Yokohama and Tokyo - Japan series #5

This weekend I visited the two largest cities in Japan (and in the strictest definition of a city, the 10th and 38th in the world), Tokyo and Yokohama. It was quite the culture shock coming from the much smaller city of Hiroshima. In Hiroshima if someone bumps into you, you will recieve a "Sumimasen" (Excuse me) and a small bow. So when I got off the train platform in Tokyo station only to be pushed by a mob of people, I was definately disoriented. (Toto, I have a feeling we are not in Kansas anymore.)

For the most part, my weekend was quite relaxing. I ate a lot of food, slept comfortably, and intermittently did some sightseeing. I, also, encountered the world's greatest birth control measure: a five year old boy.

Yokohama
My friend S used to live in Boston, and now lives in Yokohama, which is only a half hour train ride from Tokyo. While Yokohma is huge, it has very little of its own character. Because of its proximity to Tokyo, it feel more like a suburb than a city. S, his wife K and their son R live in a two story house, on the top of a hill. In a mainly residential neighborhood, there are no vending machines, 7/11's or any other common Japanese sign of urban life. From their tatami room and their japanese garden you can see a picturesque view of the water.

The city is a port town and Yokohama Bay is beautiful. On Friday night (for no reason I could find), they set of fireworks and lit up of looking Japanese ships with yellow lights. And when the Japanese do a firework show they do it up right. I am pretty sure many of the low bursting fireworks near so many wood ships should be banned, but they made for beautiful reflection off the water.

The other distinguishing feature of Yokohama is its Chinatown. Oddly enough Japanese Chinese food is different from American Chinese food. This discovery has spurred on my new desire to try many different nationality foods in Japan.

Tokyo
Early Saturday morning, I hopped on a train and went to the Tsukiji fish market. This adventure is not for the feighnt of heart, the squeamish, or those who oppose loud noises. Men ride around in these zippy loading carts. Sometimes whole gangs of them run down at the same time and my only recourse was to move to the side and make myself as flat as possible. The market itself was far less smelly than expected, and crowded with people selling and buying fish. Maguro, tuna, comes off of beds of ice, half hacked into by the fish mongers. A sensory overload kind of place. However, I did return to Tsukiji for lunch for the greatest sushi ever. While I do not consider myself a foodie, I definately could taste the superiority of fresh off the boat fish.

Of course, since I poorly plan things when left to my own devices, I went from one crazy loud place to another. Akihabara, is a district best known for selling electronics. Sadly though, while there were a lot of things for sale, the most popular items were all things that you could purchase in the US. Once, way back when, all the items for sale were cutting edge, but now it is simply a large volume of electronics that are astounding. (By the way I still cannot get over how popular Macs are here.)

Even though the Meiji Shrine is clear across town, it took less than half an hour to get there via the subway. In Tokyo, all the subway and trains make their announcement in English, which makes travel a breeze. Not once did I have to break out the Japanese travel phrase book, which I use everyday in Hiroshima. I have to say this shrine was pretty lackluster. It was built less than a hundred years ago and it does not have the historical resonance that Miyajima had. The most amzing part of shrine was the 70 year old man sweeping up the leaved on the gravel path. He had one flimsy rake yet he was incredible efficient and there was not a leaf in sight when I left the shrine.