VIBRANT JAPAN
EXPLORING TWO OF JAPAN’S EXOTIC CITIES-
YOKOHAMA & TOKYO!
Landing
at Tokyo’s Narita airport, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I breezed
through customs and how I found my luggage already waiting for me. This was my
first but certainly not the last taste of Japanese efficiency.
SCENIC SANKEIEN GARDENS
My
first two days were spent in Yokohama and obviously the first stop had to be
the famed Sankeien Gardens which was one of the most beautiful places that I
have ever been to, spectacular and stunning with an enormous koi pond, a few
old structures scattered here and there, and an awe-inspiring bamboo grove. I
followed a trail that lead up to a large hill with a lot of steps and ended up
at a gorgeous three story pagoda, but it is well worth it, as is the
observatory overlooking the sea at the highest point in the garden. I can just
imagine how incredible it must be later in the spring or during the summer. I
also wondered how crowded it might get during those times.
A WOK IN CHINATOWN
The
Chinese started settling in Yokohama in the mid 1800’s when Japan opened its
doors to international trade. Since then Yokohama’s Chinatown has blossomed
into Japan’s largest Chinese community. The area houses a major street with
dozens of cross streets and alleys, and is home to many restaurants, serving
Cantonese cuisine and there are many street side snacks too. The Japanese
consider it impolite to walk and eat at the same time, fortunately that rule
does not extend to Yokohama’s Chinatown. So I grabbed a portion of ‘sheng jian
bao’, which seemed to be a hot seller and I had to literally stand in a queue
for about 15 minutes to get it. This juicy, dumpling whose underside is browned
on a griddle is absolutely delightful and one has to be careful while biting
into the crust as it causes an eruption of liquid which may fall on your
clothes and not on the tray. Strolling along I checked out the other colourful
and exotic shops overflowing with Chinese goods, books, souvenirs and even
Chinese medicines.
CUP NOODLES MUSEUM
I
recollect many instances when cup noodles saved me from instant hunger when I
was in the hostel and ran out of money or after working till late when there weren’t
any options left to eat out! A museum dedicated to Cup Noodles? I simply had to
go! I entered a hall called Instant Noodles History Cube that exhibited all the
cup noodles sold in the world market from the very beginning up to present. For
those who do not know the first cup noodles was invented by Momofuku Ando in
1958. Up on the second to top floor was
a street like display with little window shops with all kinds of noodle
vendors. The creator must have surely travelled the world trying different
kinds of noodles for such amazing ideas! The exhibits were interesting as well
as educative. Finally I went to the Cup Noodles factory to make my own instant
cup noodles. I took a cup from the vending machine and sanitized my hands. I
designed my cup and personalized it with colourful markers. After choosing the
flavour and seasonings, I sealed the noodles. It was really good fun! The room
next door, which is a little more expensive one, can actually make ramen
noodles from scratch!
SHINJUKU, TOKYO BY NIGHT
The
sheer size is overwhelming. As I looked at the subway map, I thought I would
spend hours getting lost around the city. I walked around Shinjuku station, the
biggest metro station in the world, only to realise Tokyo is big. When I
finally exited the subway I stood awe -struck. The view of Shinjuku at night is
one of the most captivating and stunning urban experiences in the world. Tokyo
is absolutely high on the fashion quotient, as I witnessed passer-by’s dressed
in the latest fashion crossing the busiest crossroad in the world. There were
sky-high glass buildings all around and Neon lights as far as my eye could see.
All in all, Shinjuku makes even New York and London look rural. Tokyo is
futuristic!
OF MASKS & DRAMA- KABUKI
Truly
cultural emissaries from the land of the rising sun continue to capture the
global imagination which I understood once as I was at the Kabukiza theatre in
Ginza. With the English language headphone translation it was easy and fun to
watch the show. The heavily made up faces of its actors and the musical
instruments, including the shamisen, accompanied the performance. I loved the
atmosphere created by sounds and images. The stage revolved and was set with
trapdoors from which actors appeared on and left the stage. The story was quite
like a Hindi film and I just didn’t how the three long hours passed away!
Highly recommend this for those visiting Tokyo!
IZAKAYA- EAT LIKE A LOCAL
Tokyo’s
fast food Izakaya’s are buzzy, yummy and pocket friendly! Basically they are
bars that serve food and follow a formula of an open counter where the chefs’
work, a selection of sake, cocktails, wine, beer etc. and menus that include
sharing dishes of Sushi, yakitori, Edamame, spring rolls, tempuras and other
small eats! I visited one with a Japanese friend of mine and she took me to the
best kind of neighbourhood place, and trust me if this neighbourhood wasn’t a
long flight away, I’d probably be there every evening!
 |
| My very dear friend Ayako...we went together to cooking school in paris |
BID ADIEU!
People
here are exceedingly friendly and the hospitality is better than any other
place I have ever seen (considering I travel one International destination
every month) yet people are not tipped and do not expect either! So after drinking
a lot of green tea, eating Sushi galore and shopping at all the possible malls
and Uni Qlo for jackets (I left my last day just for that), my trip came to an
end which I would say had been rather amazing and one I would definitely repeat
again! At times it was challenging due to the cultural differences. But that is
exactly why I travel, I love the differences of the cultures and the
similarities that bring us closer together as human beings. My first trip to Japan
had been rather fruitful!
published in TLF
