Page Title
Part 1
By Susie “Chie” R. Cuňada
We landed at Narita International Airport on a drizzly afternoon of June 22nd. Japan’s international airport is awesome! Very
clean and orderly. Signage (both in Japanese and English) are everywhere and we knew exactly where to go. A far cry from LAX
airport, indeed. As expected, we passed a “health checkpoint” but they were only questioning those passengers who have
symptoms of the flu. After some photo-taking, finger-printing and passport-stamping at Customs and Immigration, we just breezed
through and were soon on our merry way. However, our merry-ness was cut short when we were met with some bad news: our
luggage didn’t make it. But in spite of that mishap, I was quite impressed with Korean Airlines. You see, while we were waiting at
the carousel for our luggage, there was one luggage with a BIG notice for passengers “Rivera” (and 2 other passengers) to contact
an agent for assistance. I was really impressed with their method of contacting us. It’s a good thing that Ricky can speak fluent
Japanese, having worked as a singer in Japan sometime ago, so he was able to have a decent conversation with the agent. As for
me, I don’t understand a word of Japanese except for “oishi” and “arigato” (which means delicious and thank you, respectively),
so I left everything to him. This would be my first trip to a country where I didn't speak at least the rudiments of the language.
Anyhow, I finally learned that our luggage was on the next flight and will be delivered to our hotel 2 hours later. I was okay with
that. I always believe that there’s always a reason for everything. Besides, the agent was very helpful, albeit apologetic, and she
helped us with our declaration forms, facilitated our exit by talking to the airport personnel, and helped us book our tickets for the
limousine bus that will take us to the hotel. See my point? I don’t think we would have that kind of service had our luggage not
been delayed. Anyhow, it was the hotel which suggested that we take the limo bus since a cab from the airport to the hotel would
cost us an arm and a leg: $200. Ouch! You see, Narita International Airport is an hour away from Tokyo, so it would be best to take
either the train or the limo bus. Renting a car is not an option as there are no parking spots anywhere in Tokyo.
As a backgrounder, Japan, a country of islands, extends along the Pacific coast of Asia. The main island is Honshu, and the
country has three other large islands—Hokkaido to the north and Shikoku and Kyushu to the south. More than 4,000 smaller islands
surround the four largest. A modern transportation system connects the main islands, including the Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu
to Hokkaido—the world's longest railroad tunnel at 54 kilometers (33 miles). Japan's high-speed trains (known as shinkansen or
bullet trains) connect major urban areas. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin," which is why Japan is
sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun."
About 73% of Japan is mountainous, and all its major cities, except the ancient capital of Kyoto, cling to narrow coastal plains.
Only an estimated 18% of Japan's territory is suitable for settlement so Japan's cities are large and densely populated. Tokyo, the
capital, is the planet's largest urbanized area at 36 million. A major economic power, Japan has the world's second largest
economy after that of the U.S. and the third largest in purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth
largest importer. It is a developed country with high living standards. To top it all, Japan has the highest life expectancy of any
country in the world.
Specifically, Tokyo, originally known as Edo, has come to symbolize modern Japan, manifesting economic prosperity and
worldly sophistication. Organized in a uniquely Japanese fashion, the city’s myriad rail system and subways make traveling
effortless and have created a series of town centres around the major rail stations. Despite its limited space for harmonious
living, Tokyo is one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world.
Anyhow, everything went like clockwork in Japan. Our bus limo arrived on time, and we were soon on our merry way to
Tokyo. I was excited! Ricky was laughing at me because I was just like a kid with my face glued to the window observing
everything, both inside and outside the bus. The first thing I noticed outside was that they drive on the wrong side of the road, just
like Australia and New Zealand! The scenery outside is very clean and lush with lots of foliage. One noticeable thing that stayed
on my mind, however, was that there are lots of transmission (power) lines all over town. Furthermore, the closer we got to Tokyo,
the less foliage there was and I soon came face to face with tall buildings and flyovers. Lots of them! Seeing those flyovers
somehow reminded me of Manila - just a cleaner and better version than Manila, and on a grander scale. And since we were the
last people to get off the bus, we had a chance to see downtown Tokyo, which made me glad because I had a taste of what Tokyo
has to offer.
