TOKYO TALES III
Long, long before we left for Japan, there was one thing that we were fixated on - Tsukiji, Japan's oldest, biggest and iconic fish market and the tuna auction in the early hours of the morning. This is where the world's biggest Bluefin tuna are sold to the highest bidder and it was in January this year that a record sale of over $6,00,00 was made for a single Bluefin tuna!
We had even worked out a schedule of sorts to have an early night on one particular day so as to be able to make it to the tuna auction. 'Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit', remember the school days proverb of man proposes and god......that happened to us. Included in the welcome kit awaiting us in the hotel room was this very loud and clear notice that the tuna auction was strictly out of bounds for tourists, who could however visit the market after 10 am. That was some blow.
There was also the tacit warning that Tsukiji being a highly busy place, tourists should not get in the way of business. I got a taste of it even before we entered the main block. A go cart type of a trolley was being driven by three guys who seemed to be more involved in their own conversation and not watching where they were going. As they were heading closer, unsure of what to do I stopped walking and stood still. That was a major mistake. Suddenly there was a bit of hollering in Japanese from all across and like a rabbit on the run, I dashed across to the nearest safe corner while the three whizzed past.
Why the time stipulation for visitors was clear after we got there. The wholesale dealing appeared to be over and there was more packing up for the day than display. But that was more than made up by the retails stores and above all, the eateries. There were also sections where the packing up process was halfway. The eyes and mind boggled on marine creatures that one had never seen, heard of and is unlikely to see again. The lanes lined with eateries and produce stores were packed. It became a game to single out those with long queues of foreign tourists to guess in which international travel magazine it had been listed! There was sensory overload every which way especially the presentation and taste, from the simple to the supreme, from subtle to sublime. And the range of colours was something else altogether.
Tsukiji shows its age especially in comparison to its swanky neighbour Ginza and the skyscrapers that surround it. Its history is interesting. Tsukiji translates into 'constructed land' and it is, the land having been claimed from the Tokyo Bay area after the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki devastated Edo or Old Tokyo. According to the official site of the market, it used to be a quiet region housing only shrines and homes for Samurai families. Today the Namiyoke Inari Jinja shrine is right next to the fish market and is viewed as the guardian of Tsukiji. Namiyoke means 'protection from the waves'. How the fish market took birth is another story of interest. The 1923 Great Kanto earthquake destroyed much of central Tokyo including the Nihombashi fish market, which was then relocated to Tsukiji and operations began in 1935. Some of the buildings, it says are more than 80 years and that the owners usually live on the upper floors. There have been talks of relocating and reconstruction. Whatever be it, I agree with the site's claim that, 'it is and it will be the best marketplace for customers to buy fresh seafood, vegetables and Japanese traditional food materials'.
After the hustle and bustle of a fish market, the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is more than poetry, serene and stunningly beautiful. A feeling of total tranquility envelops one. It is in the English garden section that from end March hundreds of cherry trees blossom. Now its every possible shade of greenery with the russets seeping in. With endless rolling lawns and walking paths that weave in and out and bridges that are reflected in still waters. The garden is said to have been originally a feudal lord's Tokyo residence during the Edo period which started in the early 17th century. Imagine! It's next avatar was that of a botanical garden. Then apparently in the early 20th century it was transferred to the Imperial family and finally in 1940 it became a public park. And thank god for that!
Shinjuku is a marvel. The garden has four sections - English Landscape; French Formal; the exquisitely beautiful Japanese Traditional compete with tea house and Haha to Ko no Mori or the Mother and Child Forest. Not surprisingly there were many young mothers and children, infants to toddlers having quiet cuddly moments or energetic running around games with much laughter. For a price and with prior booking, one can participate in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Twelve years ago I had done that and at the causing annoyance, especially to die hard lovers of the ceremony, I have to admit that while I loved the whole ceremony and dutifully abided by every rule, the jarring bitterness of the tea, particularly after eating two small dry sweets- one pink and one white- almost had me screaming for life. May be it was the clash of two extreme taste or whatever, but I couldn't wait for it all to be over. It was an experience I was not going to repeat and thankfully on the day we visited the tea house was shut. Tada! With so much beauty around right down to the brightly coloured koi in the water bodies, missing the tea ceremony is not a loss.
