First time in Tokyo

It was our first time in Tokyo and we wanted to make the most of our time, but didn’t want to feel overwhelmed.  After all, we had come from Perth, the world’s most isolated city with a population of 1.945 million spread across 6,418 km² arriving in Tokyo, Japan’s capital and the world’s largest megacity, with 13.725 million crammed into an area of 2.188 km². Yep, there are so, so many people there.

Etiquette

For as bustling and crowded as Tokyo is, the people are incredibly attentive. The subways are spotless, and with barely any rubbish bins present, the streets are surprisingly clean. Despite the massive crowds people arrange themselves in orderly lines when waiting in the subways. There’s no chaos, no one rushes, or pushes on the trains and escalators where everyone keeps to the left.

But where politeness rules supreme is in toilet decorum. To avoid ‘toilet noises’ being heard toilets are equipped with control pads that not only rinse and spray, but also play music or flushing sounds to maintain modesty. The sound princess design by Toto is fitted with seat warming functions and auto flushing. And then like a smack in the face, the total contrast, where hi tech toilets sit side by side the traditional squatty potty.

Japan, what’s not to love? Shrines, sumo and peaceful gardens coexist with speeding bullet trains, Lolita fashion and the world’s best toilets. Japan is a nation that is innovative and progressive, but also proud of its culture. It’s beautiful, evocative and it captures your heart with its lucky cats, hot springs and bento boxes.

Food

Speaking of food, what did we eat? Before we arrived, I had envisioned eating nothing but boiled rice for the whole time we would be there. Luckily this was not the case. It’s definitely not all green tea and rice. There is an exciting world of Japanese food from ramen, yakitori, teriyaki, tempura, chicken katsu, sushi and more. Yes much, much more.

It may have been our first time in Tokyo but we quickly learnt this city boasts a very diverse cuisine with traditional and western dining readily available. In Shinjuku on our first day sightseeing we stumbled across some streets closed off to make way for some food vans selling tasty street food. Later, when making our way back to our hotel we noticed Shinjuku Central Park, across from our hotel, had a festival and had a lot of stalls also selling traditional food.

One afternoon we also stopped at a cute ‘Kawaii’ café and enjoyed a little instaworthy snack at Cinnamoroll. One thing I didn’t adapt to was the concept of eating salad for breakfast. I admit it would be a healthy start to the day, but give me my toast and Vegemite any day.

Tokyo is a city like no other. Who’d have thought when we made our way inside the Tourist Information Center at Shinjuku to enquire about storing our luggage for the day, we’d be greeted by a multilingual humanoid robot? This charming robot interacted via a touch screen tablet mounted to his chest. But I think his greatest appeal was to pose for selfies, possibly making him well known on instagram.

Communication

We hear a lot of people concerned about international travel when they don’t know the language, especially in Asian countries. Our vocabulary of about 5 Japanese words did us surprisingly well during our 9 days in fast paced Tokyo.

Ok truth is most restaurant and hotel staff speak English and most restaurants in Tokyo have an English menu or a picture menu. They also have window displays of replica plastic meals.

We did a lot of pointing and smiling which seemed to suffice in breaking the international language barrier. On many occasions we had local people come up to us to chat and practice their English. If all else fails don’t forget to use Google translate.

Navigating our way around

Finding our way around was no problem either. There are lots of signs in both Japanese and English and a lot of travel guides of the top things to do in Tokyo are available on the subways or at the Tourist Information Centre. We found the Official Tokyo Tourism Guide and Google maps the most useful. Several times we were looking through the guide to check directions and someone would come up to check if we needed assistance.

One of the best tips someone told me when I was planning our trip to Japan was to choose a hotel close to a subway.

For us, most of our travel was on the train, so I suggest you familiarise yourself with a transport network map and learn what line you are on. You can also download the app Tokyosubway. Rather than zig zag along from one attraction to another, research the area and try and find other places near a top attraction to also explore hidden gems and not waste most of the time getting between places. You see so much more on foot than you can underground on the trains.Which brings me to my next point, wear comfortable shoes. You will be doing lots of walking and taking lots of stairs at the subways, etc so bring two pairs of really comfortable walking shoes. The spare will come in handy if one pair gets wet from the rain.

Shopping

There is all kinds of shopping too. From high end shopping at Tiffany & Co on Chuo Dori Street, the luxury shopping district in Ginza, Tokyo where the traffic is closed off on Sundays to transform into a large pedestrian zone. This area is quite the opposite of the souvenir shopping and street food available along Nakamise Street in Asakusa.

We checked out the Lolita fashions in department stores and spent some time looking for bargains in the 100 yen shop, Daiso and Don Quijote. Don Quijote was our last stop before heading via the busport to the airport. We used our time there to stock up on various flavour Kit Kats to bring back instead of tacky souvenirs. The variety of some of the flavours was incredible, others were just whacky and strange.

24/7 convenience stores are a life saver, not only selling a range of products, but they have international ATM’s for withdrawing cash. It is also the place to purchase tickets to sporting events, concerts, amusement parks and bus tickets. And because frequently the weather will range from a gentle mist to a sudden deluge, the ubiquitous clear umbrella is also readily available. A surprise for us and a great way to save money was to find convenience stores, combinis, like Lawson, Family Mart and 7- Eleven sell ready made food of a high quality. They are equipped with a microwave to heat your meal and an electric kettle for boiling hot water for your noodles. Who can resist the revered creamy egg sandwich or a tray of fresh sushi or a fresh onigiri right? Well that’s only if you can’t find a Rilakkuma bun, a scrumptious steamed bun filled with sweet chocolate paste.

