Tokyo 2008, part 3

Friday was the final full day in Tokyo – Ray and Traci started by having breakfast at yet a different breakfast coupon restaurant. Songoku is another buffet featuring combinations of Western, Chinese and Japanese food – kind of like mini Hapuna with a few dim sum items. Ray took interest in the tiny dwarf bananas and found his soft boiled egg really soft – in general, all of the restaurants make their eggs runny! Traci liked her humbows in addition to the really sweet grapefruit. After breakfast, Ray and Traci headed to the Tokyo Dome (JR train to Akihabara, then Subway Chuo line to Suibashi) where they purchased many souvenirs at the Japanese baseball store. While at the dome, Ray noticed that an Ichiro Mariners Jersey goes for over $200 (unsigned) – perhaps there is an underground Ebay business to be started. From Suibashi, they continued on the subway to Shinjuku and caught the JR train to Harajuku to visit the Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine. This shrine was built in 1920 to honor the Emperor and continues to be a spiritual center today. While visiting, Ray purchased a 500 yen ($5) wooden votive tablet. This time, Ray made an earnest request regarding the location of a certain American cultural event led off by a guy named Ichiro which occurs in October and has never been in Seattle.

After leaving the shrine, Ray and Traci finished their souvenir shopping in Harajuku – first stopping at Kiddyland, a store with 6 floors of toys, and then the Oriental Bazaar – two places close to the JR train station with many great souvenir ideas at fair prices. Ray and Traci returned to the Prince Hotel with Traci enjoying a rice curry take out dish and Ray munching on McDonald’s French Fries awaiting a return journey to Harajuku for dinner. Traci and family met one of her Seattle friends who works in the financial industry in Japan at a restaurant called Fujimama’s. Everyone enjoyed a “party platter” of great food including spicy chicken wings, a salad dish, calamari, swordfish, chicken with pineapple, and fried rice. Fujimama’s is located two blocks from the Harajuku JR station and is very foreign tourist friendly – many employees speak English, for instance Ray’s cousin who coincidently works as a chef at Fujimama’s but had the night off. Ray and Traci stopped at McDonald’s on the way home for another Kit Kat McFlurry and a hot fudge sundae.

On Saturday, Ray again ventured out to run – it was again partly cloudy but more humid. He encountered a work crew repaving a sidewalk. Even though they had electric arrow signs and a coned off path in the street, no less than 4 guys in blue uniforms directed pedestrians like him into the coned off path at 6AM on a weekend! – and each worker bowed as he passed. This brings up the issue of personal service – Japan prides itself on the great service: People are paid to stand next to the elevators and bow to hotel guests as they walk by. Both of these examples could represent excess and inefficiency especially in an economy with a net loss of workers due to declining birth rates. Perhaps economic reality and worker shortages as the population ages will force more “efficiencies” into the economy (much like America....). After the run, Ray and Traci joined her parents for a final breakfast at the tasty Hapuna buffet. Upon completion of their last Japanese meal, Ray and Traci made a quick visit to the main Tokyo JR station. Housed in 1918 building, the station’s façade is undergoing renovation. Construction has not seemed to decrease traffic as even on a late Saturday morning the station was packed. On the way home, Ray and Traci did encounter some excitement as a plain clothed police man stopped them in the Shinagawa station. While it still remains mysterious why he stopped Ray and Traci, he seemed satisfied after Ray showed him his hotel room key. Both initially thought it was some sort of scam on tourists but that may be a typical American reaction. In any case, Ray and Traci made it back to the hotel for checkout and rode the Narita express train to the airport without incident before an eight and a half hour journey back to Seattle.


Tips for visiting Japan:
1. Stay in a hotel near a train station with a large department store – Big food courts are found in the basements, and especially for non-Japanese speakers, the easiest place to get a great (and cheap) meal to go is in these places. Unfortunately Shinagawa does not have any big department stores although “Wing Takanawa”, a shopping center located at Shinagawa station, does have a grocery/food court.
2. Japan has always been a cash economy but this is changing with the “Suica” Cards which are basically preloaded gift cards. The difference is these cards are used in many if not most vending machines, almost all of the Tokyo subway stations, and many vendors. Trains and subways in Tokyo are often operated by different companies even if they share a station (For Seattle visitors think Metro Transit and Amtrak) – the easiest way to navigate the different lines is to use a Suica pass.
3. You can get a Suica card by taking advantage of the Narita Express package – 3500 yen gets you a ride from Narita into a Tokyo station, and a Suica card with 1500 yen pre-loaded on the card. This is quite a savings as the ride to Narita costs 3000 yen alone. Only people with foreign passports can take advantage of this offer at the JR ticket station in Narita.
4. You don’t need power converters, but you do need an adapter if you use appliances (i.e. laptops) with 3 prong AC adapters as Japanese outlets have only two prongs (no ground). Bring one as hotel gift shops will sell you one at many times the price found at Target or Walmart.
5. If you want to stay at the Shinagawa Prince (or other Prince Hotel) sign up for the Prince Club International (free) and make a club reservation to get free internet and free daily breakfast coupons. The breakfast buffets are 2000 Yen per person, and Internet access is 1050 yen if you don’t have a club room.
6. At the time of our visit 1 US dollar = 106 yen, so prices are often quoted in straight dollars – after paying the currency exchange fee, it is close to 1 = 100.
7. Since train stations are so massive in Japan, it pays to know which exit (N/S/W/E) to take when trying to reach an attraction. It is also helpful to have a compass when interpreting maps since Japanese streets can be confusing.

