Japan: Konichiwa Tokyo! [Part I: Shibuya, Harajuku & Akihabara]

Although we had a long flight ahead of us, i.e. 2.5 hours from Auckland to Sydney, and then 3 hours of fighting against our principle of paying for a $10 sandwich (we had a $6 fruit bowl instead), and then another 10 hours of flying with Qantas airways (not our favourite airline) from Sydney to Tokyo....we were both excited at the prospects of....JAPAN!!

Boarding our flight form Sydney to ...Tokyo! / Wir boarden unseren Flug von Sydney nach...Tokyo!

We arrived in Tokyo at 7am, with the outside temperature being 6 degrees Celcius. SIX degrees! We thought the Pilot was talking about the airborne temperature... we have definitely forgotten what anything below 10'C feels like.

After close to an hour of queueing at immigration,...it was finally our turn, thinking things will go much faster after this. Oh no.... not quite yet.

Apparently, Mishell, being Malaysian needed a visa to enter Japan. However, somehow the tourist agent, ourselves and the New Zealand and Australian authorities overlooked this fact, leaving a slightly confused Japanese immigration officer asking a panicking Mishell the question: "Visa?" to which Mishell responded with: "I need one?" "Hai! (Japanese for yes) oops.

Soon enough, Mishell was escorted by an officer - walking past the long queue of people to 'the office' - where 'the' problem people are usually placed. After some questioning and form filling exercised, Mishell got her passport stamped (for free!) and we were free to go. It seems like our lucky day! It also seems like this could be the way to get a visa to a country for free! Or not....maybe.

The moment we stepped out of the baggage lounge, we realised what a civilised and clean country Japan is...and quiet too. There was hardly any noise (or excitement) at the arrival hall as with most airports...and everyone seemed to be really polite and helpful.

Another we also quickly learned was that we may have underestimated the communication challenge set up for us here - found out when we tried to get a local SIM card for Japan. Most mobile phones dont work in Japan - except 3G phones, e.g. Iphone. Which we have. :) So we could 'rent' a SIM card instead of the whole phone-and-SIM card package. One can't buy SIM cards here....no reason was given as to why that is.

All set with phone, information brochures and our Japan Rail Pass, we headed off to catch the train to Tokyo city. Our next challenge.

Finally got past Immigration - sorted our Japan Railpass, bought our first bottle of water from Japanese vending machine....Tokyo - here we come! / Endlich haben wir die Immigration hinter uns gelassen - das Zugsabo abgeholt, die erste Flasche Wasser vom Automat gekauft....Tokio, wir kommen!

Hmmm....hopefully that means Tokyo city... / Hmmm..hoffentlich bedeutet das 'Tokio Stadt'

Whoopee....some words we actually recognise ..AND we are in the right train! / Hurrah...einige Wörter die wir verstehen..und wir sind im richtigen Zug!

We were staying at Hotel Chisun Grand in Akasaka, the business district of Tokyo. Exhausted, jetlagged, cold, hungry and dying for a shower - we were desperate to check-in only to be told that check-in time is 2pm (it was 11am) and we cannot check-in any earlier. No ways around it.

The receptionist was not very sympathetic to our jetlag claims at all. Bugger. The Japanese like to stick to rules, it seems.

So, we set off hunting for our first food adventure: 'Ramen'. The Lonely Planet Guide mentions that there is a good Ramen place literally in our neighbourhood. Easy...or not.

You see, in Tokyo - addresses are not as specific as how we are used to. They address to a 'quartier'/district rather than specific building or street. Luckily, we also read that about 30% of a Tokyo policeman's time is spent on helping with road directions rather than fighting crime. We made use of that fact. After 30 frustrting minutes, we gave up looking and decided to follow our noses instead which was the right thing to do!

The soup was absolutely rich and delicious - one could tell it was pure meat (pork) broth boiled for a long time. Side condiments were garlic purée (which Pascal hugely regretted after helping himself to a huge ladle-full of it), chili paste, ginger, vinegar & white pepper.

We were absolutely delighted with our find! The futuristic-spaceship toilet with 6-functions (seat heating is fantastic for cold weather!) added to our excitement.

The futuristic toilet with super-warm seat to warm up your cold bum (it even has warm water spray which you can adjust the pressure) / Die futuristische Toilette mit warmen Sitz um den kalten Hinten aufzuwärmen (es hat sogar einen warm Wasserspritzer für welchen Man den Druck anpassen kann)

Not really sure the difference between bum-spray 1 & bum-spray 2. The button on the right lets you choose your music of choice (we think). / Wir sind uns nicht sicher was der Unterschied ist, zwischen dem Po-Spray 1 & 2. Mit dem Knopf auf der rechten Seite kann man Musik auswählen (denken wir).

