Not everybody visiting Japan is concerned in the temples and museums. Sometimes to get to understand a culture you need to go beyond the places recommend by your guidebook. If you are looking for some strange and quirky things to see and do in Tokyo, read on for some ideas.
You will need to wake up pretty early to see the Tsukiji fish market in full swing. Tourists can only enter a small section of the store as they were becoming too much of a nuisance touching and poking the fish. Skip morning meal from your hotel and head to one of the many sushi restaurants settled around the market.
Basic Waffle
Perhaps before you eat lunch, you should visit the Meguro parasite Museum. On display are over 300 species of parasites, together with a 30 foot tapeworm which was found inside of a man - not recommended for habitancy with weak stomachs.
From Meguro, take the Jr Yamanote line which circles Tokyo, to Harajuku. Harajuku is not only the fashion center of Tokyo, but on Sundays, it is where younger Japanese dress up and hang out for the day. Japanese refer this as "cosplay" and you will see everything from gothic to French maid outfits.
Takeshita-dori right in front of Harajuku middle point is a road lined with mostly cosplay and accessory shops. This is where the teenagers buy their gothic and French maid costumes. There is even a shop which sells clothes and accessories for your pet dog. Crepes and waffles seem to be the option of food for the teenagers shopping here. If you want to try one, be ready to wait a while as the lines can get long.
Also on the weekend in Harajuku, just over from the Yoyogi National Stadium, Japanese young and old put on a collection of amateur musical, dancing and comedy shows. Some are good, some are pretty average, others are just weird. Impress your friends by getting some pictures of punk rock guys all dressed in high school uniforms. exterior of Yoyogi Park you will find Tokyo's Rock-a-billy group decked out in denim and leather with hair-styles to match, dancing to the tunes of the fifties and sixties.
Find out what all the controversy is about by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. Each visit by Japan's Prime clergyman to the shrine causes outrage and makes newspaper headlines over China and Korea. Yasukuni Shrine is fairly unremarkable to look at, but what makes it famous, is that it commemorates Japan's involvement in World War Two. No fewer than 12 convicted Class A war criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni. Interestingly, the shrine is a beloved tourist destination for Asian tourists.
If you have ever been to a Japanese cafeteria you will know about the plastic food displays they use to put in the the front of their window. The plastic creations are sold in a place called Kappabashi Street. It is settled between Ueno and Asakusa. You can also pick up some enthralling souvenirs, together with sushi key chains. Kappabashi is the place where restaurants and serious cooks buy their cooking utensils and accessories.
Akiharbara is illustrious mostly for cheap electronics, but more recently it has come to be the center for otaku culture. Otaku is a word which describes mostly males who are into video games, computers and animation. "Maid cafes" have sprung up to cater for the otaku who visit Akihabara. In maid-cafes waitresses dress up in french maid outfits or in character costumes from beloved computer games. Maid cafes greet their customers with a phrase which loosely translates as "welcome master". Photography of the "maids" only seems to be encouraged.
A narrow alley not far from Shinjuku middle point is aptly named Shomben Yokocho, or piss alley for the lack of toilets in the shops. It is a narrow road lined with Yakitori or grilled chicken shops. Barbecue smoke wafts from each of the shops. Fortunately public facilities are now available in the area. The place has a enthralling atmosphere of old Tokyo, but for a best feed of Yakitori head off to the area around Yurakucho station.
The small Yakitori restaurants sit right underneath the railway lines. The noise of the trains and the vibrations they cause as they go overhead, only adds to the atmosphere. The area is beloved with Japanese salarymen grabbing a beer and a snack before they head off on their commute home.
Once supper is done, most foreigners head off to the bars and clubs of Roppongi. For a more enthralling Japanese experience, visit Golden Gai area in Shinjuku. Golden Gai is a group of tiny bars frequented with a client el of Japanese artists, writers and musicians.
Development is fast paced in Tokyo and many of the more enthralling places like Golden Gai are threatened by bulldozers. It is a sad reality but it is the ever changing fads and fashions that make Japan less of a holiday, but the creation of many an anecdote that will as a matter of fact liven any supper party.
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