Japan
(August 2004)Japan
(August 2004)| << Preparations |
First Days in Tokyo |
I was happy to met Masa at the airport. After changing money I told Masa, that I need some medicine. During the last days in Seoul I got a cold and I bought something for my throat at Incheon airport. But I needed some more. The good thing was that I found the name of the medicine in my travel guide with a Japanese translation and Masa was laughing :-) I think it was not a good translation :-) We saw a pharmacy and I went to the young women there and after I showed her the translation in my travel book, she also need to smile but she recommend a helpful medicine :-)
After a small lunch at the airport, Masa explained me the huge dimensions of the big area around Tokyo. This area consists of many cities you can compare this with the German Ruhrpott, also a conglomerate of many cities to one big urban area in the west of Germany. Travelling in Tokyo from one place to an other needs often 2 hours. So we decided to put my luggage in an box at the subway station and start sightseeing in Asakusa. For the evening we wanted meet Yumiko, also an old friend from New Orleans. And after this we will go to Masa's house near Kawasaki.
Asakusa is a kind of traditional shopping street, similar Insadong in Seoul, and a shrine. There I learned the tradition to throw a coin in the box, ring a bell and then think on a secret wish. Hm, I'm still waiting and now it is 3 month ago. May be I did something wrong... :-)
Later in the evening we are waiting for Yumiko. She need to work long in the evening and she has also a long way. Not long for Tokyo but long for normal cities :-) Then we met in a Italian restaurant and made plans for the coming two weeks. Masahiro and Yumiko had made a schedule when they have time and so we made a plan for Japan. After this first meeting Masa and I went to his home and Yumiko has a long way back to her home. It was really nice to meet them both after two years at the other side of the earth :-) Difficult to believe.
For my first full day in Japan we planed to visit Kamakura. This city is one of the most popular tourist places near Tokyo. A fellow student and good friend of Masa has also a visitor from Europe, from Italy and so we decided to visit together Kamakura.
I was surprised, that people in Japan standing in rows at the platform and waiting for entering the train. In Europe the people usually build a bunch of people and the doors of. the train stops never at the same place. In the public trains it is very common to take a short nap in Japan. After our trip we followed this old tradition.
The main attraction in Kamakura is the big Buddha and it is really impressive big. I'm not a religious man but I tried to feel some of the mood there. I was really surprised as I saw that the big Buddha has windows at his back and that you can also go inside and have a view through the windows.
But Kamakura has not only the big Buddha, it has also a lot of smaller temples, shrines and gardens. I really like the gardens.
What is looking out of the water? E.T. ? There are plenty of them.
Later at the day we walked through a shopping street and I went into a tea shop and tried some kinds of green tea. It tasted good and I bought some Tea. I still enjoy this days this tea at some quite mornings.
I'm a fan of animes of studio Ghibli. In Germany I saw Mononoke Hime and Chihiro in the Cinemas. This are really interesting movies. In Europe, many people think, that anime are only for children but the story of these movies are more for adults even children will have also fun watching them. But why I'm speaking about anime? In Tokyo is a museum of studio Ghibli. I told Masahiro and Yumiko that I would like to visit this museum and that we need a registration ahead. In the 7-11 convenience stores are machines, they look like ATMs and with them you can make a registration for this museum and also for many other things. But shit! There was no date free in this time. Every date was booked up :-( It seems to be very popular.
So Masa and I decided to watch the shrine ???
Near the shrine was the famous shopping street ??? where young Japanese teens can buy all the strange clothing. In Europe many young people like to wear punk look. But here many young people (I think especially girls) like to wear strange fashion, like Lolita or Gothic. It looks not bad but strange and often better then usual punks in Berlin :-)
There are also some toy shops with funny goods. Mr. ET seems to be still very popular in Japan and I will say nothing about Teletubbis. But I think Teletubbies are a preparation for the yellow press future. Then I would prefer to show my kids pokemons!
Who will buy something like this ??? Is it for the traditional cupboard???
At the evening Masa and I met Yumiko again. And I ate the first time Japanese food in Japan :-) I tried raw fish and usually I don't like raw meat and I was a little sceptical before my Journey to Japan. Many German people eat hoes beef raw on bread but I don't like. And many people think that Japanese food is mainly raw.