Tokyo 2008, part 2.

The next day, Ray and Traci woke up early (not difficult since both weren’t adjusted to Tokyo time) and joined Traci's father on an early morning journey (JR train + subway transfer) to Tsukiji Fish Market. One of the world’s largest seafood markets, Tokyo’s seafood is brought by fisherman to be sold for Tokyo consumption. Like their previous visit 5 years ago, the travelers were astounded by the variety and sheer volume of fish moved thru this enormous place. While tourists are now not allowed to watch the actual tuna auctions held early in the morning (4am), the incredible variety of seafood and the hustle and bustle that bring seafood to Tokyo is a sight not to be missed.

Think of a Pike Place Market (Seattle) that only sold seafood in a place the size of an aircraft hanger! The downside is you get to see where your sushi comes from – you know the old adage about sausage lovers should stay away from the sausage factory!

In addition, small shops selling everything from T-shirts to lunch are found just across from the actual seafood market. After returning from Tsukiji, Ray and Traci enjoyed the Hapuna hotel breakfast buffet and then met Traci’s family for a journey to Asakusa, the home of Sensoji temple. From Shinagawa station, the Toei Asakusa subway stops at Asakusa where Tokyo’s oldest temple (circa 628) rests.

Impressive gates guard the famous temple where visitors can both be blessed by a smoke pit and a water fountain, fed and shopped by 100 yards of covered but open air small shops, and granted wishes in the temple for a mere 100 yen ($1). Ray could not pass up this opportunity. While wishes must remain confidential for them to be realized, Ray simply states that participants in Overlake’s 2009 Golf Invitational better watch out. Also at the site is 150 year old amusement park. From Asakusa, Ray and Traci went to Ginza, Japan’s famed shopping district. Traci was ecstatic about finding Manneken, also known as waffle heaven, and shared a maple syrup waffle with Ray. They were quite satisfied with the heavenly treat. Both wandered around Ginza, tried to find the Nissan Motors Auto Salon (never did find it), but did see the famed Sony Showroom in Ginza (8 floors of lots of cool stuff but nothing earthshaking) and returned on the JR train to the Prince Hotel. The group had dinner at an “authentic” Japanese restaurant Sangendou chosen by Traci’s father – no English menus. Ray, Traci and Traci’s mother ended up having less adventurous meals - $8 Shrimp Tempura with Soba Noodles. To complete the authentic Japanese experience, Traci had a $1 vanilla cone from McDonald’s while Ray had the more exotic $3 McFlurry with Kit Kat Bar mix-in.

Thursday morning brought cooler temperatures and less humidity. Ray started the morning with a 5AM run north along street next to the JR rail tracks (so no cross traffic would interrupt the run). On his way north, he passed a BMW Tokyo dealership and a few blocks further encountered a homeless man sleeping in a storefront (no society is perfect…). He decided to go west and got pictures of the Tokyo tower (which is probably not a Frenchman’s favorite tourist attraction in Japan).

After the run, Ray and Traci tried out the Café Restaurant 24 in the hotel which also accepted the breakfast coupons – not a buffet, but a simple and complete breakfast including ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, muffin, salad, juice, fruit and tea or coffee. After this nourishment, Ray and Traci went with Traci’s dad to Edo Museum – a huge and quite educational museum about Tokyo.

The name Edo was changed to Tokyo in the late 1800s when Tokyo became the capital of Japan – the city has a rich history from ancient times to repeated destruction to earthquakes in 1891 and 1923 followed by near total incineration during the 1945 air bombing. It is amazing that total reconstruction with hosting of the Olympics in 1964 took place. The museum contains models and antiques of various Tokyo eras and is extremely well done – a definite highlight of the trip. Ray and Traci next went to Akihabara (“Electric Town”) where the second Manneken location was the reason both travelers got to enjoy waffles again. Ray also tried to win a stuffed animal prize at one of the many arcades but Traci cut off the funds for this unsuccessful endeavor at $6.00. Akihabara is full over electronic shops selling all sorts of gizmos but prices do not appear to be much better than what you can get on the internet. One vendor had live Penguins swimming in a storefront aquarium – it half worked, Traci and Ray stopped to look at the Penguins but didn’t buy anything.

