Oddly the closest major city to Guam lies just 1,500 miles to the north - a mere 3 hour flight - Tokyo, Japan. This relatively short distance was utilized by the Army Air Corps during World War II and thousands of B-29s were stationed in the Mariana Islands. Nearly 100 Japanese cities were destroyed by planes based on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian during the most intensive bombing campaign of the war finally culminating in the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Back in December, Brett, a friend of mine from the hash, asked if I would be interested in a trip some time in March. We explored various destinations beginning with Japan. Japan was quickly discarded - too expensive - and other options were explored such as Palau, Manila, Yap, Bali, even Hong Kong. After nearly a month of searching for flights, accommodations, and things to do, we took another look at Japan. Since I had a large amount of Continental miles, I could fly for free, but Brett would have to pay. But for some reason, by February flights to Japan were cheaper than they were in December so in the end we opted for Japan.
We left Guam on an afternoon flight and arrived in Narita Airport in the early evening. Japan in March is crazy cold, of course much colder than Guam but remarkably similar to March back in Tennessee. It was easy to see why Guam is a primary vacation destination for Japan - a short three hour flight away from winter to a tropical island. Strangely, Tokyo's airport is some distance from central Tokyo. We had to take a 40 minute train ride to our hostel. The hostel was very clean, but full of people, almost entirely European students. Brett and I shared a room with an Australian, a German, and an Italian. After checking in to the hostel, we began to explore the area. It was around 9PM, but there were very few people on the streets.
We finally found a place to eat dinner - our first meal in Japan. It was outstanding. The terrific food found throughout Tokyo was one of the highlights of the trip.
Food so good, the camera can't focus.
After diner, we continued to walk around the area. I was surprised to see quite a few homeless people sleeping in boxes on the street. Unlike most American cities I've visited, Japanese streets are clean, with hardly any garbage - even the boxes inhabited by the homeless were somehow organised, discreet and uniform.
We went back to the hostel and tried to recruit some of the other guests to go exploring with us, but could only convince one person, a girl from California. The disinterest and seeming laziness of almost everyone else in the hostel would continue to annoy and confound us for the remainder of our stay. Other guests seemed to lay around pretty much all day, drink a lot of tea, watch Japanese television (which was strangely addictive) then go to bed early. No one else seemed interested in going out during the day or night. After walking around for some time, we were totally miffed that the streets were pretty much devoid of people and almost all of the bars and restaurants were closed, but it was a week night. We decided to call it a night early and went back to the Hostel.
The next morning we awoke early for our first day in Tokyo. The streets were totally different than the night before, full of people briskly walking to their various destinations. One immediate observation was the seeming uniformity of clothing. Nearly everyone was wearing dark coats and all the men wore dark ties and suits. Even the young teens wearing more punkish attire and strange hair styles adhered to the same dark basic colors of the more conservative dressers. We looked around for a place to eat breakfast before finally choosing Denny's. I wanted to explore the Japanese version of an American breakfast. Apart from the language, the menu was totally different than a typical U.S. Denny's. We chose our meal by pointing to pictures and waited and waited. After nearly 45 minutes, our meals arrived. My meal came with eggs, a small salad with ginger dressing, a pickled radish, and rice. Not exactly the All American Grand Slam Denny's breakfast I was used to, and certain not as filling. After the less than satisfying breakfast, we descended into the subterranean labyrinth that is Tokyo subway system in transit to our destination - the Tokyo fish market.
The Tokyo subway system is amazingly efficient, on time to the minute, clean, intuitively mapped, and most importantly, utilizes English in its maps and PA announcements. Sure there were moments of confusion, but the uniformed subway employees were always willing to help, though not always very helpful. I quickly began to use the phrase that I would wear out throughout the trip - "gomenasai" which means I'm sorry or excuse me. The subway cars are almost always crowded during the day and people are not shy about their desire to board or leave a car. Once aboard the train, everyone seemed to observe a few universal rules: do not speak in loud voices, never talk on your cell phone, and don't stare at anyone. Most people read, listened to an ipod, texted on their cells, or slept.
Once we arrived at our station, we began the search for the fish market. The Tokyo fish market is the largest and most famous fish market on earth. Everyday thousands of fishermen bring in hundreds of tons of fish to sell to the tens of thousands of fish buyers, suppliers, and individual people - in a state of barely controlled chaos. At first we had some difficulty finding the exact location of the fish market. After asking about half a dozen people, we finally found the fish market by following the intense smell radiating from a large covered plaza. It was nearly 10AM by the time we found the market and the day's fish selling was for the most part complete. The market opens before 6AM and is concludes around 9AM, still the slowing activity left the impression of the chaos that had only recently concluded.
After walking around the fish market, dodging the small motorized carts speeding haphazardly down the narrow corridors lined with white Styrofoam boxes of ice and fish separating the individual sales booths, we decided it was time to eat some fish. We settled on eating at the famous Daiwa Sushi, only a few yards from the fish market. After waiting in line outside for nearly half an hour, we finally made it inside. Daiwa Sushi is a tiny, tiny hole in the wall with barely enough room to walk through. We were seated at the bar, packed tightly between two other parties, and given menus, again, we pointed at pictures to make our selection. I chose the "chef's choice." Like most of the items on the menu, it cost 3,500 yen (about $35). The sushi was delivered as the chef finished making it - one item at a time. Daiwa Sushi certainly lived up to its reputation as the best place for sushi in the world and well worth the price of $35. As the chef gave us one piece at a time, I quickly devoured what ever was put in front of me. Eventually, I was given an item with shrimp. I was uncertain what to do with the shrimp tail, so I left the tail on the small plate that all the sushi was placed on. The chef, looking somewhat bemused, took the shrimp tail away. A few minutes later another piece of sushi was placed on my plate. It appeared to the very same shrimp tail on a new piece of rice. I hesitated, then thought 'what the hell' and ate the tail. The chef immediately burst out in laughter, said something to the waitress, and soon the entire establishment was busting a gut at my expense. Even Brett was laughing uncontrollably. I have to admit - it was pretty funny. I can imagine what they were saying "That stupid Gaijin (foreigner) ate the whole shrimp tail!"
