Kyoto: The Temple Remix

"If you go Kyoto, you gonna be sick of temples!"
--Hiro, a staff member at Hostel K's House Tokyo Oasis.


Me at Kinkakuji (a.k.a. Golden Pavilion)


Me and Steven at Ryoanji Zen Rock Garden


Me at Fushimi Inari Shrine

I was struggling to get that perfect shot. I couldn't get a good photo with the Silver Pavilion! I'd spent half an hour asking passing Japanese tourists to take a photo of me, with the pavilion in the background. Every time, the resulting photo was awful. The framing was off, I'd be too small to be recognized, or something else would be wrong.

In the book Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation, the author mentions a study of how Japanese and Americans take photos differently. Two groups of students--American and Japanese--were given cameras. Their assignment: take pictures of your best friend. The Americans would shoot close-ups, emphasizing the individual's identity. In the Japanese photos, the best friend would be tiny, with the background more dominant. Environment over the individual.

Back to me at the pavilion. I was on the verge of giving up. No matter how many times I tried to be a director, the shots wouldn't come out right. Time to quit.

Then I noticed a Japanese girl in a kimono. She'd been waiting for me to see her. She held out a digital camera, gesturing for me to take a picture of her and her friends.

If I can't get a good picture, I'll help someone else get one, I reasoned. I aimed the camera. I waved my hand for the girls to move closer together. They shuffled toward the center. Slowly, I moved forward, filling the frame with their beautiful kimono-clad figures. Tapped the shutter button.


Kimono girls at Silver Pavilion

With a flourish, I showed the camera screen to the girls. Their smiles of delight made it all worthwhile. Then they huddled together and discussed something. A decision was reached. One girl beckoned me to stand with them.

I couldn't believe my luck! I gave my camera to a woman standing nearby. Before she could start backing away (and making us shrink in the photo), I told her to take the picture from where she was already standing. She did. Success!


Me with kimono girls

We bowed to each other and parted ways. It wasn't until I left that this thought occurred to me: why didn't she ask one of the other guys hanging around to take her photo?

The fleeting friendships are one of the sadder parts of travel. I'll meet someone cool, then they'll be gone the next day. This happens a lot in "transit" cities like Hong Kong, which people use as gateways to somewhere else. And if it's an expensive gateway city without signature sights, it's even more serious. In Tokyo, I had new hostel roommates every night!

Luckily, Kyoto was filled with things to see. For many travelers Kyoto is Old Japan. So my new roommates were there for a whole week, the same as me. What a big break!


Steven, Christian, and Ken at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant

Christian was of Indonesian Chinese origin, but grew up in the states. I cheered up when Ken and Steven said they were Taiwanese-American. I love Taiwan! We spent the most of the first night chatting about partying in Taipei.

We ended up eating our way through Kyoto together. It was basically a crash course in Japanese cuisine.

Breakfast: Noodles


Paying the noodle lady


Soba noodles with a side order of inari

Lunch: Sushi

100-yen sushi. Gotta grab those bargains!


Ordering sushi via touchscreen


Ken ponders his sushi plate.

Dinner: Yakitori


Various kinds of chicken yakitori and Asahi beer


Me chowing down on yakitori

Snack: Giant rice crackers


Giant cracker vendor


Choose your flavor.

It's a cliché to say that foods are better when eaten in the original country. Like how Chinese food in China is better than a Chinatown in the West. This is blasphemy for me to say, but I have had good Chinese food outside of China. I actually think the Chinese food in Malaysia is even better, because they use Southeast Asian spices and Indian curries.

However, the Japanese food in Japan is on a whole other level above what's served anywhere else. Everything is just so much better: the rice, the noodles, the seaweed, even the soy sauce is amazing.

The noodle joints are really basic. An old woman will boil a pack of noodles for under a minute, scoop the noodles into a bowl, add some broth, and it's done. So simple, yet the food is so fantastic.

When people talk about how expensive Japan is, the first thing that springs to my mind isn't the $100 Kobe beef steaks. It's a steamed bun I ate in Kyoto.


The 400-yen steamed bun.

