Japan and Taiwan: Days 1, 2 and 3

Tōkyō 東京, I couldn't believe I was in Tokyo again.

Well, actually, I could. But it had been about seven years since I'd last set foot in the city I consider to be my most favorite in this world, and it felt great to be back, even it was only to be for three nights in total on this visit. I flew into Tokyo's Haneda Airport 羽田空港 on a Wednesday afternoon, and quickly made my way from there to Shinjuku's 新宿 west side 西新宿, where my hotel was located. After checking in and dropping off my bags, it was time to grab some dinner and take a walk in the evening through some familiar haunts:

The east side of Shinjuku Station 新宿駅. Always busy no matter the day or night. Even if you've never been there, you've probably seen Shinjuku-dōri 新宿通り in movies or music videos. 

Hanazono-jinja 花園神社. This Shintō 神道 shrine has occupied the space for several centuries, while the city grew up around it. It looks more attractive after dark than in the daytime, which holds true for much of the Shinjuku area.

Behind Hanazono-jinja is a network of narrow lanes filled with tiny bars, the most famous of which is Golden Gai ゴールデン街. On my next visit to Tokyo, I'm determined to pay a visit to the punk rock bar which was just getting ready to open as I walked by.

Shinjuku's Kabukichō 歌舞伎町 area was as lively, though sleazy, as ever. Unlike in many Western cities, however, Japan's red-light districts are relatively safe to walk around in, and have many legitimate bars, clubs and restaurants in addition to the other "attractions". 

The next morning I woke up early to do some sightseeing. On the way to the Tochōmae subway station 都庁前駅, I passed by some of the west side's striking high-rises:

The Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower hadn't been built yet the last time I was in town

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 東京都庁 shone brightly in the early morning sunlight. I was up before six and out of my hotel around seven in order to avoid Tokyo's notorious rush hour crush. The reason for doing so was to see Tokyo Sky Tree 東京スカイツリー, the city's newest attraction (for me, at any rate), and at 634 meters (2080 feet) Japan's tallest structure.

The view from the lower level. Tokyo is a sprawling city, but with the exception of Mount Fuji 富士山, there aren't any landmarks that immediately draw one's gaze (and Japan's iconic mountain wasn't visible on this morning). Still, all that concrete at that elevation does make for a fascinating sight, even if the admission fee (¥2000-3000, or about $20-30, depending on how high up you want to go) is a bit, ahem, high.

In the foreground is Tokyo's Ryōgoku 両国 area, home to the Edo-Tokyo Museum 江戸東京博物館 and the National Sumō Stadium 国技館. In the distance could be glimpsed Tokyo Tower 東京タワー, once the city's highest icon but now in serious danger of being made irrelevant by Tokyo Sky Tree.

Looking down and toward Asakusa 浅草

Sky Tree casts a shadow

It's a long way down

Tokyo Sky Tree from the outside looking up. From the tower, I took a walk over to, and then across, the Sumida-gawa River 隅田川 to Asakusa.

I've been to Asakusa many times in the past, so I didn't stay long in the area. The top floor of the new tourist information center across the street from the iconic Kaminari-mon gate 雷門 provided a nice view of Tokyo Sky Tree, as well as of Philippe Starck's notorious "flaming turd" building.

The same floor also looked out over Sensōji-ji Temple 浅草寺 and the Nakamise-dōri shopping street.

From Asakusa, I took the subway to Marunouchi 丸の内 and the recently restored Tokyo Station 東京駅, which now looks more like its 1913 self than it has in decades. Marunouchi, in fact, has been transformed from a dull business district into an area of top-end shops and high-priced restaurants.

The National Diet Building 国会議事堂 is in the process of being hemmed in by high-rises

The garden at Marunouchi Brick Square 

At this point, it was lunch time and I had a date with an old friend, Aviva, whom I hadn't seen in far too long a time. We met in Shinjuku and caught up at an old cafe that looked as if it hadn't changed much since the 1970's, an appropriate setting for a couple of old vets such as us. Though I have to admit that Aviva is aging far better than I am, resembling a vintage bottle of wine while I'm turning into vinegar. It was wonderful seeing her again, and I regret being so absorbed in our conversation that I neglected to take any photos. 

A lot of new construction has taken place in Shibuya 渋谷, but it's youthful energy was still in abundance. I passed through here on my way to see another old friend.

This time I remembered to take out the camera. Doug and his charming wife Keiko treated me to an extremely delicious home-cooked dinner, while their dog Bruno provided the evening's entertainment. Getting to see two old friends on the same day by itself made this vacation a worthwhile endeavor. 

