Traveling the world is one of those things that broadens horizons, and experiencing other cultures is the basis of tolerance – a quality every gentleman should possess. Although I have traveled to quite a few countries in the past, I had the chance to visit Asia for the first time recently. My sister-in-law’s husband is originally from Sri Lanka, and they invited us to a wedding celebration in Colombo. As it turned out, the island south of India is almost on the other side of the globe from us, and so we decided to see a few other countries along the way. My first stopover was Tokyo, and I chose to stay for 4 days to get my first glimpse of Asia and looking back I wish I had stayed longer.
Page 1 of 120123›»
Japan is About Accuracy
The airport in Narita was not too dissimilar from others around the world but after I got some Yen from the ATM, I made my way to the Hotel Shuttle. The pavement was clearly marked where I had to stand, and my luggage was carefully taken in exchange for a ticket, then I was kindly asked to stand in my lane because another bus arrived before mine. Interestingly, they had no less than four men handling luggage, all of whom wore a uniform and white poly-cotton gloves. Everything seemed meticulously planned and accurate. Once I arrived at the Chinzanso Hotel (formerly the Four Seasons Tokyo) I was the last person to leave the bus, and a row of men bowed to me. I still had to present my luggage ticket for verification to get my suitcase, even though I was the last passenger.
Once I checked in, I went to explore the neighborhood. All people I met were friendly and to my surprise hardly anyone spoke English. Luckily, the free google translate app helped me out. The streets were clean, and everything felt very safe at all times, and when I checked Japanese crime statistics I wasn’t surprised to see that they were extremely low.
Page 1 of 120123›»
As a tourist, I bought an incredibly inexpensive multi-day metro pass at the airport and so I could enter the metro no problem. I was surprised to see that my extremely polished station even had gates that would prevent people from falling onto the tracks. On top of that, a uniformed member of the Metro staff in white gloves made sure everything was in order, although it was hard to believe that anything should happen because people seemed so polite.
The Common Good Is Above The Individual Good
Inside the metro, I noticed about 15- 20% of people wore respirators and face masks and at first I thought it had to do with Ebola. A short while later I realized though that it had nothing to do with an epidemic: it was simply a way for sick people to keep their germs from spreading. In the US, such outward concern for how one’s own actions affect the public is simply not part of the culture. Au contraire in Japan. People are genuinely concerned about the common good and seem much more likely to take a burden on themselves to shield the general public. For a society as a whole, this kind of thinking seems very beneficial.
Boys in the metro
The two boys across from me were no older than 6, yet they were on their own on the way home from school. They wore a proper school uniform, and one of them had a face mask – he must have been sick, and even children are taught from a very early age to respect others. That aside, I liked the fact that these boys were raised to get around independently, and the public acts together to create a safe, helpful environment for them. I had the same experience as a child, and looking back I think it helped me to become more independent. In the U.S., the culture seems to be quite the opposite.
Subway timetable
On the one hand, things seem to be so polite and respectful, but on the other there are some definite contrasts. On one metro ride, I observed that my neighbor was wearing a respirator….and watching hardcore porn on his smartphone. Smartphones are ubiqitous, but no one talks loudly on the phone or listens to loud music. The metro also has special cars for women during rush hour because apparently harassment in crowded cars is a concern. I have never seen that in any other country.
During rush hour, trains often serve a station up to 20 times an hour! And everything seems to be working accurately but this schedule does not leave much room for error anyway.
Japanese Food
After a long trip, I was hungry, and without reviews, I searched for food the old school way: I walked around and looked at restaurants. Fortunately, even better restaurants often have pictures of what they serve, and so I could at least point at dishes I wanted to order.
