Connect with FacebookTen Facts You Might Not Have Known About... Tokyo
The world's largest city, and arguably it's most beguiling, Tokyo's incredible array of technology, off-the-wall culture and intensely pricey offerings is enough to make you fall in love with the city, or wonder how you're ever going to handle it at all. There are so many quirky sides to Tokyo it's almost impossible to know where to start, from the ancient culture of the temples and palaces, all the way to modern oddities like Pachinko and Cosplay culture. If you're overwhelmed, you can always head for the beautiful surrounding countryside, or the serenity of Kyoto. While you're still there, though, here are a few facts to add to the madness. Give them a glance,perhaps, while you're trying to ride that incredibly confusing subway…
- Japan has a food specifically designed for putting on weight. You can try Chankonabe in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo. Its primary audience is Sumo wrestlers; and it's of a consistency not unlike a very thick stew. There's also a McDonalds in the area that gives a free meal to any tournament-winning Sumo fighter, and even has a massive seat inside to accommodate the victor. Other odd foody offerings include raw horse, and of course plenty of really high end sushi. If you can handle the intense flavour of a sea anemone you're doing incredibly well.
- The huge Roppingi Hills building has recently become renowned as a 'cursed' venue. The idea came about because of the continued failure of businesses connected to the building, as well as the vicious death of a child and the fact that the building looks a little bit like a gravestone. If you want to a longing lasting love affair, on the other hand, the story goes that if you witness the turning off the Tokyo lights with a lover, your romance will last. The biggest problem there is that they're extremely rarely - if ever - actually turned off, so you might end up hanging around for quite some time.
- Owning a car in central Tokyo is almost pointless. Why? Surveys have consistently shown that if you're traveling during the day, and have a journey time of less than around an hour in a car, you'd be better off on a bicycle. The traffic is absolutely horrendous. The subway system is intensely confusing for visitors, too, and might take a bit of getting used to, especially when it comes to transferring. You've probably seen the videos of staff cramming people into trains (if not, view the video below - it suffices to say that there are 503 stations, and that the lines often run at more than 200% of their intended capacity), so if you're staying for any length of time, consider that bicycle seriously!
- Tokyo has an obsession with convenience culture. This can be seen in a big way in the abundance of vending machines, which seem to sit in every free corner of major streets. You can buy anything from the more standard vending machine fare of Europe and America, all the way to books, comics, ice, eggs, and even - through one particularly clever piece of marketing - a Smart Car. Coca Cola even developed a moving robot vending machine, which drives the local school children absolutely wild. Good luck tracking that one down!
- If you're planning on trying one of Japan's top delicacies, blowfish, make sure your chef has had some serious training first. To legally serve the poisonous fish in Japan you need to have undertaken between seven and ten years of training (more than a doctor in a lot of countries), due to the sheer risk of making an incorrect cut. I tried it in Korea, and it has a mild flavour and a chewy texture, but has an affect not unlike having a few too many beers, minus the bloatedness. More one for the experience than a truly great culinary experience, perhaps.
- Tokyo isn't , actually, officially Japan's capital. While it's widely acknowledged as being the top city, historians have a lot of trouble pinning down when the title passed over from Kyoto, and in fact most agree that it never officially did so at all. This is still a major point of dispute for some Kyoto residents; though it's unlikely anything will ever come of the disagreement. Some locals even argue that Japan has two capitals, which seems a touch superfluous to us. Almost everything important when it comes to governance, though, remains in Tokyo.
- Tokyo technically extends well beyond the mainland. There are islands that are part of the city that fall nearly 2000kms away, some of which are extremely isolated and rely primarily on tiny local industries such as fishing. Exploring these islands offers one of the most intriguing 'alternative Tokyo' experiences, though in reality they're very different to any image of Tokyo you probably have in your mind, and on many of them you'll certainly need some Japanese or good skills in gesturing to get by.
- Contrary to popular belief, The Economist stripped Tokyo of the title of 'the most expensive city in the world' in 2006, after it had topped the list for more than 15 years. That doesn't mean the city's not extremely pricy, though, especially if you like your luxury: one hotel room can cost as much as $25,000 if you want a suite with a view of the Imperial Palace. We found even a mid-range hotel often clocked in at several hundred dollars. If you're careful, though, you can get by on far less than you might think, just don't expect anything approaching a budget destination.
- Theoretically, if you get yourself up a high building in Tokyo and you should be able to see Mount Fuji. In reality, a combination of pollution and weather issues mean that recently you've only been able to see the mountain for about 80 days a year, depending on the district and the year, of course. If you want to see the mountain properly, the perfect time to visit is New Year, when it's traditional to watch the sunrise for the first time from the peak. You'll have to forego your party to some extent, though - a typical climb time is around five to six hours.
- If you're into your bars, Japan's role-playing fixations means Tokyo hides some of the oddest ones you're likely to see. There's a great list of some of the weirdest to be found here - they include a bar that looks exactly like you haven't left the office (err... relaxing... not), a cafe that impersonates a submarine and a waiter who insists on showing you your menu by performing a puppet show. Don't go too overboard, though, a beer in Tokyo can cost up to $12 for a fairly standard measure if you buy in the wrong place.
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