Around Tokyo

Of course, I did not spend all my time just in the capital – that’d be a bit of a waste. After all there are so many interesting and pretty places, and also how long can one stare at ordinary buildings?

In fact I did not go around the places near Tokyo as thoroughly as I probably could’ve, but I feel that I saw what was really worth seeing. I don’t live in Tokyo, so I don’t feel the need to wander round places that are simply an escape from the city. But I can’t deny that when you do escape the city, the views become prettier and as did the towns, though compared to Tokyo they seem like small towns, and friendlier (both in terms of the people and of potentially living there).

The first and, in my opinion, the most impressive stop was Kamakura (鎌倉), where lives one of the three most known of the great Buddha statues. Although this one’s smaller than the one in Takaoka by about two metres, it seemed bigger tome – no idea how come. And despite the crowd of tourists, I found some peace there, especially when the sun started to set and I sat down by the trees in the temple where the statue is. I think it’s due to the Buddha itself: the one in Takaoka, though also sculptured during meditating, seemed more… dunno, awake?, happy?, it’s hard to put in words. On the other hand Daibutsu in Kamakura seemed more concentrated on meditating and finding nirvana. When I sat down and watched the approaching tourists from the side, I thought of an elder who can be approached for advice by anyone and who will not judge or condemn anyone.

The statue is also hollow inside and upon paying Y20 extra (entrance to the temple is Y200) you can see the inside. Apparently quite a few graffiti were left there over the years, but either something was done about that, or it was too dark for me to see. The board showing how the statue was constructed was quite interesting too. Construction started in the middle of the XIII^th century and the statue was lucky enough to survive mostly unscathed right until now, so bearing that in mind and looking at how it was made – almost like a 3D puzzle – I was certainly very impressed with the architects that did it.

I see you!

I was put here without explanation, hence the pose.

In Kamakura itself I’ve only seen a bit of a beach (as beautiful as mountains can be, I do prefer the sea) and one of the shopping streets which had, amongst other, a Studio Ghibli shop (where I bought some Totoro shaped chopstick rests – kawaii!). We only had time for this much in one day, but if I’ll be able to I’d love to go back to Kamakura. If anyone’s interested in the Japan of a “time gone by”, then Kamakura really should be on the list of places to visit, not just because of the many temples or the Daibutsu, which help to get a feel of this past Japan, but also because one period of Japanese history is very closely tied to it. The Kamakura period (鎌倉時代, Kamakura-jidai, 1185-1333) was a time when Japan was ruled by the shoguns, samurais emerged as a warrior caste, Buddhism flourished, Mongols were stopped from invading and a feudal system emerged. For those fascinated by that time in Japanese history or simply for lovers of all things samurai a visit to Kamakura seems a must – for everyone else there are gorgeous views and a generally peaceful atmosphere (perfect escape from Tokyo’s noise and only about an hour on a train).

Frog dressed up as a reindeer at the end of train tracks. Logical, non?

Christmassy Totoro.

I spent my Christmas Eve in Hayama (葉山), where the friend who hosted me lives, and though it wasn’t a particularly Christmassy day (warm, sunny, no snow), it was still magical. Why? Because I got to see Mount Fuji in this gorgeous weather for the first time in my life. And no doubt it’s breath-taking, probably especially seen from Hayama which is a lot closer to it. Although the daytime picture isn’t best, I went a little crazy during sunset – and who knows, maybe I’ll use some of these shots as postcards?

They came just to watch the sunset.

While in Hayama I also had a chance to try the best doughnut I’ve ever tasted in my life. Generally speaking, doughnuts in Japan are mediocre, chain stores like Krispy Kreme or Mister Donut are good enough, but all the other one’s are too dru for me. Not this one! About 10 minutes’ walk from the train station in Zushi (逗子) is this tiny doughnut place called Misaki Doughnuts, where I had a white chocolate and orange one. I tell you, it was heavenly! I’m not a fan of white chocolate, but this one had just enough of it to balance the slight sour of the orange. I almost want to call it a gourmet doughnut because after eating it I didn’t feel like I had junk food or anything unhealthy – a sweet snack for adults!

MOAR!

On Christmas Day itself I returned to Tokyo, where I was right until I had enough and felt the need for some change. So I jumped on a train (and had my first experience of being squished in like a sardine – the memory itself makes me hurt all over!) and I set off for Yokohama (横浜). I specifically planned to go to the rather famous China Town (中華街, Chūka-gai), just to make the change that little bit bigger. In general Yokohama, due to being a harbour, is a lot more international than most places in Japan and though I didn’t see that myself, Yokohama it’s known for having a lot of Western-style buildings and more of a multicultural atmosphere. I was content with just China Town.

If anyone of you is still thinking that Japanese and Chinese cultures are „essentially the same”, I sincerely hope that after seeing the pictures and reading some explanations you’ll see the difference. Firstly, and probably most obviously, visually Chinese culture is richer, sometimes brushing against kitsch: more gold in decorations, brighter colours, richer designs in the background… Compare this to, for example, Japanese temples and shrines or some traditional Japanese crafts – Japan is mostly dominated by simplicity, the decorations are more subtle (both in terms of colours and the amount of designs) and in general it’s more modest and one’d almost like to say less eye-hurting.

I’ve seen a similar trend when it came to people. Sure, the Japanese can be loud if they want to (girls screaming “KAWAII!!!” with all their might is just an example), but most of the time they are a rather quiet nation which tries not to impose on others too much. On the other hand, when walking around Yokohama’s China Town, I had a few moments where I had to repeat myself when declining on offer to go to a restaurant – and the sellers seemed a bit louder too.

As for China Town itself, it’s composed of places where you can eat and places where you can buy souvenirs. And wherever possible, the souvenirs included pandas. Pens, plushies, jewellery, socks, bags – if it was possible to put a panda on it, you bet it had one.

Also, it’s not really appropriate to leave China Town without having tried the local delicacy: niku-man (肉まん), which is a steamed bun filled with meat. Niku-man is so close to this district that it even became its mascot! There are also other fillings available, but I’ve had the real deal. At first I was glad that it was so cheap (Y90 for one), but when I got it, I was a bit disappointed by its size – it fit perfectly in my hand and could be no bigger than a plum. But at least it tasted great! You can buy niku-mans almost everywhere, but this one tasted a lot better than the ones I’ve bought in konbinis, probably because the meat was well seasoned. I really recommend it, it’s worth it!

Delicious, but small.

The mascot of Yokohama's China Town.
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/rouishingoh/10001628/

I also found another piece of happiness in Yokohama. While looking for a place for lunch, I was wandering around one of the shopping centres – and discovered that it had a Beard Papa’s shop, which sells my beloved cream puffs (シュークリームパッフ, shū-kuriimu paffu). Last time when in Japan I had them anytime I could and I missed their taste so much it hurt. And, unfortunately, there is not a single branch in the UK. This upsets me greatly.

Happiness exists and it's called Beard Papa!

To end the post on a funny note, let me share with you this picture which I couldn’t fit into any of the previous two Tokyo posts.

I feel like such a village idiot now - I only ever used baking powder for baking...

And that’s it for my Christmas trip. Ooph, good coz one post took me on average an hour and a half to write – it’ll be good to go back to shorter ones. ^^