From Akihabara, the travelers went to the shopping area in Shinjuku. Traci bought some souvenirs at the “creative life store” Tokyu Hands – basically the world’s most complete store for home products. Ray visited the 8 floor Victoria Golf where he found his current favorite club – the Taylor Tour Burner driver for $200 more than the US price. To complete the day, Ray and Traci headed to Roppongi Hills and paid $15 each to view Tokyo from its highest point – the 54th floor (248 meter) skydeck. As noted from the previous trip, one can go to the Tokyo Metro Government building observation deck for free (48 floors) but the Mori tower in Roppongi Hills has no wait and allows an outdoor viewing platform in exchange for a fee.

After taking pictures of Tokyo, Traci joined a few members of her family for authentic yakitori in Ginza (at a “shop” underneath subway tracks complete with drunk natives) while Ray decided to venture to the Gotanda train station and have a solo dinner at that great Japanese food establishment, KFC. Ray found the chicken quite good and greasy, just like the Colonel would make. American fast food franchises are found everywhere in Tokyo. What are in short supply is garbage cans. It is against local etiquette to walk down the street while eating, yet many shops sell food which can only be eaten on the street. Despite the plethora of vending machines and fast food with a shortage of garbage cans, the city remains remarkably clean by American standards. Litter is not found on the streets, no graffiti is visible on trains, ubiquitous billboards and signs are not defaced.

Tokyo 2008, part 1.

Traci’s extended family has an intergenerational reunion every few years, and the 2008 one was scheduled for Japan. Unfortunately, due to Ray’s professional golf commitments, they were unable to attend the reunion but did join Traci’s family afterwards to enjoy a July week in Tokyo.

Traveling from Seattle to Tokyo on a United 777 was quite pleasant even with a 1 hour flight delay as the plane from Tokyo to Sea-Tac arrived late. It takes about 10 hours to fly non-stop from Seattle. Surprisingly it took less than 25 minutes to get off the plane, walk thru immigration, get the luggage, and exit customs although traveling on a Sunday in July probably helped. Ray and Traci then bought a ticket for the Narita Express Train which takes them to Shinagawa Station, their home for the week.

Waiting for the train was interesting – when the train arrived in Terminal 1 (the turnaround point), cleaning people got onboard and emptied/vacuumed the train. The seats also magically (automatically) turned around so passengers would be facing forward. When those tasks were completed the train left precisely on schedule (something that always happens in Japan), and went on a 1 hour journey eventually reaching Shinagawa Station. Once outside the train, the sauna that is Tokyo hit – high 80s and very humid, fortunately it was cloudy and late in the day so no direct sunshine was present. Ray and Traci found the correct exit in the rush hour crowd and crossed the street to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel.

On their first visit to Japan, Ray and Traci stayed at one of the nicest hotels either had ever seen – the Tokyo Westin. That hotel is located at Ebisu which is a few subway stops away from Shinagawa and isn’t quite the transit “hub” that Shinagawa is. At the Prince, Ray booked a deluxe double “club” room for 21000 Yen (about $200/night) that included daily breakfasts and free internet. You can join the Prince International “club” for free on the internet and then take advantage of rates which include breakfast, free internet, nicer rooms, and late checkout. While the hotel is quite a destination on its own complete with a small version of Seaworld (aquarium) and bowling alley, it lacks a gym and the small indoor/outdoor pools are usable only for a $11 fee.

Unfortunately, Ray and Traci’s top floor remodeled room was much smaller than their previous room at the Tokyo Westin. The 37th floor room was quite elegant and modern with a flat screen TV and small fridge but the floor space, dresser space, and closet space all had much to be desired. The bath was well furnished. Other than the small size, Ray’s other complaint was the a/c system while adequate would not make the room really cool especially with the window shades open. Perhaps being on a very high floor with the very large ceiling to floor window with a nice view of the Tokyo skyline had something do with the heat.

While exhausted, Ray and Traci wandered around looking for food before finding a small Ramen shop near the train station. As noted on previous visits, Tokyo is famous for having either pictures of food or models of food in their windows/on their menus and taking orders based on numbers (or letters, in this case). It is relatively easy to order food in the city just by pointing at it. Most of the small shops had basic entrees for the equivalent of $7-$10, even the fancy places had $20-40 entrees US, which certainly wouldn’t be out of line for Seattle much less New York. Calculating the time difference in Tokyo it is easy if you think of Wall Street – When the stock market opens in New York (9:30 AM EDT, 6:30 AM PDT) it is 10:30 at night in Tokyo). When the NYSE closes (4:00pm EDT, 1:00pm PDT) it is 5AM in Tokyo.

