Adventures in Tokyo

Since I had no family to visit or turkeys to eat, I decided to go to Tokyo to visit my friend, Margalit, for my Thanksgiving Day holiday. Friday the 23rd is a national holiday in Japan. It translates as Labour Thanksgiving Day, but apparently signifies nothing to the Japanese other than a day off from work.

Going into Tokyo by myself was the first adventure. It only took two hours, but required me to change trains four times. I brought a book to read for the trains, but didn't get through as many pages as I had hoped since I was wary about missing a stop. My first train wasn't doing me any favors either. Trains have an electronic message board telling the next stop in both Japanese and English. However, my first train's message board was broken, meaning that the conductor just called out the approaching stops in Japanese. I eventually caught onto the words he was using and could isolate the name of next station which allowed me to relax and focus on my book.

Finally arriving in Tokyo around noon, I tried to find the meeting place Margalit and I had decided on. Unfortunately, I exited the train station in a really strange and far away place. I finally found someone, and managed to ask them where Hachiko (a famous statue of a dog) was. Following their directions, I found Margalit whose blond hair made her very easy to spot.

We ran across an Indian restaurant and decided to eat lunch there. They had a special lunch deal where for 8 dollars you get two curries, a drink, and unlimited naan and rice. Updating each other on our lives in the last months, we gorged on the delicious food.

After lunch, Margalit took me to Yoyogi Park. The main walkway into the park was an avenue of street musicians. Evenly spaced, men and women, most with microphones and guitars, some with audiences, jockeyed for attention. They had stiff competition that day, since just beyond that avenue we found a large dance party in full swing.






It seemed to be an AIDS charity event with djs and craft and food stalls. We entered the crowd for a few minutes of dancing. The dj soon shifted into slower beats, and we left the scene.

We continued through more the of park, which despite being chilly was pleasantly filled with people.



Near the park is the Meiji Shrine. Meiji Shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Tokyo. It is dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife. At the front is a torii.



Farther inside is the shrine. There were lots of tourists, young children in kimonos, and perhaps due to the season: displays of vegetables. I even spied a traditional wedding setting up. The bride was wearing an elaborate and gorgeous white kimono. Her hair was stylized in shellacked rolls around her head. I would have loved to been able to watch her wedding. If I ever get invited to a Japanese wedding it would be such a highlight.

We left the shrine (taking time to browse the gift shop), and headed to Akihabara--a crowded shopping mecca known for its unique culture and girls who like to dress in highly stylized costumes. I bought some gloves for my cold hands, and caught sight of some girls wearing outlandish costumes. However, overall my experience in the crowded street wasn't pleasant. It was hard to move, it was so crowded.



By this time it was dark, so we took to the subway and went to Margalit's apartment, which is off a street labeled Happy Street. Her boyfriend came home a few minutes later and we headed out to find dinner. They took me to a small okonomiyaki restaurant. Okonomiyaki is a regional food that is similar to a pancake. You order a bowl of ingredients (I chose squid) which arrive raw at your table. A griddle in the middle of the table is heated and the contents of the bowl are dumped on it. Using spatulas you shape it into a pancake shape. When it is fully cooked, you take a small, flat spoon and scoop up portions. It is homey, warm, and delicious. I have to say it made for an excellent meal for my Japanese Thanksgiving.

Wrap-Up

Last Wednesday was Halloween. A holiday that isn't celebrated in Japan. Not that that stopped me. I dressed as a sheriff (or a cowboy police, as I explained throughout the day), brought fun-sized candy (thanks Walt!) for the staff, and greeted every class with "Happy Halloween"! They got such a kick out of it. The costume was a smash. The staff liked getting the chocolates, and over the next two days found me at various times to ask me more about Halloween and how it's celebrated.

Sunday I was lucky enough to tag along with Leslie and two Japanese women to go to Tokyo to see Kabuki. I rode to Leslie`s house early. I had to leave by 8:45. My body was sad to wake up so early. A student from Leslie's adult class picked us up in her car. We drove for about an hour to a train station in a different prefecture. We parked in this tiny lot and across from us was a Hummer! I have no idea how anyone could drive a Hummer through some of the streets in Japan. We took the train for another hour to Ginza, which is a fashionable part of Tokyo. There we met the Japanese student`s friend who knows a lot about Kabuki. We were a little late and had missed the time to get tickets, so we ate first. They took us a block away to this tiny sushi shop. It was empty except for us and the chef. We sat at the counter. The sushi was so fresh and delicious. I was happily full when we left. It also seemed very cheap. For four pieces of eel it was only 700 yen (less than 7 dollars).

Afterwards we walked back to the theater and stood in line to get seats in the cheap fourth floor. Kabuki is meant to be an all day event. A show runs for 5 or 6 hours. It`s also really expensive. Luckily, they have created a way for those who can`t spare the time or the money to experience Kabuki. The fourth floor seats (way, way up there) are for only one act at a time. So we bought tickets for the fourth act and left when that act was done even though the play wasn't. It was much cheaper, only 800 yen (instead of 150 dollars) and only an hour.





This is the official description of what I saw:

SOGA MOYO TATESHI NO GOSHOZOME (Gosho no Gorozo)
A portrait of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters at the height of its splendor. Rival gangs dressed in the height of fashion exchange stately speeches before fighting in the elaborate poetic cadences of Kawatake Mokuami, the last great playwright of kabuki. Gorozo is the handsome leader of a gang, but his lover, the top courtesan Satsuki pretends to reject him to save his life. Tragedy strikes when Gorozo is driven to revenge. Starring Nizaemon as Gorozo, Sadanji as his rival in love, Fukusuke as Gorozo’s lover, the courtesan Satsuki and Takataro as Oshu, a courtesan who is tragically killed.

The costumes were beautiful and so was the way they spoke. I have no idea what they were saying, but the cadence was musical. I could have rented a device with English dubbing, but decided not to because I wanted to focus on the costumes, sounds, and experience of being in a theater. They even had dubbed versions for native speakers. Kabuki Japanese is old, old Japanese. It would be like listening to a play in English older than Chaucer's. It's practically another language.

After the play, we took pictures in front of the theater. It is the most famous one in all of Japan and very old. After that we walked to a nearby temple. It was different because it wasn't done in that Japanese style. It was more Indian looking.

It was such fun to spend the day in Tokyo with people who live there, and could show us some of the cool restaurants and cultural highlights of the area.

Road Bump

This weekend counts as the first bad experience in Japan. Got drunk emailed bitched out by another ALT for not going to that all-you-can-eat-and-drink karaoke night. Spent the next day in Tokyo for a casual errand that went horribly wrong because Japan has the most idiotic banking system I've heard of. Who closes their banks at 3pm? Who has no national bank? Who closes atms at 5? Who denies access to a card because it came from a different part of the country? Japan does. They have a less convenient banking system than Bolivia. It's ridiculous.

I should go get my bike at the train station, where I had to leave it since we missed the last train back (which was at 11:16 -- because Japan can't run a train at midnight or even to two am on a Saturday night), but I just can't get my mind around putting on shoes and walking all the way to the station.