Japan - Tokyo

My thoughts on Japan in comparison to Korea and all the anime I've absorbed in my lifetime? ...I have to say it's not what I expected. Even the parts where I expected to see the unexpected were full of surprises... and I know that doesn't exactly make sense, but I basically mean I was expecting to see weird, but only really saw slightly off normality. Also, if I'm going to be poetic, Japan feels older. And I know you're all thinking that Japan might actually be younger than places like China and Korea, and I think you're right, but to me Korea feels newer because when the Japanese occupied it they destroyed so much of Korea's old stuff. So much so that when I took my brother to see the Namsan (Seoul) Palace the other day I realised just how much of that place is reconstructed. It feels like Korea has lost something really special and tried to replace it, but the new stuff just doesn't have the soul of what was once there. I'm not sure how many of Koreas historical buildings were destroyed during the occupation and various wars, or how much reconstruction has gone on, or how much is missing from the current buildings (in terms of features, artifacts, or even gold plating), or even if some of the disappearance is just due to the growth of the country itself. All I can say for sure is that Japan is old mixed with new on a greater scale, thus there is more variety in architecture and landscape in general.

I landed in Tokyo on a Wednesday evening. It was dark, not that cold, and the subway system was simply more difficult to negotiate than Seouls. I'm sure once you get used to the ticketing system and the way the lines work it's not so bad, but for some reason I just found it convoluted. Not to mention expensive. 

OK here are the two biggest differences I noticed between Japan and Korea instantly. One: Japan is more rusty. I'm not sure why it was noticeably more rusty than Korea, Japans streets were certainly cleaner and better looked after, but structures around the rail and any other public access kind of things were just more rusty. Difference number two: it's expensive. The exchange rate between the kiwi and the yen weren't that great to start off with but things like food and transport, even drinking in a bar, are all comparable in price to NZ, but then add the exchange rate to that and you're buggered really. I'm not saying you can't do Japan cheap. You can. But if you want to have fun, and you want to be comfortable for at least a little while, save those pennies. I have a feeling Japan is like NZ in the way everyone generally complains that it's so expensive to go to. 

So I stayed in a backpackers in this place called Nishi-Kawaguchi which is just north of the central city and near enough to the all important city loop track to be ok. The backpackers I was staying in was tiny, but also awesome. The staff were very friendly and helpful, it was all quite safe, and there was a supermarket nearby. So I explored as much of Tokyo as I could from there. I went to so many places, I went to Ueno, Tokyo, Akihabara, Shinjuku and Yoyogi. I have to say that the best places to have a look around were definitely Yoyogi (for its ancient park and cool temple - also oddly enough quite a cool little area to get lost in - lots of old houses and feels very... anime almost), Ueno (for its museums, art galleries, and market district), and Akihabara (for it's sometimes sickly overdose of all things geek and anime). I wont go into too much detail, but I was overwhelmed by these places for various reasons, not only the fact that I was fulfilling a lifelong dream, but these places really had aspects that showed me Tokyo's true nature, solidified things I already knew about the place, and added things I hadn't realised existed. 

Central Tokyo itself was a disappointment - however I did forget to check out Tokyo Palace which was on the other side of the train station area I was exploring (idiot). If I had been there I would probably be singing a different tune. Central Tokyo is a wealthy area with tonnes of high fashion shops and high budget restaurants. Soak up the architecture and the historical stuff if you're on a budget, and do some research about where you're going first. I totally jumped out the wrong side of the station... 

I had two big disappointments in Tokyo as a whole. The first came from the neighborhood I was staying in. I went out one night to drink with some people I'd met at the hostel, and there was a local bar which was called "Club Petra" in English no less - not even Japanese. In any case I certainly didn't expect what was about to happen. I pop my head in all friendly and nice and ask if anyone speaks English and if I could get a drink (please note: NOT drunk at all). Only to be greeted by the manager or owner (who can speak PERFECT English) who is also nice and friendly, and then asks me to leave. I'm thorougly confused at this point and my new friends kindly come grab me and pull me back outside this place and point to a hand written sign that basically says "If you don't speak Japanese you are not welcome in this bar". The owner and manager are apologetic about it but I slip out a rather angry "Racists!" as the elevator door closes. I understand there is a culture thing there, and that there is probably a very good few reasons why these people don't like drinking westerners (if for no other reason than we get a bit rowdy). BUT if you're going to call your club an English name, and have staff that can speak perfect English, why refuse a paying and quite nice customer just because they can't speak Japanese? And then apologize as you kick them out? That really put a negative spin on things. 

Anyway, incident number two happened in the same night. I was on the wrong side of Tokyo to go drinking at the more well known and more western spots, so I decided to try Ueno since the market was bustling at about 6pm when I was heading home from it. I thought there might be a good nightlife scene there too. There isn't. The one street we did find with bars on it very quickly turned out to be a strip club kind of district. Very few bars, and very far between. Anyway we got sucked into this one bar by a guy that could speak English, got charged about $12 per drink and a $4 sitting at a table fee. And we were the only ones there until the guy sucked some more white people in about half an hour after we arrived. Luckily for me these people were pretty laid back about the whole thing and told me that I should just give up tonight as all the bars in the area were expensive and that apart from Shibuya and Roppongi I would find it difficult to find a good western style bar. So that was all well and good. We gave up and went back to the hostel after a measly, and expensive One drink. 

There was one good thing which came from meeting those other white people in that bar on the 7th floor of a dive in Ueno. One of them had lived in Osaka, my next destination. And she gave me a really good little tip about where to go and where to stay there. If I could, I would want to stay in a place called Shinsaibashi. So, after a few nights in Tokyo sleeping in a home made capsule, a took a day bus down to Osaka, which turned from a 3 night stay in a hotel to a 6 night stay for the simple reason that I made good friends in Osaka on my first night there. 

Anyway, that's Tokyo. Next time: Osaka and Kyoto.

Also, final word for today: Pachinko. Look it up. Weird.