By Susie “Chie” R. Cuňada
We landed at Narita International Airport on a drizzly afternoon of June 22nd. Japan’s international airport is awesome! Very
clean and orderly. Signage (both in Japanese and English) are everywhere and we knew exactly where to go. A far cry from LAX
airport, indeed. As expected, we passed a “health checkpoint” but they were only questioning those passengers who have
symptoms of the flu. After some photo-taking, finger-printing and passport-stamping at Customs and Immigration, we just breezed
through and were soon on our merry way. However, our merry-ness was cut short when we were met with some bad news: our
luggage didn’t make it. But in spite of that mishap, I was quite impressed with Korean Airlines. You see, while we were waiting at
the carousel for our luggage, there was one luggage with a BIG notice for passengers “Rivera” (and 2 other passengers) to contact
an agent for assistance. I was really impressed with their method of contacting us. It’s a good thing that Ricky can speak fluent
Japanese, having worked as a singer in Japan sometime ago, so he was able to have a decent conversation with the agent. As for
me, I don’t understand a word of Japanese except for “oishi” and “arigato” (which means delicious and thank you, respectively),
so I left everything to him. This would be my first trip to a country where I didn't speak at least the rudiments of the language.
Anyhow, I finally learned that our luggage was on the next flight and will be delivered to our hotel 2 hours later. I was okay with
that. I always believe that there’s always a reason for everything. Besides, the agent was very helpful, albeit apologetic, and she
helped us with our declaration forms, facilitated our exit by talking to the airport personnel, and helped us book our tickets for the
limousine bus that will take us to the hotel. See my point? I don’t think we would have that kind of service had our luggage not
been delayed. Anyhow, it was the hotel which suggested that we take the limo bus since a cab from the airport to the hotel would
cost us an arm and a leg: $200. Ouch! You see, Narita International Airport is an hour away from Tokyo, so it would be best to take
either the train or the limo bus. Renting a car is not an option as there are no parking spots anywhere in Tokyo.
As a backgrounder, Japan, a country of islands, extends along the Pacific coast of Asia. The main island is Honshu, and the
country has three other large islands—Hokkaido to the north and Shikoku and Kyushu to the south. More than 4,000 smaller islands
surround the four largest. A modern transportation system connects the main islands, including the Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu
to Hokkaido—the world's longest railroad tunnel at 54 kilometers (33 miles). Japan's high-speed trains (known as shinkansen or
bullet trains) connect major urban areas. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin," which is why Japan is
sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun."
About 73% of Japan is mountainous, and all its major cities, except the ancient capital of Kyoto, cling to narrow coastal plains.
Only an estimated 18% of Japan's territory is suitable for settlement so Japan's cities are large and densely populated. Tokyo, the
capital, is the planet's largest urbanized area at 36 million. A major economic power, Japan has the world's second largest
economy after that of the U.S. and the third largest in purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth
largest importer. It is a developed country with high living standards. To top it all, Japan has the highest life expectancy of any
country in the world.
Specifically, Tokyo, originally known as Edo, has come to symbolize modern Japan, manifesting economic prosperity and
worldly sophistication. Organized in a uniquely Japanese fashion, the city’s myriad rail system and subways make traveling
effortless and have created a series of town centres around the major rail stations. Despite its limited space for harmonious
living, Tokyo is one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world.
Anyhow, everything went like clockwork in Japan. Our bus limo arrived on time, and we were soon on our merry way to
Tokyo. I was excited! Ricky was laughing at me because I was just like a kid with my face glued to the window observing
everything, both inside and outside the bus. The first thing I noticed outside was that they drive on the wrong side of the road, just
like Australia and New Zealand! The scenery outside is very clean and lush with lots of foliage. One noticeable thing that stayed
on my mind, however, was that there are lots of transmission (power) lines all over town. Furthermore, the closer we got to Tokyo,
the less foliage there was and I soon came face to face with tall buildings and flyovers. Lots of them! Seeing those flyovers
somehow reminded me of Manila - just a cleaner and better version than Manila, and on a grander scale. And since we were the
last people to get off the bus, we had a chance to see downtown Tokyo, which made me glad because I had a taste of what Tokyo
has to offer.
A Travelogue
My Japan impressions
My Japan impressions
After lunch, we walked around Ginza. But since everything was too expensive
for our comfort, we decided to go to Akihabara instead. Also known as Akihabara
Electric Town, it is a district in central Tokyo famous for its many electronics
shops. In recent years, it has also gained fame as a center of the gaming and
animation culture. Anyhow, I had planned on buying a camera for myself and toys
for Isaiah. But we had one problem: how to get there from Ginza. The tour guide
only gave us directions on how to go back to the hotel from Ginza. So we had no
choice but to face reality: live the life of the ordinary “Tokyoites,” as they are fondly
called, by taking the subway!!!
for our comfort, we decided to go to Akihabara instead. Also known as Akihabara
Electric Town, it is a district in central Tokyo famous for its many electronics
shops. In recent years, it has also gained fame as a center of the gaming and
animation culture. Anyhow, I had planned on buying a camera for myself and toys
for Isaiah. But we had one problem: how to get there from Ginza. The tour guide
only gave us directions on how to go back to the hotel from Ginza. So we had no
choice but to face reality: live the life of the ordinary “Tokyoites,” as they are fondly
called, by taking the subway!!!
