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Tokyo
“My husband and I traveled to Tokyo, Japan on May 13 to board Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas cruise ship for a 17-night cruise back to San Pedro. These photos were taken at Osaka Castle.”
— Diana Medina, Public Works
Letter From Japan, Part 3
Neon, Sushi and the Hop-On Buses
Konnichiwa and welcome to Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, where no two neighborhoods are alike. Some have temples, shrines and a cultural heritage dating back thousands of years, featuring traditional entertainment such as kabuki theatre, sumo wrestling and the tea ceremony. Others are aglow with neon lights, karaoke bars, and the wackier elements of Japanese culture, offering a new adventure around every corner.
There are four distinct seasons. Spring, from March to May, is known as the Sakura months when the cherry blossoms bloom and the Wisteria Festival takes place. Summer is from June to August, a hot and humid season. Autumn is the best time to visit, falling between September and November, before winter sweeps in from December to February.
Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood, with the world’s largest transportation hub, is a perfect base for independent travelers to explore the city, offering something for everyone. For first-time visitors not on pre-organized tours, a Hop-on-Hop-Off bus, with its three routes and 19 stops, shows the best of Tokyo. From the bus you’ll see peaceful Zojo-Ji Temple, Tokyo Tower, Shinjuku Gyoen’s gardens, National Museum, Ginza trendy fashion district with its Shibuya Scramble Crossing commonly known as Shibuya Crossing, to the colorful Rainbow bridge that lights up at night over Tokyo Bay, leading to the Statue of Liberty and the world’s smallest miniature museum in Odaiba park.
For frugal travelers, free sights worth visiting include the panoramic observation decks of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the world’s tallest City Hall. Its three towers are designed to resemble a Gothic cathedral. Visit the park below to see the incredible light show on the buildings’ outside walls. The Buddhist Temple, which has been rebuilt numerous times since its founding in the seventh century, and the forest surrounding the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, are also worth exploring.
For a little retail therapy, visit the Rayard Miyashita Park in Shibuya Yokocho, the city’s first rooftop park with trendy food and fashion on its lower floor and skatepark, climbing wall and beach volleyball court on top.
There are a great many traditional izakaya (Japanese pubs) away from the tourist circuit, but do splash out and visit Tokyo’s old fish market at Tsukiji. Even though it has been relocated to the world’s largest fish market in Toyosu, it still has a wide range of reasonably priced sushi restaurants serving different styles and flavors, but be prepared to wait in line.
Tokyo comes alive after 10 p.m. and parties until 5:30 a.m. Like all big cities, it has its fair share of social problems. Behind the smiles and respectful eshaku head bows, a darker side exists that tourists are often unaware of. The corporate world demands absolute loyalty from its employees, often at the expense of their family life. With overtime, late-night drinking, karaoke bars and team bonding with co-workers and supervisors every night, there is little to no time for forming relationships.
Unfortunately, marriage does not change this pattern, and children with little or no parental control grow up on a diet of videogames and boy bands.
Travel the world and be informed.
— Sayonara, the Captain