It cost 400 yen (US$4.25). In China, you can get a steamed bun (包子) for less than 1 yuan (US$0.15). The Japan price is outrageous! According to my calculations, you could buy about 28 Chinese steamed buns for that. Curiosity got the better of me. I just had to know what a 400-yen steamed bun tasted like. The verdict: good, but not that good.

To avoid bombarding you guys with every temple I saw, I'll just write about my favorite one: the Kiyomizudera Temple. Temples in Kyoto are surprisingly small and ornate. Quite a contrast from their giant, flamboyant counterparts in Beijing or even Nikko.

The Kiyomizudera was big and had lots of nooks and crannies to explore. Best of all, it's cheaper than the more famous temples. The admission fee was 300 yen (US$3.19), about half the price of other temples in Kyoto.


Girls washing hands before entering the temple.


Guys ringing bells.

The main building was a huge wooden structure against a mountain. Along the main balcony, people crowded the rails to get their photos taken with the vast backdrop.


Kiyomizudera main balcony


Pagoda with city in background

In that complex is the Jishu Shrine, where there are two "love stones," placed 18 meters apart. The saying is, if you can walk from one stone to the other with your eyes closed, you will find true love.


Girl trying to find the stone with eyes closed

Instead of doing that, I relied on the good old hostel magic.

Jumi played bass guitar in a rock band. She had also studied abroad in Melbourne, so she spoke English with a fun Australian accent.


Jumi and me at Sandal Wood hostel

Trusting Jumi's excellent fashion sense, I asked her where I could buy a cheap kimono. I thought that would be the ultimate Japanese souvenir, having a kimono to use as a bed robe.

She suggested I hit the Kobo-san Market, which was held on the 21st of every month at the Toji Temple. Jumi said it was a famous shopping area for antiques and traditional Japanese crafts. She said a lot of people sold secondhand goods at low prices.


Toji Temple and moat

The scheduling was tight, since I was supposed to move to Osaka on that day. Had to do some last-minute improvising. I checked out of the hostel in the morning, stashed my backpack in a locker at Kyoto train station, then went to the Kobo-san Market. My new plan was to go to Osaka after visiting the market.

Usually I hate disrupting my plans, but I'm glad I made an exception this time. Kobo-san Market was my favorite attraction in Kyoto! It was full of local color and local people. If you're going to visit Kyoto, I highly recommend timing your visit so that you can be there on the 21st of the month.


This woman vendor was really loud and aggressive! Surprising for a Japanese.


Scene from Kobo-san Market


Ceremonial dolls


Vendors cooking okonomiyaki

I kept my eyes open for any kimonos. The first stall I went to had some cool kimonos, but they cost 3,500 yen (US$37). I decided not to rush and buy something right away. I've done that at other markets in the past. Later I'd see the same product at another stall for a cheaper price. Then I'd kick myself for being impulsive.

In the back of the market, I finally found what I was looking for. A table piled high with secondhand kimonos selling for only 1,000 yen (US$10.55)!




Secondhand kimonos for sale

I dove right in, picking out the coolest designs I could find. Narrowed it down to three finalists. I tried them all on. They all fit okay. Then I took a deep breath and forced myself not to get excited and buy them all immediately. I closely examined each kimono, looking for holes, loose threads, etc.

Only one passed my inspection. That's the one I bought. Ah, I couldn't wait to get home and wear my new samurai pajamas!

Inside Information

Where to stay

I stayed at the Sandal Wood Hostel. The owners are super-friendly and play in a rock band. The hostel itself is comfortable and homey, it feels like staying at a friends apartment. The common area is spacious, but the rooms are small and just okay.

Backpacker Hostel K's House Kyoto is the most famous branch of this chain. Other travelers have reported that it's really nice. The big advantage is that it's close to the main train station. Book early, as they're often full.

Getting around

The best way to get around the city is by bus. The subway system isn't as extensive as the bus network. Kyoto train station is the central bus stop. Pick up a bus map from the Tourist Information Center on the second floor of the train station.

It's best to buy stored-value cards from machines at the train station. Then you'll avoid fumbling for exact change to pay for bus fares.

These three buses go to most of the famous attractions. Source: Kyoto Prefectural Government Welcome to Kyoto site.

