Tokyo offers foreign visitors a tempting
array of treats. Forget its overblown reputation for being expensive
and crowded! The city's delights include contrasts between new and
old, courtesy, security, cleanliness, and refinement. Best of all,
many of these treats are free, or very affordable. They epitomize
Tokyo's status - little known by foreign travelers - as oneof the most civilized and sophisticated places on earth. It is also
one of the most prosperous. Tokyo's regional economy is significantly
larger than all of China's, and much bigger than Canada's. [Top]
Striking contrasts of new and old are seen in the teeming, far-out
teen fashion district of Harajuku and the serene Meiji Shrine nearby.
At the entrance to the Shrine, an imposing torii (wooden gateway)
leading to a wide gravel pathway through a dense park with iris
garden, teenage girls dress up outrageously on weekends, mainly in
"Goth" and "nurse" outfits, for the entertainment of passersby and
themselves. Meanwhile, at the end of the pathway, out of sight and
earshot of these shenanigans, other young women are processing
solemnly with their grooms and families across the main courtyard of
the Shrine in gorgeous traditional Shinto wedding ceremonies, wearing
a rich white kimono and ornate wig, protected by a large orange
parasol held by a priest. Foreign visitors seeking a respite from
Tokyo's modernity can discover plenty of "old Japan" at Meiji Shrine.
In addition to the classic restrained beauty of its design, it is a
centre of flower-arranging displays (ikebana), ancient music and dance
from the court of Kyoto (gagaku), and samurai horse-back archery
contests. [Top]
New and old are also in arresting juxtaposition at Hamarikyu
Garden, a former hunting ground of the shoguns, at the edge of the
Tamagawa River. One of its features is a large pond, on which is set a
magnificent traditional tea pavillion. Gazing at it across the pond
and admiring its taut lines and elegant wooden simplicity, the visitor
can readily conjure up Old Japan, especially when women in kimonos
mince along the walkway over the water to the pavillion. And yet, just
beyond the Garden and dominating the pond and tea pavillion is a
powerful image of Tokyo's dynamic modernity: a spectacular row of new
skyscrapers, some with avant-garde curves, daring exterior steel
bracing, and subtle shades of glass sheathing. Known as the Shiodome
complex, this stupendous burst of urban renewal on the site of former
freight yards has sprung out the ground since 2000. It includes luxury
hotels, apartment blocks, a TV network headquarters, upscale shopping,
an Italian garden, office towers designed by some of the world's
leading architects, and glamorous top floor restaurants with sweeping
views of Tokyo Bay. [Top]
Tokyo's overall appearance is relentlessly modern, as it constantly
strives to reinvent itself. "Scrap and build" is the name given the
phenomenon of replacing often perfectly good buildings with new ones,
in a city where buildings of 25 years are considered old. But one of
Tokyo's treats is coming across remnants of its past, such as
diminutive wooden Shinto shrines, the size of large boxes, wedged
incongruously between modern office buildings. Gleaming high-rises are
built by workers sporting medieval wide-flared trousers and shoes
splaying the big toe. An echo of the past can be heard some fall
evenings, when a "street cry" straight from old Edo (Tokyo's name
before 1868) is played announcing "roast sweet potatoes" from a
miniature flat-bed truck which drives around residential areas -
carrying an oldfangled cast-iron oven with a wood fire burning away in
it. [Top]
Courtesy is shown in so many ways. At any road or sidewalk repair
site, pedestrians are shown the safe path to take (along a clearly
marked route or green plastic walkway) by smartly uniformed guards
using gracious gestures. Cyclists along the sidewalk in front of the
vast construction site for the Tokyo Mid-Town Project now under way
are greeted at the main truck entrance by a pair of guards who bow low
in sync and urge them in polite Japanese to take care. When ordering
French pastries to take out at some of the countless excellent pastry
shops, you are asked in how many hours the pastries will be consumed,
so the sales clerk can put the appropriate amount of dry ice in the
box. Even the way change is given in Tokyo is a treat. Change in bills
is counted by the cashier carefully folding over each bill so the
customer can take stock. Sometimes, the cashier places coins in your
hand while cupping their other hand under yours to ensure no coins
fall out. At any Tokyo department store, if you mention the word
"present" on making a purchase, the sales clerk will immediately do an
impeccable wrapping job, in the distinctive Japanese style of folding
the paper on the bias. [Top]
Within Japan, Tokyo has the reputation for being the most courteous
of places, where people waiting for subways or buses form disciplined
lines and allow passengers to get off before boarding themselves,
where pedestrians never cross on the red light - and drivers are
well-mannered. This general courtesy is of great benefit to foreign
visitors. If ever they are lost or need assistance, despite whatever
language barrier there may be, a passerby is certain to help out,
sometimes walking blocks to point them in the right direction. This
courtesy is most obvious among Tokyoites themselves - a common sight
is groups of business people bowing to each other as they take their
leave on the sidewalk. [Top]
Even the machines are courteous, if sometimes excessively so with
their recorded messages. An elevator at the new Roppongi Hills complex
thanks you in Japanese and English for waiting. Turning trucks have an
automated system featuring a young female voice announcing "I'm
turning. Please take care". (If the truck gets stuck in traffic while
making a turn, this repeated warning can become tedious to
pedestrians.) There are of course crowds in Tokyo at certain times and
places, but they are never threatening. The level of personal security
is remarkably high. Crime rates are extremely low. Women feel
comfortable walking alone in the evening in large parts of the city.
