Exploring Tokyo

Tokyo is such an outrageously fun place to visit.  Even though it wasn't my first visit, I was reveling in all this place had to offer.  After only a day and night, I had already embraced the activities and had my fill of wonderful food.  There was still lots to explore.

Veronica was surprised that on my lone trip to Tokyo many years ago, I hadn't been to visit Sensoji.  Looking at pictures and watching videos of the area, I was a bit surprised myself.  I had been more of a novice back then and clearly failed to do the proper research on where to go.  After the late night out in Shinjuku, we woke up late with the goal of going to Sensoji.  Since we were staying in Akasaka, we first went to visit the Harry Potter "station" that was nearby.  I have no interest in Harry Potter, but for Veronica it was probably one of the highlights of her trip.  From there, we took the metro across town to Sensoji and its famous streets.

I had somehow missed visiting Sensoji during my first visit to Tokyo.  I had been staying on the other side of the city, but it was still a shock that I hadn't come to see this incredible part of the city.  It was touristy, but understandably.  The street and the temple itself were both full of visitors, but it seemed to add to the energy of the place.  We walked down the main street slowly, stopping at random stores to look at the offerings and to try the various snacks on offer.  The coal roasted mochi was delicious.  It seemed to have none of the bland and premade taste that some Japanese food sometimes has.  Veronica was enamoured with the rice crackers toasted over flames and wrapped in nori.  After eating one, she left me to run back to the old man selling them to buy another.

The temple itself was an enormous building itself.  A combination of tourists and locals alike stood in awe, some gazing at its beauty, others partaking in the ritual of offering prayers and offerings.  I walked around and tried to take it all in as much as possible.  I found it quite comforting seeing so many people.  I had been traveling more over the last few months, but the restrictions of the last several years still had an impact on me so being around so many people and knowing that this was the case as well back home seemed to offer a strangely cathartic release.

We walked through the whole complex.  Ron decided to pay her respects up close while I just observed.  We walked back through the complex, down one of the side streets that ran parallel to the famous central street.  On this street there seemed to be even more variety of restaurants and small shops selling beautifully crafted ornaments along with the usual knickknack garbage.  We tried to find a restaurant, but sadly all recommendations we had received seemed to be closed that day.  It was a strange as there wasn't any particular event on and it seemed that we just managed to find those which had been closed.  We walked back towards the metro station and saw big signs for a shabu shabu restaurant.  It wasn't in our plans, but we both felt the draw of the warm and comforting meat cooked in the hot metal bowl.  We went up the elevator to a friendly restaurant that pressed an English placard into our hands, insisting we read it before proceeding.  We looked down and read through the contents.  Turns out this was a horse meat restaurant.  Given how particular some people might be when it comes to this type of meat, it was probably a good idea by the restaurant to flag this to people first.  Undeterred we nodded in agreement and walked in.  We sat with a nice view over the river and ate our fill of the food that was cooked for us. 

We spent the rest of the day walking around central Tokyo.  The shops around Ginza were all open and the streets were all closed off to let people walk around uninterrupted.  It was nice, but seemed a bit underutilised at the same time. The footpaths in Tokyo are so wide that adding the extra space of the empty streets didn't seem quite necessary.  We went into the enormous department stores and filled our bags with presents for friends and family back in Hong Kong.  As the evening approached, we hopped back on the metro towards Shibuya.  We had booked tickets to go to the top of Shibuya Sky to see the view.  

The new skyscraper Shibuya Scramble had opened up in the last few years and the observation deck had become one of the "must do" activities for people visiting Tokyo.  We joined the line and made our way up the elevators and escalators to the top.  This slow journey up was alone quite an experience as we were able to see views across Tokyo and down towards the famous Shibuya crossing.  Once we reached the top, we were given wide sweeping and unobstructed views.  It was a great location and a nice place to lay back and look up into the sky.

