Dearest Rachel -
For all my preparations, I'm apprehensive about how this plan of mine will work. You've already heard my concerns about the national attitude toward otaku culture (despite being more than willing to make bank on it), but as I sit in the theater, ruminating on just the transportation plans, I'm getting more and more concerned about getting back to the meeting point on time in order to return to the ship - and whether I really want to so early, as we won't be getting to see the night life areas at their best until, well, night.
This is one of the reasons I want to traverse the country on my own at some point.
Meanwhile, Rie-san begins by holding forth on the history of Yokohama, as she's a local native – she looks at Tokyo as "too big, too crowded." Yokohama, she points out, is the home of the main harbor. This is the place where all the firsts happen, at least, in terms of introductions to Western culture and technology: the first ice cream, the first gas lamps, and so forth. They have the largest Chinatown in Japan, many of whose ancestors came over as interpreters for Western traders. Not that they could speak Japanese, as such, but they're would understand the kanji in a way that would ease transactions between the Westerners and the Japanese.
According to Rie-san, cherry blossom season came late this year, so we are fortunate to actually see them in flower here. I'm not as surprised, since they were in bloom as far south as Kagoshima, but it may well be that everything is running late throughout the country. Not that I'm complaining.
Three million people live in Yokohama, making it the second largest city after Tokyo, which has a whopping twelve million. This means that Tokyoites make up ten percent of the entire population of Japan. No wonder they see themselves as the center of the universe.
The bus drives through a tunnel under the Tama River, which Rie-san informs us is the border between Tokyo and Yokohama. We come out right by Haneda Airport, by the water's edge - although Rie-san points out that this allows them to keep building into the sea (which they can't do at Midway, it being landlocked).
I took a few shots of Tokyo from the Rainbow Bridge:
Tokyo is composed of twenty-three districts, of which Shibuya is the busiest. I guess that's why we're headed there to start with. We tourists think of the place as a shopping and entertainment area, with the iconic Shibuya Scramble pedestrian crossing…
…and the Hachiko statue meeting point.
But after visiting the city several times – and taking tours that centered on the same section of the city (Asakusa) multiple times, I found myself wanting to visit at least one other neighborhood that I've not been to, but I'd heard about from fellow otaku… Akihabara, the capital of that world.
Akihabara, however, is essentially on the opposite side of the Yamanote ring line, give or take perhaps a stop or two. I think I chose the shorter of two directions; it's hard to tell. In any event, it took between thirty and forty minutes to get there, between travel time and stops.
Was it worth it? Hard to say; you'll note that I mention how I expected the place to be like a city-sized version of an anime convention dealers' room. Honestly, that wasn't all that far off from what I encountered, but I forget just how little I find worth buying and bringing home from a turn around one of those. For all that I claim to be a citizen of Otaku Nation, I've discovered what I probably already knew, but refused to admit to myself; that I'm only a tourist here.
Now, in terms of my usual rule that travel time should be less than time spent in a location, it probably wasn't worth the time taken. On the other hand, considering that I would consider the Yamanote line an experience in and of itself – and how would I ever understand (or even attempt to understand) Akihabara without actually visiting it – I don't think the rule even applies, to be honest.
In fact, I got more experience than I bargained for. On my return trip, I think somebody was calling to me to grab my ticket (which I couldn't understand; and it wouldn't have made any sense to me in any event, as I'd not needed it to exit the station at Akihabara), but the guy behind him was saying "daijoubu, daijoubu," as if it wasn't an issue. Apparently, it spit my ticket back at me, and I was supposed to - but neglected to - take it. As a result, when I got back to Shibuya station, I couldn't get out of the station. I went to the information desk and he basically responded with "if you lost your ticket, you'll need to buy another one to get out." Lesson learned, I suppose.
Once I'd returned to Shibuya, I wandered around aimlessly a little bit more, but assumed that I wouldn't have time to actually get something to eat. Somehow, however, I managed not only to do so, but to satisfy one more bit of curiosity that I'd had left over from last year that I'd not been able to.
I even managed to get back to Hachiko with some fifteen or twenty minutes before we were supposed to, and while there's no place at the foot of the statue to do so, there are a few grassy areas to place a few grains of you within sight of this good dog. I'm sure you would appreciate it.
The bus pulled out at just about four - apparently right on schedule - and we made it back by a little after five. I could have actually gone to dinner on the ship – and, in fact, I made a quick appearance there, only to inform the one tablemate who was there that I wouldn't be staying.
Because this doesn't finish the day's stories, no indeed. However, it might as well be enough for the moment; the evening is a tale for itself, I should hope.
In the meantime, honey, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck; I'm going to need it.
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