Just a two-hour flight from Seoul, Japan was finally accessible for me - all I needed were a few vacation days and an empty memory card on my camera. After sending out an invitation to my dad (as a kind of half-joke), he agreed to join me, and soon enough we were meeting face-to-face outside of Shinagawa Station in southwest Tokyo.
Lesson number one for Tokyo newbies (such as myself): it ain't a cheap place. No one comes to Tokyo to save money, but a brief, well-budgeted vacation is both possible and full of options.
Our base of operations in Tokyo was the Shinagawa-shuku Guesthouse, a well-located, affordable, and straightforward place to crash for our two nights.
Day 1
Our first full day in Tokyo, my dad and I compiled our list of sights and attractions, knowing full well that unfortunately, one and a half days in Tokyo only scratches the surface of this absurdly huge, intricate, and deeply layered metropolis.
Tokyo is intimidatingly big. Take one look at the subway map, and you will see a paranoid spider's web of mass-transit madness.
Coming from Colorado Springs, Colorado, this might as well be a guide to getting around on Mars. To me, a child of American suburbia, even the English map looked like it came from another planet.
Pushing through the confusion and my urban ineptness, we mapped out a rough itinerary for the day. Stop #1 on the list was the Asukusa district, in northeast Tokyo.
Asakusa
Successfully navigating the maze of subterranean Tokyo felt like an accomplishment when we arrived at Asakusa station. Perhaps best known for the Sensoji temple complex, the Asakusa area is littered with shopping arcades, tuk-tuk drivers, and every other tourist-centered industry imaginable.
Following the crowds toward the temple, the towering pagoda and main Buddha hall of Sensoji stood out prominently in burnt red brilliance.
Surrounded by well-kept gardens, granite statues, and koi-filled ponds, Sensoji is one big photo-op. It is also Tokyo's largest Buddhist temple, as the perpetual clouds of incense smoke give testament to the draw of Asakusa.
National Musem & Meiji Shrine
After a tasty lunch break of chilled soba noodles, we jumped back on the subway, bound for the national museum in the Ueno district.
Located in a disorienting sprawl of urban park, the Tokyo National Museum holds some of Japan's most precious masterpieces of history.
Meiji Shrine
Stepping back into the city, and continuing down our list, we ventured over to the Shibuya area in western Tokyo via subway and train. Wandering through the mixed crowds of tourists, businessmen, and overly-trendy teenagers, we reached the massive torii gate of Meiji Shrine.
A true oasis of Tokyo, the densely forested area surrounding this Shinto landmark is navigable via dirt paths that seem to wind on forever, in a trance-inducing bubble of serenity and escape from the madness of the city.
The shrine was created as a tribute to Emperor Meiji in the early 20th century, and beautifully demonstrates the elegance and harmony of classical Japanese design. Against a backdrop of leafy green trees, the wooden walls and gates of Meiji stand in perfect consonance with its surroundings.
Feeling exhausted but fulfilled from a day of Tokyo, we returned to Shinjuku for the evening. The next day would be our last in Tokyo, so I resolved to set aside time for a crucial part of my Japan experience: sushi.
Tsukiji Market
Perhaps the holy mecca of sushi pilgrimages, the Tsukiji market on Tokyo Bay is a magnet for sushi-philiacs such as myself. Tsukiji is a fully functioning fish market where, like other markets I've visited in Asia, pretty much every species of the Pacific Ocean is up for sale.
Wandering the packed alleys of seafood vendors, I was thankful I opted against wearing sandals, as my shoes were soon covered in aquatic animal fluids of every color and smell.
Photos of giant red octopus aside, I was really at Tsukiji for one reason - sushi breakfast. For a classic Tsukiji (and I would argue Tokyo) experience, a morning feast of freshly caught and prepared sushi is essential.
As a fanatic who developed a passion for sushi in far-removed lands like Colorado and California, this....
... this was a taste of the divine. When Plato was blabbing on about ideal forms of things, this is what he was really talking about.
These flawless slices of the freshest fish imaginable, the impeccably prepared sushi rice bonded together in otherworldly union - it was perfection manifested.
Surely, somewhere in food this good, lies the answer to world peace.
Gradually coming back to planet Earth as my plate became tragically emptier, I jumped back on the train to meet up with Dad, continuing on to our next destination: Mount Fuji.
[continued in the next entry]
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