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8/6/2019 Japan Things to See
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Tuesday, May. 12, 2009
By Maryanne Murray Buechner
Introduction
Tokyo is a marvelous mix of modern living and old-fashioned manners, slick high-tech gadgets
and cutesy cartoon mascots. It's terribly crowded, yet can be strangely quiet. It's not a pretty city,
not by conventional standards. Beauty comes in tiny packages here: You'll find it in bud vases, at
dinner tables and on dessert plates. You'll find it also in the way superfast trains ease into
stations, gently, precisely and on time. There is beauty in the shrines and stone lanterns and other
traces of old Japan scattered among the skyscrapers, swanky shopping malls and sprawling mass
transit hubs. The trick is to sample it all to do the serene garden and the massive office tower
with a view. Here's how to see the loveliest and liveliest sides of Tokyo in one day.
1. Tsukiji Fish Market
You're jet-lagged and upbefore sunrise. That's the perfect time to head to Tsukiji, the busiest
wholesale fish market in the world. As you make your way past the loading docks and mountains
ofpolystyrene boxes, mind the motorized trolleys zipping around. (The dodginess of it adds to the
adventure.) Make your way through the warren of seafood stalls and into the main market
building, where the giant frozen tuna are laid out for inspection and sale, then hooked and hauled.
Look for the big sign marked "Visitors' Passageway." This is your safe zone, and from here youcan watch the live auctions, a daily ritual that's over by 6:30 a.m. A clanging bell signals that one
is about to start.
Take the Hibiya line of the Tokyo Metro to Tsukiji station, exit 1.
2. Sumo
Forget kabuki sumo is better theater. If you happen to be in Tokyo during one of the three
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grand tournaments 15-day events in January, May and September go straight from the
Tsukiji fish market to Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's National Sumo Hall. The box office opens at 8
a.m., and competition begins at 9 a.m. and lasts into the evening. Bouts are brief usually just a
few, very exciting, extremely intense seconds, with a lot of posturing in between. Try to stay long
enough to see the start of a new round, when the rikishi parade into the arena wearing special
aprons over their loincloths, and there's a brief ceremony in the ring.
If it's not tournament season, try to go to one of the stables where the wrestlers live and train.
Sessions start early and are usually over by 10 a.m., though figure 9 a.m. to be safe. (There are
more than 50 sumo stables in Tokyo; click here for the list). Have someone who speaks Japanese
call the stable in the afternoon on the day before you want to go, to make sure the team's in town
and not on tour in the countryside. Some stables are more welcoming than others. Try Kokonoe-
beya, or ask the concierge at your hotel if they have an in somewhere. Inside the stable, keep
quiet and out of the way, and don't take flash pictures. You may be expected to make a small
donation.
General admission tickets for Ryogoku Kokugikan are sold as same-day seats on tournament
days: $20 for adults, $2 for children ages 4 to 15 (kids under 4 get in free); tickets are cash only.
Take the JR Yamanote line to Akihabara and transfer to the Sobu line for Ryogoku station; the
stadium is next door, and Kokonoe-beya is a 5-minute taxi ride from there. The Toei Oedo line
also stops at Ryogoku station.
3. Meiji Shrine
Dedicated to the late 19th-century emperor who opened Japan to the West, Tokyo's most famous
Shinto shrine is wonderfully serene and austere, not colorful or flashy like other Asian places of
worship, and is less of a tourist trap than Senso-ji, the big Buddhist temple across town in
Asakusa. The 40-foot-high (12-meter) torii gate at the entrance to the 200-acre park is made of
1,500-year-old cypress, and there's a second one like it closer to the shrine itself. Stop at the
cleansing station where you can dip into a communal water tank and purify your hands and
mouth before offering up a prayer. You can write wishes on little pieces of paper and tie them
onto the prayer wall, or do as the locals do toss some yen into the offering box (it's near the
enormous taiko drum), bow your head twice, clap twice, and bow once more.
On Sunday mornings you are likely to see a traditional wedding procession (or two) through the
courtyard the bride in a white kimono and hood and the groom in his formal black robe,
walking together under an enormous red parasol, with Shinto priests leading the way and the rest
of the wedding party trailing behind. Shrines, big or small, can get interesting on festival days.
Check the calendar to see what's happening.
