The lunch and walk back to our hotel had burned some time, but we were still far from being able to check into our room. Fortunately, the small sofa in the lobby had been vacated and we resolved to spend the remaining hours patiently waiting there. By patiently waiting, I mean mostly napping in the upright position off and on. At last, the hour approached and we were called forward by the hotel concierge. We collected our bags and headed to the elevator with our room keycard. Our room itself was small, but unsurprisingly very clean and we were lucky enough to have a lovely view of the city skyline out our window. Still exhausted from the over 24 hours of transit time, we took a small nap.
It was dark when we awoke, the city outside our window gleamed and twinkled with the rhythmic passing of the trains. We spent much of the evening planning out the next few days to maximize our time in Tokyo. I dropped down across the street to the fabled 7-11 leaving T to continue jamming to lofi while she researched all the places we wanted to visit.
The 7-11 experience in Japan is next level. Long heralded by pennywise backpackers, the 7-11s in Japan are the best place to find affordable, but quality food and products. Far from their distantly related often downtrodden cousins in the USA, the 7-11s in Japan are clean, safe, and plentiful. One can be found nearly everywhere in Japan and they served us well during our visit. After acquiring snacks, new facemasks for the public transit system, and withdrawing a little cash, I returned to find T much as I had left her. We spent a few more hours listening to lofi, formulating our plans, and watching the trains roll by far below.
December 19, 2022 - The JR Pass and Costco Quest
(G)- I would like to tell you that all of our planning the night before resulted in our waking up early full of energy to seize the day. That would be a lie. We slept in… late, and ventured forth in the early afternoon to purchase a JR Pass.
The JR Pass is fundamental for any foreign visitor to Japan that is expecting to travel anywhere. Available only to foreign passport holders, it can be purchased at many major train stations in Tokyo and allows the holder to ride JR trains for a set period of time, as often as the holder likes. Many, but certainly not all, train lines in and around Tokyo are a part of the JR Pass system and it is well worth the expense for many visitors. Purchasing the JR Pass can be a bit tricky though.
While there are some options to purchase a JR Pass online, which we looked into, we ultimately decided to wait to purchase the pass in person at a station. The websites we found made the process seem confusing, involving having a voucher mailed out and then later exchanged at a station anyway which set off more than one of our Online Scam alarm bells. While some of the websites may have been legit, try as we may we never found one that felt totally on the level, so we figured we would try our luck at a station in person. The in-person route proved to be well worth it.
Unlike the information counters of many places, the information counter at the JR East Station in Tokyo was phenomenal. A pattern that would repeat itself at all of the JR information counters we would visit. The young woman at the counter not only helped us purchase the JR Pass, she additionally asked where we intended to travel and provided us with additional directions, and assisted us in reserving seats for some of the trains. The JR train system is definitely among the more confusing public transit systems we have navigated as some of the JR trains require getting a reserved seat ahead of time which you must have a separate ticket for. So you end up with the JR Pass and a separate JR train seat ticket. The JR Pass will get you through the turnstile, but without a seat ticket, you will be forced to occupy only vacant seats and must move if someone arrives with a reserved seat ticket for the previously vacant seat. Fortunately, this was explained to us by the information assistant, though we would bear witness to other travelers struggling in confusion to change seats later in our journey. The lesson here is when in any doubt visit the JR information counter. They were always helpful.
With our new JR Pass and train seat tickets in hand, we headed up to the platform to make use of our new train pass. We originally set out to visit a buddha park and the Izu Peninsula, but a few quick time calculations made us realize that we had started too late in the day to make this a feasible option. So instead, since we were already headed in that direction, we decided to stop at a Costco.
We had planned on making a trip to Costco while in Japan. Much like visiting McDonalds located in various countries, which we do not do, it can be fun to compare and contrast what is available in different locations. Feeling thrifty, our choice to visit Costco was a strategic one that allowed us to stock up on snacks and small meals (mostly for T) and afforded us the opportunity to look for a small gift we could offer to a couple of friends we had planned to meet up with while in Tokyo. We spent more time than either of us would like to admit perusing the aisles before settling on a handful of items to purchase and making the journey back to our hotel.
