Travel Features : The Best of Tokyo

Noisy, crowded, expensive and incomprehensible – Tokyo may not be an obvious tourist destination. Visitors in search of Japanese tradition and culture would be better off in the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara. If you traveled to the north or south of the country, you would be greeted by breathtaking landscapes and friendly, unflustered locals. What Tokyo does have, however, is a frenetic vitality unmatched by any other city in the world.

From its beginnings as an insignificant fishing village, the city has become a sprawling metropolis that is home to over 26 million people. Neon billboards line the main roads, while giant TV screens flash endless commercials to the salarymen and office ladies below. Old Tokyo still exists in the temples of Asakusa or the tranquil grounds of the Imperial Palace, but it is the modern, futuristic side of Tokyo which draws in the millions of commuters. Visitors can experience the city in a weekend, although to make any sense of it could take a lifetime.

Tokyo does not have a clear centre; instead there are number of districts each with their own character. These include the skyscrapers of Shinjuku, Shibuya's fashion obsessed teenagers, and the technophile heaven that is Akihabara. Each area shows a different side of Tokyo and visitors can experience as many of the city's facets as their vacation time, wallet and sanity allows.

Ginza

When standing at the intersection known as Ginza Yon­chome it is hard to believe that the economic bubble ever burst. Neon lights stretch off in every direction, Porches and BMWs line the streets, while the window displays are for Chanel, Prada and Louis Vuitton. Department stores such as Wako and Mitsukoshi sell virtually anything, but it is the kimono department that holds the most prestige and the richest clients. Many obi, the silk sash that wraps around a kimono, have prices of over a million Japanese yen ($10,000). By contrast, a cotton yukata worn at summer festivals can be bought for as little as a ten thousand yen ($100).

Ginza is also home to various smaller, but just as expensive, specialist shops. At the Sony showroom, however, entry is free and you can play with gadgets the rest of the world will have to wait years for.

Less than a couple of kilometers from the centre of Ginza is the Imperial Palace, home to the Emperor and his family. The public are only allowed to enter on New Year's Day and the Emperor's birthday, but visitors are always able to stroll through the public gardens of the Imperial Plaza. If you follow any flag waving tour guide you will find yourself at Nijubashi ­ two stone bridges that span the palace moat. It is not uncommon to see enormous school parties lined up for a group photo with the palace walls, bridges and moat as a backdrop.

Harajuku & Shibuya

A large part of Japan’s Generation X saw what working an 80­hour week had done to their parents and didn’t want to head in the same direction. The areas of Tokyo known as Shibuya and Harajuku are about celebrating youth and individualism. The Shibuya Girls of the late ‘90s had fake tans, white eye shadow, peroxide blonde hair and platform boots. Since then there has been various phases of fashion including “cutie,” Hawaiian, hip­hop and Rasta.

On Sunday afternoons the most exhibitionistic head to the entrance of Yoyogi Park beside Harajuku station. Here “goths” mingle with twenty­something’s dressed as anime characters, French maids or rockabillies. The unique fashions even made it to the music world where Gwen Stefani’s album Love Angel Music Baby has a track titled Harajuku Girls. In her words: “A subculture in a kaleidoscope of fashion… I am your biggest fan.”

Both Harajuku and Shibuya cater more to a younger clientele than the high fashion boutiques of Ginza. T­shirts with nonsensical English emblazoned across the front continue to be as popular as ever, as are stores for the dedicated followers of Hello Kitty, Astro Boy and Pokémon. If the sight of another group of teenagers dressed as Pikachu or Elvis starts to grate, head west from Harajuku station into Yoyogi Park and the Meiji shrine. Quiet paths lined with cedars take you through ancient torii gates to Tokyo's most sacred Shinto shrine. Do not, however, search for serenity here around New Year, when millions of worshipers come to pray for fortune and prosperity.

Shinjuku

More than 2 million people flow through Shinjuku station everyday. During rush hour white­gloved staff push commuters into already packed trains. To the west of the station are the skyscrapers of corporations like Mitsui and Sumitomo along with the 48­story twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices. The towers were built in 1991 at a cost of 1 billion dollars when Japan's economy seemed to be on an unstoppable rise and the “bubble” continued to grow.

The east side of Shinjuku comes alive at dusk when bars, clubs, pachinko parlors and “snacks” (hostess bars) are filled with salarymen who either feel obligated to socialize with their co­workers or are putting off the crowded commute back home. Shinjuku is also home to the Godzilla­sized Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera stores which sell everything from the latest digital SLRs to something as archaic as film.