On Tuesday morning, Ray and Traci started the day by using their breakfast coupons at the Hapuna Buffet in the lobby of their hotel. Both were overwhelmed by the wide variety of western as well as Japanese breakfast/brunch foods – breads, eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, French toast, fruit were supplemented with rice, udon, fish, miso soup, salads. Even spaghetti with marinara sauce was served. The restaurant offers buffets 3 times a day and provides a spread that Las Vegas casinos would be envious of. After engorging themselves for the day, Ray and Traci joined their family for a trip to “Sunshine City.”

After getting on the JR Yamanote Line (which is the circular above ground train that is the main way of getting around Tokyo), they got off at Ikebukuro station and walked a few blocks to Sunshine City, a shopping/entertainment destination. At Sunshine City, a character named "Ultraman" (the Japanese are so practical with their superhero names).

Inside the Sunshine City mall is Namjatown, the Japanese company Namco’s theme park containing attractions catering to young children as well as a huge variety of foods. Not to be missed in Namjatown, is the Ice Cream City with multiple shops offering a wide variety of frozen delicacies including one shop with rows and rows of coolers containing an amazing amount of different flavored packaged ice cream cups. Also check out Gyoza Stadium which houses several gyoza shops serving a variety of gyoza including grilled, boiled, bite-size, and fried. After leaving Namjatown, Ray and Traci went to another amazing place – a Toyota Salon.

While Lexus, Mercedes and BMW may have impressive dealerships in the US, nobody can compare with Toyota – 5 stories of Toyota cars and themed education/games. Toyota had a version of the Playstation’s Grand Turismo played by multiple drivers in fancy cockpits. In addition, Ray got into one of the safety simulators and raced in very slippery conditions while crashing several times despite Toyota’s enhanced safety technologies. Besides the games, Toyota had displays about their successes in Formula 1 racing, their great technologies and interesting new concept cars. On other floors, actual marketed cars were seen complete with pricing and personnel to take orders. The salon was staffed with uniformed people who immediately wiped down each car after people touched it. The whole environment was topped off by an automatic grand piano playing music just like Nordstrom. After looking at all of the small cars Toyota currently markets in Japan, one can only see bad things ahead for their US competitors in an environment with skyrocketing gasoline prices. Gasoline is about $6.50 a gallon in Japan when regular unleaded is selling for $4.25 in Seattle.

Across the street from Sunshine City is a 6 story Sega gaming metroplex. What is especially interesting besides the state of the art videogames, were the adults only floor containing actual Las Vegas slot machines, video poker machines, Mah Jong machines, simulated horse race games and Pachinko machines. Pachinko is like vertical pinball with balls being shot upward in a glass case and falling into various targets. For years, Pachinko palaces would operate with players winning trays and trays of the balls and trading them in for cash (with a wink from government which officially outlaws gambling). They get around this by giving you a “ticket” for the balls you win, then you take the ticket across the street to get money for the ticket. Now it appears, you can win tokens from slot machines and video poker with the same mechanism to get actual cash. Ray also found machines where you lower a toy crane’s grappling hook to snag prizes – America has similar games, but what was unique about Japan was the type of prizes you win. Sega had games where you win Haagan-Daaz ice cream bars and boxes of Ritz crackers.

Why anyone would pay $1 for a chance to win an ice cream or Ritz Crackers tests the imagination. Other similar machines had players try to grab difficult objects to win a Nintendo DS. From Sega World, Ray and Traci met up with their relatives and everyone went to Café du Monde. The first interesting story was how they found the Café – supposedly near the Ikebukuro Station west exit. The group went to the exit and saw no Café du Monde. After asking an employee at a coffee shop next to the station exit for directions, she took it upon herself to walk us over to the competing establishment which was 2 blocks from the station. Service is really amazing in Japan! Café du Monde is a world famous restaurant from New Orleans that features beignettes, a tasty pastry. The group enjoyed the afternoon treat before venturing back to the hotel.

For dinner, Traci’s entire family got together (12 people) but needed to split up to get into a restaurant. Ray and Traci ate at a place called Transfer which has a New York Subway décor (signage and a copy of a passenger car). Ray had a steak/pasta/salad combination and Traci had a seafood stew. Ray thought all things considered ($17 price) that the meal was quite satisfactory while Traci thought the best part of her meal was the rice. The group finished the night off by having gelato sold near the entrance to the Shinagawa Prince.