We dropped our goods at the hotel and then set off in search of dinner. It was dark already when we set out, and we walked down some of the narrow alleyways that led to Shinjuku. Far from feeling on guard down these alleys we remained aware of our surroundings and spotted a quaint cafe and wine bar tucked off to the side of the alley. Large windows revealed a bustling little spot full of warmth and smiles. T still had sushi on the brain though, and we passed the little spot by. After a few more blocks we had reached Shinjuku and located the spot T had found for the restaurant on the map, but it simply didn’t seem to be there. We looked high and low. With some establishments being tucked in the basement of the tall buildings and others being a floor or two up it is probably that the restaurant was there somewhere, but we never did find it. We instead inquired at a few other restaurants all of which informed us they were full or reserved.
So, we began our return journey to the hotel in defeat. As we walked down that same dark alley we once again spotted the little cafe, and after a moment’s debate decided to give it a shot. We were in luck, a little table by the large front window was open. The cafe served small plates, similar to tapas, mostly of the hearty winter variety. We each ordered warm spiced mulled wine which really hit the spot. The warm jovial environment of the cafe worked its magic and before we knew it an hour or two had passed. As we got up to pay the bill we spotted on the back wall of the bar numerous types of currency from around the world. We spotted one that we happened to have on hand which they were missing and took a mental note to return with a bit of Madagascar money for them to hang along with their collection.
December 20, 2022 - The Buddha Park, Most Loyal Pupper, and Dinner with Friends
(G)- We successfully woke up early and stopped by to present the owner of the wine shop with a Madagascar bill. She was overjoyed, she smiled ear to ear as she accepted the bill and bowed to us several times. After that brief stop, we headed to the train, off to Kamakura Daibutsu, a giant Buddha statue and smaller Buddha park nearby! It took a long time to reach Kamakura, the trains alone required about an hour. While on the train T spotted her first piece of trash. A Starbucks cup had been left in the corner so T snagged it to throw it away properly. Herein lies another well-known conundrum of Japan, where do they dispose of their trash? As previously expressed there is next to no litter, but correspondingly there are next to no public trash cans either. It seems the Japanese have mastered the art of clandestinely carrying their trash home with them.
After exiting the train, Starbucks cup in hand T sought the first available trashcan, at last, she spotted one inside a small restaurant near the exit of the train stop. She entered, dropped the Starbucks cup in the trash can, and began to exit. She came to a slow halt, behind her a large-ish Japanese chef had appeared and pinched the back of her coat between his thumb and forefinger. He had gently tugged her to a halt. When she turned to regard him, he gently tugged her back to the trashcan, grabbed the Starbucks cup and placed it back in her hand, and then ever so gently guided her back to the front door. He spoke not a single word, but the message sent was clear and received with equal clarity. As a third-party observer to this interaction, it was all I could do to contain my laughter. I thoroughly believe that had this Japanese man realized her intent and that it was not her trash to begin with, he would have let it slide.
Once out of sight, T let out a peel of laughter as well. She decided to change tactics and found a cafe just outside of the train stop exit. She explained that the cup did not actually belong to her and that she was just trying to remove litter to the cafe barista, who gladly accepted the cup and disposed of it.
We still had about a 45-minute walk to reach the Buddha park, we thought about calling a cab, but the sun was out, the day was warm, and we both felt a walk would do us some good. There is no better way to really take in a place than by walking through it. We arrived at the Buddha statue without issue and after paying a small entrance fee enjoyed mulling around. After taking in the statue and surrounding gardens we were off to another buddha park nearby known as Hasedera. The Hasedera park dated back to the 8th century and contained a large traditional wooden structure as well as a cave filled to the brim with tiny buddha figurines, a zen garden, water features, and my personal favorite a hike up the nearby hill to a viewpoint overlooking the nearby coastline.