City Tour/Akihabara
We were picked up at the hotel and our first stop was the Meiji
Shinto Shrine. This shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the first
Emperor of Japan. On the bus, we were taught how to make a wish
properly: (1) throw coins; (2) bow twice; (3) clap twice; (4) make your
wish; (5) then bow once more. But before we could go inside the
shrine (no pictures allowed), we have to do the cleansing of hands
and mouth.
From the Meiji Shrine, we proceeded to the Imperial Palace East
Gardens. The current Imperial Palace, which used to be the site of the
old Edo Castle, is the residence of Japan’s Imperial Family. The Edo
Castle used to be the seat of the Shogun who ruled Japan. When the
shogunate was overthrown, the country’s capital and Imperial
residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, and the new Imperial
palace was constructed. The palace was destroyed during WWII but
has since been rebuilt. The palace buildings and inner gardens are
not open to the public. It’s only the East Gardens that are open to the
public and that’s where we walked around.
We were picked up at the hotel and our first stop was the Meiji
Shinto Shrine. This shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the first
Emperor of Japan. On the bus, we were taught how to make a wish
properly: (1) throw coins; (2) bow twice; (3) clap twice; (4) make your
wish; (5) then bow once more. But before we could go inside the
shrine (no pictures allowed), we have to do the cleansing of hands
and mouth.
From the Meiji Shrine, we proceeded to the Imperial Palace East
Gardens. The current Imperial Palace, which used to be the site of the
old Edo Castle, is the residence of Japan’s Imperial Family. The Edo
Castle used to be the seat of the Shogun who ruled Japan. When the
shogunate was overthrown, the country’s capital and Imperial
residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, and the new Imperial
palace was constructed. The palace was destroyed during WWII but
has since been rebuilt. The palace buildings and inner gardens are
not open to the public. It’s only the East Gardens that are open to the
public and that’s where we walked around.
Thereafter, we proceeded to the Sensoji, otherwise known as the Asakusa Kannon
Temple, the oldest and most popular Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Legend has it that two
brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and
even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them.
Consequently, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was
completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple. When approaching the temple, visitors
first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the outer gate of the Sensoji and
symbol of Asakusa. A shopping street of over 200 meters, called Nakamise, leads from the
outer gate to the temple's second gate, the Hozomon. Beyond the Hozomon main gate
stands the temple's main building and a five storied pagoda.
After souvenir shopping at Nakamise, we proceeded to Ginza district, the last leg of our
morning tour. The Ginza is considered as the Fifth Avenue of New York City, since it is
Tokyo’s most famous and upscale shopping, dining and entertainment district. One square
meter of land in the district's center is worth more than ten million yen (more than 100,000
US dollars), making it one of the most expensive real estates in Japan. It is where you can
find the infamous $10 cup of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in
fashion and cosmetics has a presence.
Temple, the oldest and most popular Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Legend has it that two
brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and
even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them.
Consequently, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was
completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple. When approaching the temple, visitors
first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the outer gate of the Sensoji and
symbol of Asakusa. A shopping street of over 200 meters, called Nakamise, leads from the
outer gate to the temple's second gate, the Hozomon. Beyond the Hozomon main gate
stands the temple's main building and a five storied pagoda.
After souvenir shopping at Nakamise, we proceeded to Ginza district, the last leg of our
morning tour. The Ginza is considered as the Fifth Avenue of New York City, since it is
Tokyo’s most famous and upscale shopping, dining and entertainment district. One square
meter of land in the district's center is worth more than ten million yen (more than 100,000
US dollars), making it one of the most expensive real estates in Japan. It is where you can
find the infamous $10 cup of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in
fashion and cosmetics has a presence.
Ricky, being a typical guy, didn’t want to ask for directions! But with my constant nagging and prodding, he finally had to ask
literally “hundreds” of people on how to get to Akihabara. I really meant it when I said “hundreds.” You see, since it was our first
time to use the complex train system, we had no idea how it works. So we had to ask numerous people to answer our numerous
questions. First and foremost was how to get to the station itself.
