Saturday 24 June 2023
Day 5
A sleep in was well deserved today. We didn’t wake til 830am and we’re happy to watch the BBC news for a while before being motivated enough to get out and start exploring once more. Today we were checking out Harajuku and Shibuya, 2 other areas of Tokyo. We boarded the loop train line to Harajuku and exited into to the swampy weather. It hasn’t been overly warm so far, but today it has kicked up the temp and the humidity, so much so, I can finally wear shorts and a T-shirt.
The area of Harajuku is home to the Meiji Shrine. This was built in the 1920s. It is one of the largest in the Tokyo area. The torii gates and the forest lined path are something to behold. We walked the promenade taking in the sights of the sake barrels, wrapped in straw, that lined the path at one point. From here it was on to the shrine, which was a magnet for tourists. We wandered around the large buildings and forecourt before making our way back out and to Takeshita Street, a street known for its colourful characters, cos play and interesting fashions and in our case an otter. One bloke had an otter on his shoulder and he was asking for money for a photo. We just took in the sight and moved on.
From scrolling the net, I knew that crepes were the thing to have while here and there was no shortage of vendors. We walked the street to the end first, before returning to a shop and ordering a serve each. It was certainly yummy and filled with 6 months worth of cream intake!
With the belly full, we were on our feet again and making our way down Omotessando street. This is supposed to be the Japanese equivalent of the Champs Élysées, with many designer stores. It was also recommend as a place to check out the architecture. It certainly was full of both.
Our walk continued into the district of Shibuya, most famous for its crossing. Said to be busiest in the world. There certainly were plenty of people around and when the green man starts his tune, the people move in all directions, somehow weaving effortlessly around each other to get to their destination. It is almost dance like. We entered the Starbucks on the first floor corner, to get a view over the crossing. You’re supposed to buy something, but we just entered, took a video through the window and scooted.
With that experienced, much to Paul’s discomfort, we joined the slow walk of foot traffic on the footpath in search of much needed solace. A craft beer / coffee bar called Mikkeller was found on google, so that’s where we ended up for the next hour, avoiding the maddening crowds, enjoying a drink and a ham and cheese toasty.
Unfortunately, the inevitable return journey had to begin. We made our way back towards Shibuya crossing, but found a rooftop playground and park to explore first. A little bit of green, Miyashita Park, for the locals to relax in. We watched young skateboarders and rock climbers with the freedom of outside. With that done and feeling ready, we braved Shibuya crossing once more and headed into the train station. We found the train needed and settled in for the journey back to Shinjuku.
That evening, we were determined to get out and explore the nightlife of the area. Shinjuku, day and night, are exactly that, black and white, polar opposites, however you want to compare, they are two different beasts. The young set come here to party in droves! We wandered the streets from 6pm, heading for the Golden Gai area. This is a series of tiny, interconnected laneways with even tinier bars, some only fitting 4 patrons. Many are members only and some charge a cover for you to enter, either way they all have their on styles and offerings. We wandered the whole complex before getting to the final corner, where guitar sounds wafted out of a red room. We turned back, noticed it was empty, so thought we would at least have one drink with the Elvis looking Japanese bar man. We were soon joined by a Tasmanian couple and their 6 month old, two young American boys and a Japanese local. It was a party! Conversation flowed, we shared stories of travels and our lives and was just one of those nights you can never plan for. I tried shochu with yuzu, which was citrusy sweet and then a sweet potato variety which was very dry and became a sipper. Paul tried the plum wine and before we knew it, it was 830pm and we needed to find food.
We wandered through the electric lit streets, billboards in all the colours of the rainbow, lighting our way. We eventually ended up in the main square outside our building and what we called the snowy tower. Here it was decidedly seedy. It was the first time I felt I needed to be aware of my surroundings. There were many people who looked to be inebriated by alcohol or drugs or both. We made our way through the square as quickly as we could, dodging the many girls with signs around their necks and prices. We wondered if they were selling themselves or a venue. We then found an Italian restaurant to stop in at. This was superb. Paul needed food now and that was what we got, pizza, gnocchi and drinks to the table within 10min of arriving and we were out the door 20min later. It’s a bit sad that we have come all this way for Italian food! It was very good though.
Following dinner, we returned to the station to view the nightlife and 3d board, before wandering down the main avenue and back to our hotel to finally call it a night.
Something we have noticed is the difference in the streets between day and night. At night it is full with patrons who wander from street to street leaving their rubbish as they go. There seem to be very few bins in Tokyo. When you finally see daylight again, the streets are devoid of the foot traffic, but the presence of last night remains, with the mountains of trash. People are employed to go around each morning and clean up the mess. More bins would surely help this situation, as well as moving to less plastics. Coming from somewhere that has phased out so much single use plastic, it is astounding how much more is being used here and so much is not necessary.
Homelessness also seems to be an issue. There are many who wait out their day in the square outside our hotel. They have their patch designated, often with small suitcases and tarps. Some are even left while the occupant is off elsewhere. I wasn’t expecting to see this on such a large scale here and it was present through all of the areas we visited. It seems to be a growing problem globally.
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