In the thick of it
It was a late start today having stayed up late to watch some of the football last night. Nevertheless I managed to cram in no less than four museums and spend the evening in Shibuya, taking in the often bizarre fashions of Japan's trendy teenager set.
I'm feeling I'm getting to grips with how Tokyo works, although the streets can still baffle me when there's little in the way of landmarks to crosscheck with my map. U2's song "where the streets have no name" is perfect for Japan as aside for the major streets it's actually true that they have no title whatsoever. Instead the city's areas are broken down into a confusing system of blocks which even the Japanese can find difficult to fathom. Fortunately there are plenty of 24hr grocery shops to pop into and impose on the staff for directions, even crude maps as I had today from a sales person in the Pokemon Centre which I stumbled upon while trying to find a museum. In the end it works out ok, and there are some maps here and there although the Japanese by no means stick to the rule of having north at the top. Instead they often rotate the map to reflect which way you're facing when looking at the map. It takes some getting used to!
I've been trying the local cuisine, but have been finding that the appeal for noodles and various soups is starting to wear a bit thin, so I've started varying my diet a bit. However for cheap eats the range of Bento-box esque places - this is a bit like TV dinner Japanese style which you can get made fresh at several chains of shops are a good choice. I spotted another today which walking back from the metro so it'll make for a cheap lunch or dinner tomorrow as generally they cost around 2 - 3 pounds. They're actually tasty enough and there's a wide range of ingredients to choose from, although it's not exactly haute cuisine.
Although an odd choice, one of my favourite museums so far has been the Mitsuo Aida Museum, which has Japanese calligraphy on display with its elegant brushstrokes. What stuck me the most though was the meaning of some the pieces exhibited. Here's a couple of examples:
with no time to look back on the ups and downs
of the path I walk,
I find myself at the base of a cliff
and
more is needed in order to live
than just a beautiful entryway
and a decorated mantle piece
Walking through the metropolis of Tokyo (I read somewhere that it's home to no less than 35 million people) you find that you get talked at a lot. People talking to you is one thing and there's nothing to raise your spirits than a hearty welcome to a shop or cafe, but I've also found that lots of objects speak to you to. As at home the trains speak, some in both Japanese and English and they tend to be particularly verbose, gateways warn you when they're opening, large vehicles talk not just when they're reversing but also when they're signalling to tun a corner, lifts, oh lifts, are forever welcoming you on board, and all of these have a similar quite young sounding female voice. Somehow this petite voice doesn't quite suit a manoeuvring juggernaut, but that's the way it is!
I'm feeling I'm getting to grips with how Tokyo works, although the streets can still baffle me when there's little in the way of landmarks to crosscheck with my map. U2's song "where the streets have no name" is perfect for Japan as aside for the major streets it's actually true that they have no title whatsoever. Instead the city's areas are broken down into a confusing system of blocks which even the Japanese can find difficult to fathom. Fortunately there are plenty of 24hr grocery shops to pop into and impose on the staff for directions, even crude maps as I had today from a sales person in the Pokemon Centre which I stumbled upon while trying to find a museum. In the end it works out ok, and there are some maps here and there although the Japanese by no means stick to the rule of having north at the top. Instead they often rotate the map to reflect which way you're facing when looking at the map. It takes some getting used to!
I've been trying the local cuisine, but have been finding that the appeal for noodles and various soups is starting to wear a bit thin, so I've started varying my diet a bit. However for cheap eats the range of Bento-box esque places - this is a bit like TV dinner Japanese style which you can get made fresh at several chains of shops are a good choice. I spotted another today which walking back from the metro so it'll make for a cheap lunch or dinner tomorrow as generally they cost around 2 - 3 pounds. They're actually tasty enough and there's a wide range of ingredients to choose from, although it's not exactly haute cuisine.
Although an odd choice, one of my favourite museums so far has been the Mitsuo Aida Museum, which has Japanese calligraphy on display with its elegant brushstrokes. What stuck me the most though was the meaning of some the pieces exhibited. Here's a couple of examples:
with no time to look back on the ups and downs
of the path I walk,
I find myself at the base of a cliff
and
more is needed in order to live
than just a beautiful entryway
and a decorated mantle piece
Walking through the metropolis of Tokyo (I read somewhere that it's home to no less than 35 million people) you find that you get talked at a lot. People talking to you is one thing and there's nothing to raise your spirits than a hearty welcome to a shop or cafe, but I've also found that lots of objects speak to you to. As at home the trains speak, some in both Japanese and English and they tend to be particularly verbose, gateways warn you when they're opening, large vehicles talk not just when they're reversing but also when they're signalling to tun a corner, lifts, oh lifts, are forever welcoming you on board, and all of these have a similar quite young sounding female voice. Somehow this petite voice doesn't quite suit a manoeuvring juggernaut, but that's the way it is!
posted by Daniel at 5:03 pm
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