One fine day in Tokyo.

From time to time, friends, both in Australia and here in Saga, rural Japan, have asked me what you can do in Tokyo if you have one day spare for sightseeing.

Old Edo period sweet shop in Asakusa.

It seems that several international airlines, as well as JAL, offer one-day stopovers in Tokyo on their way to Europe. My friends and students sometimes have to go to Tokyo for meetings, seminars or exams, and often have a day, or a large part of a day, free for sightseeing. And Tokyo is so huge, and so different from Australian cities, or other parts of Japan, that it can be daunting trying to figure out a fruitful way to spend a single day. 

A couple of weeks ago I had just such an occasion. I had been in Tokyo on some private business, which concluded late in the evening of the day before my flight back home to Saga, in the south of Japan. My flight didn't leave Tokyo until 6.30 p.m. on my free day, so I had a good amount of time to kill. But I was determined to spend it profitably, not just waste it shopping, or walking around the Ginza, where I had been staying. So I planned a day out, seeing some things I had not seen for a long time, and doing some things I had not done before. And it turned out to be a great day, with quite a few pleasant surprises, and a good bag of new pictures to remember it by.
The pagoda, and visitors 'healing themselves' with incense smoke at  Sensoli temple.

The day started out lucky, warm and sunny, with just a gentle breeze, and cobalt blue sky, which held up all day. I had decided I wanted to see a good cross-section of Tokyo, old and new, buildings and nature. Yes, there is nature in Tokyo, in abundance, if you seek it out. To begin, I caught the subway to Asakusa, which is at the end of the Tokyo Metro Ginza line, or you can get there on the Toei Asakusa line, both of which are very accessible from other lines.

You get a good view of the Asahi offices as the ferry swings away from the wharf, and one of the many bridges the ferry squeezes under.

Asakusa is a step backward in time to the Edo period. It is the location of Tokyo's oldest temple, Sensoji, said to have been built in 628. Adjacent to this temple is a beautiful five story pagoda, and also the Asakusajinja shrine. The area around the temple and shrine is still home to many artisans and craftspeople, as it has been since Edo period. The street from the temple gate to the main building is lined with about 90 shops also dating back to that time. It is an easy place to walk around, as although usually crowded, it is close to the station, and compact, and there are plenty of quiet spaces to escape the throng.

After I had seen enough of Edo Japan, I walked to the river that is just a stone's throw away, crossed over the bridge and took a look at the famous Phillipe Starck designed Asahi Brewery offices. The rooftop contains the sculpture dubbed by many as 'the golden turd', not quite knowing what it represents. The best guess is that the building is a beer glass, and the gold object the foam blowing off the top. Make up your own mind. There are restaurants in the beer glass building, so it was a good place to have lunch.

The first sight of the gardens as you step off the ferry is this ume blossom orchard. The gardens have beautiful tea rooms, and large tidal lake.  They are framed by the Shiodome skyscrapers on the north side, one of the largest of which is the Dentsu building.

After this I walked back across the bridge to the ferry terminal. The ferry heads down the Sumidagawa river, to the Hamarikyu gardens. The 40 minute trip passes under many interesting bridges, and gives you a glimpse of various parts of city you may not otherwise see. It did occur to me that Tokyo has not made great use of the spaces along the river, but given that we are looking at a totally reconstructed city since the war, I can understand this. But the ride is interesting, and at the correct time in Spring, a good view of the many cherry trees that line the river can be had.

The Hamarikyu gardens are a spectacular little secret in Tokyo. Not high on tourist agendas, but well known by the locals, they are worth a visit. The were created during the Edo period by the Tokugawa Shogun family, and contain the last tidewater ponds in Tokyo. The gardens are quite large, and contain many species of plants and flowers. I was lucky enough to see the ume (plum) orchards in full flower, and the spectacular site of a field of nanohana (canola or rape) in full bloom. That part of the garden was a little busy that day, due to the flowers, but the whole park is usually very quiet, and peaceful. It is a very pleasant place to stroll through. It has a lot of water, a beautiful tea house on the lake, and is spectacularly bordered by the huge skyscrapers of the Shiodome area, just a very short walk from the main gate.
These steps take you up into the walkway complex that keeps you several stories above street level. The walkway connects the main buildings above ground.

On walking out of the park through the gate in the North corner, you are confronted with several choices. The famous Tsukuji wholesale fish market is down the street to your left, straight ahead is a fifteen minute walk to the Ginza, past Tokyo's first, and historic capsule apartment building, Tokyo's old Shinbashi station, the Tokyo terminal of Japan's first railway, or to your left the new, shiny skyscrapers of the Shiodome area. I chose to see this. Or the sheer size of it chose me.

Shiodome is home to Dentsu, Japan's biggest advertising conglomerate, and they occupy a building suitable for their status. It is also the site of the Nippon Television office tower. To access this area, you go up a walkway that is about three stories up, and connects the major buildings and surrounding areas. It is very modern indeed up there. Huge television screens, strange, kawaii animal sculptures, a very modern driverless skytrain to the new Odaiba waterfront area; a definite futuristic feel to the landscape. I walked through the skyscraper towers to Shimbashi station, where you can take the JR Yamanote line train or access the subway, to escape to the various other many parts of Tokyo.
Futuristic scenes of television screens and strange statues above the street level, and the Tokyo expressway winds through the skyscrapers.

My time was running out, as I needed to get back to my hotel in the Ginza and pick up my left luggage (a service all Japanese hotels will perform for you), and head of to the airport. I chose to do the thirty minute walk from Shiodome, have a last great cake and coffee from one of the many little back street coffee bars in the Ginza, have a last look at a few buildings, such as the new Mikimoto pink building with its very post-modern window shapes, and head home. I regretted that I did not have time to see the Tokyo International Forum (see article this website), very near the Ginza, for one last look. I do recommend it if you have time, but unfortunately I didn't.

It had been a great day, and an excursion I can thoroughly recommend,  taking in some very old and very new, very built and very natural, and giving me a good feel for a small part of what Tokyo is.

RK

Comments

[Eileen]

I knew if I trawled about I would find a useful bit of info - havent been to Tokyo for ages and am hopefully dropping by late August and maybe late Sept on way back from Greece - hope to get a good camera at Akihabura if still same as before - any ideas on buying one where and price welcome - thanks once again....

Hi Eileen. I think Akihabara is not quite the place it was to buy cameras that it once was, but now that Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera have grown in size (both huge now) due to the digital revolution, that they are the best bet. There is one of each very near Shinjuku station, and quite easy to find. I find Bic to have the best sales staff, but Yodobashi may have the best stock. Thats a moot point, though, as they both have just about every camera on the planet. Prices in Japan are not as cheap as the U.S., but certainly better than Australia, or Europe.

There is also a nice Bic Camera store beside the Tokyo International Forum builduing in the Ginza, which is stunning, and worth a look, and do-able in this one day Tokyo tour. There is mention of it somewhere in this blog. Just look under architecture.

Ray