As of last weekend, I’m officially in the middle of my late 30s. And where better to spend a birthday that in one of the greatest cities on the planet. We spent the entire weekend in Tokyo with no real agenda, which ended up being an action-packed three days.
Instead of a long rundown of events, please enjoy some photos from the weekend.
This playground near Tokyo Skytree had an awesome metal-roller propelled slide. We only saw adults use it in the short time we were there. Video below.
Yokohama was high on my list of places I wanted to visit while in Japan. I really knew nothing about it and the desire was probably due to it being home to the Yokohama Baystars baseball team, Japan’s equivalent to the Chicago Cubs (think “lovable losers”).
Last weekend, we popped down to Yokohama for the day. Located a short train ride south of Tokyo, it’s actually the most populated municipality in Japan and second most populated city after Tokyo. Due to its development as a port town in the 1800s, Yokohama is a melting pot of Pacific cultures.
Our first stop was the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, billed as the world’s first food-themed amusement park. On the two lower levels, a 1950s-era Japanese street scene has been replicated in authentic detail with signage, music and a variety of ramen shops. A less-era-authentic magician performed tricks for the large crowd while blasting modern electronic music from his iPhone.
The wait times for each shop are on a chalkboard by the main stairs. We arrived around noon and already some of the shops had 30 minute waits. Waiting that long for ramen in Japan seems a little silly since there are literally 20,000 shops in Tokyo with no wait, but it’s a little like waiting in line at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. The wait is part of the experience.
We picked NARUMI-IPPUDO, a French bouillon/Japanese dashi hybrid for our first course. The mini-sized bowls with medium-sized noodles and light broth were the perfect appetizer. In response to the variety of tourists who come through the museum’s doors, most of the shops offer at least one vegetarian bowl and one halal option for the increasing number of Muslim visitors. Guilt-free ramen is the best ramen of all!
Lunch #2 involved one of the aforementioned 30 minute waits. Ryu Shanghai offered a unique spicy ramen with thick noodles in a rich, flavorful soup. The added dollop of the spicy miso sauce on top was enough to open up the sinuses on a cold day.
Kamome Shokudo was one shop caught my attention in the brochure. The original shop washed away in the 2011 earthquake and tsumani that decimated northeastern Japan. The shop has been replicated in the museum, giving their Sendai-style ramen a second life.
Era-correct props dotted the museum’s basement floors. A payphone booth was made even more authentic by the black electrical tape holding the cord to the handset. An old black and white television console showed 1950s professional wrestling matches (side note: the sport’s popularity in the 1950s used to draw large crowds to watch the matches on big screens in Tokyo). A stained vending machine rolled out small glass bottles of Coca Cola. Plenty to see while waiting in those long ramen lines.
Next, we headed south toward Tokyo Bay. Every once in awhile, we get those “doesn’t feel like Japan” moments. The area around Tokyo Bay certainly qualified as one of those times. The massive Landmark Tower, Japan’s second largest building, anchors the skyline and casts a large shadow over the Nippon Maru, a clipper-style boat-turned-museum that was used as a training vessel for the Japanese Merchant Marines from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Looking toward the bay, you can’t miss the Cosmo Clock 21, the centerpiece of the Minato Mirai 21 (MM21) shopping center. Built in 1989, it was the world’s tallest ferris wheel for nearly a decade and, thanks to the digital clock on its face, it still stands as the world’s largest timepiece.
From MM21, we followed Kishamichi Promenade along the bayfront. It felt more like the Cairns Esplanade in Australia than anything we’ve seen in Japan. A running event was taking place on the day we visited, so we shuffled alongside those athletes braving the cold weather along the bayfront, ending up at the Red Brick Warehouse. The event overtook the grounds of the former customs warehouse, which was restored in the early 1990s and is now (of course) a retail center.