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Meiji-jingu is open sunrise to sunset. Admission is free. Take the JR Yamanote line to Harajuku
station.
4. Yoyogi Park
Yoyogi Park in Shibuya-ku is the perfect comic relief after a low-key shrine stop. With living space
so tight in this city, parks are the places for club meetings and practice sessions and even play
rehearsals, and Yoyogi draws all sorts of talent, from horn players to hula hoopers to hip-hop
dancers. Some carry on as if unaware they have an audience. I love the rockabilly gangs, Elvis-
inspired dudes with pronounced pompadours who usually gather by the park's east side entrance
on Sundays to jam to American pop music from the '50s. You'll see them next to the sock hop of
ladies in poodle skirts and saddle shoes. Somehow this scene is more satisfying than the Gothic
Lolitas and Costume Play kids (fans of Japanese manga and anime dressed as their favorite
characters) hanging out on the Harajuku bridge, but I always take my friends to see them too.
Yoyogi Parkhas a mellower side that's also worth exploring areas to the north and west, past
the fountain pond and central field. There's a cycling center (81-(0)3-3465-6855) northwest of the
central field that rents bikes, including tandems, for just a few hundred yen (you're not supposed
to go off the path, which is long and lovely) and a snack hut with tables that sells ice cream and
beer. There is also a little dog run, so you're bound to see at least a few terriers decked out in
rhinestones and denim or chihuahuas dressed like cheerleaders.
Yoyogi Park is open from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. Take the JR Yamanote line to
Harajuku, Omotesando exit, or the Chiyoda line to Yoyogi-koen, exit 4.
5. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
If Yoyogi Park is the most entertaining green space in Tokyo, the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
is the most beautiful. Ask for a map in English ("Ay-go mappoo?") as you walk in so you can besure to hit all the major gardens: English Landscape, French Formal, Japanese Traditional (with
teahouse) and the curiously named Mother and Child Forest (Haha to Ko no Mori). There's also a
lovely Taiwan Pavilion; go inside and look out the second-story windows.
In late March and early April, cherry blossom season, the central lawn areas are particularly
stunning. Consider bringing a picnic lunch. You can buy a variety of take-away items at the
gourmet food hall in the basement level of Takashimaya department store, just south of the
Shinjuku Station (east of the JR line tracks) and about 500 meters west of the garden's Shinjuku
gate entrance. If you get the itch to shop, there's also a massive Tokyu Hands department store in
the same mega-mall complex (called Times Square), selling everything from gold body stockings
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to Japanese tea sets and stationery. Next door is a behemoth Kinokuniya bookstore. The foreign
books floor is a good place to find Japanese manga some even suitable for kids that has been
translated into English.
My second favorite garden in Tokyo is Hama-rikyu (admission: $3), which was a feudal lord's
retreat during the Edo period. There's an old-style teahouse on a tidal pond, a 300-year-old pine,
a grove of plum trees and a peony field. The duck hunting grounds were once used by the
Tokugawa shoguns. (The cluster of Shiodome skyscrapers just beyond makes a startling backdrop.)
Located at the mouth of the Sumida River, Hama-rikyu is also a stop on a passenger ferry line that
you can take up to Asakusa or out to Odaiba.
Shinjuku Gyoen is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and closed Tuesday in
weeks in which Monday is a national holiday. Admission is about $2 for adults, less for students
and children. Take the JR Yamanote line to Shinjuku, south exit; walk east down Koshu Kaido, a
main thoroughfare. Or take the Toei Shinjuku line to Shinjuku-Sanchome.
For Takashimaya or Tokyu Hands, the entrance is across from Shinjuku Southern Terrace after
Krispy Kreme, turn left and take the bridge over the train tracks.
For Hama-rikyu, take the Toei Oedo line to Shiodome station. You can also take the JR
Yamanote line or either the Ginza or Asakusa Metro line to Shimbashi, but you're looking at a
12-minute walk from there.