Delicious Ramen with thick, tasty pork broth (Left: Cabbage & Egg ramen, Right: Pork, spinach & Egg ramen) / Köstliche Ramen, Nudeln-suppe (Linkeseite: Kabbis und Eier, Rechteseite: Schweinefleisch, Spinat & Eier)

Japanese are all about efficiency: Guess a machine to take your order saves 1 employee & space! / In Japan geht effizienz vor: Eine Maschine um das Essen zu bestellen erspart eine Servier-Düse

Tummy full and warmed up (literally), we stepped back in the cold rain. To our utter delight, we could finally check into our room, not before being told what an exception this is and ....that we were upgraded because we were on our honeymoon. Yippee!! heheh....

Our Deluxe room - thanks for the upgrade! We actually had a full size bath-tub which is pretty rare for average hotels in Tokyo. / Unser Deluxe Zimmer - vielen Dank für den Upgrade! Wir hatten sogar eine richtige Badewanne, was ziemlich selten ist für Tokio.

Excited on our first time out in Tokyo subway - and being in a real city. The population of Tokyo is approximately 39 million!! / Aufgeregt bei unserer ersten Fahrt in der U-Bahn - und wieder in einer richtigen Stadt zu sein. Tokio hat angeblich 39 Millionen Einwohner!!

We went to check out the Ginza district on our first evening. Ginza is 'the' shopping district...if you are into Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada...or rather, if you can afford it. Its full of bright, neon lights and the main road is lined with brands after brands.

Behind these fancy shops were the 'hostesses bars'. We went for a walk around this area after dinner and saw quite a few Japanese 'hostesses' bowing and seeing their customers off at 10pm on a Monday night.

There were blacked-out limousines everywhere, including smartly-dressed young men around every other corner - who are probably the Yakuza, the Japanese 'gangster clan'. Now, one would imagine 'hostesses' to be pretty, sexy or something attractive. Sorry to say, most if not all the ones we saw that evening were pretty mediocre, some pretty old, and others just....not something a Western man would define as attractive.

We later found out from a friend that these bars are only mainly frequented by Japanese men because the Western men do not believe in paying a lot of money for someone to just laugh at your jokes and listen to your complaints. There is no touching involved and sleeping with the hostess is not included in the price or negotiation.

First stop: Ginza for the bright nightlights! / Erster Stop: Ginza für die vielen Lichter!

For a CHF2 desert/sweet, they would pack it up nicely in a little bag that probably costs more than the dessert itself! / Das Dessert kommt immer schön verpackt - manchmal ist die Verpackung teurer als der Inhalt.

Everything is so small and pretty and nicely-packaged in Japan! (not just the people). / Alles ist so klein und schön verpackt in Japaan (nicht nur die Leute!)

Bright neon-lights around Ginza / Verschieden-Farbige Neon Lichter in Ginza

Lots of cool restaurants under the old railway line in Ginza / Viele coole Restaurants unter der alten Eisenbahn-Linie in Ginza

Our first Izakaya-dinner @ 'Andy's' (famous amongst expats & Japs) / Unser erstes Izakaya-Abendessen @ Andy's (Bekannt unter Expats & Japanern)

Crowded (and smoky) on a Monday night - this place is unbelievable / Sehr voll und verraucht an einem Montag Abend - unglaublich!

Amazing fresh grilled fish, giant scallops & tasty Chicken Karaage (fried chicken) / Frischer Fisch (grilliert), St.Jacques und Poulet Karaage (fritiertes Poulet)

The next day, we attempted to wake-up at 4.30 am to head to the Tsukiji fish market but failed desperately....something that we'll regret later.

Well-rested after a long lie-in, we set off to check out Tokyo city! Luckily for us, it was actually sunny and warmer today. First stop: the infamous Shibuya crossing! Shibuya is (yet) another shopping area in Tokyo, and the Shibuya crossing is probably one of the world's most famous four-way intersection.

One could spend all day just standing by the crossing people-watching. Its amazing...schoolgirls (with extremely short skirts), grey/black-suits, goths, punks, all sorts cross this intersection every time the light goes green.

After walking around Shibuya hunting for a suitable lunch place (this time we were almost successful in buying our lunch ticket fom 'the machine' without assistance), We did the touristy thing of people-watching from the Starbucks on the corner of the intersection (as in the movie 'Lost in Translation).

At the famous Shibuya Crossing: Get set, ready.... / An der berühmten Shibuya Kreuzung: Achtung, fertig...

Cross.... / Los....

