A Wet Day in Tokyo
Back from another busy day in Tokyo -- though thankfully not quite as busy as yesterday! Unfortunately, the rain that started last night hadn't let up in the morning, and we spend the better part of the day contending with light showers interspersed with the occasional downpour. Though nothing a rain jacket and umbrella couldn't make bearable.
We headed out from Rochelle's around 8:00, electing to catch the bus to Chiba Station, rather than slog the 20 minutes in the rain. We took a different train than yesterday, getting to travel closer to Tokyo Bay for the journey into the city. Through the rain and mist we caught nice views of the water, the city beyond, and even passed Disneyland Tokyo (which is actually located in Chiba).
We took the train all the way across the city to Shinjuku, far to the west of where we had been yesterday. Hiding from the rain, we used some underground passages around the station to find a place to grab breakfast, before heading above ground and walking a few blocks to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The 48-story building is topped by two large observation decks open to the public. From the top, we were able to see some of the close-by skyscrapers and get a sense of just how sprawling the city is, but because of the weather, couldn't see Tokyo Tower, Skytree, or Mt. Fuji.
After we had checked out the views, we headed back down to street level and trekked a mile or so toward Yoyogi Park. On the land adjacent to the park -- in its own park-like setting -- we visited the Meiji Shrine. While the building was beautiful in its own right, the setting was stunning in the rain: a 100-year-old evergreen forest with over 120,000 trees.
From the shrine, we walked through the forest to the neighboring area of Harajuku. Known as a center for various fashion subcultures, the area was full of odd shops and packed with teens out exploring. We continued through Harajuku to Omotesando, an area filled with high-end stores and a few notable buildings I learned about in school (Tod's - for example).
As it was lunch time, on the walk to the next district of the day, Shibuya, we stopped for lunch of Japanese curry. Very different from its Indian cousin, the curry consisted of a large bowl of udon with fried tofu strips and some vegetables, sitting in a spicy curry sauce and served with rice. Lunch was fantastic, and we were both full as we continued down to Shibuya.
Overtaken by construction, Shibuya is a busy transfer point in the city's rail network and the neighborhood is home to shopping, offices and a pretty famous crosswalk. We wandered the area for a bit, climbed to the sky lobby of the first tower of a massive redevelopment of the area which won't be completed until 2027, and got free bottles of salt-lychee water from the government which was hosting a campaign about preventing heatstroke.
Well ahead of schedule for the day, we decided we could fit in something that had been a "it would be cool to get to if we have time" item on my list. We caught a train from Shibuya to Ikebukuro to visit a New Orleans import to Japan: Cafe du Monde. While a fixture in New Orleans since the 1860s, the cafes can only be found in one place outside of Louisiana: Japan. While they bear the name, the items sold differ widely from the historic New Orleans location -- hot dogs, jelly smoothies, dipping sauces for beignets -- the story of how the stores came to be in Tokyo is fascinating.
After our fill of sugary treats, we caught the train a few more stops up to Ryogoku to walk by the sumo stadium and Edo-Tokyo Museum, before continuing on the train back to Chiba.
We took the train all the way to the main Chiba station (where we had left from in the morning) and walked through downtown Chiba, stopping at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for a light dinner before heading to an elementary school a short distance away for Yosakoi practice. Yosakoi is a form of competitive dance which is done across Japan. And getting to sit in on their practice was very cool (and reminded me exactly of marching band practice: stretches, repetitive cleaning work, and a few final runs of the show). Rochelle is a member of one of Chiba's teams, Chi-Ren which performs at various events and competitions throughout the year. Here's a video of them performing from a competition in May...
They were very welcoming, and while many of the people didn't speak English, they had me introduce myself (with Rochelle playing translator), and quite a few people did come up to me before, during, and after practice. Many were very hesitant to use English beyond "hello," but a few people did have a conversation.
Finally, Rochelle and I caught a bus back to her side of town to rest, unwind, and prep for what will no doubt be another very busy day!
We headed out from Rochelle's around 8:00, electing to catch the bus to Chiba Station, rather than slog the 20 minutes in the rain. We took a different train than yesterday, getting to travel closer to Tokyo Bay for the journey into the city. Through the rain and mist we caught nice views of the water, the city beyond, and even passed Disneyland Tokyo (which is actually located in Chiba).
 |
| A Disney monorail and the Castle seen from the train to Tokyo. |
After we had checked out the views, we headed back down to street level and trekked a mile or so toward Yoyogi Park. On the land adjacent to the park -- in its own park-like setting -- we visited the Meiji Shrine. While the building was beautiful in its own right, the setting was stunning in the rain: a 100-year-old evergreen forest with over 120,000 trees.
From the shrine, we walked through the forest to the neighboring area of Harajuku. Known as a center for various fashion subcultures, the area was full of odd shops and packed with teens out exploring. We continued through Harajuku to Omotesando, an area filled with high-end stores and a few notable buildings I learned about in school (Tod's - for example).
As it was lunch time, on the walk to the next district of the day, Shibuya, we stopped for lunch of Japanese curry. Very different from its Indian cousin, the curry consisted of a large bowl of udon with fried tofu strips and some vegetables, sitting in a spicy curry sauce and served with rice. Lunch was fantastic, and we were both full as we continued down to Shibuya.
 |
| Lunch of Japanese curry. |
Well ahead of schedule for the day, we decided we could fit in something that had been a "it would be cool to get to if we have time" item on my list. We caught a train from Shibuya to Ikebukuro to visit a New Orleans import to Japan: Cafe du Monde. While a fixture in New Orleans since the 1860s, the cafes can only be found in one place outside of Louisiana: Japan. While they bear the name, the items sold differ widely from the historic New Orleans location -- hot dogs, jelly smoothies, dipping sauces for beignets -- the story of how the stores came to be in Tokyo is fascinating.
 |
| Cinnamon-sugar mini beignets with whipped cream and an iced caramel cafe au lait. |
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| Cafe du Monde! With hotdogs... |
We took the train all the way to the main Chiba station (where we had left from in the morning) and walked through downtown Chiba, stopping at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for a light dinner before heading to an elementary school a short distance away for Yosakoi practice. Yosakoi is a form of competitive dance which is done across Japan. And getting to sit in on their practice was very cool (and reminded me exactly of marching band practice: stretches, repetitive cleaning work, and a few final runs of the show). Rochelle is a member of one of Chiba's teams, Chi-Ren which performs at various events and competitions throughout the year. Here's a video of them performing from a competition in May...
They were very welcoming, and while many of the people didn't speak English, they had me introduce myself (with Rochelle playing translator), and quite a few people did come up to me before, during, and after practice. Many were very hesitant to use English beyond "hello," but a few people did have a conversation.
Finally, Rochelle and I caught a bus back to her side of town to rest, unwind, and prep for what will no doubt be another very busy day!
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