The famous giant Gundam statue appearing like a sentinel in front of Diver City Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba.
I FOUND myself being bombarded with a basketful of advice, recommendations and even warnings immediately after announcing my planned Tokyo trip to my friends late last month.
“Are you sure? Do you have RM10,000 in hand? Do you even realise how expensive it is there? You’ll starve!”
“Beware of the tattooed locals. They’re Yakuzas! Don’t talk over or look at your smartphones while inside the train car. You’ll get a harsh reprimand.”
Thankfully, through some reading and recounts from those who have actually been to the Land of the Rising Sun, my five friends and I managed to cross out more than half of the ‘advice list’ before the journey.
Still, the ‘RM10,000 cash ready’ remark got to me. After all, Tokyo has been acknowledged for years as being among the world’s most expensive cities — with the Financial Times recently rating the Japanese capital as being “the priciest location for everyday food items.”
“My goodness!” I thought. “We’re all going to starve!”
The ‘Furai jin-mon’ – or Gate of Wind and Thunder Gods – of Senso-ji Shrine, with its hard-to-miss giant red paper lantern.
Of temple and trains
Fortunately, a member of our group had a Japanese friend who ended up becoming our guide and hostess.
Thanks to Emi Watanabe, we got to learn how to go about the city and read maps faster as well as find eateries with affordable menus.
According to her, the best way to explore Tokyo is still by train.
“The trick is to learn which line to use to get your destination. You can even buy a pass card with pre-loaded fares and top it up when the amount runs out. But first, study the network,” she advised.
Our stay was in a cozy two-room apartment in the quaint neighbourhood of Kuramae, just a train-stop from Asakusa District.
As this was our maiden trip to Tokyo, we decided to mark Asakusa as our reference point to other parts of the city such as Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Roppongi, Ueno and Odaiba.
Indeed, Asakusa is a place of interest by itself, being home to one of the oldest temples in Japan.
Located just several minutes’ walk from its station, the Senso-ji Shrine is identifiable by its Furai jin-mon, adorned with a gigantic red paper lantern bearing the inscription Kaminari-mon (Thunder Gate).
According to legend, the temple was founded in 628 AD by two brothers after they claimed to have seen the image of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy to the Japanese, similar to Guangyin in Chinese folklore) in the nearby Sumida-gawa River.
Today, the place is one bustling plaza, brimming with worshippers, scholars, shoppers and tourists.
Leading to the shrine is Nakamise-dori (dori is ‘street’ in Japanese) filled with rows of shops selling souvenir trinkets such as mugs, key chains, fridge magnets and paper holders, with several lots offering food and clothing like T-shirts, scarves, as well as kimonos and the more casual yukatas.
An actor ‘camouflaging’ among ninja figurines at a novelty shop in Ekimise shopping mall.
All things at once
It was here where Emi made us realise the practicality of killing two birds with one stone – visiting Senso-ji Shrine as an educational trip, and browsing the bazaar for meals and shopping – which certainly saved us time and money.
Caution – food and drinks bought at Nakamise-dori must be consumed elsewhere as traders there take cleanliness very, very seriously.
Another reminder for a virgin traveller to Tokyo is that it’s crucial to stay connected because you need handy apps like Google Maps to find your way around. Even Emi took to her smartphone in finding routes.
This, however, can be a problem if you’re not prepared.
“Unlike other metropolises across the globe, it’s not easy to get WiFi connection in Tokyo. Here, very few establishments display the hotspot symbol,” said Emi.
Like it or not, one must activate roaming service or alternatively, rent a smartphone or hotspot device from the Japanese telco counters available at both Haneda and Narita airports.
Be reminded, though, that these providers only accept credit cards for payment as they stress on having purchasing documentation for record.
As such, make sure you have plastic money with sufficient balance in it, and never forget to have it activated for cash withdrawal facility by the issuing bank days before the trip – just in case.
It still takes guts to dress oneself like this – even in the streets of Shibuya.
Towering marvel
If Malaysia has KL Tower, Japan has its own Skytree – a 634m stand-alone communication tower that has become another major symbol of the city, after Tokyo Tower.