100 RAKU Bus
To Higashiyama, Heian Shrine, Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Pavilion)

(East route): From Kyoto Station the bus goes to the Higashiyama area such as Sanjusangen-do Temple, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Yasaka-jinja Shrine. Then, it goes to the Okazaki area such as Heian-jingu Shrine, Eikan-do Temple and Nazen-ji Temple and goes to Ginkaku-ji Temple. Then it comes back to Kyoto Station.

101 RAKU Bus
To Nijo Castle, Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine, Kinakaku-ji Temple

(Central route): From Kyoto Station the bus goes to Nijo Castle, Horikawa Imadegawa where Nishijin Textile Center is located, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kinakaku-ji Temple and Daikoku-ji Temple. It finally goes to Kitano Tenman- gu Shrine, Kinkaku-ji Temple and Daitoku-ji Temple. It finally goes to Kitao-ji Bus Terminal and then comes back to Kyoto Station. At Kitano Hakubai-cho, Bus Route 101 connects to the Keifuku Railway bound for Arashiyama.

102 RAKU Bus

To Ginkaku-ji-Kinkaku-ji Temple (Silver and Gold Pavilions), Daitoku-ji Temple

(North route) From Ginkakuji-michi the bus goes along Imadegawa Street to Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nishijin Textile Center, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kinkaku-ji Temple. It finally goes to Daitoku-ji Temple and then comes back. At Kitano Hakubai-cho, The bus connects to the Keifuku Railway bound for Arashiyama. At Demachiyanagi-eki- mae, it connects to the Eizan Rilway bound for Kurama.

What to buy

It's really worth arranging your schedule to be in Kyoto for one of its temple markets. Temple markets are great places to get cheap kimonos and other fun traditional items as souvenirs.

The most famous is the Kobo-san market at To-ji Temple, held on the 21st of each month.

Your Personal Tokyo

I made a video where I share all my best tips on Japan budget travel. Watch this and save a lot of yen!




Kimono girls at Senso-ji Temple


DJ Makai at Club Velours


Chefs at Maguro Bito, a restaurant that serves kaiten sushi ("conveyor belt" sushi)


Writing my Japanese name in kanji characters for a calligraphy lesson

"Show me your Tokyo," I said to my friends who lived there. They answered the call.

Big cities are a challenge. Tokyo is uniquely difficult. It has the most complex subway system I've ever seen; has acres upon acres of tiny lanes with no addresses; and has the Japanese language itself, which is notoriously impenetrable to outsiders.

I was counting on my friends to lead me through the labyrinth of the "Eastern Capital," which is the literal meaning of Tokyo's name (東京).


Shibuya at night

John was an Australian surfer/translator who was open to sharing the secrets of his city with me. We'd met at the famous World Scholar House in Taipei, a shabby but lovable hostel where I made most of my long-term friends in Taiwan.

Getting a good view is key when visiting a big city. I read that the Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office were good spots. "Follow me," John said. He knew a much better vantage point.

We took the metro to Shinjuku station and went into the Takashimaya Times Square department store. In the elevator, John pushed the button for the 14th floor.

When the elevator doors opened, we strode out. John pointed and said, "Men's restroom. Best view of Tokyo." We smacked open the door and entered.

An old man was pissing at a urinal. He ignored us as we climbed up onto the ledge. The men's restroom had a wall of glass facing the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. I immediately started snapping pictures.




Shinjuku skyline

"What if women want to see this?" I wondered. "Does the women's restroom have the same view?"

"Can't say," John said, laughing. "I've never been!"

Later, we went to the 13th floor outside terrace for more views.


Me and John on the 13th floor terrace

Next, John knew of a place that was geek heaven. Akihabara, I thought. Instead, he led me to Nakano Broadway. While I checked out the shops, I told him: "In America, maybe there would be one store in the whole mall that carried this kind of stuff. But this is the whole mall!"


John with cosplay costumes


Me having a close encounter


Dragon Ball Z animation cels

Dinner was next on the agenda. My choice was ramen noodles. In America, it was what we lived on as university students. In Japan, it's a much higher form of cuisine. John knew of a great Fukuoka-style ramen joint.