There are no panhandlers.
[Top]
The cleanliness of the streets, subways and things in general is
another treat. First-time foreign visitors get a bit of a jolt seeing
a taxi driver waiting for a fare, in jacket and tie and wearing white
gloves (to match the car's white lace antimacassars), dusting off his
taxi with a long feather duster. Cement trucks and even garbage trucks
always look as spotless as if they've just rolled off the assembly
line. Even construction sites are clean. Typically, the site is
"wrapped" in a pristine white steel hoarding. The latest variant is to
plant walls of greenery on the hoardings, or to cover them with
photographs of trees and gardens. And as the building rises, the
scaffolding is wrapped in mesh hiding the work. Truck washes and "hose
men" spray down trucks leaving the site, to prevent any dirt
contaminating the city. [Top]
Refinement is a treat at every turn, reflecting Japan's long
civilization and Tokyo's pre-eminence as the capital for the last 400
years. Female office workers are extremely well groomed and dressed.
Many sport the world's leading brands in handbags, shoes and clothes,
and their manners are exquisite. (But they exaggerate when they head
out of the city for a weekend of hiking still wearing their high
heels.) An attractive echo of old Japan is the wearing of light-weight
cotton summer kimonos (yukatas) on evening outings. Refinement of
another kind, which verges on the decadent, can be seen in the more
affluent districts, such as Azabu, where there are legions of
expensive lap dogs, sometimes carried along in special bags and often
wearing designer outfits. Sunglasses are a recent affectation for
pampered pooches. Tokyo's ubiquitous hair salons are very refined.
Many provide wonderful neck and upper back massages. Some salons also
offer delicate massages of the hands and forearms. Tea or coffee is
brought to your chair. [Top]
The treats continue at Tokyo's restaurants and coffee shops which
as a rule provide refined fare and service. It is commonplace for the
better coffee shops (including Starbucks and Tully's) to serve
cappuccinos and lattes with the froth on top shaped like a heart. Now
these hearts are sometimes supplemented by facial features, complete
with eye lashes. Tokyo has a prodigious choice of eateries, from the
luxurious to the lowly, from the numerous sorts of Japanese cuisine to
Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, French,
Californian and every other cuisine imaginable. It now offers
Vancouver-based coffee shops and a Newfoundland restaurant. French and
American chefs are well established in Tokyo. One pleasant surprise is
that at lunch time, almost all restaurants (even those of celebrity
chefs) offer very good set meals at prices that are much lower than
for dinner - and are usually lower than their North American
equivalents. Nor need evening meals be expensive, especially at noodle
establishments and lively eateries called izakayas where company
employees like to go out for dinner and drinks after work. [Top]
Tokyo and London are sometimes identified as the world's most
expensive cities, but Tokyoites who visit London find it much more
expensive than Tokyo (and comment that the overall quality of
restaurants is lower). Although the leading hotels are expensive, it
is also quite possible to find reasonable accommodation. And visitors
can benefit from the best public transportation system of any city in
the world, at low prices. [Top]
Just as refined appearance is important in many sorts of Japanese
cooking, so too is the interior design of restaurants. Many of the
newer places in Tokyo excel in stylish design, sometimes re-inventions
of traditional elements with new angles, materials and lighting. Tokyo
designers are unsurpassed in transforming an ordinary space into an
elegant and sometimes enchanting ambiance. A popular recent design
feature is walls of water, either down polished or rough stone, or
between transparent sheets of glass, inevitably enhanced by subtle
lighting. Dividing walls consisting of stored wine bottles are to be
seen especially in French restaurants, together with open kitchen
design. It is a treat to try a new restaurant, possibly up one of the
new office towers, or underground, to find oneself in a chic or
futuristic décor - or something totally unexpected, such as a
recreation of "old Edo", with dark wood, a waterfall and small stream
running along the path to the booths. [Top]
Despite its reputation as a concrete jungle, Tokyo has many parks and
public gardens, some of which have not changed much from when they
were part of the estates of feudal lords. They usually feature
strolling paths, a stream and a pond (some of which have oversize
golden carp), artfully placed rocks, meticulously pruned trees and
shrubs, and evocative stone lanterns. The year-long cycle of flowers
in the public spaces of Tokyo is a treat, with camellias blooming in
December and January, plum blossoms in February, cherry blossoms in
profusion toward the end of March, hedges of azaleas in April and May,
and hydrangeas and iris in June, and so forth. The never-ending
flowers signal the passage of the seasons, which plays such an
important role in the aesthetic sense of Tokyo, and of Japan
generally. Although summer is hot and humid, fall with its gorgeous
colored leaves, winter with its crisp air and sunny skies, and spring
with its soft breezes and cherry blossoms mean that Tokyo has yet more
treats to celebrate - three great seasons. [Top]
Copyright © D Paget, All Rights Reserved, 2004 |
Become a Fan of Japanese Guest Houses on Facebook
