Second stay in Tokyo, new Top 5!
1. Kabuki - this is a traditional form of Japanese theatre. There are various shows of various lengths during the day at the Kabuki-za theatre in Ginza. We took in a very short dance show and a longer dramatic (kind of!) piece. The costumes and make-up are superb, which just about makes up for the fact that there was a lot of Japanese dialogue in the dramatic piece and not too much action. Although we had an English synopsis I would recommend getting the audio translation if you want to follow what's being said. For this reason I found the piece that was more dance and music based more fun, but overall it was a good opportunity to see a cultural tradition that it is not easy to see elsewhere. They are also intending to demolish and rebuild the Kabuki-za theatre in April 2010, so it was nice to see a performance during the 'Sayonara' season. Note: if you are going to queue for one show tickets you need to get there at least half an hour before they go on sale - it is very popular.
2. Sumo - we were lucky to coincide our visit with one of the major annual Sumo tournaments. After some faffing to get tickets (similar to the Ghibli Museum it is another event where you have to use a Japanese only machine in the Family Mart convenience stores) we ended up with some seats pretty far back but with a decent clear view and I loved it. Although the bouts are normally pretty short, there is a lot of fun ceremony associated with it all. Also the bouts can be exciting and it is not difficult to see that there is some skill involved besides being extremely fat (in actual fact there is a big discrepancy in sizes). I was also interested to find out that it is an international sport and despite most of the contestants being Japanese the favourite for the tournament was actually a giant from Georgia.
1. Kabuki - this is a traditional form of Japanese theatre. There are various shows of various lengths during the day at the Kabuki-za theatre in Ginza. We took in a very short dance show and a longer dramatic (kind of!) piece. The costumes and make-up are superb, which just about makes up for the fact that there was a lot of Japanese dialogue in the dramatic piece and not too much action. Although we had an English synopsis I would recommend getting the audio translation if you want to follow what's being said. For this reason I found the piece that was more dance and music based more fun, but overall it was a good opportunity to see a cultural tradition that it is not easy to see elsewhere. They are also intending to demolish and rebuild the Kabuki-za theatre in April 2010, so it was nice to see a performance during the 'Sayonara' season. Note: if you are going to queue for one show tickets you need to get there at least half an hour before they go on sale - it is very popular.
2. Sumo - we were lucky to coincide our visit with one of the major annual Sumo tournaments. After some faffing to get tickets (similar to the Ghibli Museum it is another event where you have to use a Japanese only machine in the Family Mart convenience stores) we ended up with some seats pretty far back but with a decent clear view and I loved it. Although the bouts are normally pretty short, there is a lot of fun ceremony associated with it all. Also the bouts can be exciting and it is not difficult to see that there is some skill involved besides being extremely fat (in actual fact there is a big discrepancy in sizes). I was also interested to find out that it is an international sport and despite most of the contestants being Japanese the favourite for the tournament was actually a giant from Georgia.
The other fun thing about the day was the Sumo stew I had for lunch which is basically a mixture of vegetables, meat and tofu in broth to which you add a side helping of fat to make sure you turn into a good sized sumo. It was delicious and with the ice cream and beer I had over the course of the rest of the day I am surely in training for the amateur leagues!
3. 300 Bar - the USP of this bar is that all the food and drinks are ¥300 (£2). In extremely expensive Tokyo and in the luxury shopping area of Ginza this is a bit of a god send. Although you may lose out a bit on size (beer in particular) spirits are good value and the Lemon Sour (Shochu, lemon liquer and soda) was delicious. The bar itself is standing only with a drink ticket system (both very common in Japan) and the decor is nice in a cosy basement kind of way. We also met 3 old guys from Yokohama who were in town for the Kabuki (all a very youthful 70+!) They were very taken with us despite having very little English and kept on buying us Highballs and food despite us not asking for it. Final result of this meeting was that after one too many highballs Paul and I moved onto the next item on this list....
4. Karaoke - is everywhere in Japan. We tried our hand at the enormous Big Echo in Ginza. Big Echo is an enormous chain and I think this one had 7 floors of karaoke space! It is not dissimilar to karaoke at home - you hire a room, buzz for drinks etc. but it is different because of its omnipresence and popularity. Anyway, I love karaoke so this is all good to me and we left after 60mins £20 poorer but buzzing following some fabulous renditions of such classics as Total Eclipse of the Heart, Ghostbusters and Wuthering Heights. Lolz!
5. Harajuku girls - Sunday afternoons in Harajuku is the time to spot Harajuku girls dressed up and posing for photographs on the bridge near the station. The costumes range from bride zombie to punk to samurai and are really creative. I can't really explain it - will upload some photos soon. It is a recognised fashion phenomenon and the bridge has as many tourists (and dodgy old men - most of the girls are 15ish) taking photos as it does girls. A strange way to get through adolescence although I guess it is not that different to Goths in Camden Lock.
I am also going to do some quick honourable mentions which didn't quite make it into the top 5:
- Ukiyo-e Tokyo: the best exhibition of Japanese art (specifically woodcuts) we saw in Japan. Bizarrely, it was held in a small gallery in a shopping mall called Urban Dock Lalaport. Reasonably large selection and a great set of themes including Samurai, kabuki actors and mythical characters
- Tokyo Sea World: slightly tired aquarium but still had the ability to impress (and we have been to a *lot* of aquariums). I particularly liked the penguins, rockhoppers and the touching zone where I got to feel a stingray (slimy) and a shark (not slimy, fleshy).
- Western Art Museum: a decent collection of western 'masterpieces'. Rodin and Monet well represented.
- Odaiba Beach: Japan's man made beach complete with a replica of the Statue of Liberty (??) Good city views. Nearby Palette Town also has an outlet mall decorated in a Venetian theme. Overall a very weak Las Vegas effort but still pretty fun.
I also really wanted to put heated toilet seats in the Top 5, but resisted. They are everywhere including public toilets and although it is disconcerting at first it is very welcome in the cold weather!!
Drafting this on a delayed and turbulent flight to Beijing. Bah!
- Tokyo Sea World: slightly tired aquarium but still had the ability to impress (and we have been to a *lot* of aquariums). I particularly liked the penguins, rockhoppers and the touching zone where I got to feel a stingray (slimy) and a shark (not slimy, fleshy).
- Western Art Museum: a decent collection of western 'masterpieces'. Rodin and Monet well represented.
- Odaiba Beach: Japan's man made beach complete with a replica of the Statue of Liberty (??) Good city views. Nearby Palette Town also has an outlet mall decorated in a Venetian theme. Overall a very weak Las Vegas effort but still pretty fun.
I also really wanted to put heated toilet seats in the Top 5, but resisted. They are everywhere including public toilets and although it is disconcerting at first it is very welcome in the cold weather!!
Drafting this on a delayed and turbulent flight to Beijing. Bah!
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