Fall, 2022 Traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel
I had read that Tokyo is a city without limits because a lifetime would not be long enough to explore it all! It has an estimated 88,000+ restaurants which would take you 120 years to explore 2 a day!!
It was a dark and rainy day when we landed in Tokyo, the cultural, economic and political capital of Japan. The bus ride to our hotel in the center city was almost an hour and it gave us a good chance to see the continuous ultramodern skyscrapers melded with traditional Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.
Tokyo, the world’s largest, has @39 million people in the metro area and encompasses more than 5200 square miles. Wow!
Our Japanese guide seems nice, but older and less vibrant than our previous two. We are already learning that the Japanese are a more subdued people. They do not speak loudly and are patient, kind and extremely polite. They bow often and add “San” to the end of names as a sign of respect.
We tried to learn a few words of Japanese on the bus ride in!! The easiest was “hello” because it sounds like Ohio and is easy to remember!!
Our evening meal was informal, at a neighborhood pub called Izakaya. An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks.
Izakaya are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a British or Irish pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern.
It seems common to bring hot plates and small grills to each table to prepare the food. Our guide, KaySan, is on the left.
The Japanese people we have seen so far appear to be thin and in good shape. It must be the healthy food they eat! Other than the tempura fried meats…..there are lots of fresh veggies (pickled, in broth and grated/sliced into pleasing piles) as well as lots of seafood and fish (raw and cooked). They do eat beef, but little, and it is very expensive.
As has been the case in our previous two countries, napkins are very thin and sparse! In some cases, they wrap towels or packaged wipes to use instead.
So, off to bed so we can start exploring Tokyo tomorrow!!
Sumo Wrestling…….
We had an opportunity to learn about the National sport of Sumo wrestling (which has been around for over 2000 years!) We met with two former wrestlers to hear about the skill and power that goes into this sport.
These men entered a Sumo “stable” at about age 15…where they lived and trained to become wrestlers. They wrestled until the average retirement age of 30-35, and have since lost quite a bit of weight (One used to be 297#!)
They would wrestle 5 hours a day and move up through the many ranks. Many can get rich and famous. But, they do not get salaried until they reach the Sekitori level. Sekitori is a rank that refers to wrestlers who compete in the top two professional divisions. The name literally translates to “having taken the barrier”, as only a small percentage of professional sumo wrestlers achieve sekitori status. Sekitori wrestlers receive a regular monthly salary and other perks, while wrestlers in lower divisions are considered to be in training and receive a small allowance
There are 43 stables in Japan, and each stable can have a maximum of ONE non-Japanese.
Six tournaments are held in Japan each year, each lasting around 15 days. The ring itself is 15 feet around and the rules of sumo are pretty straightforward: the first wrestler to set foot outside of the ring or to touch the inside of the ring with any part of his body except his feet is the loser.
There are no weight divisions, but as we saw from a few videos, being too heavy might be a significant disadvantage! There are also rules about touching hair, eyes, etc. A match can last just seconds or over 5 minutes, although a break is taken after 4 minutes.
And then….they even let inexperienced people just play around with them!!!!
This was a fun meeting, and these two gentlemen were really informative and wanted to share their knowledge and experience. Quite a retirement job!
As we traveled through Tokyo, we could see many memorials to this sport!
The District of Asakusa
We took a walking tour of this well-known district of Asakusa, seeing where old meets new. The district has the atmosphere and historical charm of an Old Tokyo and includes a shopping area with traditional snacks and souvenirs.
The main attraction is Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple built in the 7th century. It is the oldest and most significant of Tokyo’s Buddhist temples. However, the present temple was rebuilt post-WWII because of the bombings in 1945.
Japanese architecture was heavily influenced by Buddhism which came from China and Korea.
There are two large entrance gates, first built over 1000 years ago, which lead to the temple. This one, the Kaminarimon Gate, has as its centerpiece a magnificent red lantern inscribed with characters meaning “Thunder Gate.” The figures on the left and right are benevolent deities that protect the temple from storm, flood and fire.
We walked with lots of locals…it was a Sunday, and many families visited the temples and shops. Everyone was very well dressed. It was fun to see some in their kimonos! Children are introduced to the temple at certain ages…this boy was 5.
We walked on foot…but we saw a variety of rickshaw drivers (including females!) providing transportation.
Lunch was again interesting and good!!! Pete got brave and had sashimi!!
Bonsai Garden
We loved our visit to a local Bonsai garden, where we were greeted by a Bonsai Master and his highly capable Polish student who introduced this unique cultivation technique.
The practice of Bonsai involves placing small trees in containers and pruning them to mimic the shape and scale of a full-size tree.
We learned a bit about how these plants are maintained, as well as some history of the art form.
They explained that being a bonsai artist is a rewarding and meditative experience, combining elements of art, horticulture, and philosophy. It involves a great deal of patience, creativity, and an understanding of the natural world. And those of us without those talents get to just enjoy the resulting beauty!!!!
Traditional Taiko Drumming Demonstration and Lesson!
Taiko is the art of Japanese drumming and has been part of the culture for centuries. It uses a broad range of percussion instruments in various shapes and sizes.
We started with a demonstration of the vibrant and powerful sound these drums produce. This ancient art form is known as the ‘heartbeat of Japan’. Early Japanese taiko was used for the Buddhist and Shinto religions, played in the Imperial Courts and used for the military and theater. Today it is used for performance in Japan and throughout the world.
Then….a lesson for us! This art form combines music, rhythm, and physical movement to produce a dynamic and powerful performance. The term “taiko” refers to the drum itself, while “kumi-daiko” refers to the ensemble drumming style that is most commonly associated with taiko performances.
This was an enjoyable experience for the group!!! But we had to leave the drumsticks behind and move on to our next new experiences!!
Transportation
We took many forms of transportation while in Tokyo. The subways were clean, well-lit, quiet, and very efficient.
On other occasions, we took cabs. This picture shows our guide trying to explain to the five cab drivers where to take us!
We have NEVER experienced such clean cabs, drivers wearing suit-coats and ties, and in some cases adding white gloves while they were driving!!!
Tokyo is a feast for the senses—a city where one of the world’s tallest towers (the 2,000-foot-high Sky Tree) coexists with humble Shinto shrines nestled along narrow alleys. It offers oodles of cultural experiences: One can dine here at more Michelin-starred restaurants than anywhere else on Earth, follow cobbled lanes once walked by geishas, stroll among the cherry trees, or bask in the up-all-night neon glow of Asia’s busiest city.