Tokyo, Japan
After hitting my head on the door frame for the 3rd time I came to the sudden
epiphanous realization of just how immutable the laws of physics can be. It escapes me how I could have thought that the
axioms governing mass and inertia could possibly allow a door frame to budge after being bumped by a fleshy object
like a head. So was my introduction to the land of the rising sun and the perilously descending doorframes.
Tokyo was once known as Edo. When the capital was moved from Kyoto during
the so-called Meiji Restoration of 1868, the name was changed to East capital or Tokyo. Tokyo is host to fanciful skyscrapers and myriad Shinto shines where the faithful
pay homage to there ancestors. The lights of Shinjuku and Shibuya seem an order of magnitude brighter than Times Square. The affluent flaunt their yen at exclusive boutiques in the Ginza. At Tsukiji, the worlds
biggest fish market, $23 million worth of fish are sold each day. The streets of Tokyo for the most part are bereft of street signs. Taxi drivers clad in neatly pressed suits and white gloves navigate
their late model lexuses (lexi?) though the vast labyrinth of avenues and side streets that is Tokyo's utterly confusing road system. The cabs are immaculately clean, pure white doilies cover all the seats, and
of course the doors open and close automatically.
The apartments in Tokyo are minimalistic and cramped. Staying at a traditional ryokan is somewhat confusing at first. Upon entering the modest
edifice shoes are off and slippers adorned. When entering your particular 8ftX5ft room the slippers are removed. This keeps
the tatami straw mat clean. Indeed the aroma of the tatami straw mat is quite refreshing. There's more though, when
leaving the room to go to the restroom, slippers are put back on and at the bathroom special bathroom slippers are worm.
Many of the toilets are squat types but some of the western style toilets here even have heated seats. Oh, and to flush
you pull up on the handle as opposed to down.
Japan
is a very clean place with a very progressive attitude toward the environment. The Japanese have the world's most efficient,
if a little confusing, metro and rail systems. Most trash cans have separate bins for glass, metal, and paper. And as
a final coup de grace I submit to the reader this ultimate example of just how far the Japanese are willing to go for
the sake of the environment. Working class Japanese men ( aka salary men) do their part to be ecoconscious by buying unwashed
"RECYCLED WORN CO-ED PANTIES" at vending machines no less (incidentally Japanese vending machines sell all manner of goods:
beer, cigarettes, porn magazines, soup, hot dogs, and camera film to name a few). These salary men are likely the same
ones who frequent the numerous, elaborately themed, pay by the hour "love hotels". They also love to gamble. Smokey
pachinko parlors (a game best described as a cross between pinball, a slot machine, and a video game) lure their prey
with flashing lights and luminous neon signs. Missing the last train home
after an inebriating night of pachinko madness is no worry for the salaryman, he need just head to the nearest capsule
hotel. These coffin-like rectangles even offer the guest a mini TV inside
Japan is certainly a land of unabated hilarity. Baseball has become an institution in Japan. A visit to a Japanese baseball game is a world away from going to the ol' ballpark back home in the
states. Throughout the entire game, men in suits and red armbands ritualistically lead each section in cheer. They
bark loudly into megaphones at the fans, drummers, horns, and cheerleaders in their section. Like frenzied televangelist
zealots they scream fervently at the crowd orchestrating an intricate series of complex yet incessant cheers, songs, and
dances. Absolutely hysterical. Another rather humorous nugget of Japanese culture is manifest in the English t-shirts
that are all the rage. The phrases of these t-shirts run the gamut from at best cryptic and enigmatic, to at worst word
salads that make zero sense. A few examples culled meticulously from many: view good point, demand of you, rock n bowl,
delicacy survivor, and my personal favorite.....we can't see the world for the trees.
Beyond Tokyo
The cities beyond Tokyo seem to offer much. The city of Nikko in
the Japanese countryside is nestled amongst towering mountains and clear rivers. The shrines there were pleasantly tranquil.
A few more days here in Japan......Yokohoma's next and then its on to the chaos of Bangkok, Thailand.
Ciao, Nabeel
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