Tuesday, March 22nd: Shibuya, Ueno, Akihabara
Today we sent our first package of stuff back home. We also discovered how easy it is to get cash from the post office Visa cash machine. On our way to the train station we looked at a camera and electronics store. Amazingly small devices are all the rage here, and MP3 players are finally unseating MiniDisc players as the dominant portable music devide type in Japan. Cameras are about the same price here as they are in the U.S., though the new Canon Digital Kiss N (Rebel XT in the U.S.) is already on store shelves here and is not expected in the States until late April. EOS-20D costs more than we'd pay for it online, so we are waiting.
It all becomes even more surreal at night as the crowds gather (Hachiko's statue is a favorite meeting spot) and a gentle rain starts to fall. The biggest advertizers manage to buy concurrent time on several displays and speakers all at once, and from that we are able to surmise that the new Playstation game (Tekken 5) is huge right now.
We then discovered, the hard way, that the Tokyo National Museum is only open Tuesday through Sunday when the Tuesday in question does not follow a national Holiday. The long walk from Ueno station was not a complete bust though because Miyake (a stranger before this) simply walked up to us and started a friendly chat in excellent English. We talked for over an hour about human compassion, homeless people, humanity, history, and the Japanese equivalent of generation-X (graduating from Universities now). He seemed delighted to find American tourists who were genuinely interested in Japanese history and culture, and we were fascinated to meet someone willing to talk so candidly about his own culture and country.
A brief stop in Akihabara confirmed all the rumors that it is no longer the place to get electronic components and computer parts. It has become just another collection of department stores selling consumer gadgets, with not a chip nor cable in sight anywhere. This is very different than it was in the late 1980s, back then there were baskets of chips and transistors on the street in front of the stores, and you could buy all the parts to make your own computer, midi instrument, or robot. Now it is just consumer electronics.
We went back to the hotel for a brief rest and then met Eric and Satoko at (where else?) the statue of Hachiko. This time it was just getting dark, and with a gentle rain the "Blade Runner" impact really hit home. Once gathered we went to a large, high-end musical gadget store (think Chuck Levin's American Music Center on steroids) and then dinner at a hip new all pork place with beautiful setting and good food. Food has been less than we budgeted so far... The most expensive meals running about $28 per person, and $12-$20 being more typical, and we are eating fancy because we are on vacation. You could eat for much less. Breakfast and lunch have been hovering around $7 each in Tokyo.
 | We started today's tourism with a visit to the statue of Hachiko, the loyal dog who is a legend at Shibuya station. While next to Hachiko, we gawked in a trance-like state at the Blade-Runner-like giant video displays and advertizing, all stacked one on top of the other and layered deeply as well. Pictures do not convey the full impact, because part of the effect comes from several competing loudspeakers hawking goods and services in several languages, and they compete with the usual Japanese loudspeakers warning of the busy street just ahead and sudden bursts of vehicle traffic. |
It all becomes even more surreal at night as the crowds gather (Hachiko's statue is a favorite meeting spot) and a gentle rain starts to fall. The biggest advertizers manage to buy concurrent time on several displays and speakers all at once, and from that we are able to surmise that the new Playstation game (Tekken 5) is huge right now.
We then discovered, the hard way, that the Tokyo National Museum is only open Tuesday through Sunday when the Tuesday in question does not follow a national Holiday. The long walk from Ueno station was not a complete bust though because Miyake (a stranger before this) simply walked up to us and started a friendly chat in excellent English. We talked for over an hour about human compassion, homeless people, humanity, history, and the Japanese equivalent of generation-X (graduating from Universities now). He seemed delighted to find American tourists who were genuinely interested in Japanese history and culture, and we were fascinated to meet someone willing to talk so candidly about his own culture and country.
| Cold from standing still too long, we caught a cab over to Asakusa Kannon Temple (Senno-ji) and had an extraordinary lunch just off Nakamise-dori between the Hozomon and Kaminarimon (the gates). The temple complex is very picturesque, and crowded with tourists (both Japanese and foreigners of all nationalities). Wish it was warmer. |  |
A brief stop in Akihabara confirmed all the rumors that it is no longer the place to get electronic components and computer parts. It has become just another collection of department stores selling consumer gadgets, with not a chip nor cable in sight anywhere. This is very different than it was in the late 1980s, back then there were baskets of chips and transistors on the street in front of the stores, and you could buy all the parts to make your own computer, midi instrument, or robot. Now it is just consumer electronics.
We went back to the hotel for a brief rest and then met Eric and Satoko at (where else?) the statue of Hachiko. This time it was just getting dark, and with a gentle rain the "Blade Runner" impact really hit home. Once gathered we went to a large, high-end musical gadget store (think Chuck Levin's American Music Center on steroids) and then dinner at a hip new all pork place with beautiful setting and good food. Food has been less than we budgeted so far... The most expensive meals running about $28 per person, and $12-$20 being more typical, and we are eating fancy because we are on vacation. You could eat for much less. Breakfast and lunch have been hovering around $7 each in Tokyo.
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