Mishell having fun people-watching / Mishell hat Spass die Leute anzuschauen

Pasci having fun posing around / Pasci hat Spass am posieren

Check out the schoolgirls & their short skirts / Schau dir die Schul-Mädchen an und ihre kurzen Röcke

Our lunch: Beef Yoshinoya (teriyaki beef on rice...yum!) and Miso Soup / Unser Mittagessen: Rindsfleisch Yoshinoya (Teriyaki Rindfleisch mit Reis....yum!) und Miso Suppe

View fom Starbucks Café above Shibuya / Aussicht von Starbucks Café

Sights of Shibuya include....fashion of Tokyo / Aussicht von Shibuya inklusive....Mode von Tokyo

and bad English (spelt how they would pronounce it...) /und schlechtes Englisch (geschrieben wie sie es aussprechen würden)

Cherry blossoms in the middle of the city / Kirschblüten mitten in der Stadt

Interesting shop display - indicating that we are getting close to Harajuku area / Interessante Schaufenster - anzeichen dafür, dass wir näher an Harajuku Gebiet kommen

Japanese Punk?

We decided to take full advantage of the sunny day to visit one of Tokyo's most famous park - 'Yoyogi park'. For those who are not familiar, this is the park where the 'Harajuku girls' hang out on Sundays. We did actually see some Harajuku girls at the entrance but they were not ones we exactly wanted to photograph with. Oops..

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom in the park - which was an added bonus. We noticed that there were a lot of trash/rubbish around the park - to our surprise- and apparently (according to a local friend), these trash were left behind by mainly 'Westerners' or Gaijin.

You see, Japanese people normally carry their rubbish with them, to their homes in fact, as they are trained to do so. Therefore, they are not used to 'cleaning up after' people and the rubbish in the park were just left to the crows...really bad. One disadvantage to the Japanese's tendency to take their rubbish with them is the lack of rubbish bins around the city.

That was pretty annoying as we literally had to carry our coffee cups with us for almost the whole day. However, we also learned that Japanese people are so polite that as a Gaijin, you can just hand your rubbish to a Japanese person, e.g. at the store and they will happily take your rubbish for you. We tried it and it works! Fantastic!

Cherry blossom (Sakura) in Yoyogi park - trés romantic! / Kirschblüten (Sakura) im Yoyogi Park

They have a very slight perfume scent... / Sie haben einen sehr leichten Geruch....

One of the many Sakura trees in full bloom...beautiful.. / Einer von vielen Sakura Bäumen in voller Pracht.....wunderschön...

Japanese seem to like their dogs - they even have designated areas within the park for their (dressed up) dogs to run free & 'socialise'. / Japaner mögen Ihre Hunde - sie haben sogar designierte Gehege in welchen sie ihren Hund frei herumlaufen lassen können

Area for big dogs vs little dogs - measured according to weight & length...unbelievable. / Für grosse und kleine Hunde - das Gewicht ist massgebend....unglaublich

These are not baby-prams, but for dogs! / Das sind keine Kinderwägen, sonder für Hunde!

Cherry blossoms lined up in a row - note the people picnicking under the trees, enjoying 'Hanami' / Kirschblüten Bäume in einer Reihe - beachte die Leute die unter den Bäumen Picknichen

We wished we had enough time to picnic for a day too... / Wir wünschten, dass wir genügend Zeit hätten für ein Picnic

One of the 'views' ...Harajuku goth girls. ;-) / Kurzer Rock, hohe Stiefel...Harajuku Mädchen!! :-)

After Yoyogi Park, we followed a recommended walking trail through the Harajuku area through 'Cat street' towards Ometosando and finally back to Shibuya. Needless to say, Harajuku area was über-fascinating with all sorts of fashion, people of shapes and colours. We felt way too 'normal' and underdressed.

The famous 'Harajuku street'...these two 'school girls' (or maybe sailor-girls) had some strange masks on the side of their heads - probably some fashion statement. / Die bekannte Harajuku Strasse....diese zwei Schulmädchen hatten komische Masken auf der Seite ihres Kopfes - vielleicht ein Mode-aussage?

Apparently, current Harajuku fashion trend is the 'dairy/country-girl' look. / Angeblich ist momentan Country-Girl Mode in!

Mishell loving and hating the variety of shoes around (one of the many tortures of 'budget travel') / Mishell liebt und hasst die vielen Schuhe die es gibt in Tokio (einer der vielen Torturen von Budget-Reisen)

Harajuku mania - short tutus/ballerina skirts / Harajuku mania - kurze Tü-tüs / Ballerina-röcke

We loved this über-chic alternative kimono shop / Wir fanden diesen über-chic Kimono Shop sehr spannend

Rrrrauuu....

Enjoying more cherry blossom at the Meiji-Jingu shrine off Harajuku street.. / Wir genossen noch mehr Kirschblüten beim Schrein in der Harajuku Strasse

Two cute cats sitting together enjoying the sun...oblivious to visitors at the shrine.. / Zwei süsse Katzen geniessen zusammen die Sonne...

Beginning and end of the Harajuku tour.. / Anfang und Ende unserer Harajuku Tour..