After our meal, we began walking towards our next destination - the government district. We could have taken the subway, but we wanted to walk and see the city. I wanted to see the Diet building - Japan's capitol building. Along the way we walked through a city park.
Eventually we made it to the Diet. Built in the 1920s, the Diet building miraculously survived World War II, and still serves as the meeting place of Japan's legislative body - the Diet. Once merely serving as window dressing to the Japanese Emperor and the military junta that effectively ran the country, today the Diet is the ultimate authority of the Japanese government. After some difficult negotiation, I managed to convince Brett that we should take a tour of the building. My main argument consisted of - "Dude, its a free tour and nothing else is going to be free in this town."
Before the tour began, everyone gathered in a museum in basement of the building. Some of the artifacts included Emperor Meji's throne. Emperor Meji, who ruled from the late 1800s until the early 1900s was responsible for not only uniting Japan and kicking out the Shoguns, but also an unprecedented and unequaled industrialization, preventing Japan from becoming a European colony (like the entire rest of Asia) building Japanese colonies and imperial ambitions, and defeating Russia in 1905 (making Japan the only non-European nation to defeat a European nation in modern warfare).
Across the expansive floor was a mock Diet desk - just like ones found in the chamber of the lower house. This would be our last indoor photo opportunity, for photography was strictly forbidden inside the actual chambers, offices, and hallways of the Diet building.
For the next 90 minutes we traipsed through the marble halls, massive legislative chambers, and corridors of Japanese power. Despite not comprehending anything that the uniformed tour guide was saying, a couple of things stayed with me. Although the building was certainly impressive and ornate, there were tremendous cracks throughout the marble floors indicating nearly a century of earthquakes and while the main halls were expansive and intimidating, the rest of the building was surprisingly plain and well used. The puke green carpets were worn and dated and the wood trim and doors were in need of repair or at least some touch up paint. Also, several hallways contained large Plexiglas closets with enormous vent fans - for smoking. I would have never guessed what they were for had there not been people smoking in them. They reminded me of the movie ET - when the NASA scientists transform Eliot's home into a series of fans and plastic tubes. Despite their best efforts, the place stank of stale cigarette smoke - immediately reminding me of my internship with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, a job which required me to choke down the thick acrid smoke in yet another legislative building - the Kentucky State Capitol.
After the political and cultural history bonanza, we left the government district and walked toward a destination on Brett's list - the Tokyo Sony store.
The Sony place left us pretty beat, so we took the subway back to our hostel for a nap. Our intention was to wake back up later that evening and head back out to experience Tokyo at night. Let's just say it was an unmitigated disaster that ended with us waiting in a McDonald's for the subway to reopen at 5 AM.
After getting back to the hostel around 6 AM, we slept for a few hours then walked over to the local shrine. Along the way we discovered this large open air market.
Of course, I couldn't help but notice the hilarious Obama mask. At first I laughed out loud, snapped a quick picture and showed Brett, but then I stood thinking in an almost reverent contemplative silence. Brett, puzzled, asked me what was wrong. I told him, "I forgot what its like not to be embarrassed and ashamed of the President. Its kind of nice." To which Brett responded, "Enjoy it while you can, he's still new."
The Asakusa Shrine was originally built in the 1600s, but burned to the ground during the firebombing campaign in 1945. Speaking of which, in one night, on March 9, 1945, over 100,000 people were killed during one firebombing mission over Tokyo, more than either of the atomic bombs. It was a strange feeling to tour a magnificent cultural icon only to find out that it was destroyed by the U.S. military less than six decades earlier.
One of my favorate parts of Tokyo were the crazy illogical signs. Here are a few:
I have no idea what this is, but I like it.
Sunkuss stores were everywhere. They are a lot like 7-11s but strangly there were quite a few 7-11s as well.
Tommy Lee Jones = BOSS
Taste Long!!
If only I took more pictures of them... they were everywhere.
We also went out one night to participate in a Tokyo Hash. Although the hash was essentially a small group of us running through back alleys, cemeteries, and parks through the rain, it was nevertheless priceless. Afterwards we cramed into a small restaurant.
After the Imperial Palace, we continued to the Tokyo Metro Government Office building - a huge monolith with twin turret-like towers and a free observation deck. From there we had sunning views of greater Tokyo sprawling in every direction as far as we could see.
Until then I had not fully grasped Tokyo's sheer size and density. It was remarkable.
After the observation tower, we walked over to the nearby Toto Superspace. Toto is a major Japanese appliance manufacturer - specializing in toilets. Japanese toilets are a work of art and technological masterpeice. With functions such as heated seats, white noice or music feature, badets, and built in faucets, for Japanese toilets, form truely meets function. They even have remote controls. Although it took some persuading to get Brett to go, I'm sure he would agree it was well worth the walk, we did get some strage looks though. I guess a toilet showroom in not a typical tourist destination.
We happened to walk by the United States Embasy our last evening in Tokyo. We wouldn't have noticed it had it not been for the obsentatitious security presence. I wanted to go over and recreate the Simpson's episode where Homer visits the U.S. Embassy in Australia, but I couldn't. The security is so tight - they don't even let people walk on the same side of the street as the building - not even U.S. Citizens!
