It’s a hop, skip and, a jump from HK to Tokyo, just under four hours, a little like a flight to Greece! We are both addicted to Solitaire on the entertainment system, as a result we are landing pretty much after we’ve taken off. For once the weather is very pleasant, it rained nearly everyday we were here in May 2006!
We safely negotiate getting a bus downtown, about an hour, and then find a taxi to get us to our hotel, not as easy as it sounds as they pedestrianise the street we are off on Bank Holidays, yes, we have bagged another one, this time Constitution Day! We much prefer taking this attitude towards getting around, you see more and, get to people watch and gauge the mood, always works better than a taxi or hotel pick up!
If you were to ply Angelka with wine she might tell you that I’m a pain about travel budgets and out of date. With the same amount of wine, I’d tell you she loves it and thoroughly enjoys beating the odds to pull a gem out of the hat. Case in point, Tokyo, where hotels are box rooms and start at £300 a night. She found this one, The Royal Park Canvas which only opened last month. The name suggested my budget had got us a tent! However, its in Ginza, one of the best areas, it’s 50 metres off a street that is 5th Ave, Rodeo and Bond Street rolled in to one. The hotel is fabulous and a lady behind reception, Ikumi, is determined to help us get the most from Tokyo. We strolled down the streets taking in flagship stores before heading down side streets to find specialist shops, including a walk in whisky bar, literally, it’s about three feet deep, the bar man has a white jacket, very old school. Back at the hotel, an amazing cocktail based on different sake before heading to the lady’s choice for sushi. The Japanese have no issue queueing, , their culture is patience, probably because 120 million live is a space smaller than the UK, or Italy! After 20 minutes we are having great sushi at affordable prices, it’s up to £200 ph at some places nearby!
Saturday is a joy; we head to Shibuya for breakfast at Bills, the Aussie chef, fabulous fluffy ricotta pancakes, banana and honeycomb butter!! The crossroads it sits above are very famous. We then negotiate the metro system which we have down pat by the end of the day, to get to Kagurazaka, which is a French quarter, utterly charming and quaint, where we found a great coffee joint on a back street, hand drip coffee is de Figueroa in these points, I fear my flat white addition will encounter cold turkey on this trip! We take a further metro to Asakusa, where you find the Shin-Jo Temple, the first place we’ve been where it’s been tourists, as well as locals. You pass through a monument called Thunder Gate to enter, needless to say there was a very realistic clap of thunder, which I was convinced were orchestrated by the Japanese Tourist Board. The temple seems to be a symbolic place for kimono photo opportunities, there are girls everywhere using cherry blossom back drops! We also had some green matcha sweets, it’s a tea that is powdered and has a texture of Turkish delight. It’s been cropping up on Masterchef and Great British Bake Off of late! On the issue of green tea, Angelka has been drinking a lot, in her sake cocktails!! We head back to the hotel, once again, by metro. Each train is full however, everyone is consumed by their phones, not because they are antisocial but because they’ve been brought up to be quiet and respect one another’s very cramped space. Our metro exit, in Ginza, is in to a huge store’s, Matsuya, food hall. This place makes the Harrods food hall look like Aldi, it’s so perfect. Nearly every sign is back lit which makes everything so white, and bright. Back at the hotel our manager has another list of things in answer to our requests and questions!! We’ve read of a great vegan ramen which is inside Tokyo train station, you need a platform ticket to get there and it’s very awkward to find. However, the Boy Scout and guide get there in the end and it’s really worth it. We’d found it on Trip Advisor, which I like to use when it’s not people criticising places. It does seem unfair to do so, ignoring that the issues may well have been your expectation or circumstances that day! Heading back to Ginza, we’ve read of a music cocktail bar, run by a DJ. While we are there he spins sultry Mick Hucknall and Laura Mvula, with some other chill out/Jazz stuff. So, we’ve done 6 metro rides, some involving transfers, there are two companies and one doesn’t recognise the others tickets, walked miles, been to five different areas, avoided tourists, been tourists and, generally had the best day, aggregating recommendations from various guides. Last time we were here we did all of the touristy things, it was our first visit, after all, however, this time it’s all been about the City, what a place! I’m struck by how young it is, it’s very vibrant however, I do find the female dress sense very frumpy, it’s a skirt, blouse, cardy, or jacket. It looks very ordinary, however, it’s the uniform of choice. I think it’s more a reflection of the behavior expected by their culture, than an expression of personality.
One has to mention the toilets! The bulky seats come armed with up to six buttons that, when pushed, dispense heat, aroma, water, air etc, our hotel also had a red button which I resisted in case I was splattered on the ceiling above! In terms of influence, the French seem to be highly regarded in terms of association, be it clothes and accessories, or cuisine. Boulangeries/patisseries abound!
I’d expected it to be more expensive, while taxis are, the Metro isn’t, some bars are, some are not, ditto restaurants. Certainly not a reason to put you off a visit, more a reason for us to come again, Rugby World anybody?