Fast trip down from Sendai
I took the Shinkansen from Sendai directly into Tokyo. It seems that the trains on this line are the most modern of all the Skinkasen trains. They are very impressive, especially in the ‘Green’ class. There is actually a better ‘Grande’ class which is over the top.
The Tokyo station is what I expected – very large a very busy.
I found an ‘Information Desk’ where a very helpful young lady gave me directions to the subway stop near my hostel. She also pointed out a machine that can also give directions in English and Japanese. It produces a printout that can be very handy if you need to ask a local for assistance.
A bit of a Maze
The route through the streets to my hotel in the Asakusa district was a bit of a maze. After checking in, I wandered around the local area. It contains the Asakus Temple which is a major tourist sight. I had a very good meal in small street side restaurant for less than Yen 2000, including a couple of beers.
Public Holiday
Next day I bought a day ticket for the Metro and headed off.
I stopped off at The Ginza which is the upmarket shopping district, the equivalent of 5th Avenue in New York or Regents St in London. It has all the usual shops – Prada, Tiffany’s, Alfred Dunhill etc and well as upmarket department stores.
Big Park with Temple
I went to the Meiji-jingi which is Tokyo’s major Shinto Shrine. It is a in a large park, one of the very few parks in Tokyo. This place was teeming with people. I suspect this is usual for a public holiday or weekend.
Exploring the Various Centres
Like all big cities, Tokyo is really a collection of villages or towns, with their own character and feel. Shibuya is a bit of hip area with lots of bars and nightclubs. It is also the location of ‘Love Hill’ which has a lot of ‘pay by the hour’ hotels.
Shinjuku is probably the busiest place in the city. At its centre is a train station that has over 3 million passengers passing through it every day. The pedestrian crossing outside the station is something to to see – there are people everywhere. Amazingly none seem to collide. I places like Hobart, more than 3 people in less than 3 square metres will result in a pedestrian collision.
The Rail System
The map of the Tokyo rail network, looks like a bowl of spaghetti. In addition to the Metro there are Japan Rail (JR) and other company lines. This involves uses different tickets. It is a bit confused, but it all seems to work.
One thing that is really noticeable is the absence of people of different races other than Japanese. This is a very homogenous society.
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