Japan, "Land of the Rising Sun". I casually looked out the porthole of the 747 and saw the majestic peak of Mt. Fuji poking out through the clouds. It was was a Kodak moment, but I was without my camera. I have longed to walk her cities and discover her beauty. Now, I was here for a fourteen hour lay over. The plane touched down at 8:40pm and I began my quest for sushi. Anyone who knows me knows I am a lover of the fishy delicacy. What better experience than to eat sushi at it's place of origin? When I arrived in Narita airport I was faced with a disappointing reality: Tokyo was 1.5 hrs away by train, I only had $150 left from my trip to China, and I couldn't read Japanese Kanji.
So, I could play it safe, and stay in airport for 14 hours and take my flight home. There would be no chance of me getting lost and running out of money. But there also would be no chance of adventure. My second choice would be to take a cab and visit the local town, Narita. Only, I found out that it's a small, lazy town that mainly shuts down at night. Little chance of finding sushi this late. The final and most daring choice would be to risk the train ride into Tokyo, hoping to find someone who knows English to give me directions and help me get back before I go broke. Ummm, which one would I choose?
So, I'm at the train station and looking at the map. Its all in Japanese so I have to make an educated guess as to the location of the Tokyo stop. There was an ATM-style ticket machine in Japanese. I used Google a lot here. So out pops my ticket - 1280 yen - and I have 12 minutes to catch the final train to Tokyo. Am I at the right stop? Did I buy the correct ticket? Nobody knows English! How nerve wrecking. And exciting! OK, so I'm on the train now. It's about 10:20pm. I have my laptop with me in case I run into a Starbucks, because I desperately need to get online. The one thing about the people of Japan I see immediately is how work oriented they are. In contrast to the Chinese, who dress mostly casual, the Japanese who board the train are all dressed in black or dark blue suits. Dozens of them. Men and Women. Coming home from work. I pass through fifteen or so cities before reaching Tokyo. Suits get on and suits get off. Japan is the land of the white collar worker. But this is nothing compared to what I see upon arriving in Tokyo Station.
I get off at Tokyo Station and it's underground like a subway. By now it's about midnight, but it could have been mid-day. Everyone is running! People running this way and that, the place was awash with sprinting Asians in suits. What a sight to behold. So, I'm trying to find an appropriate exit, dodging Asians (sorry, no pics), and all the while trying not to laugh at this spectacle. Finally, I locate a way out and I find myself in the middle of downtown Tokyo. It's night in the city, and taxis are everywhere. It's not like I expect. Downtown Tokyo is not alive at night, like New York or Seoul. It's rather quiet with some 24 hour 7/11 stores open and a few stragglers on the streets. Yes, they have 7/11 here. Every couple of blocks or so, I see a small bar open. When I say small, I mean a pub that seats 6 people including the bartender! Then there is the omnipresent McDonald's. It stays open perpetually here, serving up burgers Japanese style.
I walk past the Imperial Palace. It's closed of course, but the guards are still there. I find a strange place where you can rent a room to play video games or to read comic books or watch videos. They couldn't speak English, so I moved on. I walk past restaurants that display their menus by means of props in the window... bowls and plates with the food in it along with the price so that all could see what the cook was making. Very interesting. I pass a sushi bar. Unfortunately it's closed. I walk for miles, finally resting my tired feet at a McDonald's. It is two in the morning and young people are here typing on their computers and talking. That can only mean one thing: Internet access! Callouses on my feet, sore shoulders from my laptop bag, and sushi-less, but I was online. I spend the night there, updating my blog, reading e-mail and chatting with associates I met in China.
The sun rises early in Japan - about 5:15 and soon I am back on the streets in the morning light. If I was disappointed with Tokyo at night, it certainly awoke my expectations now. This is the Tokyo I recognize from the travel channel. I stroll through the residential neighborhood with my camera and already the suits are out, walking and biking to work. None of them give me even a glance. They must be surprised to see me, but they never let it on. I am invisible. On my way back to the train station I pass shops that seem impossibly small, twelve foot wide grocery markets, and vending machines too numerous to count. Somehow I get lost and I drift into a drug store for directions. Still noone speaks English. Finally, I make it back to Tokyo Station. This time it is full for the morning rush and I have no idea how to get back. There are so many trains and so many routes! I remember the name of the train I traveled the night before and get in line at their ticket counter. Of course, noone speaks English, but they recognize Narita Airport. Shortly, I am on an express train back to Narita...2800 yen.
