The good, the bad and the ugly.

After three months it is time for the Tokyo top 3…

Top 3 to do:

1. 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.
2. 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 :-).
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!

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!

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?

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.