From the frenzy of a fish market to sublime soothing scenery and then we did an about turn and sashayed to the Shibuya Crossing. Of course, we didn't sashay but couldn't help overdoing the alliteration overkill! The Shibuya crossing is said to be the busiest intersection in the world and it is certainly some sight. Located outside Shibuya Station, the crossing is a huge spread with giant zebra crossings marked systematically. At first glance when you see people converging from every side - remember the lights go red in all corners simultaneously - it looks like a loose assembly of endless people heading for a bump in somewhere or the other. But amazingly it works out like a synchronised number. How do I know? Because I crossed it from all directions and not once did I have to go sorry or excuse me. During weekends it is said more than a thousand people cross at a time. Whew! We had been told to head to Starbucks, 2nd floor at the Tsutaya building on the north side for the best overview of the crossing. Well guess what? Everyone seemed to have been told the same thing and there went my plan to hang around till nighttime and watch the Shibuya show.
To make up for it we sought out the Spanish Hill (Supein-zaka) in Shibuya. There are two versions as to why it is so called. One is that it resembles a typical street in Spain and second and the one more flouted about is that it is so called because of its similarity to Rome's famous Spanish Steps or Piazza di Spagna. Some major optical deficiency here. And the verdict? Hmmm. Lets leave it at that.
For me Shibuya was not so much about the busiest crossing or the Spanish Hill or the fashionistas, for me it meant not just seeing but touching the bronze statue of Hachiko. If you have seen the British-American movie starring Richard Gere and sobbed heart-brokenly throughout it despite the change of location and culture, you know what I mean. For those not clued in, Hachiko was this Akita dog whose loyalty to his owner, a professor, was so profound that after his owner died, for nine years he continued to wait patiently near near the Shibuya train station for his return. Apparently he used to see his owner off to work every morning at the Shibuya train station and turn up every evening on time to meet him there on his return from work and walk home together. Hachiko died near the Shibuya train station in 1935. His bronze statue keeps the legend and the love alive.
Shinjuku is a marvel. The garden has four sections - English Landscape; French Formal; the exquisitely beautiful Japanese Traditional compete with tea house and Haha to Ko no Mori or the Mother and Child Forest. Not surprisingly there were many young mothers and children, infants to toddlers having quiet cuddly moments or energetic running around games with much laughter. For a price and with prior booking, one can participate in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Twelve years ago I had done that and at the causing annoyance, especially to die hard lovers of the ceremony, I have to admit that while I loved the whole ceremony and dutifully abided by every rule, the jarring bitterness of the tea, particularly after eating two small dry sweets- one pink and one white- almost had me screaming for life. May be it was the clash of two extreme taste or whatever, but I couldn't wait for it all to be over. It was an experience I was not going to repeat and thankfully on the day we visited the tea house was shut. Tada! With so much beauty around right down to the brightly coloured koi in the water bodies, missing the tea ceremony is not a loss.
To make up for it we sought out the Spanish Hill (Supein-zaka) in Shibuya. There are two versions as to why it is so called. One is that it resembles a typical street in Spain and second and the one more flouted about is that it is so called because of its similarity to Rome's famous Spanish Steps or Piazza di Spagna. Some major optical deficiency here. And the verdict? Hmmm. Lets leave it at that.
For me Shibuya was not so much about the busiest crossing or the Spanish Hill or the fashionistas, for me it meant not just seeing but touching the bronze statue of Hachiko. If you have seen the British-American movie starring Richard Gere and sobbed heart-brokenly throughout it despite the change of location and culture, you know what I mean. For those not clued in, Hachiko was this Akita dog whose loyalty to his owner, a professor, was so profound that after his owner died, for nine years he continued to wait patiently near near the Shibuya train station for his return. Apparently he used to see his owner off to work every morning at the Shibuya train station and turn up every evening on time to meet him there on his return from work and walk home together. Hachiko died near the Shibuya train station in 1935. His bronze statue keeps the legend and the love alive.