I make it back with time to spare. With extra yen in my pocket, I go to the food court to see if I can spend it. Past the gift shop...through the bookstore... past McDonald's... until, finally, at the end of the hall, a sushi bar. So I spend my last bit of yen on sushi.......at the airport. And remember the story I related about the nameless gentlemen who taught me the chopsticks? Well, we met again on our flight home. His name is Ted. His little girl is now married. And I have closure to my adventures in the Orient.
So, I could play it safe, and stay in airport for 14 hours and take my flight home. There would be no chance of me getting lost and running out of money. But there also would be no chance of adventure. My second choice would be to take a cab and visit the local town, Narita. Only, I found out that it's a small, lazy town that mainly shuts down at night. Little chance of finding sushi this late. The final and most daring choice would be to risk the train ride into Tokyo, hoping to find someone who knows English to give me directions and help me get back before I go broke. Ummm, which one would I choose?
So, I'm at the train station and looking at the map. Its all in Japanese so I have to make an educated guess as to the location of the Tokyo stop. There was an ATM-style ticket machine in Japanese. I used Google a lot here. So out pops my ticket - 1280 yen - and I have 12 minutes to catch the final train to Tokyo. Am I at the right stop? Did I buy the correct ticket? Nobody knows English! How nerve wrecking. And exciting! OK, so I'm on the train now. It's about 10:20pm. I have my laptop with me in case I run into a Starbucks, because I desperately need to get online. The one thing about the people of Japan I see immediately is how work oriented they are. In contrast to the Chinese, who dress mostly casual, the Japanese who board the train are all dressed in black or dark blue suits. Dozens of them. Men and Women. Coming home from work. I pass through fifteen or so cities before reaching Tokyo. Suits get on and suits get off. Japan is the land of the white collar worker. But this is nothing compared to what I see upon arriving in Tokyo Station.
I get off at Tokyo Station and it's underground like a subway. By now it's about midnight, but it could have been mid-day. Everyone is running! People running this way and that, the place was awash with sprinting Asians in suits. What a sight to behold. So, I'm trying to find an appropriate exit, dodging Asians (sorry, no pics), and all the while trying not to laugh at this spectacle. Finally, I locate a way out and I find myself in the middle of downtown Tokyo. It's night in the city, and taxis are everywhere. It's not like I expect. Downtown Tokyo is not alive at night, like New York or Seoul. It's rather quiet with some 24 hour 7/11 stores open and a few stragglers on the streets. Yes, they have 7/11 here. Every couple of blocks or so, I see a small bar open. When I say small, I mean a pub that seats 6 people including the bartender! Then there is the omnipresent McDonald's. It stays open perpetually here, serving up burgers Japanese style.
I walk past the Imperial Palace. It's closed of course, but the guards are still there. I find a strange place where you can rent a room to play video games or to read comic books or watch videos. They couldn't speak English, so I moved on. I walk past restaurants that display their menus by means of props in the window... bowls and plates with the food in it along with the price so that all could see what the cook was making. Very interesting. I pass a sushi bar. Unfortunately it's closed. I walk for miles, finally resting my tired feet at a McDonald's. It is two in the morning and young people are here typing on their computers and talking. That can only mean one thing: Internet access! Callouses on my feet, sore shoulders from my laptop bag, and sushi-less, but I was online. I spend the night there, updating my blog, reading e-mail and chatting with associates I met in China.
The sun rises early in Japan - about 5:15 and soon I am back on the streets in the morning light. If I was disappointed with Tokyo at night, it certainly awoke my expectations now. This is the Tokyo I recognize from the travel channel. I stroll through the residential neighborhood with my camera and already the suits are out, walking and biking to work. None of them give me even a glance. They must be surprised to see me, but they never let it on. I am invisible. On my way back to the train station I pass shops that seem impossibly small, twelve foot wide grocery markets, and vending machines too numerous to count. Somehow I get lost and I drift into a drug store for directions. Still noone speaks English. Finally, I make it back to Tokyo Station. This time it is full for the morning rush and I have no idea how to get back. There are so many trains and so many routes! I remember the name of the train I traveled the night before and get in line at their ticket counter. Of course, noone speaks English, but they recognize Narita Airport. Shortly, I am on an express train back to Narita...2800 yen.
I make it back with time to spare. With extra yen in my pocket, I go to the food court to see if I can spend it. Past the gift shop...through the bookstore... past McDonald's... until, finally, at the end of the hall, a sushi bar. So I spend my last bit of yen on sushi.......at the airport. And remember the story I related about the nameless gentlemen who taught me the chopsticks? Well, we met again on our flight home. His name is Ted. His little girl is now married. And I have closure to my adventures in the Orient.
No comments:
Post a Comment