Metropolis-Aug-8-2014

UKIYO-E TOUR
Ukiyo-e (literally, “floating world pictures”) are
the foundation on which our guide Paul Tierney’s
Orientation Tokyo tour is built—this one set in
the Ueno area. He explains that throughout
Tokyo’s rapid expansion and modernization,
the general layout of the city often remained
the same. Because of this, old photographs and
ukiyo-e images can be used to directly contrast
Tokyo today with Edo hundreds of years ago,
enabling a tour through time as well as place.
Kyoto is often thought of as the historical center
of Japan, but Tierney insists that Tokyo is by far
the most interesting.
Before we begin, Tierney produces what he
considers to be the greatest link to the past he
has at his disposal—a map of Tokyo’s train stations.
Western Tokyo was populated by samurai,
he explains, hence the name Yamanote (“High
City”) and the number of large park spaces and
constructions now found there, all made possible
by reclamations of feudal lords’ land at
the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912). He’s
far more interested in eastern Tokyo, though,
where common people lived. He points to various
stations and explains the origins of their
names—fleshing out a living, breathing old city
buried beneath the skyscrapers and pachinko
parlors of modern-day Tokyo. The information
comes thick and fast: dates, statistics and locations
are precise, and even when asked for
specific details on related topics, Tierney is able
to answer with the surety of a man recounting
what he ate for breakfast that morning.
During the tour we visit sites where entertainment
districts and brothels stood, civil war
battles raged and rulers were laid to rest. Images
show how each area once appeared, and we
stand in the same spots where the painters must
have stood, with one foot in the past. Tierney
pours life into the images with his stories and
trinkets of information, and by the end of the tour
we’re able to calculate a feudal lord’s income
based on his gate, name the one time commoners
could get away with assaulting samurai, and
understand why the city looks as it does today.
Orientation Tokyo’s other options include a
“47 Ronin” trail, an examination of Edo’s religious
and entertainment center, Asakusa, and an Edo
castle-focused tour of Nihombashi.
Orientation Tokyo. Price: from ¥3,000 per
person. www.orientationtokyo.com
AKIBALAND MAID TOUR
Akihabara, the labyrinthian monument to otaku
(nerd) culture, is a fascinating but baffling window
into a subculture like no other. Without
an insider to help you make sense of it you’re
unlikely to discover the most interesting sights,
and that’s where Akibaland Maid Tours comes
in—via a guide dressed as a maid, of course.
The tour’s first stop is Volks, which has a
whole floor dedicated to dolls and their accessories.
In fact, “accessories” doesn’t do the collection
justice: there are clothes, makeup, wigs,
eyelashes—even a section to build your own
doll by choosing your perfect proportions for
every part, with costs ranging from a few thousand
yen to a few thousand dollars. The most
expensive are one-of-a-kind and come with an
“adoption ceremony.” In one corner, fur-lined
violin cases are for sale, targeting doll owners
who don’t want to risk public ridicule by carrying
them openly or, even worse, stuffing them into a
regular bag like some common figurine.
Within the space of an hour, we stop by a
“rental showcase” where people rent glass
boxes for a month at a time to display items
they want to sell, a gachapon shop stocked entirely
with hundreds of gumball machines selling
everything from animal figurines to underwear
for your phone, and a place called Super Potato.
The last is a claustrophobic retro games store,
so packed with old games and equipment that
the interior resembles a losing game of Tetris.
As we walk along “Maid Crossing,” a few costumed
maids smile and wave—one by wiggling a
teddy bear puppet—and we enter @home Café
for a lunch break. Our guide, Megumi Kimura—a
former maid café worker herself—explains the
system and culture behind it. As she does, a
server comes over to kneel by the table and take
our order in honorific Japanese. Upon her return,
she draws a caramel sauce Anpanman on a latte,
then casts a “spell” to make it more delicious.
A trip to Donki’s cosplay section is the last
stop before we head to Akihabara’s tourism
office. With map in hand, Kimura then makes a
few recommendations of other things possible
to see based on clients’ preferences. A goodbye
wave and bow at the train station end the tour as
some nearby otaku watch enviously.
Akibaland Maid Tours. Price: ¥3,000 per person
(min. 2 per group). Email: info@akiba-tour.com.
www.akiba-tour.com/information
ARCHITECTURAL TOUR
Tokyo’s architecture is exceptionally modern,
but also adheres to traditional Japanese themes.
The Tours by Locals walking architectural tour
provides a thorough exploration of all the city’s
most famous buildings, as well as some (perhaps
undeservedly) lesser-known sites.
Our first destination is St. Mary’s Cathedral,
which is designed in the shape of a gigantic
cross clad in stainless steel. After experiencing
the cavernous concrete interior, we stroll around
nearby Chinzanso Gardens to a three-storey
pagoda, where tour leader Yasuko Miyamoto
uses her iPad to draw a diagram explaining how
the movement of its three sections has allowed
it to remain standing through a number of large
earthquakes over the years.
Most of her clients are from the U.S., and Miyamoto
says the next building, a school designed
by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is
often the most popular. Wright was responsible
for not only the structure of Jiyu Gakuen Girls’
School, but also the furniture and doors, all of
which feature the same minimalist lines.
Daikanyama’s main street, Kyuyamate Dori,
makes up a significant part of the tour, focusing
especially on the exquisite Kyu Asakura
House and the Hillside Terrace complex. One
man, Fumihiko Maki, designed every building
within the complex, and Miyamoto jokes about
how jealous her architect husband is of such a
liberal commission. Daikanyama feels different
from the rest of Tokyo, but it’s not until Miyamoto
gives the reason that it becomes clear: The garish
use of signage, which gives most of Tokyo
the appearance of an old internet browser sorely
in need of a pop-up blocker, is forbidden on
the main street. A perfect example of this is the
Tsutaya building, with its facade of interlocking
T-shapes creating larger Ts, subtly referencing
the brand’s logo.
Many of the standard sights of Tokyo are included—the
skyscraper offices of Shinjuku, the
National Art Center, and the outdoor museum of
modern architecture that is Omotesando—but
with architectural insights that wouldn’t be offered
on a regular tour. Just be prepared for a
full day on your feet.
Tours by Locals/Yasuko Miyamoto. Price:
¥37,000 plus transportation costs (for up to 4
people). Email: yasuko-m@palette.plala.or.jp.
www.toursbylocals.com/tokyo-tours
ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVES
SUMO STUDIES
At certain times of the year
it’s free to go and watch sumo
wrestlers train, but organizing
entrance can be difficult. A
number of companies such
as Inside Japan Tours offer
tailored trips with all the
details taken care of.
www.insidejapantours.com
MACABRE & MYSTERIOUS
Venture into another
dimension of the city with
Haunted Tokyo Tours, who
give English commentary
at locations researched
by a certified paranormal
investigator.
www.hauntedtokyotours.com
KIMONO PHOTO SHOOT
Learn how to put on a
traditional kimono and tie an
obi (belt) at Inspire Space, then
have pictures taken around
Tokyo with a photographer.
Covers the basics for women
and men. Groups welcome.
www.inspire-space.net
TSUKIJI COOKING
Another option from Inspire
Space is their Tsukiji Market
tour. Visit the famous fish
market with a guide, then learn
from a local chef how to turn
your purchased seafood and
vegetables into tempura or
sushi (depending on the tour).
www.inspire-space.net
LINGO BOX
Baishun-yado ( 売 春 宿 ) = brothel
Naisen ( 内 戦 ) = civil war
Kenchiku ( 建 築 ) = architecture
Cho-koso biru ( 超 高 層 ビル) =
skyscraper
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