Hello From Japan

I always wanted to visit Japan and never had a chance until now. I couldn’t wait to see serene Kyoto for its temples and quiet atmosphere. I expected Tokyo to be like any other major city with major traffic jams, high-end shopping centers and world bullet trains. Finally I made it and was surprised that my expectations were reversed. Time took its toll on deteriorating Kyoto, and improvements transformed Tokyo into a clean, modern city.

In Kyoto, we visited one temple, several shops and had lunch at a swanky hotel. The temples were indeed impressive but the anticipated serenity was gone due to the hordes of tourists and busses surrounding each temple.  Surprisingly, even the neighboring two story old wooden houses were intermingled with shabby buildings, sadly marred with graffiti. On the other hand, department store counter displays were beautiful. Even supermarkets arranged their fruits and vegetables artistically. Most were equally sized and without blemish.

Tokyo, on the other hand was a pleasant surprise. We hired a private Viator guide who picked us up at the pier and spent the day touring many of Tokyo’s major points of interest. We visited the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty replicas, the Kings Palace and the Ginza shopping center. The city was clean and modern with many parks intermingled between modern skyscrapers. Most surprising, however, was how smoothly the traffic flowed, without  the anticipated traffic jams. By the way, small groups of go-carts are allowed on city streets.We observed a few people-pulled modern rickshaws. It seems like every corner had a McDonalds, KFC, and a Starbucks.  The 7-Elevens were more upscale and included tables and WiFi.

Tokyo’s fish market is somewhat similar to US county fairs. It was packed with hordes of people and sushi stalls. Japanese sushi and sashimi tend to be much oilier and stronger than what we are used to and includes seaweed, octopus and other sea creatures. I also sampled a small skewer (like a satay) of Kobe beef. It was delicious and melted in your mouth but cost an exorbitant $35.