It was now early afternoon and the day had begun to fade. We had started our walk back to the train stop, but in spite of some of the snacks we had brought with us, T was quickly becoming both hungry and a bit tired. The solution presented itself in the form of a small cafe. Ran by just one older Japanese woman, we sat in a back garden area, and to ward off any chill we were given a blanket to cover our shoulders and she also produced a small electric blanket to be placed on our lap. We sat, quite cozy, in the small garden while she worked on our order. The answer to T’s lethargy came in the form of hot tea and the food that arrived after satiated her ever-growling stomach. After this pleasant meal, we thanked the owner and continued on our way back to the train stop.
After a quick stop back at the hotel to grab the gift for our friends, we were back on the move. We were now on our way to visit Shibuya Crossing and the Hachikō Memorial Statue. Darkness fell while the train chugged along to our destination which was just as well since the Shibuya area is known for its dramatic lights and signs. Known as the times square of Tokyo, the Shibuya crossing is a massive swirl of thousands of people who when the lights change, swarm through a multi-directional crosswalk. Times Square certainly has similarities, but in truth, the two places have very different vibes. We have struggled in an attempt to define the differences, but here are a few. Shibuya felt cleaner and brighter than Times Square, with less street performers sprinkled in the mix. Times Square feels more oriented toward automobile traffic. Shibuya is at its most impressive when overrun by the swarm of people while the cars are held at bay. Times Square feels both bigger and smaller than Shibuya and vice versa. That is the best we can define it.
Our train stop happened to be on the corner of Shibuya Crossing that held the statue of the most loyal pupper. Prepare your box of tissues for his tearjerker story. His name was Hachikō. He was a Japanese Akita that is renowned for his fierce loyalty. Every day his owner, a professor, would return from work at this train stop. Every day Hachikō would wait at the platform for him. Until one day the professor did not appear. Not to be denied being present for his master’s return, Hachikō returned to the station every day. The station workers were initially annoyed and unkind to the loitering canine, but as time passed, their affection for him grew, and time did pass. First a week, then a month, next a year, then before long an entire decade. Every day without fail Hachikō arrived to greet his master. His master would not return to him though, as the professor had unexpectedly passed away while at work. At the end of a decade of waiting, Hachikō finally joined his master. In the meantime, he had won the hearts and minds of the station workers and locals on their daily commute. His death made national headlines and his cremated remains were placed next to his masters. In 1948 a statue of this fiercely loyal pupper was erected by the station where it remains to this day.
We paid our respects to his statue and then as the walk sign illuminated were swept away with thousands of others to cross the street. We wandered the Shibuya area for a little while and took in the brilliant lights. Eventually, the time came for us to head off to meet a couple of friends that had recently arrived in Tokyo. A brisk 45-minute walk later we spotted the pair arriving at the agreed-upon Izakaya (Japanese Pub). Delighted to see them, we greeted each other warmly with hugs. A & Y we’ll call them. We entered the Izakaya and were seated against the far back wall. We had the good fortune that Y is Japanese and graciously translated, ordered, and explained several of the dishes to us. We spent hours together catching up and getting to know Y a bit better than we had before. It is the greatest of pleasures to be greeted by friends and spend quality time with them, especially after you have been far from all that you know and are familiar with for a very long time.
The Izakaya was beginning to close up shop when we eventually rose to leave. The staff enjoyed jumping into a photo taken of us as we departed. Once outside we said our goodbyes and presented A & Y with our little holiday gift to them, a tin can of chocolate truffles. We parted ways and hoped to catch up with them again when we planned to visit Osaka.
December 21, 2022 (T) - A Day Trip to Nikko
If we go way back to our West Highland Way adventure in Scotland for a moment, it was then we learned one of our teacher friends, L, had lived in Japan for a few years. She was very excited to hear we were going to spend a few weeks in Japan during our travels and had many recommendations for us. One was those places was Nikko, a small town a couple of hours outside of Tokyo.
We woke up early, ate some snacks from Costco and drank 7-11 coffee, then made our way to the train. We thought we had figured out how to use our JR Pass to go to Nikko, but we should have confirmed it with a JR employee before boarding the train.
