It was only a short 4-day trip to Tokyo but what made the trip memorable was...
1. Admiring the beauty and fashion of its people. The girls seem to have big eyes and flawless complexions and the guys have slim bodies, sharp features, and finely sculpted hairdos (read: Takeshi Kaneshiro). Yes, even I'm awed by the guys and their good looks. Throw in the most creative, random and diverse fashion sense one can have and there you go: the va-va-vroom, in-your-face, fashionista culture of Japan!
2. Experiencing 1 minor earthquake tremor over dinner at a restaurant when the table started shaking and the light bulbs on the chandalier started grinding against each other. We woke up at 2 am the next night to the violent shaking of the hotel building when the bed vibrated on its frame and the walls seemed to want to cave in. It was over after 10 seconds but it was damn scary!
3. Walking down the narrow avenues of Harajuku (i.e. fashion street for youths) and gawking at all the teens dressed in Cosplay outfits and kimonos that make all those Japanese anime and cartoon series that I used to watch as a kid come to life before my eyes!
4. Buying 3 pieces of siew mai at the food basement of Isetan and dropping my jaw when the counter staff packed the food into a plastic packet, packed the packet in a plastic bag, and packed the plastic bag into a bigger plastic bag before sealing it. What a waste of material!
5. Having the best Yakudori (BBQ meats) meal at a restaurant in Shibuya (i.e. fashion street for the well-heeled) where the aromatic meat flavours go in sync with warm sake and home-cooked miso soup with soft Japanese rice coated with egg sauce. Yummy!
6. Tucking into the most authentic sushi meal at a 40-year-old sushi bar at the famour Tsujiki Market (the biggest fish market in the world). For a standard sushi set costing 4500 Yen (about S$65), you get an assortment of 10 different sushi types including the freshest prawn sushi I have ever tasted, and the most generous serving of unagi (sea-urchin) sushi where the unagi literally melts in your mouth. Of course, top the meal off with a bowl of home-brewed clam miso soup!
7. Laughing silently to myself when the service staff bowed to me to thank me for buying something from the store, and I bowed back to her. She responded by bowing to me again, and I bowed back. So she bowed back to me again. Haha!
8. Walking through the streets of Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ginza (City centre) and Akihabara (IT City) until my feet ached, and admiring the bold contours of the buildings, the creative designs of the fashion boutiques (big and small ones), the flashing neon lights of the city, and the amazing range of fashion apparel of all types and designs for sale!
9. Navigating the infamous subway system where the trains operate on as many as 12 lines which are interconnected through many interchanges. I remembered having to walk 300 m from one line to get to another line at one interchange, only to realise it is the wrong line. Then it's another 200 m to the right line. Phew!
10. Seeing the most expensive fruits on display in the supermarket. One watermelon was on sale at 4000 Yen (about S$55) and a bunch of Japanese grapes selling at 3000 Yen (about S$40). Now, that's either some pretty good-quality stuff or it's just day-light-robbing inflation going through the roof!
11. Shopping like I've never shopped before in a very long while, courtesy of generous liquidity from my Dad and sister. I like their motto: Since you pay so much to come to such places, you very well spend more because it will be a long while when you next come back again. Along the way, I became an avowed fan of Japanese apparel chain, Uniqlo, where I probably blew half of my budget shopping in!
12. Going for a holiday with my Dad, Sis and my soon-to-be Brother-in-law. Even though not all of the family could make it, it was a warm experience knowing that this is my first family trip in almost 6years, and the start of many more trips to come. Korea next year, and Australia the year after!
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