My favorite part was that each table had a shelf of condiments. The best one was a bowl of fresh garlic cloves and a garlic press. We wasted no time in adding pressed garlic to our ramen.


John using a garlic press


Me using a garlic press

The noodles were much softer and more filling than their inferior American cousins. The real highlight was the broth: rich, savory, and packed with flavor.

John and I would have far-ranging conversations, often comparing Taiwan and Japan. He was quite adept at describing the quirks of Japanese people. "They're all about giving a good performance," John said. "When they face a situation, they try to give the best performance of how they're supposed to act. If it's a new situation, they get very uncomfortable. Even being uncomfortable is another performance for them."

I talked about how Japanese and Taiwanese had different approaches to money. "Japanese are long-term investors. They'll buy a stock and hold onto it forever. That pisses off stock brokers, because they make their money on transaction fees from trading. So I read this Taipei Times article about how foreign banks want to expand in Taiwan. Taiwanese will buy and sell at the drop of a hat."


The pricing system at Maguro Bito. At the end of the meal, the waiter counts your empty sushi plates to calculate the bill.

What about drinks? Drinking is expensive, but Tokyo can be extra painful. Luckily, John had inside knowledge of a small bar hidden in Shibuya.

"It's kind of an izakaya pub where you order small snacks as you drink. Like the Japanese equivalent of tapas bars in Spain," he explained. That sounded really cool, like the places I went to in Barcelona. He said this bar had a good mix of Japanese and foreigners. The really Japanese joints aren't always so welcoming to foreigners, he warned. His bar was an exception.

When we arrived at Tasu Ichi, John replied to a text message from work while I looked over the extensive snack menu.


John at Tasu Ichi bar

The place was standing only, with no seats and tall bar tables. John said this was to encourage customers to move around and socialize more. It worked. Japanese really let loose while they're drinking. All that quiet politeness disappears! Conversations in multiple languages drifted around us. Ah, this was what being abroad was all about.

Another friend, Christina, took me around Akihabara. Some of her friends had started Tokyo Realtime, which sold audio tours of popular neighborhoods in the city.

Most of my readers are friends I know personally. Christina was different. She had found my blog through a mutual Japanese friend. She contacted me via e-mail, and I hadn't met her until I got to Tokyo. Did I have more fans that I don't know about?

I thought I'd be disappointed by Akihabara. I've already seen electronics markets all over Asia. My laptop came from Guanghua Computer Market in Taipei, my old Casio camera was from Pacific Digital Plaza in Shanghai, and my USB stick was from Plaza Low Yat in Kuala Lumpur.

What attracted me was the party atmosphere. Other electronics markets are pure businesses. Akihabara felt much more fun, like a carnival as much as a market. There were lots of geeks doing "cosplay," dressing up as comic-book and anime characters. I thought fans of Star Trek and Dungeons & Dragons were dedicated, but the Japanese otaku (geeks) have got them beat.

Christina arranged for me to be a test subject for an audio tour of Akihabara. My favorite stop on the tour was Super Potato, a vintage video game shop.


Me playing Super Mario Bros. on the original NES


Christina playing on a giant Gameboy

The place was a museum of video-game history. Old consoles I haven't thought about in years, like the Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafx-16, were on sale. John had once told me that the Japanese were the perfect collectors, paying for quality products and being meticulous about maintenance. Every console still had its original packaging in mint condition, like it was straight from the factory.


Japanese Super NES consoles


Super Mario Bros. plush dolls

After the tour, I got interviewed by the creators of Tokyo Realtime. They wanted to collect testimonials about their product.


Me getting interviewed about the audio tour

Encouraged after seeing Nakano Broadway and Akihabara, I wanted to indulge my inner nerd. Tokyo was the world's best place to be a geek. No matter what you were into, Tokyo had it: comics, video games, electronics, etc. What did I want to check out?

Then I remembered something Aaron said. He's a Canadian friend who had mentioned that Tokyo was a mecca for vinyl records. I did some research, and came up with Udagawa-cho. It's an area of independent record shops in Shibuya, scattered around the Tokyu Hands department store. I looked up the best shop for hip-hop music and went in for a visit.


