October 13, 2007

Tokyo (JAPAN)

Walking Tour of Tokyo: The 47 Samurai, Tokyo Tower, and Roppongi Hills

This morning I had another Aikido martial arts class near Ookayama Station, and I learned two new self-defense moves in the process. Although my coordination is still abysmal, I am finally beginning to feel comfortable practicing with the other members at the dojo (few of whom speak any English). James was, as always, my lifeline, and as has become our custom we had lunch together afterward.

We discussed a variety of things, but by far the most important part of the discussion revolved around planning for next weekend. On Friday, James invited me to attend a Columbia Business School reunion at a bar in downtown Tokyo. He knows I am divided into quarters over what to do upon graduation (business school, graduate school for engineering, law school, or enter the work-force), and so by introducing me to his MBA colleagues I can hopefully gain more insight into what is best for me. It really is a great opportunity, and I am curious to see how it will work out. The other bit of planning was initiated by me: I will take James and Kumagai san to a J-League football (soccer) game this Saturday. Both have been nothing short of amazing during my stay in Japan, and this is my way of giving something back to them.

When I arrived home today, Kumagai san and I got to talking about Japanese temples. We decided to walk to a well-known temple dedicated to the '47 Samurai'. This is one of Japan's most famous stories of samurai honor, bushido, and the events go something like this:

During the Meiji era, a Japanese daimyo (local lord) was insulted by a court official, Kōzuke no Suke, and in an effort to restore his honor, the daimyo attacked Kōzuke no Suke. However, the shogun (chief lord of Japan) stopped the attack and ordered the daimyo to commit seppuku (hara -kiri, disembowelment) as punishment. With their daimyo dead and dishonored, a group of 47 samurai (now ronin, or master-less samurai) went into hiding for over a year while they planned to avenge their lord. Led by the admirable Oishi, they sprung their attack on December 14 and slew Kōzuke no Suke. Knowing they would be punished for their actions, the 47 samurai kneeled down and, following the honorable death of their former master, each committed seppuku. Their story has been re-told throughout Japan for hundreds of years as one of loyalty and honor, and their tombstones now rest peacefully in Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo.

It was a brisk 30-minute walk from our house in Gotenyama to Sengakuji, and with Kumagai san pointing things out the entire way, this was the perfect way to explore Tokyo. The temple itself was the most peaceful place I have seen in Japan (beating the library by miles), and the few other visitors were solemn or whispering quietly. There is great reverence among the Japanese, and no place is this more evident than in the many temples and shrines tucked away in the most unsuspecting places. Unfortunately, the museum was closed by the time we arrived, but with the directions now mastered I can easily come back later.

Our next destination was Roppongi, but since the weather was so nice and both of us enjoy walking we decided to continue by foot. As Tokyo is an incredibly old city with confusing streets and small hills everywhere, we headed in the general direction and hoped for the best. We had a map with us, but it was more fun this way. Besides, it gave me a good opportunity to take photos of some of the more 'Japanese' sights that most residents take for granted. For example, just look at the two car personal garage shown to the right. I still can't get used to sights like this, even though they are the norm for cars and bicycles. In larger parking lots there are machines that stack the cars in a similar manner, only with four cars atop each other rather than two.

Whether it was through my Aikido training or simple luck, our walk took us through some of the most scenic parts of Tokyo, including the base of Tokyo Tower. This is the most identifiable sight in all of Japan, and we somehow managed to walk along the edge of it as we searched out Roppongi. Eventually, we stopped at a Japanese police station to ask for concrete directions, and three hours after leaving the house we arrived in the gai-jin (foreigner) hotspot of Roppongi. This must be where all the foreigners have been hiding because for a city as large and international as Tokyo I have hardly seen any so far.

We went inside Roppongi Hills, which is a massive sky-rise with exclusive shopping, wealthy patrons, up-scale business offices, and the city's best viewing tower. By this time it was 6pm and getting dark out, so we had a 360-degree view of the sparkling nightlife of Tokyo. There was also a well laid out modern art exhibit that was far better than I was expecting, but of course photographs were not permitted.

We grabbed several loaves of bread and a few croissants from a famous French bakery at the base of Roppongi Hills, and then Kumagai san took me to the family sushi restaurant near Gotanda Station. This was to be a real treat as a way of capping off the long day of touring. As soon as we walked into the sushi den we were greeted by the head chef who knows Kumagai san by name, and we sat directly in front of him to order. I have developed a taste for two Japanese beers: Asahi Dry and Yebisu Original. The former is probably the most famous in Japan, while the latter is a slightly more expensive beer that comes from the Hokkaido area (northern island of Japan). Anyway, I ordered a large draft Yebisu and listened intently as Kumagai san fully explained the art of eating sushi.

One should always start with the less flavorful fish and work up to the more tasty ones (basically going from white fish to colored fish). Every time we ordered the chef would prepare the fish directly in front of us, chatting all the while with Kumagai san (who translated), and serve it over the counter onto our plates. Several differences I noticed from the sushi dens I have been too (all of lower quality) are that the sushi rolls are smaller and of higher quality, and the wasabi has already been placed between the fish and the rice. We ended up trying 12 different types of fish, but since my favorite is salmon, the chef prepared it in several different ways (such as lightly toasting one side and squeezing lemon onto it). I suppose the capping moment of the meal came at the end when I was served horse meat. This was the first time I have ever tried such a thing, and I never would have imagined eating it raw is safe.

When we got back to the house I fed the cat and walked to the movie store about 1km away. There was a massive line with swarms of couples renting Saturday night movies, but I waited patiently so I could register for a card of my own. By the time I got back to the house it was after midnight, and I was too tired to watch the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. While life in Tokyo is amazing, there is always so much to see and do that I feel like I can never get enough rest.