Tokyo, Tokyo

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Even when set against its Asian peers, Tokyo stands out, and stands pretty tall... and wide.

During the numerous transfers en route by JR Rail/Tokyo Metro from Fussa City to central Tokyo, we got a feel for how enormous and concentrated the city of Tokyo is.  As we got closer to Hiroo station (near our hotel, the New Sanno, located in the Azabu district near Roppongi and Kamiyacho) we couldn't help but notice how the JR rail train we were in was gradually getting more and more crowded.  However, we didn't see any of the crowds we saw on TV documentaries during our entire stay in Japan.  Actually, it was a bit surprising that the city wasn't packed with tourists in the middle of summer, otherwise known as tourist season in many places.

The language thing can be a big deal at times, especially when trying to communicate with anyone over the age of 30, or trying to find your way on the JR rail outside of Tokyo (especially at Fussa!).  I got a phrasebook just before we embarked on our journey, and it was well used, especially when shopping and dining outside of the New Sanno.  And even while we're not in Japan... it'll be put to use in trying to translate the songs of a.mia, BoA, and Ayumi.

Tokyo's rail system (Tokyo Metro) is just about as great and efficient as London's.  And, I think it's even more interesting and "adventurous", with all the japanese station and line names... Naka-Meguro, Ebisu, Hiroo, Roppongi, Kamiyacho, Ginza, on the Hibiya line.  And you never know, you might just find yourselves caught in the infamous Tokyo rush on the metro... though we never did!

I won't recommend any particular restaurant to eat at... in part because we wouldn't remember the names, much less be able to read them from the signs that front their establishments.  But then, no matter which establishment you choose, no matter what place it is, you really can't go wrong!  We stuck to places that at least had a picture/photo menu, and had a great dining experience eating in various districts... Akihabara, Tsukiji, Kamiyacho,  etc.  We wouldn't doubt that this would hold true throughout Japan, since we actually had some ramen in Tokyo Tower and didn't feel like we were ripped off at all.  Just be prepared to use chopsticks or bring a plastic fork unless you're eating at a "western" restaurant.

As far as specific attractions in Tokyo, the one that stands out most in my mind was the Tsukiji Fish Market.  For one, just getting to the market is an adventure, what with all the electric carts whizzing by you in all directions as you get closer to the real action at the market.  Once you do get to the market (hopefully early in the morning as recommended by everyone in Tokyo, and surviving the electric cart experience), there are all sorts of sea creatures to be had for the right amount of yen.  After you've worked up an appetite taking photos and dodging the electric carts, you can have the freshest sushi and sashimi you've ever had in your life (caught mere hours before it appears on your bowl).  We loved the place we ate at in Tsukiji market so much that we came back on our last day out in Tokyo, and it was definitely worth the price.  While you're in the market...the sellers are extremely  welcoming to the tourist snapshots of their wares, and will even go out of their way to help you get that perfect photo of the gigantic bluefin tuna caught earlier that morning.

Speaking of helpfulness, we didn't exactly find the Tsukiji market on our own.  Without our asking, many of the Tokyo-ites pointed us in the right direction.  For the most part, the japanese people won't bother you if you don't want to be bothered... but they can be very friendly and helpful to even the slightly lost tourists.  From our experience, they're about as nice as the people we've encountered in Korea.

The Meiji shinto shrine was also a great experience for us.  We just happened to visit in the middle of shinto ceremony, though I wouldn't be able to tell you what kind of ceremony it was.  The place was simply beautiful and well preserved, and we got to take part in the cleansing ritual before entering the shrine area.

The Asakusa buddhist temple was not quite as beautiful as Meiji, but it was much more full of the japanese "life", so to speak.  There's a number of market alleys leading up to the temple in Asakusa, so we got to do a bit of trinket and mochi-shopping on the way to the temple.  Donna loves visiting the markets of foreign countries, not just for shopping but to get a feel for the pulse of the country, and this was no different.  A cauldron burning with incense for good health was in front, and we did as the japanese did in directing the smoke from the incense onto ourselves.  I'm not sure which was nicer, the Asakusa temple or the five-storey pagoda right next to it.

The Imperial Garden was impressive both in size and concentration of natural beauty.  You can easily walk a mile in the garden and not see everything there is to see in it.  Who would've thought such a huge amount of nature would be right in the middle of Tokyo, right next to Tokyo station?

Tokyo Tower was a fun experience, especially for the kids.  We just missed out on the live music performance that happens in the tower every Wednesday and Friday early evening, but it was still a nice experience.  From the main observatory you get a nice (but not perfect) view of Tokyo in all directions.  At the foot of the tower there are a number of restaurants, shops, and unlike most well-located establishments in the world, they don't charge rip-off prices just because you're shopping at the foot of the famous Tokyo Tower.  That in itself was extremely refreshing!  The kids got some toys and Hello Kitty goods at the foot of the tower.

Odaiba is a nice little getaway from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, thought not very far: about 5 minutes across the Rainbow Bridge.  Odaiba is actually a man-made island, so it was the first time for us to step onto one of those.  One thing I didn't know about was the statue of liberty on Odaiba.  I would've never imagined I'd see the statue of liberty in Tokyo, Japan before seeing the one in New York (have not, yet).  We went into a mall in Odaiba and window-shopped, which was a bit of a different experience from Asakusa and the other more tourist-y shops.  We saw but didn't get to ride the big ferris wheel that BoA was on in her music video for "Every Heart".

Our visit to the Akihabara electronic district was interesting, but not particularly useful.  It probably would've been a far better experience had we been seriously shopping for electronics, but we were just there to see how things were in the mecca of electronics.  We found a music store there, but I wasn't prepared to shell out 4800 yen for the latest BoA CD.  The kids did decide they wanted to buy themselves wristwatches there, which was cool.  And we did have some extremely good Ramen in a restaurant underneath a JR line bridge after walking around Akihabara.

The New Sanno Hotel was one of the best parts of our Japan adventure.  Not only was it extremely inexpensive even by American standards, it was beautifully kept and well located in the Azabu district, close to Hiroo metro station.  I still remember the name of the intersection near the hotel:  Tengenji.  There are a number of discount shops in the hotel, and some nice restaurants.  Aside from our flight to Japan (free on military airlift) the New Sanno made for an unbelievably inexpensive vacation.

Even the vending machines are fun in Japan.  It may not look like much from pictures... but they give you a cheerful greeting, and you can buy almost anything from a vending machine in Japan, so they say.  Just don't forget to turn the switch that indicates you're done purchasing and would like your change.

We spent nearly a week, total, in Japan, with the majority of the time spent in Tokyo.  We all really enjoyed the experience, and I think it's safe to say we're confident that we'd love to be stationed in Yokota next, or any base in Japan for that matter.

Despite being such a massive city with a massive population... Tokyo can be sweet to both the eyes and the stomach, and I'm certain we'll want to taste it all again, hopefully sooner rather than later, and for a longer time.