6. City Views
There's a lot going on at and around the popular Roppongi Hills complex a garden, a cinema,
loads of shops, cafs and restaurants but if you stay focused, you can be in and out in an hour
and hit all the highlights. Start at Louise Bourgeois's giant spider sculpture,Maman, then move
on to the Mori Tower for the 52nd-floor observation deck called Tokyo City View. The $15 ticket
includes admission to the Mori Art Museum, where exhibits range from the intriguingly modernto the truly bizarre (one recent show had my kids running for the door). For an extra $3, you can
go up to the 54th floor Sky Deck, which runs the perimeter of the rooftop heliport. There's a
bilingual photographer on hand who will take your picture, Tokyo Tower behind you, with his nice
camera. Purchasing the $15 print, which will be waiting for you downstairs, is entirely optional.
If you decide to stick around for lunch, I recommend sushi at Pintokona. Take the escalators near
the spider down two flights (follow signs for the Tokyo Metro's Hibiya station). The restaurant is
kaiten-style, so you simply help yourself to the artfully arranged dishes as they roll by on a
conveyor belt, or use the picture menu to let the chef know what you want. At the end of the
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meal, a member of the wait staff will wave a scanner at your stack of plates to tally the bill; prices
are stored on a chip embedded in each plate, and range from $2 to $7 and up.
Alternatively, you can see the skyline for free from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Offices building, which boasts two towers and two observation decks (on Floor 45). The TMGO
stands at the west end of the Shinjuku skyscraper district near the Washington hotel, which,
incidentally, is a good spot for dinner one of the hotel restaurants is Zauo Fishing Boat Cafe,
where you can catch the fish that ultimately ends up on your plate (you use a net to scoop a live
one out of the big tank). The Park Hyatt Tokyo, the hotel featured in the movieLost in
Translation, is also nearby, and the money you save on the free view might just cover two drinks
at the Hyatt's swanky New York Bar.
If you want the after-dark view you'll get the pretty lights, but you won't see the mountains
check the schedules: the TMGO towers are open late, until 11 p.m., only four nights a month (the
North tower on the first and third Tuesday, and the South tower, the second and fourth Monday).
Roppongi's observation deck is open until 1 a.m. (last entry at midnight) every night.
Regular adult admission to the Mori Tower observation deck is $15 ($10 for students, $5 for
children). It includes entry to the Mori Art Museum, which is open daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
(Tuesday until 5 p.m.), and usually closes for two weeks between shows. If that is the case, the
combo ticket will include admission to the separate Mori Arts Center Gallery, which normally
costs an extra $5. To get to Roppongi Hills, take the Hibiya or Toei Oedo line to Roppongi
station. Click here for directions.
The TMGO towers' regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; to get there or to the Park Hyatt
hotel, take the Toei Oedo line to Tochomae, the Toei Shinjuku line to Shinjuku, or the JR
Yamanote line to Shinjuku, and exit west.
7. Shibuya Crossing
It would be a shame to come to Tokyo and not take a walk across the famous intersection outside
Shibuya Station. On sunny afternoons or clear evenings, the surrounding area is packed with
shoppers, students, young couples and commuters. When the lights turn red at this busy junction,
they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians
surge into the intersection from all sides, like marbles spilling out of a box. You can observe this
moment of organized chaos from the second-story window of the Starbucks in the Tsutaya
building on the crossing's north side.
After experiencing the "scramble," follow the trendy teens into Shibuya 109, a big shiny mall with
more than 100 boutiques, for a look at the latest in disposable fashion. Or duck back into Shibuya
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Station and down to the bustling Tokyu Food Show for an elegant array of gourmet eats and an
education in local tastes: grilled eel, fried pork, tiny fish salad, octopus on a stick, seafood-and-
rice seaweed wraps and much more. The prepared dishes and grocery items are all sold from
immaculate counters amid a chorus of "Irashaimasen!" ("Welcome!"). There are aisles full of
beautifully packaged treats rice crackers, mochi cakes, jellied confections but the pickle
counter is my favorite.
Take the JR Yamanote line to Shibuya station, Hachiko exit.
8. Dinner and Drinks in Ebisu
You can easily spend a fortune in this city on dinner, but it's more fun to rub elbows with
salarymen at a standing bar and drink in some local color at a small izakaya, or Japanese bar and
grill, on the cheap. Ebisu is full of these establishments, which specialize in grilled meat and
vegetables, hotpot, sashimi and other casual fare, along with extensive drink menus. Many are
located within a few blocks of the train station, and the neighborhood is easily accessible just
one stop away from Shibuya on the JR Yamanote line, and two stops from Roppongi on the Tokyo
Metro's Hibiya line.