From there, we ventured inland toward Yokohama’s thriving Chinatown district. Thousands of Chinese immigrants arrived at the port in the 1800s, bringing with them food (including ramen) and customs that still thrive in Japan today. More than 250 shops are fit into several city blocks, making it one of the world’s largest “Chinatown” districts.
Two ornate and impressive temples appear between the pork bun shops in Chinatown. Guan Di Miao was founded in the 1860s by immigrants as a central spiritual site as well as a tribute to Guan Gong, a well-respected general during the Han Dynasty in around 220 B.C.
The second temple rivals all of the great structures we’ve seen in Japan, yet was built less than a decade ago, officially opening in March 2006. The city had planned on building a large apartment complex on the site, but the community was concerned about the impact such a building would have on the area. They negotiated with the developers and eventually purchased the land, building Mazu Miao in its place.
Less than two hours by train, Yokohama deserves another day trip in the near future. Would love to hear from anyone who’s visited about what we missed the first time around.
Today I was out for a run in the middle of the day, one of the many perks of my current non-employed status. I ran past one of the nearby parks and saw some guys playing baseball. I decided to take a little break and sat down to watch them for awhile.
The “guys” were probably 65 years old on average. They were taking batting practice, rotating in and out like a well-oiled team. Long fly balls corralled with two hands. Line drives snagged with nifty backhand catches. Ground balls around the infield tossed with precision to first base. I didn’t see a single error.
I sat and watched with knowledge of the social role reversal taking place. Usually it’s the old guy reliving his youth from the sidelines, but not today. I wished I had a glove. I wished one of them would ask if I wanted to take a turn at the plate. But, I just watched for about 10 minutes before finishing up my run.
Getting in the game here can be hard. I’m still not super comfortable communicating and got out of practice a bit over the summer. But there are days where the spirit of taking advantage of the situation overcomes the hesitance.
I had a free day for lunch last week and decided to go out in the neighborhood. For some reason, the local ramen shop is intimidating. It’s just a hole in the wall with a counter and about a dozen seats.
I walked past the first time, but after a block I’d psyched myself up enough to go in. I sat down at the counter and asked if the miso ramen was vegetarian (it was-ish, but I’m pretty sure the broth had some pork fat in it…). The security guard on his lunch break sitting next to me gave me a hard-boiled egg from the bowl on the counter and told me it was abunai or dangerous. He motioned as if I should put it in my pocket and laughed hard.
Another man down the counter spoke a tiny bit of English and used it all. He overheard my order and asked “You are vegetarian?” Then, when I went to get water from the self-serve machine, he asked if I could read the sign (which, surprisingly, I could!). I read it in Japanese and he read it in English. As I was leaving, he patted me on the back and said “no problem,” which I’m pretty sure is the second phrase they teach in Japanese schools after “Hello.”
After a few minutes though, the novelty of the American wore off and we all ate our meals in peace.
It felt good to “get in the game” and be a part of the community.
Another weekend, another Tokyo adventure. This time we set our sights on Chiyoda, home to the Imperial Palace, the National Gardens, National Archives and Japan’s legislature, known as the National Diet.
Of course, the day was planned around the potential for good eats. We actually found Loving Hut on our first try instead of aimlessly wandering the streets of Tokyo for hours on end. The restaurant is part of an international chain with a goal of providing people access to affordable vegan food. There’s one in Portland with more of a Chinese vibe.
This location took a more traditional Japanese approach to its menu, but with an awesome weekend twist: VEGAN BUFFET! The fat kid inside me screamed with excitement. All you can eat with no “what’s in this” moments to worry about.
I only took a picture of one plate, but I didn’t stop here. Hoax ham, faux fish, counterfeit chicken—not their real names, but I think I just populated my vegan restaurant menu! “Eel” sushi and veggie pork-stuffed buns (nikuman is the traditional pork-filled bun in Japan) alongside curry, sautéed vegetables, gyoza and fresh rolls. And the “meat”-on-a-stick didn’t stand a chance. I haven’t been so full since we’ve been in Japan.