So I need to say that raw fish is not bad, I tried different species and I prefer salmon. But not every sushi consist off raw fish. There are many different possibilities. And I made my first contact with Soju in Japan. But I'm not sure the name of the drink seems to be different in the regions.
This day I met Yumiko at Schibuya-Station.
This is a big public traffic transfer station and in front of the station is a
monument for the dog Hachiko :-) The story about the dog is that he escort every morning
his master and even as he died, the dog still went every morning to the station
and leave it every evening. It is a popular meeting point in Tokyo like the
world time clock in Berlin.
The private propaganda battle between George and
Michel was also in Tokyo a topic. I can say only that I don't like any kind of
propaganda and both of them are profis of propaganda. Hm, may be only Michel.
Later then we went to the Bunkamura Museum, there was a painting exhibition, the Guggenheim Collection. I have not many experience with paintings, in school I was never good. My mother finished mostly my paintings for the school :-) It was an interesting exhibition and I think the exhibition was a lend from a museum of New York. After the museum we went to an big book store. Lonely Planet has two different Guides, one for Japan and one only for Tokyo and in my Japan-version I found only a few accommodations. In the big book store I found the Tokyo Guide in English and then I used my digital camera to photograph two pages with interesting accommodations. After visiting a park, we meet Yumikos friend for dinner. In Japan you find a lot of turtles in the parks.
Rush hour at 11 pm.
In Berlin is the public transport at this time empty except Friday or Saturday
Night. But here a lot of people come home at this time. This evening travelled
the first time alone to Masa's home at Station Shim-maruko at the Toyoko Line.
I need to say that the Tokyo public transport system is not so easy like in
Seoul. At first, there are different companies: Japan Railways (JR), Subway and
private Railways. The first question is what to pay? I had a prepaid ticket for
subway and private lines, for JR I need to pay separately. At every station is a
map where you find the price for every other station where you can go from this
station. But if all names are in Japanese, then I can only guess :-) Or ask and
then you will find some one who helps you?
At the bookstore we bought a real big map about all public transport around Tokyo and this helps. The second challenge was that not every sign at the walls was in Japanese and English so it was sometimes hard to see at which station I'm. But Masahiro and Yumiko explained me well the way back home and if I had doubts where I'm then I asked some one. Not everybody did understand me but I showed then simply the big map and pointed to the station where I want go.
I really like that the shops are open all the time. In Germany we have a very
old fashion law about closing times for shops. This law prohibit shops to open
after 8pm or at Sunday. I hope that in a few years this law will be cancelled.
It is only a question of time. I bought there my most expensive apple and some
juice.
Masa had this evening a appointment and that's why he prepared a way for me to open his door. His apartment was small and our biggest problem was my heavy and bulky luggage. I stayed 5 days at his house and the room was small but well organized :-) In the morning we exchanged my sleeping mattress with an small table for breakfast.
For this day
was the Tokyo-Edo museum at the schedule. We need to change the train at Shibuya
station and this was also one of the stations where I can get my Japan Rail
Pass. With this special ticket I can travel 1,2,3 week(s) with all JR lines and
buses for a fixed price. But you need to buy a coupon outside of Japan and then
you can exchange this coupon at special Railway Stations in Japan in a JR Pass.
I didn't found a place in Berlin to buy this coupon but because I worked in July
in Frankfurt, I bought it there. There are different JR Passes:
http://www.japanrailpass.net/ I
bought one for seven days and paid 28,300Yen (207 Euro). If you plan to travel
through the country, then it is a good idea to buy one. If you know when you
want start, then you go to a special ticket office and exchange the coupon in a
JR Pass. You need to say the start date.
Interesting, the non smoking times are limitted.
http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/
This is a very big museum in a new impressive building. You find a lot of information about the History of Tokyo, the former Edo. It was also for Masa the first time to visit this museum, so be a guide is also a good chance to visit places where you usually don't go :-)
The last evening Masa and I spend at the Tokyo Bay. There are many modern Buildings and we went to a big shopping and restaurant complex with a great view. In the shopping house they have different levels and every level has a different motive. One of them was old traditional Japanese style an other one was Chinese style.
People in the world like Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower.
There was also a Beach and we talked long in the night before we went back home.
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