Manhattan Records, street view


Customers checking out hip-hop records. The guy on the left is wearing a Run DMC hat.


A customer at a listening station

A lot of dance clubs in Asia play the same Top 40 music. So I was excited to hear new songs and mixes thundering from the turntables. There were DJs on both floors spinning records. The music was so thrilling that I wished the place was a club, so I could bust out some moves.


In-store DJ pumping out the jams


Original record of "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy


The Wall of Fame: famous rappers who've visited Manhattan Records

My other passion is movies, so I went to La Jetée, a bar dedicated to world cinema. It was in the Golden Gai bar district, an area I wanted to check out anyway.


The Golden Gai


Frenchman at La Jetée


Me chilling out at La Jetée

The unspoken contract I have with my readers is that I won't say something is cool when it's not. I had high expectations, because this bar is mentioned in all the guidebooks and gets rave reviews.

I'll be honest and say that La Jetée was a letdown. Way too small and expensive for what they offer. The average independent cafe in Taipei is much nicer, bigger, and cheaper for the same funky bohemian atmosphere. The lanes of Shida and Gongguan are filled with better places.

On a positive note, I did get to talk to some nice French people. When you're crammed that closely together, you'll meet people whether you want to or not!

I had better luck with clubbing. John had referred me to Honza, a Czech grad student who partied a lot. Honza invited me to join him and his friends for a night out at Club Velours.

"What do you study?" I asked Honza.

He screwed up his face to ponder the question. "It's hard to explain," he said. "I was an engineering student. But now I'm studying green energy, because I mean, I'm trying to save this world!"

Multiple DJs spun records that night. My favorite act was Nobis, an electro band. Their heavy use of a synth keyboard sent me back to the 1980's.


Nobis rocking out at Club Velours

The last DJ played a great set. Sorry guys, I've tried to match who I saw with the DJ schedule, but I can't find her. She looked like a Western girl. Anyway, she put on some awesome breakbeat and drum & bass songs. Not quite hip-hop, but close enough to get me dancing in full effect.

Japanese guys started dancing off against me, and Japanese girls would try to copy my moves. No one really spoke English, but that was okay. Dance needs no translation.


Me and Kimie at Club Velours

Inside Information

Getting into the city

There are several trains that serve Narita Airport. The Narita Express goes to the most convenient stations and is the most expensive. The cheapest option is the Keisei Limited Express (NOT the Keisei Skyliner), which costs 1,100 yen and takes 75 minutes to get to Ueno station, the last stop.

To get to places in western Tokyo like Shinjuku and Shibuya, get off at Nippori station and transfer to the JR Yamanote line (green line). To go to eastern Tokyo places like Asakusa, get off at Aoto station and transfer to the Tokyo metro Asakusa line. Simply walk across to the other side of the platform at Aoto.

If you're only carrying a backpack, taking the Keisei Limited Express, JR train and Tokyo Metro is the cheapest way to get downtown.

If you have more money and luggage, you might want to take a limousine bus. Cost is 3,000 yen (US$33) and the time varies depending on the destination and traffic. They serve many of the major hotels. Or you can do a combination of limousine bus with a short taxi ride to a cheaper hotel.

Getting around

Tokyo has an extensive (actually too extensive) network of private and government-run railway lines. You'll never need to take a bus. Taxis are best avoided unless you can share the cost with other people.

If you'll be staying in Tokyo for more than a few days, it's worthwhile to get a Suica card or Pasmo card. They're smart cards that you can load with cash. The cards make it super-easy to pay public transport. The scanners on turnstiles will automatically subtract the correct fare from the card. You'll save time from having to look up fares and dig up the right amount of money.

In any case, get a metro map as soon as you can. I used my metro map more often than my street map!

This is important to know if you're staying out late: the metro trains are usually start departing at 5:30 a.m. What I'd do is stay in a club until it closed around 5:00 a.m. Some metro entrances open earlier than others. If an entrance is still closed early in the morning, follow the rest of the after-hours crowd to another metro entrance.

Can't stay up till sunrise? Don't take a taxi by yourself, it's cheaper to stay in a capsule hotel or 24-hour Internet cafe. Internet cafes offer "all night" deals where you can get a semi-private cubicle, reclining chair, and sometimes shower facilities.