After eating like a man going to the electric chair, we needed a walk. We were situated right between two great tourist destinations. Chiyoda City to the left, Tokyo Dome City to the right.
We started left and made our way to the Imperial Palace. The original site of Edo Castle, the grounds have beautiful gardens and parts of some buildings date back to the 1600s. Just entering is impressive as you cross the moat designed to protect the palace and enter through massive gates.
Skyscrapers from modern Tokyo peek around corners of centuries-old stone, once again blending the old with the new in the way that only Tokyo can.
The gardens were in full bloom with every color in the crayon box, although we’d just missed the sakura by a couple weeks. Equally colorful carp swam in the ponds, showing off for their human visitors.
While the east garden is highlighted mostly by the wide-open park space at its center, the outer garden is more densely populated with flora, including 260 trees representing each of Japan’s prefectures.
A crowd of Nikons and Canons surrounded a bush in the park. Turns out they were capturing one of the days more beautiful and simple sights. Viktoria captured several wonderful photos of this butterfly feeding on the blooms.
After feeling like we’d seen the grounds, we explored the nearby area. We walked through the Kokyo Gaien National Gardens across the street. A beautiful scenic walking path again gave glimpses of new Tokyo while encasing us fully in nature.
The area is also the home to the Science Museum and Nippon Budokan, the arena where many “Live at Budokan” albums were recorded, including the dynamite Cheap Trick recording.
We headed back the other direction toward Tokyo Dome City, site of the massive Tokyo Dome, home to the Yomiuri Giants.
The Giants are Japan’s version of the New York Yankees, owners of 22 Japan Series titles and Japan’s Babe Ruth, infielder Sadaharu Oh. In 22 seasons with Yomiuri, Oh slugged 868 career home runs and won nine Central League MVP awards. I’m sure I’ll gush about Oh more when we return to visit the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame, located in the Tokyo Dome.
The complex is full of restaurants, shopping and an amusement park. Kids of all ages seemed to be having a good time with the different rides and activities.
We walked around for awhile and took it all in before finding dinner. We settled on pizza since it’d been awhile since we’d had any. The restaurant served Neapolitan-style pies and the food certainly impressed more than the service. We were seated in the “international” section, next to a couple young men traveling from Iran and a young European couple.
On the way home, we decided to stop in Shibuya for the full, nighttime experience. We were not disappointed.
Tokyo’s Times Square was lit up like a Christmas tree and thousands crowded the area heading out for a fun-filled (and booze-filled, from the looks of it) Saturday night on the town.
While in Shibuya, we went to the towering Tokyu Hands department store. Floor after floor of everything you’d ever need. We bought cards (the ones with glue-free envelopes) and light fixtures while perusing fitness items, beauty products and a great Hello Kitty display.
More Tokyo adventures to come!
On Tuesday night, we made our first trip to the Seibu Dome, home of the Nippon Professional Baseball League’s Saitama Seibu Lions. The excitement of the experience was only slightly tempered by a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the 9th inning by Nobuhiro Matsuda of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, turning a 3-2 Lions victory into a heartbreaking 4-3 loss.
With all due respect to American baseball, this was easily the most enjoyable ballpark experience I can remember. We sat in the home team’s general admission section, stretching from dead center field to the left field foul pole. The Hawks fans had their own section in right field. Separate, as it should be…
General admission doesn’t have seats or bleachers. It’s a wide-open area, covered in old Astroturf sloping from the concourse down to the outfield fence. Most people brought tarps or blankets to make the hard turf a little more comfortable.
But you only need to worry about sitting during the Hawks’ at-bats. While the home team is batting, we’re standing. And singing, chanting, jumping, waving and pumping our fists as commanded by the rally leader. We are the ōendan!