One of the places that caught our attention for being unique was KITTE, opposite Tokyo train station. Shaped in a triangle the centre has a rooftop garden where you can take in the city views overlooking the train station. Originally constructed in 1931, Tokyo’s central post office has been renovated into an innovative commercial facility showcasing traditional Japanese materials like timber, ceramic, fabric and Japanese paper. Grocery stores, restaurants, fashion outlets and a total of 100 brands originating in Japan are situated throughout the 6 floors, all reflecting “Feel Japan” selling items made in Japan like shoes, handkerchiefs and glasses.

We truly enjoyed ourselves, even though we rarely do any shopping when travelling.

Shopping tips

Cash is King in Japan and most 7-Eleven’s have ATM’s to get cash from international cards. Remember to take a little coin purse as a lot of the currency is coin. When paying for items in shops there is a little tray you put the money on, and your change will be returned on the same tray, never directly exchange from hand to hand.  At restaurants there are baskets on the floor near the table to put your bag, umbrella or jacket in and keep the floor clutter free for patrons and staff. Also, tipping is not only not required, but offensive in Japan. And carry your passport if planning a day of shopping so you can pay duty free prices. We learnt the hard way on that and found a photo copy or copy on our phone would not suffice.

Transport

No trip to Japan is complete without a ride on the super fast Shinkansen, or bullet train, travelling at speeds of up to 320km/hr. The Tokyo subway system has a massive network with numerous lines, the signage and colour-coded maps made it very easy to use. In fact, it’s a commuters’ dream. One thing to note is lots of people recommend the JR pass, but do your research on this one. We did and for the travel we had planned only staying within Tokyo it did not work out cost effective for us. But we did purchase a Pasmo card which is a rechargeable smart card so we didn’t have to fuss with individual tickets. It also saved us using cash and could be topped up as frequently as required and used in department stores, restaurants and even at the duty free shop at Narita airport where you can cash in any unused credit before you depart.

The train service is fast, efficient and quiet. Passenger etiquette is remarkable. They line up on the platform, no loud chatter, no eating, no one talking on the phone. There is no pushing then board the train and they will often doze, read or text until they arrive at their designated station. The trains are immaculately clean, pleasantly air conditioned, and always on time. For the comfort of ladies, there are female only carriages. I loved the cute tune the train plays when it arrives at each stop.

Taxi’s are very neat and tidy with white lace covers on the seats. But note the Driver opens/closes the left rear door from inside the cab so you don’t have to touch it. You can save your cash and use your Pasmo card instead.

Contrasts

Tokyo is a city to explore the gardens, discover the coffeeshops and roam the hidden streets. It is a place where I was in constant awe, where not only did I enjoy photographing the people I met and places I saw, but a place I can’t wait to return and explore some more. Tokyo is not only one of the world’s most modern cities, but also one of the oldest and busiest cities in the world with century old traditions.

The contrasts of this vibrant and eccentric city are many. After the buzz and exhilaration of a ride on a Shinkansen, the lightning fast bullet train you can sit and contemplate in a garden. Allow yourself time to relax and have a break from the crowds.

Lower your blood pressure by stroking a cat, owl, goat, rabbit or even hedgehog over a cup of tea. Enjoy a traditional tea ceremony. Or elevate your toilet experience with the world’s best toilets. Pre-warmed seats, they spray, spritz and blow dry complete with music and best all, they are self-flushing.

There are lots of contrasts in fashion too. Beautiful traditional costumes frequently caught our eye. But it wasn’t just traditional costumes, cosplay, dress-ups from Mario Kart, Lolita, Maid Café and they were ramping up for Halloween when we were there.

Our travel style

Japan will require many more visits to cover its vastness, but for us there was no better introduction to the huge, buzzing metropolis, than jumping head first into a stay in its capital city Tokyo, with no agenda.

While it may seem like an odd suggestion to be a tourist in Tokyo without a concrete plan in mind, it was actually a really good idea. An interesting area in Tokyo where we stayed is Shinjuku, which is an amalgamation of different cultures. Throughout the area we came across some truly unusual and unexpected places. We allowed our feet be our guide and from the traditional to the new, from the tranquil areas to the bustle, we always found something to do including a few hidden spots.

No, we didn’t visit a Robot Restaurant, see Mount Fuji, or attend a Sumo match. But we also never felt we had to tick things off a list to say we had made the most of our time in Tokyo. Our travel wasn’t planned around bucket list items to do or places to see. It was about wandering aimlessly, savouring the moment, and getting to know the area without a set plan in mind. And for us, having no prior expectations and no planned itinerary was the best way to come across things that caught our attention.

Summary

With all the advanced technology, unique culture and delicious cuisine Tokyo is without a doubt one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Most people who visit Tokyo have limited time as they are staying in several locations on the one trip, so it can be tough figuring out what to do. We decided we’d spend all our time in Tokyo to give us more freedom to immerse ourselves in the culture.

Tokyo was the place to do it. This international city hasn’t lost any traditional charm and has a little of everything to offer for everyone, almost guaranteeing your first visit will not be your last.

For us, being daunted by the language barrier and overwhelmed by the transport system was something we weren’t sure we would overcome. Sure we could have booked a local guide, but it was so much fun to work it out for ourselves and staying in the one city, we no real time restraints. Our mind was changed and instead of being daunted by the crowds, we were embraced by the people’s calm, their etiquette, efficiency. Impressed by their manners, spoilt by the luxury and dazzled by the high-tech.

Stop and smell the roses. Tokyo is the city of contrasts, with amazing culture. Tokyo really is a city you have to experience.

What is the strangest Kit Kat flavour you’ve tried from Japan? If you’ve been to Tokyo did you notice the same contrasts we did?

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The authors travelled courtesy of Jetstar Australia

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