After the lovely views of Shibuya Sky, we made our way back to the metro to head back across to the other side of Tokyo.  For our last night in Tokyo, I had booked an omakase for us.  It didn't feel like a true Tokyo trip without such an experience.  We arrived in the small restaurant down a small side street.  The entrance was in the simple, yet elegant style you would expect for such a traditional style of eatery.  Inside the chef was waiting for us and directed us to our seats.  In a strange counterpoint to what I would normally expect in such restaurants, it was the younger man who was the chef and the older man was the sous chef assisting.

For next few hours we sat and chatted.  The chefs went about their business with rapid and deliberate actions.  Each course was prepared with a focus and attention that always impressed and amazed me.  I savoured everything that was presented before me.  I tried to give respect to not only the quality of ingredients, but also to the training and care that each piece represented.  To talk about dining as an experience often seems pretentious, and in many cases it is, but there are definitely situations where I feel such a description is the most apt.

Tokyo is an incredible place for visitors.  I'm not sure how good it would be as a place to visit, but from my tourist lens, it seemed to offer an incredible combination of sights and experiences.  There was a seemingly never ending number of things to do and to visit.  It had been many years since I had visited, and I hoped that I would be back soon.
 

Tokyo and TeamLab

I was amazingly able to find reasonably priced tickets to Tokyo over the long weekend.  Flight prices have generally been crazy ever since the covid restrictions have dropped, but I never thought it possible to be able to find flights to Tokyo from Hong Kong over such a high demand period.  Not only were the tickets reasonably priced, but they were also perfectly timed.  Flying out on Friday night, with a return late Monday afternoon.  We arrived at Haneda late at night (another blessing given it's so much closer to central Tokyo) and we were confronted by an immigration queue that lasted well over an hour.  Half way through the lineup, the change in the covid restriction requirements suddenly kicked in and all the officials began to methodically change all the systems they seemed to be using.  Even the display screens around where we were lining up were suddenly switched off to remove all the warnings and notifications about the covid related entry requirements.  Finally, we were able to get through and get to our hotel.  We had decided to stay in Akasaka for both its convenience and because it was the only place we were able to get a room with a decent sized bed with such short notice.  We arrived well after midnight, but after checking in and dropping our bags, we decided we wanted to go straight out.  We were tired from the trip, but we were in Tokyo and we wanted to breath in the fun this city had to offer straight away.  We wandered the still lively streets of Akasaka and found a late night sushi bar for beer and food.

The next day, we lingered in bed a little bit too long and it we only got out at around mid morning.  Veronica had seen a famous place for ochazuke she wanted us to try.  There would be a line, so we went over to begin the tedious task of waiting.  As Veronica waited, I wandered off to find us both coffees.  I found something and went back.  There had been no movement.  I looked at the long line and thought if this was the best use of our time.  We were on holiday, so our time both mattered and didn't all at once.  I looked at my watch and thought about how best to deal with the situation.  We were in the Ginza area, surrounded by nearby shops so I thought that the best way to deal with this was a tag team approach.  I told Veronica I would take the first watch.  She agreed and disappeared off to go shopping in the nearby department stores.  I stood and waited, playing with my phone and occasionally looking up.  The line barely moved.  Engrossed in my scrolling, I barely noticed when Veronica returned after over an hour.  We had made some progress in the line, but there was still a while to wait.  We were at that strange point of waiting, where we knew there would still be a long time to wait, but where the sunk time would be a complete waste if we were to leave.  It was my turn to go do my own thing so I decided to go explore the area.  I walked onto the main road and in the distance I could see a large building that seemed to stand out a bit amongst its surroundings.  Looking online, I found that it was the Artizon Museum.  It seemed as good a time as any to go visit.

