Exiting the subway in Tokyo I felt a bit like Alice falling
down a rabbit hole. I had been to big cities before: New York, Rome, London,
but this was unlike any other I’d seen. This
was THE biggest city in the world., yet to my surprise, everything was
sparkling clean, no trash or overstuffed waste bins, no graffiti, no crowds, no
beggars. My first sight on exiting the subway stairs was a colorful flower
shop. People moved to and fro: trim men dressed in suits and carrying
briefcases, willowy women in flowing skirts or tidy suits. Traffic was minimal,
and there were no bleating horns or fed-up drivers. The sun reflected off the tall,
modern buildings surrounding us, draped in large signs in Japanese lettering. In
the distance I spotted the modern shape Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower which
contrasted nicely with the hints of trees from a nearby park.
Luckily for our weary feet, we found our business class
hotel within a block of the subway stop and ditched our luggage. Our small room
promised a bit more space than the hotel in Yokohama and I looked forward to a multi-night
stay. But first, food. Zack located an appropriate restaurant and we were off
again, this time for a relaxing dinner. Indian cuisine is always a good choice
for a group that includes 2 omnivores, 1 pescatarian, and 2 vegetarians but the
name made this eatery a must: the Dippalace. We found a traditional menu
awaiting us and enjoyed settling in for a comforting bite. (With a fork.)
Earle and I found ourselves pretty tired and Zack, Nat and
Lilly continued their explorations nearby. We turned in early to prep for our
first full day in the city and with good reason: Akihabara awaited.
I had read about the Akihabara area of Tokyo and knew it
housed a massive business district for those seeking household electronics,
cameras, mange, anime, or video games. This area became known as “electric city”
after WWII in part due to surplus electronic sales, but still does the name
justice.
We arrived by train the next morning and began our
exploration while still in the station which opened up to a massive electronic
store, Yodobashi Camera that sold – well – everything. I was mesmerized by the
sophisticated selfie cameras but after being overwhelmed by floors of goods
relished a visit to their toy section. Here I caught sight of Godzilla.
Once we stepped outside we found ourselves in a colorful
vibrant neighborhood boasting stores featuring all the expected delights. Here
we saw the largest concentration of westerners as we toured some of the
offerings. We went to a giant, multi-floored, video game store named Super
Potato. Every video game system an video game cartridge known to mankind could
be found there. In true “the more things change, the more they stay the same,
Lilly and I found ourselves waiting on the “boys” to play video games.
 |
| WAITING |
Super Potato was just one of the multi-storied monoliths
offering a dizzying array of techno-goods. We usually headed to the top floor
(me on an elevator, them on the stairs) and worked our way down. One store boasted
floors of manga (Japanese graphic novels), another warrens of radio parts, and
still another had cases of vintage toys and figurines. Everywhere large
colorful signs in Japanese or English festooned the streets as well as giant
images of Japanese anime characters. It was dizzying and dazzling.
In between these massive stores, if you looked hard enough, you could find small stores with wall to wall capsule machines/ Gashapon. Not gonna lie. I loved them! And I spent every 100 yen coin I could solicit from my family. I added a tiny wood Hello Kitty in a kimono, a plastic bunny with a wreath of flowers and a miniature Japanese tea service to my collection.
And then, our tour took a surprising turn. We ducked out of
the hustle and bustle of the electric city and found our way to a modest high
rise and took the elevator to an Owl Café. The whole “café” thing sounds odd to
our western ears but various types of cafes exist in Japan, and especially in
Tokyo. There are, in addition to owl cafes, cat cafes, dog cafes, and rabbit
cafes. Yes – you visit with animals while you enjoy a drink or snack. An odder
twist is the existence of an Alice in Wonderland Café, a Vampire Café, or the
ever popular Maid Cafes – where waitresses dress as French maids and work to
serve their “masters.” (Needless to say, I suspect Earle would have preferred a
Maid Café to the Owl Café, but whatever.)
The Owl Café exceeded my expectations. Basically less food
(drink vending machines) but many, many more owls than expected. For a modest
fee, you stepped through an antiseptic “shoe bath” and entered a smallish room
filled with a labyrinth of walkways and seats where you could see a great
variety of owls, up close and personal. Most were hand tame. (Others clearly
marked to protect the unwary guest.) Though their movement was restricted, they
were clean, inquisitive (whooooo?) and looked well kept. Some dozed off, bored
with the whole setup and a few looked longingly out the window. One unusual
fellow was free to fly about. It was a memorable visit and one of my favorite
stops.
Once we exited, Zack had one more trick up his sleeve for
us. I dutifully trailed along, a little concerned about the overcast sky and
the sprinkles. We ducked under what looked like a train line overpass, I
thought to get out of the rain, but instead found a conclave of unique shops
each featuring different type of artisanal goods. One could buy leather goods,
shoes, handmade books, backpacks, clothes, metal works, woodcraft, screen
printed fabrics…even now, weeks later, remembering the varieties of these jewel
box shops is a bit mindboggling. It was a shopper’s paradise! And a bit of a “whats
good for the goose is good for the gander” experience as Lilly and I shopped to
our hearts content while the guys grew a bit tired of waiting. (So tired in
fact, that they circled back around to hit another video game business.) Lilly
and I had the absolute luxury of visiting as many of these shops as we liked –
admiring the many unusual and carefully crafted products – often helped by the
crafter themselves. I bought a lovely carved wooden owl pin for my mom as well
as two tiny handmade books and several tenuguis, multipurpose pieces of fabric –
a traditional Japanese gift- used for everything from wearing as a headscarf to
wrapping gifts. We had great fun – and shopped until the stores closed in the
late afternoon.
When we regrouped, we took the train to another part of the
city, traipsed through a neighborhood that somehow was all uphill (both ways)
and ended up at Café-Creperie Le Bretagne. This tiny restaurant was tucked in
an out-of-the-way corner and featured out-of-this world crepes – especially dessert
crepes! I didn’t anticipate crepes in Japan – but this was a relaxing, tasty
stop that suited all our palates and helped us wind down from a busy day.
TOMORROW: ON TO HAKONE and BLACK EGGS
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