I spent most of my time in Japan in Tokyo. I had decided that the best approach to traveling was to spend as much time getting comfortable in a single place instead of being somewhere different each day. I guess you can say that I was getting fatigued by the amount of traveling I’ve done lately, so it was nice to stay put in a single place for a few days. So instead of making pit stops every day, I decided to go to just one place and stick with it. Yeah, I’m sure seeing Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo, and Yokohama would have been great, but that would have been a lot to handle in a short amount of time.
I can proudly say that I am happy about this decision to stay in Tokyo. The city, to say the least, is incredibly modern with strong roots to an imperial past. Though in the midst of so much commotion, everything somehow seemed simpler. Well, that’s probably true except for the subway system which could use some edits. Though I had a Suica card which could be hovered over a scanner at turnstiles in order to get into the system, and for that matter, could also be used to pay for almost anything within the train station such as purchases at convenience stores on the platform, there was no real rhyme or reason to much of the subway. Don’t even get me started on the horrendous jingles that were blared on the PA system every time an announcement was made.
Clutter and confusion were abound in Tokyo, but it all made sense somehow. Being a New Yorker, I felt quite at ease, despite the language barrier. All of the lights made me feel at home, and all of the technology at every corner made me forget that I was ever in places where there was no need to ever order noodles (or anything else for that matter) via vending machine. Even though it was raining for most of the time, and though I still don’t understand the Japanese obsession with clear plastic umbrellas, it was part of the whole experience. For the most part, I vowed stop trying to understand or analyze too much and just enjoy what was happening. Plastic replicas of food? Sure. Drink machines in every alley way? Whatevs. Elaborate wardrobe choices? Fine. Amazing food at every 7-Eleven? Delicious.
Tokyo was a city of stark contrasts. Next to one of the most fashionable and forward places in the world, Harajuku, was the historic Meiji Shrine almost tucked away in an enclave that provided a zen sort of solace that made you forget where you were. Past the hustle and bustle of one of the largest tourist-trap markets in the Asakusa district was Senso-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in the entire city. However, even that distinction is somewhat of a misnomer: the temple was rebuilt after much of it was destroyed during World War II.
This brings up the issue of authenticity in traditional culture. Of course, there were the incredibly long greetings and thank yous that were expected of any and all social interactions, but to what extent were these actions some kind of front? Is Senso-ji really the oldest temple if most of what we currently see was built only a few decades ago? The stalls upon stalls worth of kitschy souvenirs lining the walkway toward the temple doesn’t help its authentic image. In reality, it seemed almost Disneyland-like, and if I were looking to go to Disneyland, I’d go to the one located not too far away that’s conveniently accessible by metro. Japan is a country with a culture richer than their ramen broths, but if you said that they were culturally pristine, you’d be lying.
Despite all of the globalization and modernity you could find throughout Japan, the country has stayed relatively insular with it’s own very quirky identity. It’s ethnic make-up is pretty telling of this; you could easily spot an outsider from a mile away. But despite the sea of Japanese people, you would find hoards of Starbucks Coffee shops and Italian restaurants. However, they each had Japanese flair to them that made them distinct. Tokyo, especially, was a postmodernist regurgitation of anything and everything that has ever come into the country but flipped on its head in a way that could have only happened there. This kind of cultural cannibalism is what made Tokyo so alluring to me because, as much as I thought something was familiar, it wasn’t. Pizzas with fried eggs on them or tuna crepes are not an every day occurrence... well, unless you’re in Japan. I can’t really find the words to describe the weirdness that is Tokyo, but I’d rather keep it that way.
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