The museum had several large galleries.  There seemed to be a mix of modern and impressionist art.  I couldn't quite work out what, if any, particular theme it had.  The building was beautiful.  Along two sides, there were large windows that opened up to the surrounding area.  It gave the entire building a wonderful light feeling, as though it was a glasshouse surrounding the interior.  I walked around the different galleries.  There were some interesting modern art displays that focused on light and darkness.  I found myself walking through some rooms that were almost pitch black, with small exhibits in the centre of these cavernous rooms.  The rest of the museum felt more conventional, with paintings and sculptures like what you would find in more standard galleries in Europe.  I took the time to sit, as my legs were feeling slightly tired from the long wait in line.

Feeling a bit more refreshed, I went back to the line to wait with Veronica.  We had made good progress and after a little bit longer we were into the small little restaurant.  Seated at the bar table with the rest of the guests, we were served a large bowl of rice, heaped high with minced tuna, roe and uni.  After eating about half of it all, you passed it back to the chefs who then filled it to the brim with the most intense fish broth I had ever tasted.  It was a lovely experience, but ultimately still not worth the long wait.

It had been a strange and long way to start the trip.  I never thought I would ever line up for something for so long, certainly not for food.  The tag team approach had made it more bearable, but I was still a bit disappointed to have lost so much time.  We went back to the metro and made our way over to Akihabara.  Veronica wanted to play with some of the fancy Japanese photo booths and I was happy to go and visit this crazy part of Tokyo.  Once there I took in my fill of this unique part of the world, filled with a subculture that seems to be growing and moving more into the mainstream.  We didn't stay too long there.  We had a booking to go see the TeamLab exhibition.  We jumped in a cab and sped across to the other side of Tokyo close to the bay.  

How would I describe TeamLab?  Interactive art?  An immersive experience?  A series of art installations?  It was certainly impressive.  Inside an enormous building, a series of large connected rooms had been set up, each one with a different approach to the theme of space.  It was big and it was immersive, engaging you with all the senses.  From the very beginning, you were made to remove your shoes and you entered by climbing a steep incline of flowing water.  It was a clever approach to immediately draw you in and to clean your feet at the same time.  Once inside, you moved from room to room, each with its unique approach to the theme.  

The TeamLabs exhibition had become a huge draw card.  Every one who had been to Tokyo recently raved about it and recommended that we go.  It was understandable.  The interactive nature of everything coupled with a high quality of execution.  I did feel a sense of wonder as I moved from room to room.  One moment, we were bouncing on giant cushions, the next moment we were in a hall of lights, then we were knee deep in water with virtual "fish" swimming around our legs.

After the very enjoyable time at TeamLab, we went to Shinjuku.  There we met up with a couple of friends who had recently moved to Tokyo.  I hadn't seen them since they lived in Hong Kong, so it was a good opportunity to reconnect and to introduce them to Ron.  They had been enjoying the Tokyo life and as big foodies they had been exploring the different dining opportunities on offer.  We had left the choice of restaurant to them.  They took us out of the main centre of Shinjuku and up into a fairly non-descript building.  The elevator doors opened and it felt like we were stepping off the street directly into an old robatayaki restaurant.

The detailing of the restaurant made it feel like it was a standalone building.  I had to remind myself a few times that we were actually inside a high rise building next to Shinjuku.  We sat down and our friends put their recently learnt Japanese to work.  We ordered as much as we could off the menu.  This was a popular restaurant and several items were already sold out, but we targeted as many of the robata items as we could.  The waitress shook her head with concern at a few of our requests.  How could we possibly eat that much?  Her concern was unfounded though as we easily finished off every dish brought to the table.

One of the last dishes brought to us was a simple iron vessel cooked rice.  It seemed a strange way to finish a meal which included so many items grilled directly over the coals, but it was one of the dishes that the waitress insisted we get.  The iron vessel was brought to our table directly from the hot coals, and when the lid was taken off we could all smell the strong fragrant rice.  It didn't smell burnt or smoky, just welcoming and more "ricy" that anything we were accustomed to.  The waitress divided the rice into bowls for each of us, then lay a shiso leaf on top of each bowl with a final flourish of a soy marinated egg yolk.  It all seemed so simple, but the combination was unbelievably good as we each left our bowls completely empty.