Daiba

The suburbs of Tokyo may be an architectural wasteland ­ concrete apartments blocks lined up like dominoes ­ but the buildings of Daiba seem to have had the same dose of individualism as the Harajuku girls.

Daiba is an island of reclaimed land in Tokyo harbor connected to the rest of the city by the Yurikamome monorail and the Rainbow Bridge. The futuristic Fuji TV headquarters looks to have been constructed out of a giant Meccano set, while the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition halls resemble a series of upside down pyramids. Tokyo Decks and Palette Town are modern shopping centers that house both generic stores like the GAP and Starbucks and the far more interesting Megaweb Toyota showroom and the Pet City store.

The Toyota showroom is a paradise for car lovers. As well as exhibits with historical cars and the latest F1 developments the showroom has what is best described as car vending machines. With the press of a button, you select a vehicle and, after a couple of minutes of automated lifts, sliders and rollers, a new Toyota or Lexus appears in front of you. Flat screen TV's then display how much faster, safer and more economical the car is than the one you presently have sitting in your garage. If, like many Tokyoites, you spend three hours a day on a packed commuter train, gazing over sports cars and SUV's it is a pleasant chance to daydream.

Pet City on the first floor of Palette Town is like a looking glass into the life of modern Japanese. With couples marrying later and the world's lowest birthrate, many young urbanites have channeled all nurturing urges into their pampered pooches. The dogs are almost always small ­ city apartments are better suited to a Chihuahua than a St. Bernard ­ and they don't come cheap. The favorite for 2005 is the Toy Poodle and for three hundred thousand yen ($3000) you can take home a little bundle of fur that will undoubtedly pee on the tatami and chew through your manga collection. Pet City will also feed, groom and clothe your “baby.” There are winter jackets, T­shirts, sunhats and a variety of dresses. The dogs are zipped into the outfits with a docile resignation while other “mummies” and “daddies,” ooh and aah. The store does have the mundane bags of dog­food, but on special days out, dogs (many wearing dresses and sunhats) head for the patisserie counter where the house chefs have created treats including a \3,400 doggie birthday cake topped with strawberries and bone­shaped cookies. Tokyo’s pooches have never had it so good.

Asakusa

Situated in the northeast portion of central Tokyo is Asakusa. The area has one of Tokyo's most recent architectural wonders and one of its oldest. Frenchman Phillipe Starcke designed the controversial Asahi Breweries building on the bank of the Sumida River. The main building is designed to look like a glass of beer. The smaller building to its side is topped by a gold flame­like sculpture that detractors say looks more like something produced by the dogs of Pet City.

In sharp contrast is Senso­ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo, although nearly all the buildings were destroyed by carpet-bombing during WWII and were later rebuilt. It is estimated that 20 million people pass through the temple's Kaminarimon Gate each year. Although many are foreign tourists the majority of visitors are Japanese. There is a long line of stalls overflowing with replica swords, ornate fans and bottles of sake. The souvenirs attract the attention of school parties and tourists, but it is the locals you should watch. A tiny grey-haired woman rubs the bronze statue of Buddha wishing for better health, a young mother wafts smoke from an incense burner over her child’s head, and an aging salaryman sits alone staring at ripples on the surface of the pond. Tokyo may be famous for its skyscrapers, trains, and neon lights, but its biggest asset is its citizens, all 26 million of them.

When to go

Tokyo gets a little snow in the winter months, has a rainy season at the start of the summer and then remains hot and sticky until autumn. In general, the best times to visit Japan are for the cherry blossom in early April and when the leaves are changing color in October. Tokyo, however, seems to run at full steam 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Getting There

Narita Airport is the largest international airport in Japan. It is situated 35 miles (60km) outside of the city centre and is connected to Tokyo by the Narita Express train. Haneda Airport is mainly for domestic flights and can be reached by limousine buses from Tokyo Station or by monorail. For travel to other parts of the country, Japan has arguably the best rail system in the world. The Shinkansen bullet trains are not cheap, but traveling at over 300 kilometers an hour they get you to your destination fast. Train delays are so unusual they tend to make the national news.

Getting Around

Excluding the morning and evening rush hours, Tokyo's train and subway system is by far the best way to get around the city. The overland Yamanote train does a continuous loop around the city connecting Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro and Shinjuku. The subway system currently has thirteen color­coded lines crisscrossing the city. There are signs in both English and Japanese, but most navigation can be done by choosing a line then following the appropriate colored circles to the platform. Individual tickets are available or there is a ¥1000 day pass that gives you unlimited travel on the entire metro system.

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