Opened in May 2012, it’s the tallest of its kind and a breathtaking view of the structure can be seen from Asakusa.
One just step into the Ekimise shopping mall and proceed to the rooftop, where a panoramic view of the district, including the Skytree, can enjoyed.
For a sight from ground level, head to Oshiage Station – only two platforms away from Asakusa Station – where you would arrive at the Solamachi shopping complex. Just a few steps outside and you can see the tower up-close.
If you don’t mind forking out 2,000 yen (600 yen per child under six), you could experience walking in mid-air inside the tower’s Tembo Galleria, about 450m above ground.
Metro districts
Emi also taught us that it was easy to cover several districts in one day via train. We headed to Shibuya Station first, having wanted to see the statue of the famous dog Hachiko, erected on the square outside the platform as a memorial for the profound devotion shown by the dog to its master.
It is said that Hachiko used to greet Prof Hidesaburo Ueno on his return from work at the station and when its owner died in 1925, the dog kept the routine – expecting the scholar to step off the 4pm train every day. This continued till the day Hachiko’s body was found in a street not far from the station in 1935.
The story really struck us as we passed the Hachiko Exit, which took us to the square famously associated with the district. Once there, however, our enthusiasm returned as we crossed the junction together with hordes of people several times just for the fun of it.
We also got to see another feature the district is famous for – the cosplayers.
These individuals in their outrageous manga-inspired costumes strolled nonchalantly across the streets of Shibuya. Those whom we encountered were very approachable, with some happy to pose for the camera.
There was, however, one striking character who appeared like she had just jumped out from a comic book page.
The passer-by was wearing this girly icing-pink dress with puffy sleeves, layered skirts, knee-length lacy stockings and sky-high platform shoes – an ensemble topped off with a wavy platinum-blonde hairdo adorned with green streaks.
We nudged Emi to look at the woman.
“Oh,” she responded. “It’s a man.”
Our jaws dropped!
Emi taking the opportunity to browse through some trinkets during a tour.
Educational outing
We proceeded to Japan National Museum for some history lessons the next day. Again from Asakusa, we boarded the train bound for Ueno Station via Ginza Line and once arrived, we walked for about 10 minutes before reaching Ueno Park.
The park, housing the museum buildings and Ueno University, was by itself a worthwhile place to visit.
Originally, it was the site of the Kaneiji Temple which was destroyed at the end of the Boshin Civil War in the early 1870’s. It was opened to the public in 1873.
We got to enter the Main Museum House with a beautiful garden and a small lake just next to it which according to Emi, would look even more picturesque during spring when the sakuras (cherry blossoms) begin to bloom.
Still, the autumn colours were not less impressive, with rich hues of brown, gold, red and orange filling our sights and the chilly air enveloping the atmosphere.
At the National Museum of Nature and Science, we marvelled at all the exhibits on display at both the Global and Japan Galleries.
One item in particular caught our interest – the taxidermy of Hachiko being displayed under Organisms of the Japanese Islands.
Personally, I would have thought that the dog would be put under History or Culture but a member of our group proposed a rather funny, albeit rational, reason: “It seems to say that we, Japan, produce this kind of organisms. That’s how great we are.”
Kids at heart
Having experienced the cultural, historical and commercial aspects of Tokyo, we felt the urge to revisit our childhood.
On this, Emi guided us to the Gundam Front Tokyo in the ultra-modern Odaiba District where for only 1,600 yen, we got to be kids again for one day.
For Gundam fanatics, a trip to the front is akin to an Elvis Presley’s die-hard fan making a pilgrimage to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
Covering an area of 2,050 square metres, the front recorded four million visitors in less than two months after its opening on April 19, 2012.
We had a ball there, watching screenings at the Dome Theatre, learning about the Gundam culture from the 1970’s to present, having our pictures taken with large-scale robots and getting ourselves some merchandise items as mementos.
It was indeed a perfect end to our holiday but in a way, the last outing seemed to sum up what we thought of Tokyo.
“As advanced, modern and highly intelligent Tokyo is, it is like a boy still obeying the strict rules set by his parents,” one member of our group aptly put it.
People strolling across Ueno Park.