Dried Baby Eel
The restaurant I chose had regular tables and Japanese tables where you sit on the floor. To my surprise, people were smoking inside the restaurant, which is the standard in Japan. I was the only non-Japanese person in the restaurant and the couple next to me happened to speak English. They were helpful and recommend all kinds of things I should order ranging from fish, over to soba noodles and Sake. I had a great experience, and the bill was less than $20. Initially, I thought food would be rather pricey in Japan, and you can, in fact, eat for $500 a person in many places, but you can also find $4 dinners that are tasty. Most average Japanese earn less than the average American or European and so it pays to seek out where locals eat.
On top of that, many high-end restaurants (including Michelin Star establishments) offer lunch menus that are considerably less expensive. For example at Yoshihashi Sukiyaki you can eat lunch for about $20 and dinner for $300.
Back at the Chinzanso Hotel, I made the acquaintance of the famously over-technologized Japanese bathroom. It was really different than any other toilet I have encountered in my life so far, and while fascinating I am not sure this is really an improvement upon the traditional setup.
Due to the jet lag, I woke up at 3:30am the next morning but remembered that a friend had told me to go to the fish market the first morning for exactly that reason.
Tsukiji Fish Market & Sushi Breakfast
Using google maps and public transportation it was no problem to find the fish market, yet when I arrived I was told that the auctions are closed for tourists since there was simply too much demand. Fortunately, you can find little food markets in this area as well as many sushi restaurants. To my surprise sushi is really popular for breakfast at 6 am and so I made my way to Sushi Dai, probably the most famous Sushi restaurant by the fish market. When I arrived, people were already queuing up around the block at 5 am! Japanese love to queue up whether it’s at the supermarket or the grocery store, but I really dislike waiting in line. My friend Derek had told me about Daiwa – Zushi right next door and they only had a few people waiting. One of them was a foodie from California, another helpful chance meeting, with whom I had Sushi Breakfast with. Instead of going for the $35.40 sushi platter they advertised we told the chef to serve us à la carte, meaning we had no idea what we would get. My favorite was the sea urchin, but even the tuna we got was the most tender piece of tuna I ever had. Another seasonal specialty was cod milt, which is only available in December. Turns out it is nothing other than cod sperm, but if it is food in Japan, I am happy to try it!
Ramen
Another famous Asian dish I wanted to try was Ramen. In Japan, you find all kinds of different Ramen and some restaurants specialize in just a single kind of Ramen, such as Tonkotsu Ramen, as did Ichiran. The funny things is that you first have to wait in line, then pay for your meal at a vending machine, before you wait in line again. If you find a chair, you don’t just stay seated until a spot becomes available for you, no, you move up one chair at a time as people ahead of you get a spot inside the restaurant! During that time, you get an order form on which you can indicate with exact detail how you like your ramen. The df greasiness, the strength of the broth, etc, were all options among others. The dining area is not much larger than a few square feet and consists of a chair, a tab for water and a button. Once you click it, your order form disappears and a bowl of Ramen is placed in front of you. The broth was amazing and the meal cost about $10, I would definitely recommend it.
If you want to try different Ramen I recommend you stop by at the basement level of the central station where you will find many Ramen options.
In case you shop at amazon and we refer you, prices are the same as normal, we just get a small commission. Thanks!
Shopping & Culture of Craftsmanship
One thing I noticed pretty quickly in Japan is that the 80-20 rule is not something most people are interested in. Whatever it is you do, no matter if you decorate cakes, forge a knife or make a shoe, in Japan people have a very high degree of dedication and always want to do things 100% even if it takes five times as long to get there. As such, Japan is a great place for anyone who appreciates quality goods.
Apart from that, Japan is also the place for luxury goods. I don’t think there is any other country in the world that has a higher density of Louis Vuitton products than Japan! As a consequence, you can find many stores offering such products. Even the second hand stores in Japan may carry Hermès leather goods for $30,000 a piece!
