 |
| Japanese drummers |
Overview
An adrenaline-pumping bullet-train ride to a place of deep calm.
The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan’s capital city. Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It’s hectic madness leavened by the most Zen-like of calms.
While it’s true the exciting vibe has a somewhat depressing flip side – shoebox housing estates and office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded with traffic – Tokyo remains a glittering example of the ‘miracle’ of post-WWII Japan.
‘It’s an enormous amount of space but it explodes upwards and they have many areas of town where they have huge, skyscraper villages. These buildings just assault the sky. They are aggressive.’ – Bill Murray
Tokyo is huge – a combination of cities within a city with no real centre – but it is navigable. For visitors, almost everything of interest lies either along or close to the Japan Railway (JR) Yamanote line, the rail loop that circles central Tokyo. At the centre of this circle is the Imperial Palace, with exclusive Ginza and the commercial Marunouchi to the east.
Heading west you’ll find food-capital Akasaka next door to clubbers’ delight Roppongi, and then ‘modern West versus chaotic East’ Shinjuku. Ikebukuro is in the northwest, and the cultural centre of Ueno and traditional Asakusa is to the northeast.
In Tokyo, as in the rest of Japan, finding a place from its address can be a near impossibility, even for the Japanese. Few streets have names, so be prepared to ask for directions – don’t worry, even taxi drivers do! Addresses work by narrowing down the location of a building to a number within an area of a few blocks; unlike European addresses, they work from top to bottom.
So, Tokyo would be indicated first, followed by the ku (ward), then the ch ō or machi (loosely, suburb) and then the ch ō me, which is an area of just a couple of blocks: eg, Chiyoda-ku, Nagatach ō 2-10-3, Capitol Hotel, 3F. The ground floor is always counted as the first.
 |
| One big electricity bill, Shinjuku |
The Tokyo Society
It was further shaken in 1995 by the nerve gas attack on a crowded city commuter train, which killed 12 and injured 5000. In 2001 Japan’s debt rating was downgraded from AAA to AA+, with the country’s economy remaining rocky since then – a high rate of bankrupt golf courses stand as a potent sign of the economy’s malaise.
Despite the economic gloom, Tokyo remains a singular expression of Japanese modernity, with business diversity rarely seen anywhere else on earth.
Modern History
Industrialisation and militarisation accompanied Japan’s entrance into the 20th century. Western-style construction was introduced and Japan had military victories over China and Russia. Furthermore, Taiwan, Korea and Micronesia were annexed. In Tokyo, the rush of industry brought people from all over Japan to the capital.
At noon on 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo. For 40 hours, fires raged, laying waste to the expanding city. Although rebuilding began almost immediately, opportunities to improve and further transform old Tokyo were lost.
A little over 20 years later – and also in tragic circumstances – Tokyo was to get a second ‘chance’ to rebuild. Around 80,000 lives were lost in the Tokyo air raids during WWII, and about two-fifths of the city was flattened. The raids were at least as destructive as the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Following the Japanese surrender, Tokyo again rose quickly. Transformed into something of a honky-tonk town during the post-war occupation years, the capital thrived on profits from the Korean War and has not looked back since. Awarded the Olympic Games in 1964, Tokyo grew like never before, and firmly established itself as a real power player in the world economy.
The 1980s saw Tokyo bask in the shine of the ‘bubble economy’, but its burst in 1989 hit the city hard – many say it still has not fully recovered.
Ancient History
When the first Europeans came to Tokyo in the 16th century, there was little to indicate that the fishing village of Edo would become one of the world’s major cities.
Edo’s growth was rapid and dramatic from 1600, when a power struggle between feudal lords led to the village becoming a power base for the dominant Tokugawa Ieyasu. Such was the extent of his power that the emperor appointed Tokugawa shogun, or military administrator.
Under a ruling that demanded all feudal lords spend every second year in Edo (their families had to remain in Edo permanently), Tokugawa built a thriving city, and consolidated national power for the first time. In 1638, after massacring a number of Christians, Ieyasu’s grandson closed Japan to almost all foreign trade.
This radical isolation policy remained in place for almost three centuries. Despite the isolation, Edo thrived and by the early 17th century was the largest city in the world, with over one million people. The city was organised geographically by profession and philosophically by rank and status.
In modern Tokyo there are still remains of this structure, with small enclaves specialising in specific wares. The turning point for Edo – and all of Japan – came in 1853 when Commodore Matthew Perry’s armada of ‘black ships’ arrived to demand that Japan open treaty ports.