The next morning (Friday the 13th), it was time to leave Tokyo, but not before having lunch. I couldn't leave Japan without having my favorite dish, tonkatsu とんかつ, and why wait until the end of my visit?

Traveling by a combination of the bullet train 新幹線 and the limited express 特急 Inaho いなほ, I made my way from Shinjuku to the small city of Tsuruoka 鶴岡, located in Yamagata Prefecture 山形県, a journey that involved changes of train in Ōmiya 大宮 and Niigata 新潟. On this trip I was to make good use of my JR Pass.

Passing by the Sea of Japan 日本海 on the Inaho

The view of the autumn moon from my hotel room in Tsuruoka. I would stay here for three nights, the reason for which will be explained in the next blog post.

The Life Aquatic with Princess Nami

This dangerous looking contraption is firing what are known as Xiābǐng 虾饼, a kind of shrimp pastry. The machine is noisy, and you probably wouldn't want to put your hand in there while it's operating, but my daughter assured me that xiabing are pretty tasty. We saw this thing in the snack area on the first floor of the Shàng​hǎi Ocean Aquarium 上海海洋水族馆, located in Shanghai's futuristic-looking Pǔ​dōng 浦东 area, and which Amber and I visited on this cloudy, partly drizzly and cooler-than-usual Saturday. As aquatic zoos go, Shanghai's is smaller than most others I've visited over the years and could probably be safely skipped if you are sans children, but my energetic youngster certainly enjoyed it, especially the several viewing tunnels, and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Just be sure to eat outside, where the options are more numerous and presumably more delicious.

She who smiles at the sight of sharks is definitely a chip off the old block

The aquarium is organized into nine different thematic zones, such as "Africa", "Cold Water" and "Sea & Shore". The route inside starts with the "China Zone", and displays endangered native aquatic animals such as the Chinese giant salamander and the Chinese alligator.

As the evidence above indicates, the aquarium is popular with families and young couples. This being China, where you have great numbers of people pursuing a finite number of choices or options, a lot of pushing to get in front was the result, but neither Amber nor I minded much. My daughter, in fact, quickly learned to use her agility and small size to her advantage when it came to seizing prime viewing spots.

Descending deeper into the depths...

It wasn't all fish at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, as the above pictures show. Feeding time for the penguins proved to be very popular with the visitors. In China, that is not necessarily such a good thing. 

Amber was fascinated with the jellyfish tanks. She took several photos, including this one. You can see more examples of her work at her own photo blog, Amber's Photo Journal. 

More viewing tunnels, including one full of sharks and all connected by the world's slowest "moving sidewalk". 

"Moving" through the shark zone. If you're wondering what Amber is going on about in this clip, let's just say she was taking the concept of a "school of fish" very literally. 

Feeding time was a particularly exciting moment for my daughter. The diver in the fish tank merely opened a bag of food as the fish swam by, though at one point he had to fend off a hungry sea turtle with his feet, much to the (mild) consternation of the onlookers. The (presumably) same diver naturally had to be more cautious in the shark tank, where he held out a pole with skewered fish at the opposite end, letting the sharks and rays bite off what they wanted from a (hopefully) safe distance. 

Amber strikes a pose with "Fluffy", which we bought in the souvenir shop strategically placed (as they always are) immediately outside the aquarium's exit. You can make out the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium in the photo above as the as the triangular-shaped white building to the right of my daughter. The ridiculous Oriental Pearl Tower  东方明珠广播电视塔 we left for another day - preferably one in which the skies would be much clearer than they were this afternoon.

Speaking of things ridiculous, we had the dubious "pleasure" of crossing the Huáng​pǔ River 黄浦江 on Shanghai's ludicrous attempt to cash in on the publicity generated by the giant inflatable rubber duck that garnered so much attention when it floated in Hong Kong's harbor a few months ago. Only Shanghai's version is more disturbing at it appears to resemble a dead duck, the kind you would find on the dinner table at a Chinese banquet, perhaps. It's also cheaply made, as closer inspection revealed that the "artwork" was nothing more than old newspapers plastered on the sides of the ferry and coated with a brown paste of some kind. The local blogosphere has been scathing in its criticism.

