Tokyo, with food.

The fact that i'm writing about Tokyo even though it's been 3 years since my trip goes to show how awesome it was. Tokyo can be described with many adjectives, many of which I don't even know the meaning of but it can also be described with many cliches. Tokyo, or in kanji, 東京 (which means eastern capital or capital of the east - take your pick) is the world's largest metropolitan area with a mind-boogling 32 million residents. That's ... a lot of people. A city of that size like any big metropolis have their share of issues; "crowded", "polluted", "impersonal" - amongst the cliches that follows a metropolis. 


Yes, it's true. There's no doubt that Tokyo, with its 32 million residents live in a very crowded society. Commuters are sandwiched together in a train  on a daily basis while homes are as small as can be. But, despite all these, Tokyo is special and I will tell you why. Where else in the world are municipalities called "special wards" or "特別区 - tokubetsu-ku" but in Tokyo. Where else in the world is there a special area designated for anime,manga,video games and the sorts? Where else in the world is the government office called the National Diet Building?




My flight from Auckland arrived in Tokyo around 5pm local time. As first impressions are said to be the lasting ones, I was in awe with Narita Airport. It was MASSIVE. I quickly came to grips that I'm no longer in good 'ol quiet New Zealand. With my limited ability to speak in Japanese (but with some english words and hand gestures, of course), I managed to get some bus tickets to my hotel. I've always known that Tokyo was a massive city but I realized the scale of it when it took me an hour and a half to reach my hotel from the airport. I was greeted by Masahiro, a good friend whom I've known since high school. Over the next few days, I also met with Sakiko and Manami (more friends from high school). People always said that the only way you can truly experience the culture of a country is by mixing with its locals. I found that to be very true and I do advice anyone reading this to definitely, without hesitation, get out there and meet the locals whilst in a foreign country. Do what they do. Speak the way they speak. Most importantly, keep in contact with them so when it's their turn to visit your home country, you can show them around too.

 View from hotel

 Masa and I

Japanese food is famous the world over and for good reasons! My trip was nothing more than a gastronomic explosion of the world's favorite cuisine. The sushi in Tsukiji Market  was the freshest I've ever tasted- the fish was sliced up into sashimi almost right after it got caught. The Una-don (Grilled eel with rice) I had in Asakusa was served with an eel that was fished right out of a tank, scaled, sliced and grilled there and then. The tempura I had in Ten-Ichi was also so fresh that I couldn't help but suspect that most of the restaurants in Tokyo harbor a tank to keep their seafood. Its no wonder why Tokyo restaurants have the most number of Michelin stars than any other city in the world! 

Nabemono (なべ物)

Una-don (鰻丼)

Sashimi

In it all, like any other big city, Tokyo clearly has its share of social issues. But Tokyo is unique. Tokyoites have every reason to be proud of their city. It's sophisticated yet down to earth. Impersonal yet very friendly. Crowded yet serene. Ultra-modern yet very traditional. The only thing I don't miss about Tokyo has to be Basashi or Horse-meat sashimi. That's right, it's badass. 

Basashi

Writing off,

Rich