Not everyone visiting Japan is interested in the temples and
museums. Sometimes to get to understand a culture you need to go beyond
the places suggested by your guidebook. If you are looking for some
strange and quirky things to see and do in Tokyo, read on for some
ideas.
You will need to wake up pretty early to see the Tsukiji
fish market in full swing. Tourists can only enter a small section of
the market as they were becoming too much of a nuisance touching and
poking the fish. Skip breakfast from your hotel and head to one of the
many sushi restaurants located around the market.
Perhaps before
you eat lunch, you should visit the Meguro Parasite Museum. On display
are over 300 species of parasites, including a 30 foot tapeworm which
was found inside of a man - not recommended for people with weak
stomachs.
From Meguro, take the JR Yamanote line which circles
Tokyo, to Harajuku. Harajuku is not only the fashion center of Tokyo,
but on Sundays, it is where younger Japanese dress up and hang out for
the day. Japanese refer this as "cosplay" and you will see everything
from gothic to French maid outfits.
Takeshita-dori right in front
of Harajuku station is a street lined with mostly cosplay and accessory
shops. This is where the teenagers buy their gothic and French maid
costumes. There is even a shop which sells clothes and accessories for
your pet dog. Crepes and waffles seem to be the choice of food for the
teenagers shopping here. If you want to try one, be prepared to wait a
while as the lines can get long.
Also on the weekend in Harajuku,
just across from the Yoyogi National Stadium, Japanese young and old put
on a variety of amateur musical, dancing and comedy shows. Some are
good, some are pretty average, others are just weird. Impress your
friends by getting some pictures of punk rock guys all dressed in high
school uniforms. Outside of Yoyogi Park you will find Tokyo's
Rock-a-billy group decked out in denim and leather with hair-styles to
match, dancing to the tunes of the fifties and sixties.
Find out
what all the controversy is about by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. Each
visit by Japan's Prime Minister to the shrine causes outrage and makes
newspaper headlines across China and Korea. Yasukuni Shrine is fairly
unremarkable to look at, but what makes it famous, is that it
commemorates Japan's involvement in World War Two. No fewer than 12
convicted Class A war criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni.
Interestingly, the shrine is a popular tourist destination for Asian
tourists.
If you have ever been to a Japanese restaurant you will
know about the plastic food displays they use to put in the front of
their window. The plastic creations are sold in a place called
Kappabashi Street. It is located between Ueno and Asakusa. You can also
pick up some interesting souvenirs, including sushi key chains.
Kappabashi is the place where restaurants and serious cooks buy their
cooking utensils and accessories.
Akiharbara is famous mostly for
cheap electronics, but more recently it has become the center for otaku
culture. Otaku is a word which describes mostly males who are into video
games, computers and animation. "Maid cafes" have sprung up to cater
for the otaku who visit Akihabara. In maid-cafes waitresses dress up in
french maid outfits or in character costumes from popular computer
games. Maid cafes greet their customers with a phrase which loosely
translates as "welcome master". Photography of the "maids" only seems to
be encouraged.
A narrow alley not far from Shinjuku station is
aptly named Shomben Yokocho, or piss alley for the lack of toilets in
the shops. It is a narrow street lined with Yakitori or grilled chicken
shops. Barbecue smoke wafts from each of the shops. Fortunately public
facilities are now available in the area. The place has a interesting
atmosphere of old Tokyo, but for a better feed of Yakitori head off to
the area around Yurakucho station.
The small Yakitori restaurants
sit right underneath the railway lines. The noise of the trains and the
vibrations they cause as they go overhead, only adds to the atmosphere.
The area is popular with Japanese salarymen grabbing a beer and a snack
before they head off on their commute home.
Once dinner is done,
most foreigners head off to the bars and clubs of Roppongi. For a more
interesting Japanese experience, visit Golden Gai area in Shinjuku.
Golden Gai is a group of tiny bars frequented with a client el of
Japanese artists, writers and musicians.
Development is fast paced
in Tokyo and many of the more interesting places like Golden Gai are
threatened by bulldozers. It is a sad reality but it is the ever
changing fads and fashions that make Japan less of a holiday, but the
creation of many an anecdote that will surely liven any dinner party.
Mike Henry has lived in Japan for over ten years and writes for several online Tokyo magazines.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Henry
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Tokyo is a location where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture
collide with the quieter moments that linger from older customs. It's
feverish madness leavened by the most Zenic of calmnesses.
