New Years in Tokyo

This is my third time visiting Tokyo and it has also been the most exhausting. Perhaps it’s because I’m traveling by myself this time but the scale of the city feels overwhelming. Tokyo is just massive. Tokyo is kind of like a “city of cities.” It’s broken down into what is translated as “wards”. These wards act as their own municipalities and provide local government services. I’ve heard it compared to the boroughs of New York. Some of the more famous wards are Shinjuku and Shibuya. Furthermore, these wards are then broken down into informal districts like Harajuku in Shibuya, Ueno in the Taito ward, Roppongi in the Minato ward etc. It’s all very confusing for someone who is not a local. Still, I’ve been having a good time regardless. I am staying in Asakusa, which appears to be a bit on the residential side. There’s a small amount of restaurants and bars near me by the train station, but it isn’t exactly the bustling metropolis one thinks of when they imagine Tokyo.

I arrived here on Wednesday. I took the jetfoil from Sado to Niigata, before taking the bullet train from Niigata to Tokyo. From getting on the bus in Aikawa to arriving in Tokyo, I’d say it took about 5 hours. On the first night, I visited Teppei in Minato, the south of Tokyo. Teppei was my roommate around 7 years ago in America and we’ve kept in contact since then. He now works as a small batch gin distiller. His small distillery was in a fancy, new building filled with pop up bars and restaurants. It was sort of a shock to go from rustic and rural Sado to this trendy restaurant space in Tokyo! We went to an old pork restaurant where they cook the meat over coals right in front of you before plating and serving a few small dishes. I tried liver for the first time and it was all very delicious. I had a great time catching up with my old friend. I hope to see him in Sado some time.

On Thursday, I went to Shinjuku. Shinjuku is known for being a sort of night life and entertainment area. I was there to visit a wine bar owned by the brother of one of my friends: a restaurant owner in Sado. It was a nice bar and they had imported wine from all over the world. I spoke with my friends brother, and, even though there was a strong resemblance in their appearances, the contrast in their disposition was reflected in their respective establishments. My friend in Sado is a very jovial and energetic guy. He plays a role in leading many of the festivals in Sado for instance. As such, his restaurant is a very lively and popular place, with darts, sports on TV, video games etc., the atmosphere is very casual and partylike. By comparison, the Tokyo brother had a much more reserved demeanor. His bar had dimmed lighting and played jazz over the speakers. Smoking wasn’t allowed inside (still somewhat common at Japanese bars and restaurants). It was a relaxing place; the kind of place where it would be nice to bring a girl on a date.

Yesterday, I went to Akihabara. Akihabara is like the pop culture hub of Japan. Being such a huge video game fan, I love it there. There’s tons of shops dedicated to gaming and computer parts along with arcades, I could easily spend hours and hours there. I went to an arcade and the sound from all the machines was deafening. I tried to play the competitive video game Street Fighter with some of the locals but I horribly was outmatched. For New Years Eve, I went to an event at the club Ageha in Shin-kiba. Normally, clubbing isn’t something I often do, but this club is the biggest and one of the most famous in Japan, and it is permenantly closing in a few weeks, so I thought it would be fun to do something a little different and also see the club while I still could. The venue was huge; I’ve heard it has a capacity over 1000. I had a fun time dancing, counting down to the New Year and meeting people. A few of the people I met were going to a temple for New Year’s and invited me to go with them. I was surprised because it was so late but I decided to go with them. We went to a temple in Asakusa and I was really shocked at the amount of people there. By this point it was 4AM, but the atmosphere was almost like a festival. There were stalls selling snacks, candy, and souvenirs. Smoke from food being fried filled the air. I knew visiting a temple in New Year’s Day was a tradition in Japan, but I assumed it was after sleeping! I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside the temple itself, but it was very pretty and ornate. A large, gold leafed statue of the Buddha sits on a stage, surrounded by various plants and flowers. The ritual seems to go like this: you bow twice in front of the statue, offer a coin, ring the large bell they have, make a prayer for the new year, and bow again.

Tokyo has been very fun if a bit tiring. The city is so huge that, even though I have been multiple times before, there is so much to see and do. I still have 4 more days in the city before I need to return home, so I still have some time to explore and experience more. As always, I’ll keep everyone here updated. Happy New Year from Tokyo!