Tokyo is also really good at 'towns' and 'streets' little alcoves in
the city that are dedicated to selling or showing one type of thing.
Akihabara is probaly the most famous of these towns. Known for being a
mecca of electrical shops, as soon as you get
out of the station, Akhihabara delivers a full jolt of energy (excuse
the pun, I couldn't help myself). Your senses are overcome with bright
lights and loud noises, masses of tourists maneuver through nerdy guys
yelling out amazing offers on the latests gadgets
and pretty girls in maid outfits handing out flyers for their kitschy
cafes. Not really my cup of tea, but definitely glad I saw it.
After Akihabara I went to a town that was more my style,
Jinbocho, nicknamed the Used Book Store Street. I suppose I was
imagining this winding cobblestone street with rickety wooden bookstalls
under aging awnings with a nice little local cafe to provide some
home cooked comfort food. I thought I was in the wrong place when I got
out and saw a normal metropolis street with a decent vehicle traffic
running through the street light intersection and a large Starbucks
gracing the far corner.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all of the stores that weren't food shops were in fact used book stores, dozens of them, ranging from contemporary bargain shops to pricey, antique vendors. One of the stores had an entire section devoted to Technical Textbooks in English. I think the best way to describe it is the perfect place to spend a nippy autumn afternoon with a nice hot latte strolling leisurely down the street, in and out of these paperback paradises.
My last stop was the Imperial Palace. It was a lot like the Kyoto Imperial Grounds - open, lots of gravel pathways and little gardens between all the stone fortresses. Lots of tourists here, it's proximity to Tokyo Station makes it very accessible, and the free entrance is certainly a perk. Fun tidbit, in case you didn't know, Japan is currently the only country in the world to still have an acting emperor. Japan is a constitutional monarchy though, like the UK, so Emperor Akihito is more of a figurehead, but still a pretty cool title to hold. No emperor sightings to report of this trip unfortunately. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all of the stores that weren't food shops were in fact used book stores, dozens of them, ranging from contemporary bargain shops to pricey, antique vendors. One of the stores had an entire section devoted to Technical Textbooks in English. I think the best way to describe it is the perfect place to spend a nippy autumn afternoon with a nice hot latte strolling leisurely down the street, in and out of these paperback paradises.
My last stop was the Imperial Palace. It was a lot like the Kyoto Imperial Grounds - open, lots of gravel pathways and little gardens between all the stone fortresses. Lots of tourists here, it's proximity to Tokyo Station makes it very accessible, and the free entrance is certainly a perk. Fun tidbit, in case you didn't know, Japan is currently the only country in the world to still have an acting emperor. Japan is a constitutional monarchy though, like the UK, so Emperor Akihito is more of a figurehead, but still a pretty cool title to hold. No emperor sightings to report of this trip unfortunately. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
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