The Japanese are helpful, don’t get me wrong; however, they don’t offer to help simply because they don’t speak English. And
while some of the train stations have English translations, most do not. And if you look at the map of the subway stations, it looks
like spaghetti that it could be overwhelming and confusing to tourists like us. Just consider this: there is the Express. Then there
is the Limited Express, the Special Express, the Rapid Express and the Special Limited Express. And all that is aside from the
Local, the Special Direct and the Limited Direct, not to mention the 3 kinds of Shinkansen (bullet trains). To make matters worse,
you also have to tackle questions like “Which train line do I want? Which track do I need to be on to go in the right direction?”
These questions and more will be racing through your mind as you prepare to embark on your first train ride in Japan. So,
considering all these, I was so overwhelmed that my brain cells refused to cooperate with me. And furthermore, when you ask for
directions, they only tell you a portion of it. They don’t tell you that you have to get off at this station, then transfer to another train to
get to the final destination. Agh! Very frustrating, indeed.
Anyhow, after numerous attempts, we finally got to Akihabara and browsed through all the camera shops. Lo and behold,
everything was expensive. I know Tokyo is expensive, but I didn’t realize it was THAT expensive! Their newest piece of digital
camera alone costs 53,000 yen, which is equivalent to $600. Holy Molly! I had to remind Ricky that we are allowed to bring back
into Canada the amount of goods worth only $800 (for both of us); otherwise, we will be taxed. Also, we have to remember that
some of the electronic appliances on sale are only suited for use in Japan due to voltage and other technical differences and
limited warranty. So feeling disappointed that I can’t have a new digi-cam, we went to look for the biggest toy store so I can buy
the toys for Isaiah, the “apple of my eye”.
We then went into this store (more like a mall) which has 8 floors of all sorts of toys. I was surprised at how vertical Japanese
stores are. The footprint for each store was quite small, but there would be five or six floors for that store. In contrast, in the U.S.,
all but the very biggest stores are on one level. I would have expected to see store A on the first floor, store B on the second floor,
etc. Anyhow, I was like a kid in a candy store, not knowing where to start. We spent hours and hours browsing through all aisles
of all the floors just to find the “perfect” toys for the fave.
literally “hundreds” of people on how to get to Akihabara. I really meant it when I said “hundreds.” You see, since it was our first
time to use the complex train system, we had no idea how it works. So we had to ask numerous people to answer our numerous
questions. First and foremost was how to get to the station itself.
The Japanese are helpful, don’t get me wrong; however, they don’t offer to help simply because they don’t speak English. And
while some of the train stations have English translations, most do not. And if you look at the map of the subway stations, it looks
like spaghetti that it could be overwhelming and confusing to tourists like us. Just consider this: there is the Express. Then there
is the Limited Express, the Special Express, the Rapid Express and the Special Limited Express. And all that is aside from the
Local, the Special Direct and the Limited Direct, not to mention the 3 kinds of Shinkansen (bullet trains). To make matters worse,
you also have to tackle questions like “Which train line do I want? Which track do I need to be on to go in the right direction?”
These questions and more will be racing through your mind as you prepare to embark on your first train ride in Japan. So,
considering all these, I was so overwhelmed that my brain cells refused to cooperate with me. And furthermore, when you ask for
directions, they only tell you a portion of it. They don’t tell you that you have to get off at this station, then transfer to another train to
get to the final destination. Agh! Very frustrating, indeed.
Anyhow, after numerous attempts, we finally got to Akihabara and browsed through all the camera shops. Lo and behold,
everything was expensive. I know Tokyo is expensive, but I didn’t realize it was THAT expensive! Their newest piece of digital
camera alone costs 53,000 yen, which is equivalent to $600. Holy Molly! I had to remind Ricky that we are allowed to bring back
into Canada the amount of goods worth only $800 (for both of us); otherwise, we will be taxed. Also, we have to remember that
some of the electronic appliances on sale are only suited for use in Japan due to voltage and other technical differences and
limited warranty. So feeling disappointed that I can’t have a new digi-cam, we went to look for the biggest toy store so I can buy
the toys for Isaiah, the “apple of my eye”.
We then went into this store (more like a mall) which has 8 floors of all sorts of toys. I was surprised at how vertical Japanese
stores are. The footprint for each store was quite small, but there would be five or six floors for that store. In contrast, in the U.S.,
all but the very biggest stores are on one level. I would have expected to see store A on the first floor, store B on the second floor,
etc. Anyhow, I was like a kid in a candy store, not knowing where to start. We spent hours and hours browsing through all aisles
of all the floors just to find the “perfect” toys for the fave.
