Far East Travels Video Podcast

It’s called shitamachi, the old town ambience of Tokyo’s past that has survived and in fact flourishes today in the Yanaka neighborhood, within walking distance of Tokyo’s expansive Ueno Park. You’ll find streets and alleys lined with old style merchant housing. Typically a shop on the ground floor with a living space above.

This neighborhood was virtually unaffected by World War ll bombings and the devastating earthquake of 1923 so unlike many places in Tokyo, some buildings here date back hundreds of years.

Yanaka is included in a trio of neighborhoods called Yanesen, Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi. It was developed as a temple town during the Edo Period from 1603-1867. People from all over Edo, the former name of Tokyo, would visit Yanaka for sightseeing and worship. If you’re interested in visiting inside the temples arrive well before the closing time of 5pm. There’s also a traditional cemetery where the remains of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun of Japan lay.

Don’t be surprised if you bump into a few wild cats on your stroll through the neighorhood. Yanaka is famous for it’s population of stray cats and there are signs of this pride all over with cat cafes, souvenirs and feline references everywhere you look.

Visit the Yanaka Ginza shopping area close by the Nippori station of the JR Yamanote line and you’ll see further evidence of the love for cats. There’s even bean filled taiyaki cakes in the shape of cats instead of the traditional fish form.

Rice crackers, old style fish and butcher shops, traditional wooden and straw rope sandal makers are all around Yanaka Ginza.

It will feel like a time capsule when you leave Yanaka for a district like Akihabara. Otherwise known as Akihabara Electric Town famous world-wide as the center for otaku, people obsessed with anime, manga and gaming. But Akihabara’s history as an electronics shopping district goes back to post World War ll when it was known as the place to buy household electronic items.

Today you’ll see lots of maid cafes in the neighborhood. What’s a maid cafe? I’m glad you asked. It’s a place you can buy a meal and yes a coffee while a young woman in a french maid style costume acts as a servant and treats you like her master. Mainly appealing to fans of anime, manga and video games the first maid cafe not suprisingly opened right here in Akihabara in 2001. Today they are everywhere and attract a wide range of people including otaku, tourists, couples, women and politicians.

As the popularity and futuristic appeal of household items faded in the 1980’s Akihabara shifted it’s focus to computers at a time when they appealed only to hobbyists. These otaku were also interested in anime and manga thus the center of the world for this unique culture was born and thrives today.

If you just want a deal on some electronics accessories or cables it’s a good place to shop. You may get lucky and bump into a robot, maybe even one of the cat persuasion. No getting away from those cats in Tokyo.

Japanese pop culture is famous world-wide and much of it’s fashion is born in Harajuku. There are many familiar international brands here but you visit more for the people watching, the dining and cafes and to observe the interesting way of retailing and marketing. If you’re into street fashion and culture it’s one of the best places in Tokyo to visit. It’s also home to Yoyogi national stadium, site of the 1964 Olympic swimming and diving events and the beautiful Meiji Shrine.

One stop away on the JR Yamanote line is Shibuya station, one of the busiest trains stations in the world and right at it’s door the famous Shibuya crossing or scramble.

This could be the busiest intersection in the world where the lights on all corners turn red and pedestrians dash in all directions sometimes more than three thousand in one light. I would describe it as a controlled frenzy.