Japan - Kabuki-cho and Hanazono Shrine

Hanazono Shrine, Shinjuku, Tokyo.

After I washed up and took a much needed nap, I got up to go out and get something to eat. Originally I believe I was thinking about going down to Shibuya to check the area out. But, first, I thought I'd check my immediate vicinity, Kabuki-cho.

Unbeknownst to me when I booked my "capsule", Kabuki-cho has a bit of a seedy reputation. It's supposed to be a "red-light district of love hotels, host and hostess clubs, restaurants, and nightclubs" according to one film review on a movie set in that part of the city.

Anyway, I walked around the area and through other parts of Shinjuku taking pictures of the colourful lights/nightlife for part of the evening before heading towards Golden Gai. It's an area on the eastern part of the district that has a bunch of micro bars/restaurants all crammed together in an approximately 30m x 30m plot of land. Geared mostly towards locals it's supposed to have some English-speaking establishments. I considered eating there, but, in the end, didn't.

Instead I ended up by the Hanazono Shrine. There was a huge street festival over there. I believe it was for Labour Thanksgiving Day (on Sunday, November 23rd), a national holiday honouring labour in Japan. There were tons of open-air stalls selling food, gifts and kumade - good luck "rakes". They are bamboo rakes decorated with different charms. They are symbols of good luck and are supposed to help "rake in" success and good fortune.

It was in this area I came upon a food stall selling what I later found out was Yakisoba. It's a fried noodle dish made with Chinese egg noodles, thinly sliced meat or seafood, chopped cabbage, sliced onion, shredded carrots, spices and sauces, and topped with a sunny side up egg and red pickled ginger.

I saw an older gentleman frying a bunch of it up and decided to try it. I don't know if it was the fact that I was quite hungry or what, but it was delicious. After downing one order I had another to go. Passing the convenience store across the street from my hotel I bought a couple bottles of my new favourite Japanese beverage, Kirin milk tea, and finished it all off in the common room while watching TV in Japanese.

Japan - Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510

Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510

It was probably around 4:00 p.m. when I arrived at the capsule hotel. I took the subway to Higashi-Shinjuku station (F12). From there it was about 5-10 minute walk west. I had to ask directions, but it wasn't too bad. It's located near the Okubo Hospital, so I just asked people where that was.

When I got to the hotel I saw a sign saying that it was for "Women Only". I went in and the young lady there repeated that. I was quite worried and showed her my reservation. In broken English she told me the men's location was around the building and up the stairs. My goodness, I was relieved. I thought that I had no place to stay in Tokyo.

I checked in at the hotel. It's more of a customary Japanese establishment. You take your shoes off when you get in. There are individual shoe lockers for everyone right there. I was given some towels and a key (617) for my locker (because there's no other place to store your stuff being that you're staying basically in a long, plastic tube).

After putting my stuff in the locker I took a look around. The first thing I wanted to do was take a shower. I couldn't find the shower on my floor. So I went back downstairs (to the second floor) and asked one of the staff members there. He didn't speak much English, but he was very helpful.

He showed me the bathing room for the men. It's like they have at a traditional Onsen (Japanese hot springs). There are a bunch of little, plastic stools in front of a shower head on a hose along with all the shampoo and soap and other items that you could use for bathing. You sit on the stool and do your business. There's also a large hot tub for relaxing in and smaller pool with cool water that you can use nearby.

The fellow gave me a light blue robe and shorts and told me to go upstairs to change and come back down to use the facilities. That's how it worked here. I had no idea.

It was a little weird washing up with a bunch of mostly older, naked guys. But, I got used to it. And the hot tub was great. I was so tired and sore from walking so much. It was amazing to sit in the pool and let all the weariness melt away.

I took a nap in my capsule afterwards before heading out to see the nightlife.

Japan - Back in Shinjuku

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

I took the JR bus back to Tokyo from Nara. The reason I went with them was because the Willer bus company didn't have any seats available on their bus back. Now the JR bus was only Y4,020 (as opposed to around Y6,000) for the Willer bus. But it was way more cramped, so I'm not sure if it was worth it. The only saving grace was the fact that some of the passengers who booked seats didn't show up. So a few of us got some extra space.

