Thoroughly Awesome Tokyo

I gasped with my first aerial glance of the city from Tokyo’s Skytree viewing platform.  Before that sight, just getting around the city hinted to us how outrageously huge and densely populated this city is, but to look out over the city and see nothing but miles and miles of buildings that fill the space to Tokyo Bay, to the mountains and base of Mt. Fuji, and as far as the eye can see in the other directions.  The view was a condensed mass of brick, mortar, and people.   Tokyo is the largest city in the world. Curiously, though, this is the cleanest city, the most modern, well-kept city we have ever visited.  The streets and sidewalks look as if they are regularly washed overnight.  For a city this big and complex, there are relatively few cars. There are many bicycles and people, old and young, ride them most on the sidewalks weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic.  Watch out!  Most people get around using their maze of public transit systems, metros, subways, and trains.  It takes serious brainwork to get from one place to another.  Thankfully, most directional signs have a few words and symbols in English or in a form we can understand. Still, it is a challenge that requires keen attention.   

We spent one entire day picking up my FedEx package containing our Japan Rail Pass (worth over $500!).  FedEx tried to deliver it to our Airbnb but that did not work.  FedEx customer service rep said we could pick up the package at the Tokyo World Service Center, which turned out to be many subway connections away. We finally found it in an obscure one-man office in a tall building in a corporate complex with no signs.  Without the help of several people, we would never have made it there.  My package was not there; it was being held at the delivery vendor’s location. Oh dear, It took a while but the kind representative contacted the vendor and gave us the vendor’s address with a photo of the building.  Lord!  A few more subway connections put us in the neighborhood but no vendor, no sign was in sight.  We just popped into the nearest office we found.  Three stunned people sat there wide-eyed looking at us as we walked in.  I showed the lady the name of the vendor and its address and indicated we needed help finding it.  The three puzzled people conferred and finally called the phone number.  There was a lot of conversation.  Finally, the lady indicated for us to follow her.  We walked down dark stairs and hallways to the ground floor of the parking deck below her office.  There!  There it was the basement office and my FedEx envelope was upfront on the desk.  Having had calls from FedEx and the lady upstairs, the staff was waiting for us!  When they handed me the envelope, we all jumped up and down like we’d made a touchdown!

Finally, we had lunch at about 4 pm and were completely exhausted.

We are doing our best to see as much as we can in this fast-paced, awe-inspiring city, like the Meiji Jingu Shrine, the Imperial Palace and Gardens, the Senso-Ji  Buddhist Temple, Tokyo Skytree, the fancy Ginza shopping area, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shibuya Scramble Crossing (Tokyo’s Times Square) and the Rainbow Bridge.  There will be more if we can squeeze any in but that’s our must-do list. We’e made it to a few spots so far.

The Meiji Jingu Shrine is a huge sanctuary, garden, forest, and museum.  This sacred place was built to honor the spirits of Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) and his consort, Empress Shoken (18491914).  It is a tourist attraction today but also a place for prayer and quiet reflection for the Japanese people.  The shrine hosts rites and cultural events throughout the year.  Around the spacious shrine is a 100-year-old forested park planted by 100,000 Japanese youth in the 1920s.  The walk through this oasis in the city is lovely and serene.

A trip to the Tokyo Station was necessary to exchange our Japan Rail Orders for actual passes—that’s the process.  The grand station is in the heart of the city and it is a worthy destination for any Tokyo visitor.  It is gorgeous and in contrast, it sits just across the boulevard from gleaming glass, ultra-modern, beautifully architected buildings.

Just a walk away, a wide pedestrian promenade leads directly to the entrance of the Imperial Palace and its regal Imperial East Garden where the Emperor resides  Without reservations made far in advance, visitors cannot actually see the Palace so most visitors, including Stan and me, get only a glimpse of the Palace’s roofline. The Imperial Gardens are quite huge and feature tree-size Bonsai forests, ponds, and lovely green spaces.  Visitors cannot eat except in designated areas, there is no smoking, no ball-playing, no drinking, and nothing allowed but good behavior.  It is a place for respect for the Emperor.  My favorite spot was the Iris Garden.  While figuring out if there might be a way to get a peek at the Palace, we met a young couple from San Francisco.  They could not figure out how to see the palace either – we finally learned, it is impossible.  We had a great chat and liked them from the beginning!  We wish Carley and JT many happy travels ahead!

We made hay that day!  After the park, we found a lunch spot.  There was not a lot to choose from.  We were there on Saturday.  All the high-rise corporate offices were closed and thus all the restaurants that usually serve the busy career folk were shut tight too.  Stan had a Japanese version of Cajun chicken jambalaya.  I had a delicious fish sandwich with lettuce, red onion sliver and doused in egg salad. We didn’t care.

Refreshed, we headed to the Senso-Ji Buddist Temple.  Okay, this is where all the people were!  Some came in kimonos and traditional dress to pray at the temple.  Some came as dating couples, gangs of buddies, families, and tourists like us to join the massive crowd for sightseeing, ice cream eating, street-performer watching, and souvenir shopping. 

Feeling spunky, we could see the Tokyo Skytree in the distance.  It did not look very far away.  We started walking–it was a hike!.  We bought our tickets and joined a thousand other people in line to ride the elevator to the top and view this vast expanse of this densely-built city.  It was overwhelming.

It was a big day – after a day or two of taking care of business and transit travel, we are finally digging into our list of must-see places!  We are tired but satisfied.

One observation that amazes me is that even with so many people in such tight spaces in Tokyo, people are soft-spoken, respectful, and courteous not just to visitors but to each other as well.  All 37 million of them seem to get along.  People seem happy too!  The pleasant sound of laughter especially from children and young people is frequently heard.  I’m astounded too by the number of people who initiate offers to help us find stuff and figure out what we might be eating.   We have learned to dip our heads in a bow of thanks or greeting, and to say hello, good-bye, thank you, and please in Japanese, but we still cannot make out even one of their written characters. We have also done our best to adapt to Japanese courtesy so we don’t offend anyone. We learned . . . make no public displays of affection, speak softly, walk on the left, and don’t lick your chopsticks or stand them up in your rice.