Leave the Ebisu JR station through the west exit, by the escalator and police box (koban), and
cross Komazawa-dori, the main road. Turn left, then right, between the Wendy's and the KFC
(don't let that deter you). Almost immediately on your right is the terrific Momotaro (open dailyfrom 5 p.m. to 6 a.m.), a "sumibi yakitori 'n wine" (charcoal grilled chicken) restaurant. The first
name appears on signs out front only in Japanese hiragana script, but the tagline is written in
English. Take the stairs down to the basement entrance. If you're feeling adventurous, order the
set menu, a generous series of courses priced around $30. It includes the full range of edible
chicken parts, from gizzards to hearts to delectably crispy skin. Go on, try it all!
Buri (open daily from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.), a spiffytachinomiya known for its sake menu, is a couple
blocks down on the left, and it too serves tasty bits (try the asparagus wrapped in pork) for $2 to$3 a skewer. At the far end of this lane, before you reach the next main road, is Honoji the
signs are all in Japanese, so look for the rather brightly lit room with food and drink prices tacked
up on the walls (there's a big picture window in front that gives you a glimpse inside). There's no
English menu, here, but don't worry; just say to your server, "Osusume" (oh-soo-soo-may), which
basically means, "Whatever you recommend." One more phrase to learn: Biru, onegaishimasu
(bee-roo roll the "r" oh-neh-guy-shee-mah-soo), which means, "Beer, please." Honoji is
open daily for dinner (5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.), and every day except Sundays and holidays for lunch
(11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
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9. Karaoke
In Japan, karaoke usually happens in a private room with your friends or colleagues, with a waiter
delivering drinks. But at Smash Hits, with its thick catalog of English songs, there's a stage and
stadium-style seating though its tight basement quarters keep it friendly. Cheer the salarymen
taking turns at the mic and they'll show you love in return. Smash Hits is open Tuesday through
Saturday nights, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.; the $35 cover charge includes two drinks. Smash Hits is a
5-minute walk from the Hiroo stop on the Hibiya line; take Exit 2, turn right, then round the
corner at the wine shop and walk to the end of the block.
If you'd rather not run into other foreigners the risk of going to Smash Hits is that it is
occasionally overrun with expats (Brits tend to arrive in a drunken horde after midnight) try the
red-velvet swathed Jan Ken Pon, the Japanese name for Rock, Paper, Scissors (it's actually what
you chant while pumping your fist, right before the throw). Most nights a live band performs, and
customers sing in between sets. Jan Ken Pon is open from 7 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through
Saturday (until 3 a.m. on Friday), and from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday and holidays; the cover
charge is $22 for men, $20 for women. Take the Hibiya Metro line or JR Yamanote line to Ebisu.
For other forms of late-night entertainment, check out the online edition ofMetropolis, a free
weekly English language magazine that has up-to-date listings of museum exhibitions, sporting
events and other happenings around town, including who's playing at all the concert halls and
clubs.
10. Daimaru's Kimono and Yukata
Most departing visitors leave town from Tokyo Station. Before you go, check out the Daimaru
department store next door just outside the station's Yaesu entrance. The kimono shop on the
10th floor is not geared to tourists; it's where Japanese ladies come to order custom-made
ensembles. The samples on display, and the price tags attached, will take your breath away. Theshop also stocks a full range of accessories obi, hair combs, toe socks, thong sandals, purses,
fans all nice to look at it, some even affordable. Ask the salesladies about yukata, the
lightweight cotton robes that you'll find in the closet of every ryokan (traditional Japanese inn).
The store stocks lovely, traditional blue-and-white geometric patterns for men and orchid and
bamboo prints for women, in a full range of sizes, including American XL. Prices are $50 to $60,
belt included. To buy yourself more browsing time, direct impatient friends to the samurai swords
on display down the hall.
Oriental Bazaar, a tourist magnet on Omotesando Street, offers a much bigger selection of yukata
(along with all sorts of other souvenirs) and robes there go for $10 to $15 less apiece than
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Click to Print
Daimaru's, but the place is a zoo on weekends. Still, if you enjoy digging through piles of fabric in
a crowded basement, you might find a second-hand kimono at a price you can live with. The store
is closed Thursdays.
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