Japan Trip: First Day In Tokyo

March 24th, 2007

WebomaticaFirst day in Japan, and it’s been pretty overwhelming. There’s so much to take in here, but even in one day we’ve managed to cram in a fair amount, thanks to some family friends that gave us the crash course in navigating the Tokyo subway system, plus quick tours of Ginza, the Tsukiji fish market, Ueno Park, the Asakusa Temple, and the Imperial Palace. I’ll just run down the highlights as there’s so much more to do.

  1. Tokyo has a cool mix of old and new. The hotel is totally modern, with sliding doors, theaters, and an aquarium, while right outside is a mall but with some traditional restaurants and a historical shrine nestled between.
  2. Vending machines are everywhere and fun to use. I’ve had a vitamin water, and Tommy Lee Jones appears on one selling Boss Coffee. We found one in a subway that delivers hot coffee with different amounts of strength and milk. A food court also required that you purchase food via a vending machine, and then hand your ticket to a chef.
  3. Customer service is out of control. Every store, every restaurant, people go out of their way to give you the best service. No tipping. Also clean as all get out. If you’re a borderline autistic neat-nik I think you’d really enjoy this place.
  4. The food so far has been amazing. Last night was some strange beer garden with Japanese / German food (miniature bratwurst?) while today was extremely fresh sushi at Tsukiji fish market. We’ve also had a traditional Japanese breakfast, ice cream, cream puffs, soba, and there’s more to come. My wife’s fears of not having any bread or dairy products have been alleviated (there’s pastry and cake everywhere).
  5. Kawaii (cute) things are borderline obsessions. Some animals are so cartoonified they are abstracted into giant blobs with the simplest lines of eyes.
  6. I think we’re fascinated by the wrong things. There’s this pink Paspo mascot robot that we’d like some toys or on a T-shirt but he’s the symbol for the subway system pass card. Yeah, we’re total tourists.

Anyhow, sorry for the lack of updates so far. I hope to get a few more posts in the pipe for when I’m without Internet access in the future.

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Viewing 9 Comments

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    photos!
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    The real question is this...will Tanja eat some sashimi or what?!? ;-)

    The vending machines sound funny. You should blog about the most bizarre stuff being peddled...are there "automat" type places too where you can do all your shopping via the machines?

    I like the neat freak angle...right up my alley!
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    Yes, photos please! And keep us up to date as best as you can. I still owe you my guest post - patience please.
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    did you feel the earthquake jase?

    you should check out the shibuya, harajuku areas... lots of um visual eye candy there.
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    Have you gotten on a train yet? My wife is fluent in Japanese and it was still somewhat difficult for us to navigate.

    If you go to a Japanese Mc Donnalds, you have to try the "Shrimp Mc-Nuggets" and the "Mc-Shrimp Burgers". I wish we had those.

    Stay away from the "Hot Potato Pie". It's like the Hot Apple Pie but nasty. Also... Stay away from any kind of hamburger with Bacon unless you like your Bacon ice-cold and completely raw.
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    eng - I have the camera and just have to off load 'em to the laptop. Might be a while at this rate...

    Dave - Tanja had a small bite of maguro but not much else. She's been finding a lot of french cream puffs and pastries to eat in addition to the tempura. She did get some tako and wakame thing for dinner tonight.

    Yeah I think you would totally like the neat aspect and the efficiency. There could be a lot of improvements in the west based on just all the robotic technology alone.

    Char - whenever is fine, although my internet connection might be suspect until we get to Kyoto in two days.

    Sang - actually we didn't feel an earthquake. I wonder when the heck it was?
    in the morning? WTF...
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    Hi Hawaii SEO... yeah we seem to have the trains more or less figured out, but we have just been staying on the Yamanote line - we had some guides take us around yesterday but those transfers get hairy. The freaking train map looks like a spiders web. The Yamanote just goes in a circle.

    Haven't got the craving for the Makudonarudo but those shrimp mcnuggets sound cool. I think later in the week we'll try 'em. I did see a big mac burger with a fried egg on it.
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    glad you're already on your way to eating through the country--isn't it funny how they sell beer in vending machines ... years ago i ate at a yakisoba counter where you place your order by pushing buttons and putting your money into a machine, then give the ticket to the guy and they make your yakisoba in front of you. yum.... my husband tried some shrimpy creation at McD's. he said it was alright. our friends recommended Mos Burger, a local chain (they also have rice burgers, where there's rice instead of buns). get two, they're small. ;) ... speaking of customer service, have you ridden in a department store elevator yet? the elevator ladies are insane. and you never really have to say thank you to people serving you--the japanese version of 'the customer is always right' is translated closer to something like 'the customer is god.' ;)
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    Hi emi, I do remember you telling me about the soba vending machine a while back - now I understand!

    Haven't done the hamburger stuff yet as we're still hooked on the japanese food, but I plan to near the end of the trip.

    We did the department store thing last night, and finally found the basement floor filled with bento, sushi and everything else.

    Gee, I've been saying thank you to all the help beacuse they're so polite.

    I wish I studied my kanji harder back in college :)
 

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