Back on the Bund 外滩 at the end of the day

Labor Day

It's Labor Day today, a Federal holiday back in the States and a day off as well for those us working at the U.S. Consulate in Shàng​hǎi 上海 (one of the perks in this line of work is the observance of both American and local public holidays). Unfortunately, my daughter still had to attend school and my wife wasn't feeling very well, so I had the morning and afternoon all to myself. So I began this day of rest by taking the Metro to Nán​jīng East Road station 南京东路站, and from there walking over to the city's most well-known area, the Bund 外滩. The warm weather and clear skies made for some nice views looking across the Huáng​pǔ River 黄浦江 toward the Pǔ​dōng 浦东 district:

Pudong was where I was headed today. There are several ways to get there, such as by ferry or subway, but I chose the strangest route: the Bund Tourist Tunnel 外滩观光隧道. For the rather steep one-way fare of 50 RMB ($8.20), you step into what can only be described as a capsule that whisks you under the river to the Pudong side. But there's more to it than just that. You are taken through a psychedelic light show that can probably only be truly appreciated with the help of LSD, while announcements in Chinese and English intone such mind-blowing concepts as "Heaven and Punishment" and "Magma". During the two minutes or so I was in the tunnel, I was reminded of the trip Dr. David Bowman took at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The video and pictures posted below can't begin to convey the utter bizarreness of it all:

It was with some relief that I exited the Bund Tourist Tunnel. The whole experience is such an exercise in kitsch (there's even a Believe It Or Not museum on the Pudong side) that I was glad to get back to reality. Reality in Pudong means the Oriental Pearl Tower 东方明珠广播电视塔, which dominates the skyline: 

It's an eyesore, but an impressive one at 1499 feet (457 meters), and it isn't even the tallest building in Pudong. That honor belongs to still-unfinished Shanghai Tower, which will stand 2073 feet (632 meters) high when finished next year and is already the world's second-tallest:

My purpose for coming to Pudong was not to go to the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower, but to visit a museum that would not be suitable for those under the age of 18. In other words, I wanted to take advantage of having a day off while my daughter was at school to check out the China Sex Culture Exhibition. However, I was to be denied the opportunity to see such items as the "saddle with a wooden stump for punishing adulterous women", according to my copy of The Rough Guide to Shanghai. The museum was not where my guidebook said it would be, i.e. close to the exit from the tourist tunnel. I searched in vain, but couldn't find it anywhere, and it wasn't listed on any of the area maps. Actually, I wasn't surprised, as the fact the museum wasn't mentioned in Lonely Planet's Shanghai guide (a more recent edition than the Rough Guide book) led me to suspect that it had either closed up shop or moved to a more discreet location. In any event, I was too shy to ask anybody for directions. 

Fortunately, though, one museum was where the guidebooks said it would be, at the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower. The Shanghai History Museum 上海城市历史发展馆 turned out to be very interesting, and worth the 35 RMB ($5.70) admission fee. There were displays on transportation, such as this model of a public bus from the 1930's...:

...as well as more traditional modes of getting around, such as sedan chairs and wheelbarrows:

Dioramas abounded,  such as this one of a pharmacy...:

...and this one of a teahouse, which didn't have very many customers...:

... probably because most of the townsfolk were at another teahouse, watching a performance of Chinese opera:

There were also depictions of typical street scenes...:

...and a few mementos from the days of the International Settlement, like these boundary markers:

...and this bronze lion, which once stood guard in front of the old HSBC building on the Bund:

All told, the history museum was very informative, well-captioned in English and would be an entertaining place to bring the kids to see.

Leaving the Shanghai of the 1930's, it was time to re-emerge into the 21st century:

I spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling along the riverside promenade Bīn​jiāng Dà​dào  滨江大道. The buildings of the Bund were visible this time on the other side of Huangpu, including (going from left to right in the photo below) the Fairmont Peace Hotel 和平饭店, the Bank of China and the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China:

At one point, the promenade provided an unexpected sight in the form of a small marsh with wading birds looking for food in the none-too-clean river water:

I continued along Binjiang Dadao, stopping for a raspberry tea break at Starbucks and looking at more of the buildings along the Bund. In the photo below, the building on the right is the old Customs House 上海海关, completed in 1927 and which has a chiming bell tower. Next door on the left is the original Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank headquarters, in front of which stood the bronze lion seen earlier in the history museum:

Time for a self-portrait:

Eventually I arrived at the ferry dock, where for a mere 2 RMB (30¢), I bought a ticket and boarded a ferry for the short trip across the river back to the Pǔ​xī 浦西 side. Pulling out into the Huangpu, we had a clear view of the Shanghai Tower:

The view from the stern:

Looking back at the Pudong side as we got closer to Puxi:

The view from the bow:

The Bund welcomed us as the ferry pulled up to the dock:

Looking back at the ferry after getting off at Puxi:

While it would've been nice to have had the family along today, at least I didn't have to listen to anyone complaining about having to actually use their legs for the purpose of locomotion. It's been a relaxing three-day weekend, but work beckons tomorrow. From Wednesday of next week, however, I'll be on holiday for two weeks in Japan and Taiwan. In the meantime, there are a few more attractions in Pudong that might be worth further exploration...