With the arrival of Westerners came a far-reaching social revolution. The Tokugawa regime was powerless to halt the flood of progress and power was handed – though not without a fight – back to Emperor Meiji. In 1868 the seat of imperial power was moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital) in the process.
 |
| Neon Canyon_Yasukuni_dori |
Getting There
Blooming cherry blossoms should be reason enough to visit Tokyo in spring. Likewise, the mellow hues of autumn also provide a poignant example of the Japanese aesthetic. The muggy summer is not for everyone; just remember there’s roughly 5500 persons per sq km (over 14,000 per sq mi)! It might also be wise to avoid an even more crowded Tokyo during the Golden Week national holiday, from 29 April to 5 May.
 |
| Teenagers and big teenagers |
Places of Interest
Sightseeing with that sardines-in-a-can kind of energy.
What makes Tokyo fascinating is the tension between mammoth scale and meticulous detail. Sightseeing in its streets can be a neon assault that leaves you elated and breathless, or an encounter with the exquisite art of understatement. Jump aboard the subway and see how one city is really many.
Other Attractions
Tokyo
The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan’s capital city. Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It’s hectic madness leavened by the most Zen-like of calms.
While it’s true the exciting vibe has a somewhat depressing flip side – shoebox housing estates and office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded with traffic – Tokyo remains a glittering example of the ‘miracle’ of post-WWII Japan.
 |
| Lovely big pieces of raw fish |
Shop & Eat
It isn’t hard to find something to keep you out of trouble in Tokyo. Or get you into it. Whether it’s kabuki (traditional Japanese theatre) or karaoke, izakaya (half restaurant-half pub) or hot-spring hopping, the Big Umeboshi – the ‘Giant Sour Plum’ – has it all, all year round.
Shopping:
As any Tokyo-ite knows, you are what you buy. Shopping defines this city. The sacred shrines in this consumer culture are the opulent dep ā to (department stores). They are pervasive, irresistible and omnipotent – odds are you’ll leave with a radio-controlled robotic dog tucked under your arm.
Eating out:
Eating is half the fun of being in Japan, and the adventurous foodie will be delighted to know that nihon ryori (Japanese food) is far more than the sushi, tempura and sukiyaki for which it is best known in other countries: there are over 20 different forms of Japanese cooking to sample.
 |
| Sumo wrestlers and gyoji |
Accommodation
Tokyo isn’t as expensive as you’ve heard, with new budget options opening at great locations like the Asakusa temple district, and super-luxurious designer suites in the sky if you do feel like splurging. For a local twist, try a coffin-sized berth at a capsule hotel, or, better yet, a futon on the tatami mats at a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn).
 |
| What the future will be like |
Unless you’re based in a five-star hotel with its own facilities, most short-term visitors will probably have to make do without their favourite sporting activities. A lot of people and not much land means a high demand for recreational space – and high prices and long waiting lists.
Things to do
You can stay with the more familiar forms of martial arts – karate, kend ō , j ū d ō , aikid ō – or try something a little more exotic, such as ky ū d ō (Japanese archery).
Taking a swim in Tokyo can be costly and bound by unexpected rules. In the summer months, it’s probably easier to head to the beaches of Miura-hant ō and around Kamakura.
There’s a very beautiful Japanese tradition of soaking your cares away: try a sento (public bath) or onsen (hot spring).
 |
| Great Buddha of Kamakura, built 1252 |
Books & Guides
Jonathan Rauch:
Outnation – A Search for the Soul of Japan (culture)
A wonderful insight into Japanese culture.
Norma Field:
In the Realm of the Dying Emperor (culture)
A thoughtful, beautifully written assault on Japanese society as monolithic and de-individualising.
Robert Whiting:
You Gotta Have Wa (culture)
A light but illuminating read.
Donal Keane:
Appreciations of Japanese Culture (culture)
An eclectic series of essays by a renowned scholar.
Edward Seidensticker:
Low City, High City (history/politics)
A fascinating history of Tokyo from 1867 to 1923.
Tokyo Journal:
Tokyo Nightlife Guide (travel)
One for serious nightlife addicts.
Susan Pompian:
Tokyo for Free (non-fiction)
How to navigate costly Tokyo without ending up in the gutter.
Karl Taro Greenfield:
Speed Tribes – Children of the Japanese Bubble (culture)
A racy, ground-level account of multi-textured Tokyo society.
(yahoo Travel))
Recent Comments