Exhausted after a full day's walk, we headed back to the hotel for a rest before heading out for the night again. In Tokyo, no rest for the wicked! ;) We went for a simple dinner of Yakitori - accompanied by a couple glasses of fine Sake, and then walked around Roppongi, i.e expat town. Pasci found Roppongi too and commercialised for his liking so we didn't really stay long.

Dinner: Yakitori at a little restaurant in the basement - we enjoyed the grill duck with cold Saké! / Abendessen: Yakitori in einem kleinen Restaurant - wir haben die grillierte Ente mit kaltem Sake genossen!

Yakitori...yumm!

Very smooth sake...too smooth... / Sehr guter Sake......zu gut.....

Day 3 in Tokyo: Another cold and rainy day. Bleh. We met up with Andy (Mishell's friend) for lunch where we learned more about the weird and wonderful Japanese culture e.g. how Japanese do not like taking holidays from work. An average Japanese takes about 5 days of leave per year. Crazy!

After lunch, we headed to Akihabara. Akihabara began its evolution into the Electric Town it is today post-WWII when the area around the stations became a black market for radio parts. Today, its known as an area for bargains on new and used electronics. It is also 'Manga-central' as well as where the Maid-cafes are.

It is amazing how the world seems to be a different place the moment you step out of the station. There are 'maids', i.e. girls dressed up as manga-characters, otherwise known as 'cosplay' outfits along the streets handing out flyers for the maid cafes. There were quite a variety of 'characters' including the french maid, sailor girl and other 'cute' outfits.

For those who are not familiar, maid cafes are places where manga-fans (mainly men) go to to get served by a 'maid' calling you "mistress" or "master" as they serve you a drink or food and play games with you. Refer to the link: http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/tokyo/maid_cafe.htm

We went to check out a building with 7 floors of Manga dolls and comics...needless to say, it was surreal. The Mangas range from your average pornographic comic to pregnancy porn, schoolgirl (even kids!!) and many other weird fantasies. And these bookshops were frequented by Japanese men of all ages and types who looked like they were just shopping for normal books.

There were also lots of Manga posters, Manga outfits, Manga dolls and doll parts (piece-it-yourself dolls) and dvds. Words could not describe how shocked we were.....

Some of the dolls were pretty explicit...to the tiniest detail / Einige der Puppen waren sehr explizit....bis ins kleinste Detail

Since we were in Tokyo - we decided we should experience one. Not only did we have to pay 700 yen p/person (about 9CHF) to queue up for 45 minutes to just have a seat IN the cafe, we had to buy at least a drink (which was overpriced) and were limited to 1 hour in the cafe. One could pay more for them to play games with you or take a photo with.

Our waitress was an over-enthusiastic dressed-up white doll whom our Japanese neighbours seemed to be in love with. When she served us our drink & food, she made us sing along with her (with actions)...something about "Moe moe moe...Love love love"... very cute...for some others.

It was actually more interesting watching the Japanese customers' reaction than the maids themselves. Weird! Generally, our conclusion is weird, geeky guys come here to pay for attention. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures in the Cafe.

On way up to the @Home Maid-cafe in Don Quijote building... / Auf dem Weg ins @Home Maid-Kaffee im Don Quijote Gebäude....

Shop selling all sorts of stuff from shampoo to butt-cheek headrest pillows / Laden der alles mögliche verkauft...von Shampoo bis zu Arschbacken-Kopfkissen

Sneaky picture outside the Maid Cafe / Bild von dem Maid Kaffee

Lots of these 'win-yourself a doll/stuffed toy' machines as well as slot machines ('Pachinko') / Es hat viele von diesen Kranen-Gewinnspiel-Automaten und Slot-Machinen hier

View of Akihabara main street.... / Aussicht auf Akihabara Hauptstrasse....

Maid cafe poster... / Maid Kaffee Poster...

Tokyo station underground at rush hour.. / Tokio Hauptbahnhof U-Bahn zur Feierabend-Zeit

Japanese sign for 'Tokyo'... / Japanische zeichen für Tokio

Exhausted from the walk and stimulation from Akihabara, we met up with Caroline, a friend from Switzerland for dinner before heading back to our hotel.

One of the best, fluffiest Tonkatsu (Japanese equivalent of Schnitzel) around Ginza... / Sehr guter Tonkatsu (Japanischer Schnitzel) in der nähe von Ginza

Tonkatsu feast: One stuffed with cheese, one with black-pepper & another with special Yuzu sauce & spring vegetables. Yum! / Tonkatsu Festessen: Einer mit Käse, einer mit Pfeffer und noch einer mit Yuzu Sauce und Frühlings-Zwiebeln. Yum!

3 Swizzys in Tokyo...how cool! / 3 Swizzys in Tokio.....so cool!

After a good dinner and session on catching up the latest news & gossip about Switzerland, we headed back to our hotel and early to bed - for an early 4.30am rise the next morning for....Tsukiji fish market!