Kattobase Ginjiro we chant as Lions’ catcher Ginjiro Sumitani steps to the plate. Ku-ri-ya-ma, Ku-ri-ya-ma we sing, encouraged by our neighbor in the Lions Den who waves her towel and shouts encouragement at her favorite player.
The chant of moeru, moeru involves clapping and jumping up and down, proclaiming that the current batter is on-fire (“burning”). Our new friends teach us the chants as we go and forgive our mispronunciations of the ones we try to pick up along the way.
The spirit of, and respect for, competition is alive and well in Japanese baseball. In the top of the 7th inning, the Hawks fans are given their chance to celebrate their team.
In the middle of the 7th, the Lions fans get our turn. Our new friends hand us two packages of “Victory Balloons,” long, blue balloons of a—ahem—questionable shape. As the Hawks make the last out in the top half of the inning, we blow up our balloons, sing the team victory song, and let them fly!
As our Victory Balloons take flight, the Lions do as well, scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the frame. The RBI triple is met with a new celebratory chant… ichi, ni, san… banzai, banzai, BANZAI!!!
Standing and cheering while the other team is at the plate is a no-no. This goes for the 9th inning with the home team on the verge of victory as well. In America, the home crowd would be on its feet, cheering the team over the top. In Seibu, we are seated and silent.
Maybe a little cheering would have helped as the aforementioned two-out HR sinks the Lions hopes. Former Major League pitcher Dennis Sarfate comes on in the bottom of the 9th for the Hawks and strikes out the side, along with our hopes for a Lions victory.
But it’s still early in the season and this is just one stumble at the beginning of a long race. As with most of our experiences, we were embraced (literally in one case after that RBI triple) by the locals. In the Seibu Dome, we’re not Japanese or American… We Are Lions!
I’ve been watching Japan’s high school baseball championship tournament on NHK this past week. NPR just did a story on the American who initially brought baseball to Japan and mentions the championships in the article. Worth a read.
I love baseball. As a kid, I loved playing it, whether organized as part of Little League or with a tennis ball in the street in front of our house. In the US, baseball takes a back seat to football and basketball at the high school and college level. Even Major League Baseball is less popular than the NFL and NBA in many parts of the country.
In Japan, baseball is revered as the king it is. The Japanese professional league captures the heart of the country during baseball season. The country celebrates its stars who have made the jump to MLB. NHK is broadcasting Masahiro Tanaka’s debut with the New York Yankees live at 7:45 a.m. local time on April 5, 2014. I’m sure many around Japan will be watching.
I’d watched a couple games of the high school tournament before I realized what I was watching. The atmosphere is electric, more reminiscent of a soccer match. I’d guess attendance at 15,000-20,000 people. Rhythmic music pumps from the stands, inciting the crowd… as if they need it. The spectators are a nonstop discharge of energy, chanting along to the music, banging together thundersticks and shaking pompoms. Speaking of pompoms, there are honest-to-goodness cheerleaders for each team.
Post-game press conferences rival those of a World Series game. 16-year-old Japanese boys paraded in front of a room of waiting journalists, peppered with questions about their performance. Coaches look less like math teachers doubling as the baseball coach and more like grizzled veterans of the dugout.
On this particular day, the team from Risei is battling the team from Toyokawa. In the bottom of the 8th, Toyokawa explodes for five runs, coming back from a 6-2 deficit to take the lead. In the top of the 9th inning, a Risei batter slugs a solo home run to tie the game at 7-7. The crowd erupts! We’re momentarily reminded that these are kids as they laugh, cheer and slap the back of the hero of the day.
Toyokawa melts down in the top of the 10th as walks and errors allow Risei to plate five runs of their own. Risei wins the game 12-7 in 10 innings.
At the end of each game, the players line up across from each other, bow and shake hands. A sign of respect for themselves, their opponent on the day and to the game they love.
The television cameras capture the players from god-like angles, playing up the drama of the game. On this day, they are bigger than life. They are baseball players.