welcome!, Tokyo, Japan welcome!, Tokyo, Japan
Skyliner, Tokyo, Japan Skyliner, Tokyo, Japan
Ginza is the upmarket area in Tokyo, Japan. It has top department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is the upmarket area in Tokyo, Japan. It has top department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses.
Tourists and Japanese alike relax in a Coffee house near Shinjuku Subway Station, Tokyo, Japan Tourists and Japanese alike relax in a Coffee house near Shinjuku Subway Station, Tokyo, Japan
Torii stands at the Entrance to the Meiji Shrine near Harajuku Station, Tokyo, Japan Torii stands at the Entrance to the Meiji Shrine near Harajuku Station, Tokyo, Japan

In & Around Tokyo

A friend’s wedding was a perfect opportunity to spend a couple of days in Tokyo. My preconceived images of Tokyo included crowded subway trains, ultra modern electronics, and high speed bullet trains. Some of these were true of course. The subway trains were indeed packed especially at rush hour. Just when I thought that there couldn’t be any more room, MORE people push right into the train at the next station. Riding a packed subway is an experience in Tokyo.

One thing that I didn’t expect though was the sheer amount of food photography. I don’t know if it’s like that all over Japan, but food images were everywhere in Tokyo – in billboards, in menu boards, in subway posters etc. I took a lot of photographs of store fronts and food displays and you’ll see them in these webpages.

Food photography aside, one of the best things about Japan I think are the hot-spring baths (onsen). We went to two, the Oedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba and TenZan in Hakone. The former is an onsen theme park. It recreates an Edo-period bathhouse, complete with traditional snack and souvenir stalls and numerous bathing areas, indoor and out. It’s really cool. TenZan was in a perfect setting. If you go to Hakone, you have to end the day there. They have a complimentary shuttle bus near the train station (there’s only one).

We took advantage of jet lag during the first few days in Japan by going to the wholesale fish market at Tsukiji. The auction for lots of huge tuna fish start early in the morning at around 4:30am and finishes at 6:30am.

After the auction, we hung around just to see the fish being loaded. Some of the tuna was being transported the the “middle men” section of the Tsukiji Fish Market.

Published 19 September 06 · Up Next: · Previously: 

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