Rather than give you a minute-by-minute account of our visit
here, it seems more appropriate to paint a big picture of our impressions of
the city.
#1: It's big. There are over four million people who live
here. You really feel that when you are crowded into a train car with no room
to move. Or when you are waiting at a traffic signal and it turns green - a
wall of people head your direction.
#2: We in America
see the cosmopolitan face of Japan.
We see the modernism, the advancement in high tech gizmos and the (to us)
monolithic "Japan Inc" economy. Tokyo,
at one level, is a city of neon lights that puts Las Vegas
and Time Square to shame, amazing electronics shopping areas and Pachinko
parlors (gambling with vertical pinball machines). But at a more basic level,
it is a city of small neighborhoods with narrow winding streets and small
businesses. It is the old woman running the gas station from her home, filling
liters of gasoline cans to be delivered by pick-up truck. It is the woman
riding with her two small children by bicycle to work. It is the person
stopping by the neighborhood shrine to say a prayer before continuing on their
day.
#3: The streets in Tokyo
are almost impossible to navigate; even the locals can get lost. There are no
street names and there is nothing that bears any resemblance to a grid system. The
blocks are irregular shapes and the streets curve and dead-end. And we thought
that driving in Boston was
difficult! Since there are no grids and few streets that extend more than a few
blocks before turning away or dead-ending, Tokyo
is divided into named regions. Then, each region is further divided into named
precincts. Within each precinct, there is a system of numbered areas, numbered
blocks and house numbers. If you understand the system and can find a map on
the street (there are many) you can find your way around. We were quite proud
of ourselves when we found a new location by numbers only. But beware; don't
stand on the corner scanning the map in your hand. You will have three people
come up to ask you if they can help you find where you are going.
#4: Anderson’s
bakery in Iketeburo Station is heavenly. Rod kids Fran that we are doing the
fabric tour of the world (more about that later). But Andersons
might be the beginning to the bread tour of the world (and we all know how much
Rod loves bread!) The bakery is so popular that hundreds of people crowd in to
pull items hot off the racks. Everything is fresh --often still too hot to
touch. We had to make many visits during our stay to sample the varieties of
pastries and breads. The top choice is cheese bread (we never learned the
Japanese name) - a sourdough ball with a hole in the top filled with Gruyere chunks
and melted cheddar. It is a fondue on a plate worth trying to re-create when we
get back home, made of fresh sourdough and hot melted cheese straight out of the
oven. Oh!
#5: The Tokyo International Quilt Show was (to Fran, at
least) well worth the visit. Rod heard about the show from the woman sitting
next to us on the airplane from LAX- she's the senior editor of Quilter's
Newsletter (Sue later tells us that's near nobility!). The Japanese have really
taken the art of quilting to another level. See some of the quilts and close
ups of techniques in the photo section. (Unfortunately, we don't have the names
of the artists to give them proper credit).
#6: Some of the architecture is really very modernistic and
unlike anything we've seen. The Tokyo International Forum is a convention
center in Central Tokyo. We have pictures of the lobby
area in the photo section. Even better, check out the pictures on a website of
the great buildings of the world: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Tokyo_International_Forum.html.
The building looks like a huge, glass ship the height of at least six stories. Walking
on the ramps from the bottom to the top makes you feel suspended in midair.
The Tokyo Municipal Offices is a 50-story building with twin
observation towers - you can see Mt. Fuji
and all of Tokyo on a clear day. We
weren't so fortunate when we visited, though. The walls are polished steel and
granite, with lines etched into them so that they resemble computer chips. The
architecture is quite unique, since the towers need to be earthquake proof.
#7: It is possible to find a quiet, contemplative spot in
the midst of the traffic noise and crowds. After many days of neon lights,
trains and a hectic pace, we needed to find a garden. We went to the Imperial
Garden at the Palace and were
disappointed. It was a great open space with trees, but had none of the
delights of our idea of a Japanese strolling garden. Then we found the perfect
garden - Koishikawa Korakuen. It has many winding paths with new discoveries
around every corner. It even has a demonstration rice paddy that school
children plant and harvest. It has high vantage points with structures to view
the garden, creeks, waterfalls and ponds. It is everything we think of when we
imagine a Japanese garden. We leave the garden feeling very restful.
#8: We meet Jizo, the patron guardian of children and
travelers. As we wander through a new area on our way to the museum, we find a
shrine with 84,000 statues of Jizo (yes, someone counted them). They are of all
sizes and lined up, row upon endless row. We wonder at the eccentricity that
leads one to create such a shrine!