However, what I found more impressive was the department store Isetan which has an entire building only dedicated to men. While you can find designer clothing at Isetan, I have never seen an array of so many small high-quality craft brands than in Japan. It starts with the shoe section, continues with accessories and finishes with fine writing instruments on the top floor. Of course, you pay a premium for such a selection, but it was really inspiring to see so many high quality men’s goods in a mainstream shopping center. Also, if you are tall, most items won’t fit you but the experience is certainly unique.
Obscure shop in Tokyo
On top of that, Japan is hyper-segmented and specialized in terms of interests. For example, some vintage stores focus exclusively on 1960’s American made clothes and nothing else. The same degree of segmentation is also evident in the men’s magazine market where you have a clothing magazine just for men in their fifties and sixties as well as just a magazine for men’s shoes or preppy style. For me, it was interesting to see that such razor sharp segments attract enough people to make the business worthwhile. In the U.S. or Europe I think these small stores and magazines would have a very difficult time surviving simply because no enough people appreciate high quality men’s shoes that it would warrant it’s own publication.
Other stores I visited during my trip included Beams, Ring Jackets, United Arrows, Komehyo and many other stores along the way. If you like whiskey, you must try some of the superb Japanese whiskeys at whisky stores such as this one.
Some of the stores are even more obscure in nature, such as gaming and toy stores where you find machines usually encountered at state fairs. Overall, it was very exciting to experience and see so many different stores and things.
Of course you want to wrap your umbrella when it is wet
Sights
Tokyo has a lot to offer when it comes to traditional tourist sights and I suggest you use one of the many guide books available if you are interested in the sights. But I have always found that just walking around a new city is a fantastic way to explore a different culture, and so that’s what I did at first. I walked around the Ginza neighborhood, went to the Akibahara electronic gadget district, stopped at the Imperial palace grounds and visited the Meiji Shrine. You will find all kinds of interesting things, such as an umbrella wrapping machine. Yes, you have to wrap your wet umbrella before you enter a building!
That day, I actually walked so much that my feet hurt for days!
Japanese Tea Ceremony & Kimono at the Chinzanso Hotel
The next day started out a little slower. First I had a Japanese breakfast with more fish, then I met a person from the Japanese Kimono Institute. Hotel Chinzanso is the only hotel that offers such a collaboration where you can actually get dressed in a Kimono and learn about the origins of this garment.
What’s really special about the Chinzanso hotel is its location and beautiful Japanese garden, including a 500-year-old shrine. It is so quiet and beautiful that it is hard to believe you are in the middle of Tokyo. So, once I had dressed in a Kimono it was time for a tour of the garden, which was followed by a traditional tea ceremony in Japanese tea house on the hotel premises. Make no mistake here, tea is a serious business in Japan and it takes years to master the ceremony. For example, the ritual of picking the right pottery for the occasion seems completely random for an outsider but it all has a system. Then preparing the matcha tea the proper way is also something that seems easy until you realize that no turn of the hand is random. Last but not least, the way you hold and turn the cup is all very precisely defined.
Page 1 of 120123›»
Before tea, you are presented with a finely decorated flower which is made of bean paste. Yes, bean paste: think of kidney beans with a little bit of sugar, that’s how it tastes. Frankly, it was one of the only food items I did not enjoy while in Japan.
Altogether, I think the Hotel Chinzanso is one of the few that can provide you with this kind of a Japanese cultural experience, all in one place. While I was there, it was beginning a major renovation and the new rooms will all be furnished in a classic Japanese style with a modern twist.
Although located a few walking minutes away from the next metro stop, I would stay there again simply because of the great garden and tea experience.
Chaotic crosswalks in Tokyo
Conclusion
Overall, I very much look forward to visiting Japan again. It was one of the most memorable travelling and cultural experiences I ever had, although I just visited the capital. Next time, I look forward to visiting other cities such as Kyoto and to explore more of Japanese culture, food and craftsmanship. What have your cultural and shopping experiences in Japan been?
If you shop at amazon and we refer you, prices are the same as normal, we just get a small commission. Thank you!