東京 だいすき！

My time here in Japan (in present position at least) is winding down and therefore so too are the opportunities to travel and see this country. As small a country as it seems, Japan is filled with treasures and amazing sights and I haven`t even begun to make a dent it seems. With this time constrain in mind, I took a couple days of vacation last week to head to Osaka for a Ben Harper concert and then on to Tokyo to finish out the week and weekend.

The concert was great. If he is coming to a city near you, I recommend that you go. I had only heard his new album Both Sides of the Gun a couple of times before going, but its well in to the rotation on the ipod now. Some good political commentary woven throughout, a favorite track of mine at the moment being Better Place (the war version). We actually ended up getting backstage passes after the show (I am convinced that this is an easier thing to do in Japan a. being a foreigner and b. because fewer people seem to make the effort) after catching the DJ`s eye. Its amazing how much nicer the clean-up crew treats you when you flash the special VIP sticker. So, we kicked it back stage, drank some beers, burnt some down, with the band. Didn't meet the man himself though, zanen.

Then it was on to Tokyo via Shinkansen the next morning. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji before I leave, I got a reservation on the "Fuji side" but as is often the case apparently, it was too overcast to see anything. Not even an outline. So as I rode on north, I superimposed images in my head onto the scene through the window. This mental collage will have to suffice for now. The four hour ride (I took the slowest kind of bullet train, though as many a children's thermos reads, Shinkansen is the Way to Go!) was a nice rest time after the concert and leading up to the busy weekend of city exploring that lay in wait. I arrived to an overcast though warm Tokyo city at around 1pm, checked in my pack at the station and set out to see what everyone has been talking about.

I can firmly say, after running around Tokyo for four days, rising early, getting to bed late, in order to see as much as possible, that I love Tokyo. I can also confirm that it is huge. I have many times questioned peoples preference in cities when it comes to Osaka and Tokyo, but I now understand what a hard task that is, for they are so different, the most basic difference being their size. For this reason, I found myself comparing Tokyo to New York instead.

Like New York, Tokyo has many different areas, that are divided to a degree into the Northern, Central and Western parts of the city. The subway system, though daunting at first sight, it pretty simple, and paired with the inner-city train system, make Tokyo a fairly easy city to navigate. And like New York, each area, each neighborhood has a distinct feel and flavor. Be it Ginza, which I noted as the 5th Ave. of Tokyo, or Harajuku, full of younger folks dressed to impress (or astound), each area was its own experience for me. In addition, the planned parks and green spaces had me thinking about central and prospect parks.

Having scoured some guidebooks before going, I managed to check out a lot of the highlights: Shibuya, Asakusa Shrine, Yoyogi park (jugglers, singers, drummers, fountains), Meiji Shrine (just a short walk from the teeming, narrow streets of Harajuku, a calm, tree-lined oasis), Tsukiji Fish Market (Japan loves its fish, try the maguro, oishii), Roppongi (saw a great art exhibit at the Mori Art Museum on African Modern Art), Jinbocho (a University area with an awesome "book store street"), and a boat ride under the many bridges, with some family friends. I also managed to fit in many good, strong cups of coffee and bagels (nothing like the Bageltique, but a welcome meal change nonetheless), in addition to some great sushi and soba. In addition to all these city sights, I stayed with a friend that lives about an hour outside of Tokyo city, in the inaka of Tokyo if you will, and so got a chance to see the green country-side surrounding the metropolis. Lush green, and quiet, it was much more like my home back in Wakayama than the concrete jungle of Tokyo, but reminded me of one of my favorite things about Japan--wherever you find yourself, rural countryside is never far away.


As is often the case these days, the trip left me refreshed (though tired), but made decision-making about the future more difficult. The more I travel and visit exciting cities, the more my love of urban living is reaffirmed, but also the broader my options begin to feel. The idea of staying in Japan longer and moving to a big city begins to feel tempting. Though so does living on a farm for a while, since I am most sure that my future is more likely to hold city rather than country. I guess we will just have to wait and see how the cards fall.



(pics, t-b: outside of Harajuku train station; back stage with Leon, Ben's drummer; graffiti near Yoyogi park; chinese style garden near the Tokyo dome; Meiji Shrine; book store in Jinbocho; Tsukiji fish market street; view of Tokyo Tower from Mori Building in Roppogi)