I slept the whole 1 ½ hour plane ride to Haneda Airport. I was glad I did, so I would have more energy for my first day in Tokyo. I was told by everyone, especially from Tokyoites (people from Tokyo) that I WOULD get lost within the muddled, complicated system of crisscrossing JR, train and subway lines. But I did not get lost. In fact, the subway system, although overwhelming at first was actually very easy to navigate once deciphered (with a few exceptions I’ll get into later). Unlike Fukuoka, almost everybody speaks a little English and unlike Fukuoka, there is a metro station literally every few blocks within central Tokyo so it’s pretty easy to find your way. The strangest transition is using subways as often and frequently as you would your own car. Once I felt comfortable with that, it was easy.
The four complications of the subway:
1) Transferring lines can waste a lot of time, but most trains come every 4 minutes or so
2) Catching the “Shuden” – last train of the night is anywhere between 11:30-12:30 depending on your location, where you’re going and what line you’re taking
3) Different lines have different fares, some lines are more direct but cost more
4) Shinjuku Station/Shinjuku Line – depending on which direction you head on the Shinjuku Line from Shinjuku Station, the two entrances for the line are roughly ½ a mile away from each other… a realization that happened to me while trying to catch the last train
All of this can be avoided with a cell phone and the ability to text and read Japanese. Competent residents in Tokyo can always figure out when to get the last train from anywhere to anywhere as well as the cheapest route, but I managed.
Hitting the ground running… or walking
First thing I did was head for my hostel in Jimbocho. Jimbocho is not a very busy district and is best known for its antique bookstores. I chose it not for it entertainment value, but because it was cheap (3150 Yen/night) and for its central location in Tokyo. I probably won’t stay here next time though. The imperial palace in Tokyo has exterior gardens that are open to the public year round, but twice a year the interior palace is open to the public for the Emperor’s birthday (Dec. 23rd) and for New Years (Jan. 2nd). And it just so happens that my short 2 week trip included both of those dates, so I decided to visit the palace my first day (the 23rd). The Palace is enormous, remnants of an old Edo Castle, the grounds was taken over and renamed the Imperial Palace when the capital of Japan moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. Now, it remains as an incredibly well fortified home for the emperor who holds little political power but who is still highly respected and revered in Japan. The palace is surrounded by a 200 ft. wide moat and a 50 ft. sheer wall of stone masonry. It is smack dab in the middle of the city and the stark juxtaposition of the surrounding Marunouchi government skyscrapers against the classic traditional Japanese castle architecture makes this a truly amazing sight. The gardens and grounds are spotless and the security was extremely tight. The palace is even complete with its own “London Palace Guard”. The outer border of the palace is a popular place for Japanese joggers to work out. On my first visit I saw so many runners that I thought there was a marathon of some sort taking place. But it was just a normal day of hundreds of people jogging around the palace. Unfortunately, on both occasions I went to the palace, I was too late to see the inside of the palace itself and hence why I have no photos of that, sorry. Nevertheless it is still a beautiful place in Tokyo and unlike anywhere else in the city.
That one security guard holding the wheelchair was mad doggin me. The other 10 people are also security.
Shinjuku by Night and the Quest for Washington
I had no idea where to go first in Tokyo, I had researched and read a lot about things to see and do in Tokyo, but once I was there, I didn’t know where to start. So for dinner, I decided to visit Shinjuku (also because Jimbocho had little to offer in terms of food). Coming out of Shinjuku station was definitely one of the awestruck moments of my life. I felt like I was living my own version of Lost in Translation, and I happily meandered through the busy streets of lights, people and traffic. Starry eyed, I moved through the billboard littered streets trying not to worry about where I came from, where I was going or getting lost. Going by mere instinct, I turned left, right, left, left, right, left and right with no specific intention. I tried to soak in as much as the city my eyes could take in and stopped only to eat my first meal of the day, dinner. Afterwards, I decided to search for the Shinjuku Washington Hotel so that I would know how to take Owen and Mike there when I picked them up from the Airport in two days time. I wandered from the north side of Shinjuku’s red light district, Kabuchiko south towards the station. After wandering too far south and walking about 2 hours, I was directed by a helpful police officer back north and then west. For the life of me, I could not find the hotel and I was exhausted after hours of wandering around Shinjuku. I finally walked towards a hotel that I hoped was the Washington only to be disappointed. I stopped inside anyway to warm up and rest my tired feet. After about 10 minutes, I was losing hope fast and I was on the brink of giving up the search. Then after staring at the tiny map in my guide book all day I thought I had found the street where the hotel was located. I walked around, did a few 180s and with some luck finally found the hotel. The strange curving-walled retro hotel was hidden behind a large lit up restaurant and the lobby was located on the 3rd floor. The interior décor was a cheesy afterthought and was now filled with multicolored balloons that managed only to make the space worse. But at least I had found it. With that accomplishment under my belt I headed home to Jimbocho for a much needed nights rest.
Beautiful Shinjuku Christmas
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