The bus left the JR Nara Station at 9:15 p.m. It made two bathroom stops along the way (while the Willer bus didn't stop at all. Both had onboard bathrooms). The JR bus also made some extra stops to pick up people which also took some extra time. No matter. It still got to Shinjuku station at around 6:00 a.m.

Of course the city was all but dead at that time. It was too early to check into my capsule hotel, so I wandered around with all my crap again.

My first planned stop was the Tokyo Metropolitan Buildings. They're two towers in the Shinjuku area that offer good views of the city from their 45th floor observation decks (at 202 metres). Unfortunately when I got there at about 7:00 a.m. it was still closed to the public. The note on the door to get in said they would be open at 9:30 a.m. Augh!

I spent the time mostly sitting in nearby "Central Park" (I can't remember the Japanese name) killing time. Again.

There was a group of early risers performing Tai Chi to keep me entertained. But they didn't stay too long. A couple of teenagers came by and looked to be practicing a play. That wasn't very interesting. Then a group of people in business attire, all wearing pink scarves, came by with plastic bags and began going around looking for trash to pick up. There's a homeless population that uses the park as their campground.

I went to line up to get to go up to one of the two observation decks. You have the choice of either the North or South Tower. Pick the South. The North has a restaurant in it that takes up around 1/3 of the viewing space. Unless you plan on eating there you won't have access to it. The South Tower provides you more of a 360º view.

After visiting the Metropolitan Buildings I headed to nearby Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It's located southeast of Shinjuku Station. There's a Y200 entrance fee. It's relatively inexpensive. Quite a few people were there enjoying the lovely day. The Japanese are highly regarded for their skill in gardening. It's simply unmatched by any.

I spent two hours at the garden before heading south to Harajuku (Meiji-jingumae station F15 on the Fukutoshin Metro Tokyo Line). I thought I'd try to see if any of the young kids were dressed up in their cosplay costumes to take some shots of them, but there were none to be found. So I headed to the Meiji Jingu Shrine.

Since it was my second time there (the first was in 2007 when I first visited Japan) I only stayed an hour and a half before heading up to my hotel. It had been a long few days of travel. First the long plane ride to Japan. Then the overnight bus ride, followed by a day of walking in Nara, followed by another overnight bus ride back to Tokyo. I hadn't gotten much rest, so it was time for a break.

Japan - First Night - Shinjuku

Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Our trip to Japan finally got off the ground. It was hit and miss as far as flying on standby was concerned for Naomi and I. But we were able to leave on November 18th.

Flying in business class is pretty sweet. I guess that's one of the perks of working for an airline. It's going to be hard to go back to economy in the future, that's for sure.

We arrived at Haneda in Tokyo in the late afternoon on Tuesday. Naomi immediately transferred (on standby again) to another flight to her hometown of Osaka. I headed up to Shinjuku Station where I was scheduled to take the 11:15 p.m. night bus to Nara.

This was my second time to Japan. The first was in 2007 with Diane. On that trip I spent time in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto with side trips to other cities and attractions in the vicinity. This time I thought I'd like to go somewhere different.

I picked Nara because of a picture book on World Heritage Sites in Japan that I took out from the library. There seemed to be a number of beautiful temples there.

Originally I wanted to stay there two days and one night, but circumstances didn't work out. Partially it was because of the busy time (Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan was celebrated on Sunday, November 23rd) and partially because of our unsure travel times. So I ended up pretty much making it a day trip.

Anyway, in Tokyo I had quite a bit of time to kill. From the airport I believe I took the Keikyu Line to Sengakuji on the Toei Asakusa Line (A7). After tranferring I took the subway to the Daimon station on the Toei Oedo Line (A9/E20). Then I took the Oedo (E) subway up to Shinjuku Station (E1/E27).

After departing the station I asked friendly strangers for directions to the nearby Willer bus stop. That's the company I was using to go to Nara. It's on the west side of the station perhaps 5 minutes away providing you go out the correct exit. Many of Tokyo's train/subway stations have multiple exits.

I wandered the area taking a bunch of photos then stopped for a bowl of Udon noodles with pork for Y500. That's about equivalent to $5 Canadian.

Shinjuku is pretty amazing. It's busy beyond compare. The night life has a life of it's own. There are bars, restaurants, clubs... what have you. Everything to keep you entertained all night long. There were plenty of things to take pictures of that's for sure.