If you’ve been to Europe, then you may be familiar with Switzerland’s reputation for their trains always arriving and departing on time. We were impressed when we were there; however, Switzerland has nothing on Japan as far as punctuality goes. While we were waiting for our first train out to Nikko at one of the main Tokyo train stops, one of the commuter city trains was one minute late. One minute. G and I observed a train conductor walking with a friend. He turned back to look at the sign, looked over at the empty track, looked at his friend, and tapped his watch 3 times while shaking his head as they continued walking. G and I got a pretty good laugh from that exchange. The train arrived one minute later. Unacceptable. Maybe Germany should hire some Japanese consultants to sort out their train delay issues ;)
Our train, we’re happy to say, was on time. We boarded and took some unreserved seats. A conductor walked through to verify our tickets and it seemed all was well. Halfway through the train’s journey, it suddenly wasn’t on the JR route anymore, so we needed to pay for part of the ride’s fare at our next connection. It wasn’t too expensive, and the JR route would’ve taken longer, so we were ok with paying a little extra. We boarded the next train that we thought was going to take us to Nikko. When we arrived, exited the train, and were walking around, we realized we weren’t in Nikko, but we were close. We figured out that we needed to walk to a nearby train station and ride the next train a couple of stops and then we would be in Nikko. All of this could have been avoided if we had just talked to a JR Representative.
Well, our journey out to Nikko ate up some of our time we could have spent there, but we still had about 5 hours to explore. It didn’t take long for us to figure out why this had been one of L’s favorite places in Japan. It’s a small mountain town with quaint buildings and full of walking trails through the mountains and near the blue river that runs through it. What Nikko is really known for is the UNESCO Heritage Site up in the mountains, where you’ll find 103 religious (Shinto or Buddhist) buildings and 2 Shinto shrines dating back to the 1600s. G and I opted to walk all the way there from the train station which took about 45 minutes. We successfully completed a side quest on the way, to find the ski lift car turned phone booth.
We took our time wandering in and around the temples, shrines, and cedar trees, and even found the fountain of youth. (Yes, we took a drink! I should’ve drunk more though. Fine lines are still reminding me I’m in my 30s.) This place was really cool. We definitely could’ve spent another day exploring, but it was time to walk back.
On the way back to the train station, we stopped by a fast food restaurant, where we ate some crab cakes. Further down the road, we stopped at a dessert place to eat some mochi. Then we finished our walk to the train station where we waited a little while for our train.
The train ride back to Tokyo was long, about 2 1/2 hours. Every time we rode the train, we were always amazed at the level of safety. Without fail, someone would fall asleep in the train car (sometimes one of us), but locals would fall asleep with their phones in their hands and bags open in their laps. Not once did anyone even look like they were thinking about the possibility of stealing something or something getting stolen. If only more places could have that level of safety. We’ve never felt so relaxed and at ease while traveling as we did in Japan.
Eventually, we arrived at our stop and walked to our hotel. One of C’s favorite areas in Japan was Golden Gai in Shinjuku. G and I decided we’d check out that area tonight. We looked up a cool-looking bar, walked back to our train stop, rode the train for one stop, then walked about 15 minutes to our destination. The light rain outside illuminated the already bright lights even more in their reflections on the cement. After navigating the narrow streets of Golden Gai, we found it. Success! The bar had bright red furry walls in the long stairway up to the establishment. We stroked the walls as we ascended the stairs, then walked into the bar. We enjoyed a couple of drinks, including fancy Japanese whisky. Then, to no one’s surprise, I was hungry, so we left to look for some food.
On the same street, there was a hole-in-the-wall ramen restaurant. We assumed the place was good because a line was formed out the door. The line got so long, we had to wrap around the building into the alleyway. I’ve never been a fan of ramen but gave it a try because we were in Japan. We ordered the recommended dish. Let me tell you, the cooks who make the ramen have dedicated their lives to perfecting the recipes and you haven’t tried ramen until you’ve tried it in Japan. Honestly, it was better than most of the pasta we ate in Italy. We thanked the chef for the meal and left the restaurant so the next people in line could take our seats.
We walked around Golden Gai for a little while and then made our way back to our hotel. We had a long day ahead of us tomorrow. It was time to say goodbye for now to Tokyo. Snow Monkey Park was waiting.