By Callum Ruddock, Second Year Politics & International Relations
Think Tokyo is all about modernity? Think again. Callum Ruddock takes on on a whirlwind tour around the city of fine wines, incredible transport and subtle beauty.
If visiting Japan were just about ramen and bullet trains, Tokyo would serve suitably. That said, what Tokyo really offers visitors isn't neon or tempura, but a sanctuary for the urban dweller. Here we find modernity laid bare, elegance and class in abundance and a collected and calm atmosphere. Tokyo isn’t oppressive, it’s welcoming. It wants you to tickle its leafy and all-encompassing arms; drink its nihonshu (sake) and smoke peach cigarettes in the warm evening air. Towering business districts give way to sweeping tree lined boulevards, and it’s in this way Tokyo demonstrates its subtle side. Neighbourhoods like Jiyugaoka and Nakameguro often feel as if they were kept in a perpetual state of “Sunday afternoon”.
Tokyo is certainly urbanised, but it is not overwhelming.
Epigram / Rachel Evans
Back streets are splattered with book shops and quiet bars, where one can find sanctuary from the stresses of life; or alternatively find the bustle. Tokyo’s streets are also increasingly safe and clean. With Japan’s crime rate being one of the lowest in the world, Tokyo’s back-streets seem more inviting than those here in Bristol.
Travellers looking for both comfort and tradition can find haven throughout Marunouchi, where luxury hotels border the Imperial Palace. Those on a student budget will discover an abundance of affordable living, although it can be hard to find at first glance. Whilst AirBnb’s satisfy most, homestays offer a more authentic experience and can be cheaper. The more adventurous individuals will browse Japanese rental sites for the better value holiday lets. This requires more time and perhaps even help from someone who speaks some Japanese, however, the rewards often outweigh any effort.
Omotesandō avenue is the home to the cities more upmarket brands, although as you stroll along its tree covered paths you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Europe. In this sense Tokyo truly shines as a global city. I worry many Europeans are too blasé and quick to judge when considering Japan as a holiday destination. They consider Japan as modern and developed but fail to identify its rich and unique approach to modern culture. Tokyo is equally as romantic as Paris and Omotesandō is an exemplary demonstration of this.
Other quiet areas cater to the thirsty and hungry. Tokyoites have developed a taste for natural wines. Along the banks of the mighty Tama river we find Lunatique Tokio Plage, a large and laissez faire French restaurant serving hearty home cooked food and a very good glass of Japanese red. This is a surprising format for a city so steeped in tradition. Tokyo, however, continues in this manner by offering some of the world's most vibrant cuisine.
If you’re looking for the best seafood outside of southern Italy, look no further than Tokyo’s central districts. Take Winestand Waltz in Ebisu, for example, a standing only affair. Salted river fish skewered on sticks go down well with plenty of cold Japanese beer. Rather than a design choice, the lack of chairs is a purely practical consideration. Japan’s designers have risen to the challenge of making space where no space exists.
Tokyo has an appetite for architecture and contemporary structures litter Tokyo’s horizon. Much like the growing skyline, Tokyo is in a constant state of change, defying the simple limitations western cities often thrust upon their inhabitants. Tokyo offers an overwhelming sense of motion that accompanies anyone visiting.
It’s this sense of motion that drives Tokyo’s exceptional transport system. Nothing rivals it in terms of scale and quality. Its flow is somewhat hypnotic and makes traversing the city’s more enigmatic spots a joy. Tokyo is the only city where I have seen adults snogging without shame in suburban parks; old folk smoking and giggling like children and school kids marching themselves to school as if they were adults on their way to work. Tokyo can stop time and preserve, just for a few moments, the subtle beauty of the simple instances in our complex lives.
Epigram / Callum Ruddock
I often would find great peace listening to the cicadas as the warm evening air slowly rid itself of the day’s humidity. The beeps of taxis and the throb of the city is ever intoxicating.
A city of 9.5 million (49 million living in greater Tokyo) often at times feels no more than 10,000; although if you’re still looking for somewhere even quieter to escape the crowds try Denenchofu, Kiyosumi and Mitaka to name just a few. All things considered, perhaps the most significant quality that Tokyo has to offer is an abundance of wonderful people. I thoroughly recommend you get over there and meet them. JAL’s overnight London Service will shuttle you to Tokyo’s Haneda airport quicker than you can say 急がば回れ.
Featured image: Epigram / Rachel Evans
