November 25, 2008

Wow! What a… clean city. No, really, Tokyo had clean air and clean streets, and I was surprised at what a difference that makes. It’s the difference between hunching into yourself, not making eye contact, and walking with your shoulders thrown back, readily absorbing the colors, sights, and sounds of a bustling city.

We spent four enjoyable days in Tokyo. It was our first foray into Asia, and we found ourselves appreciating the cultural differences that made this city work. There was the cleanliness that New York should envy, there were the orderly lines to enter the subway train, and there was the playfulness about even mundane details like the weather forecast (apparently a frowny-face blue umbrella represents rain). Tokyo is a unique and energetic city – a great place to spend the better part of a week.

First off: sightseeing. We arrived early evening to our hotel in Shinjuku. We bustled over to the Tokyo City Hall. From the sky deck, we surveyed this enormous city – stretching literally as far as you can see in every direction. I felt a bit woozy, and not just from the height. Then onto dinner, which was scary for a non-pork-beef-chicken-eater. Good news: all the food places have models of their meals in the window. Bad news: even if you order tofu and noodles, the broth still reeks of pig.

Now to get a wider view of the city. The Imperial Palace area, touted as a beautiful and relaxing area, was boring. The Ginza shopping district wasn’t open yet. Sigh. How about the Buddhist temple area at Asakusa? Okay, that will do. I don’t know much about Buddhism, and there is little signage to help me understand, but pretty architecture! Ooh, and get lunch at a nice Indian place, the only safe spot for true vegetarians. But we’re not done yet!

Omote-Sando is known as an upscale shopping neighborhood, and that it was. Chanel, Gucci, Cartier? Yes, but what we really want is cheap Japanese toys. We spent an ordinate amount of time in the toy shop called Kiddy Land. Six whole stories of plastic, humorous goodness! We were especially enamored of the sushi gadgets. Who doesn’t want raw fish wrapped around your jump drive or keychain?

Gluttons for punishment, we ventured into Harajuku’s scary H&M store. Why is it that H&M is hands-down the busiest store we ever visit? New York, Vancouver, now Tokyo – this place is insane. Anyway, what I really wanted, clothing-wise, was an “Engrish” shirt. Nothing like mangled English to make you chuckle. And chuckle I did, at the sweatshirt I finally found. The back says, “My smile will become mysterious. CHUCKLE.” Okay, sure.

Dinner, always a dicey proposition, was tonight, tempura. We love you, Japan! You fry up a bunch of stuff and provide salty dipping sauces. I can feel myself partaking of that Japanese long life already.

Day three dawned rainy and chilly. We were out of the city today, heading to Nikko, a shrine-infused town. Now, to tell you the truth, I have no idea what this place is about. Clint had his guidebook, and thank goodness, because there is no information whatsoever in this entire region. I think signs have been banned. This is supposedly a World Heritage Site, but it’s hard to preserve what you don’t know to begin with. Just very disappointing to have no “in” – no way of understanding why buildings were built, how they were built, what purpose they served. I don’t understand Japanese history, and it’s a shame after visiting what should be a very dynamic place. We were glad to catch an early train back.

I should say, at this point, that I have knee issues. Always when we walk for miles and miles, my left knee just burns up. I say this to let you know the kind of sadism that exists in my marriage. After all day walking in Nikko, we headed (walked) to Shibuya, the Times Square of Tokyo. More walking. The brightness was almost intoxicating, and the people are so polite that it was crowded but not unpleasant. But at this point, in pain and cold, what I was really hoping for was something to do to understand Japan better. It’s great to observe and take everything in, but how do you get inside a place to really appreciate the language, the food, the pachinko?

Our fourth day provided such an insight, though late in coming. We first started out at the Sompa Japan Museum of Art, a 42nd-floor collection of everything from kimonos to Seiji Togo’s sketches to Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. Very respectable, but the coolest museum of all was yet to come.

The InterCommunication Center is a venture of the telephone company, celebrating the theme of “communication.” This particular installation showcased communication in so many cool ways. Here are some of the amazing displays we viewed:

• Gravicells: a gigantic floor covering with sensors projecting to a screen. When you step on the floor panels, the image on the screen distorts, responding to how much weight is on each spot. Fun to run around or walk slowly on tiptoes.
• VP3L: a room where one wears 3D glasses and manipulates a joystick to zoom through space and interact with the stars.
• TENORI-ON (literally “sound resting in one’s hand”): a 16-by-16 interface where you can press the LED buttons to change the music that’s flowing across it.
• Invertone: two speakers emitting white noise. When you’re exactly in between them, the noise cancels itself out and you’re left with perfect silence.

And more! Suffice it to say that this museum was so cool, and a great representation of the Japanese point of view. From what I observed in Tokyo, I want to know more. I just hope our next trip affords a little more insight.