Tokyo Protests
In Japan it is very popular to stage protests, protesting is almost as popular as creating signs to forbid things.
Some people who are not completely on the same page as the rest of us also end up protesting to further their cause. Last weekend two outraged men were staging a public protest at Shibuya station against female only train carriages, which the Japanese have introduced during rush hour to prevent groping.
I guess these two chaps have a fair amount of time on their hands to find this an issue that is worth devoting a weekend to, but did they not consider how it would come across to everyone else?
I mean why object unless you are a dedicated groper?
The good, the bad and the ugly.
After three months it is time for the Tokyo top 3…
Top 3 to do:
- Visit an Oktoberfest, there are many and usually not in October. Nothing is weirder than Westerners prancing around in in a Japanese kimono, but Japanese people wearing traditional Bavarian outfits come pretty close. You’ll realise the Japanese are pretty good at having fun.
- Go to an onsen (Japanese hot spring), you get to sit in a hot spring bath with a small towel on your head whilst wearing nothing else. It’s more calming than it sounds :-).
- The Tokyo Metropolitan Area has 30 million people and the most crowded subway system in the world. Take a commuter metro for a few stops during rush hour to experience the Tokyo squeeze, Tokyo transport is amazingly efficient and knowing that you don’t have to do it every day will make you feel pretty awesome.
Top 3 to avoid:
- Some Japanese like wearing surgical facemasks, supposedly to avoid catching or distributing germs. It is really an excuse to hide and not talk to anyone, like teenagers in hoodies. If you feel the urge to wear a facemask take it as your sign that it is time to leave Tokyo.
- Don’t go out in Roppongi. Drunk foreigners, cash poor hookers and lonely Japanese are not an attractive mix. Go to Ebisu or Shibuya instead.
- Japanese people love to queue endlessly for the latest fad. Don’t feel the need to queue for hours to get a bag of Truffle Fromage Porcini popcorn. A steaming bowl of ramen is quicker and nicer.
The Japanese love of rules
Japan has lots and lots and lots of rules, there is a lot that is not allowed and there are lots of customs you should abide by.
Lots of rules are written down, take this sign at a park in Tokyo:
No fireworks, don’t feed the birds, no mopeds, no RC cars, don’t throw balls, no tennis, no roller-skating, no skateboarding, no golf and no football. Pretty harsh I think…
Also a little too specific? Is anything not included therefore permitted by omission? Baseball and rugby is OK right? Horse riding? Kite surfing on the duckpond?
Here is another sign in a different park that forbids you to let your dog on the only postage stamp of green in miles around, but something strange is going on! It is the chosen venue for a large meeting of dog owners and their four legged friends.
Collective disobedience is OK because there is group consensus and no one, not even the policeman that visited the group of dog walkers a little later, dares to mess with group consensus.
Getting group consensus does take some time, which is why it can take a long time to get decisions in Japanese companies.
But once there is consensus they are unstoppable!
Tokyo “Rise of the Doughnuts”
Great product, cool store…
We came across this store in Shibuya, they sell Freitag products, bags made from recycled truck tarpaulin and seatbelts.
The bags are pretty neat as they are unique and it is kind of cool to know your bag has already travelled more miles in a previous incarnation than you will ever take it on!
The store is what really interested me, the layout and display is understated but really works, it is like a tunnel warehouse, you can enter the shop from either end.
For when you really don’t fancy talking to anyone
You can enjoy your own company at this ramen bar in Shibuya.
You select what you want to eat from a machine, you pay the machine, the food gets given to you through a hatch into your own booth. The serving hatch is then closed. If you want to eat more you write it on an ordering pad and push a service button.
No need to talk… Perfect for the days when you are feeling a little unsociable!
Oh the ramen was excellent! 8/10. Ichiran Shibuya branch. By the way, I went with my wife, our booths were next to each other and we were able to share our solitude!
Galapagos Phones
So I now have three mobiles, a UK company phone (4s), a JP company phone (5s) and a “Garake or Galapagos” phone for personal use.
The Garake phone is the typical Japanese phone, developed much like species in the Galapagos, completely undisturbed by outside technology and alien to anything outside the island. I have to say I am not fond of the Garake phone, but it is pretty neat that the Japanese show such self depreciating insight in naming the phone!
It is April but for some reason it is Octoberfest time in Tokyo, I am not one to say no to a German beer, so it is fine with me 🙂
I think the Japanese like taking the good things from abroad and then doing it their way.
Sofar the one at Akihabara was the best!
Supposedly the best coffee in Tokyo. Bear pond in Shimokitazawa.
They are sooo cool that you are not allowed to take photos inside. The coffee was very good indeed, I had a brew from Ethiopia.
I understand they tinker with the coffee machine parts to make the best possible coffee and they take their coffee sourcing very seriously. They dont serve espresso in the afternoon, maybe really cool people do not drink espresso after lunch?
Ginza Lion, the German Beer Hall in Tokyo
The Ginza Lion is Tokyo’s oldest beer hall. It was built in 1935 and has a very German vibe (… hmmm, a little odd..) about it, they play German music all the time, it would drive me mad if I worked there!
I had to resist the urge to goosestep around the place.
Good beer though 🙂
Eating sushi at Tsukiji Fishmarket
We visited the fishmarket today and afterwards we had the best sushi we have ever had. The sushi restaurant is called Daiwa sushi, we had to queue for 30 minutes to get in.
Daiwa sushi is very small, 6 sushi chefs and about 20 seats. We had the standard set which costs 3500 yen, amazing value and we left full and very happy.
This gets a very very BIG recommendation from us, coming in at full marks 10/10.
Arrived in Tokyo!
It was a strange experience to fly out from Heathrow knowing we were going away for a full year.
Our properties are let, a car in storage and most importantly our dog is lodging with very good friends and she is happy there.
We are now settling into our new flat in Tokyo in trendy Daikanyama. We are here for one year and I plan to document our experiences in this blog.
Expat in Tokyo 