Tokyo (Part I)

I got to see Meiji Jingo shrine, but there was a real lack of cherry trees in Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingo, so it wasn't as scenic as I had hoped. Meiji is also next to Harajuku - my favorite place for people-watching. But the bridge where all the cosplayers hang out was under renovation, and I didn't get a chance to visit on a Sunday. Those two things conspired to deny me the joy of watching a crowd of crazy Japanese cosplayers in action. But Harajuku is still a good place to go when you want to find something that'll make your eyebrows climb.

I also braved shopping in Harajuku. My friend Leah wanted a hoodie from Japan, so I figured if there's a place to buy alternative-fashion hoodies, Harajuku was it. Of course, I stick out anywhere in Japan, but let me tell you, I felt particularly out of place wading through a clothing store in Harajuku. Especially since the other customers were all teeny-bopper girls! Ha-ha... But I found a t-shirt and what I thought was a hoodie for Leah. Of course, when I got it back to the apartment, I realized it wasn't actually a hoodie, just a jacket. But oh well, I tried.

Oh, that reminds me of one of the differences on this trip. I didn't stay at a friend's house in Tokyo. Ochibichan's family found me a small efficiency apartment for the two weeks I was there. It had a gas stove, refrig, small TV, and a clothes washer. If you don't mind living as a near-ascetic, it was decent. But small doesn't even begin to describe it. But it had a western style bed, too, which is a nice change from a futon. Unfortunately, Japan's idea of a mattress involves a lot more firmness than American's idea of a mattress. And the average Japanese mattress isn't designed to fit a 6'1" gaijin. I was surprised that my feet didn't hang off the end. But the comforter was a bit small for my tastes. Overall, the apartment was really nice though. I didn't have to worry about disturbing Ochibichan's family, and I could schedule my day as I pleased.

Back to the stories from Tokyo! We visited two observation decks in Tokyo on this trip. One was in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building's North Tower. The other was in the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. Both were excellent, but if you only have time to do one, I'd recommend the Mori Tower. Just the elevator ride is fun. My ears popped both ways, and on the trip down to the 5th floor (from the 53rd!) the elevator starts decelerating at the 10th floor! It's mind boggling how quickly you get to the top of that tower.

The Mori tower is also home to an art museum, which is included in the price of admission to the city view area. The current exhibit was on the relationship between Berlin and Tokyo in their architectural and artistic histories. It was mildly interesting, but the prevalence of modern art (for which I have a limited taste) shortened our visit there. I did get a fascinating cityscape shot of the sun looking like a star-burst over Shibuya. Someday I'll get through all the images and get it posted.

I also visited Aoyama Cemetery, which is near Roppongi Hills. Ochibichan downplayed the cemetery when I asked about it, but it turns out to have a main road that traverses the length of the cemetery, lined on both sides by cherry trees. It was very moving to see the trees all in bloom and petals scattered about the edges of the cemetery. While I was there, a US Army Blackhawk helicopter passed overhead and the downwash blew a small snow storm of petals free. Standing in the middle of a storm of cherry blossom petals is an experience I'd recommend to anyone! The cemetery is also full of well tended and interestingly designed markers.

Like so many other places in Tokyo, one of the most intriguing parts of Aoyama cemetery was how it contrasted with the surrounding urban sprawl. In some parts of the cemetery, you could look around and not see anything but vegetation and Buddhist tombs. But you'd walk just a few dozen yards and break out into an open section of the cemetery. And there above the headstones looms the sky scrapers of Roppongi. More than once I was struck by the eerie parallel between the tower monoliths in the background and the unadorned spires of the tombs beside me. Aoyama will be on my list for a revisit the next time I'm in Japan.

We also visited Asakusa, which houses a large gate and shrine. It was impressive, especially the large lantern in the center of the gate, and the pagoda near the shrine. Unfortunately, it was raining when we visited. And the road between the gate and the shrine is the definition of "tourist trap". I did indulge in buying two cloth prints to hang at home, and Ochibichan bought me a beautiful set of tea cups. And we had a few bean-paste snacks from another vendor, which were pretty good.

I got to ride a shinkansen (aka bullet train) on the way to Nagoya. And I was blessed with a gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji on the trip out of Tokyo. It's hard to express the scope of Mt. Fuji... I've seen tall mountains before on my several cross-country trips in the US. But Mt. Fuji is practically one continuous slope from sea level up to 12,388 feet.

Twelve thousand feet!!!

The sky was a stark blue, and Fuji-san was snowcapped, as always. I didn't have my still camera unpacked, but I did have the video camera I'd borrowed from James out. So I shot as long as I could. When I get the tape edited, I'll try to post some stills of that too.

Let me talk about the shinkansen for a minute. These trains are huge! The ones on the line I rode were 16 cars long, and a single car was about 32 rows of seats long, each seat being significantly roomier than a Boeing 777-200. So I'd guess the train as a whole is somewhere around 600-700 yards long. Everyone knows bullet trains go fast, but when you leave the station, the acceleration isn't extreme. But it just doesn't stop! We literally accelerated for several minutes. This doesn't sound extreme on paper, but even your average station wagon can reach highway cruising speed in under 30 seconds. At full-bore, these trains are approaching 300 km/hr (about 180-190 mph). When they enter a tunnel, you can feel the air pressure differential. On a longer tunnel, you're ears might have to pop your ears! And the sight of another shinkansen passing in the opposite direction is almost terrifying. Just counting seconds under my breath, we would pass another shinkansen in about 4 seconds! That's a 600-700 yard long train whipping past in the time it takes to sign your name on a check! I tried to take a photo of one, and with a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second, the other train is still nothing but a white blur.

More to come...