Where to stay

Most hostels are clustered around Asakusa, the traditional area in the northeast of the city. Beware of any cheap places in popular areas like Shibuya, Shinjuku, or Roppongi. They're likely to be bad or not as well-located as they advertise.

I've stayed at K's House Tokyo and K's House Tokyo Oasis. K's House is clean, has good facilities, and is only a 10-second walk to Kuramae metro station exit A-6 on the Oedo line. (Note: There is another Kuramae station for the Asakusa line). Big common area, very social. The only downside is that it's very much a Western-style backpacker hostel, with little Japanese character.

The other branch, Tokyo Oasis, feels like a boutique Japanese-style inn. Tastefully decorated, lots of atmosphere, and quieter than K's House. The main disadvantage is that it's a 10-15 minute walk to Tawaramachi metro station on the Ginza line. Most of the lively areas are in western Tokyo, so I used the metro a lot. Really felt inconvenienced by the location. Guests don't hang out in the common area much, so it's harder to meet people other than your roommates.

K's House has branches throughout Japan, and I'd recommend them. Book in advance, as they're highly rated on hostel websites and popular with backpackers. Actually, this is good advice for Japan in general, since the cheap places fill up fast.

If you're traveling with one other person, you might want to split the cost of a room in a "business hotel" (minshuku in Japanese). It's a different concept from the West, where business hotels are for CEOs and conventions. Japanese business hotels are no-frills operations for local "salarymen." Two of the biggest chains are Toyoko Inn and Superhotel.

The Hotel Asia Center of Japan is a good choice. This business hotel is near Aoyama Itchome metro station. It's only 1 stop from Roppongi, 2 stops to Shibuya, and 3 stops to Shinjuku. The rooms are simple and the single rooms are like walk-in closets. I stayed there in 2005 and thought it was good. The central location was great.

If cost is your main concern and you don't care so much about location, look around Minami-senju. It's an area in the northeast of Tokyo. Minami-senju has the cheapest hotels in the city. Private single rooms (no bathroom) start at around 3,000 yen (US$33). That's the same price as a dorm bed in most hostels! But be prepared for Japanese-style facilities, as in sleeping on the floor and group showering rooms. Here's a list: Economy hotels in Tokyo.

The Kangaroo Hotel seems to be the nicest one in that area. I've never stayed there, but read good reviews of it on TripAdvisor.com. The rooms seem like walk-in closets, but look clean and stylish in the photos.

However, most Japanese consider Minami-senju to be a ghetto because there are a lot of homeless people there. Still eminently safe compared to major U.S. cities. It's Japan, after all.

To find reasonably priced business hotels, traditional inns, etc. in other parts of Japan, visit the Japan Inn group.

Cell phones

Japan and South Korea are two of the only countries where you can't just pop a SIM card into your cell phone. Both use CDMA networks. Everywhere else, you can slide a SIM card into an unlocked quadband GSM phone and start making local calls.

Buying a phone isn't really viable either, for a short trip. You usually have to go through some bureaucracy and register as a foreigner before you're allowed to buy a phone.

The best solution is to rent a phone. Most major airports will have some kiosks representing the major Japanese telecom companies.

I got mine through Rentafone Japan. It was started up by an American expat who couldn't find a place to rent phones for friends and family who visited him. The company offers a really convenient service where they'll mail your phone to your hotel or hostel before you arrive. So when you check in, the clerk will hand you the package with your cell phone. Easy instructions. Make sure to dial their special prefix number to get discounts on calls and text messages. When you're ready to leave, just mail back the phone in the self-addressed stamped envelope. I sent mine from Narita airport just before I got on my plane.

If you visit Japan a lot, it might be better to buy a secondhand phone from a foreigner who is moving out of Japan soon. Look through the classifieds sections of English-language publications like Japan Today and Metropolis Magazine. You can get good deals if the person is desperate to sell their phone fast.

Another thing different about Japanese phones is how they handle text messages. For some carriers, you can send a message to a cell number. But many Japanese phones have a separate "mobile e-mail address." You dial a phone number to call a friend; you send text messages to their mobile e-mail address. So when you make a new Japanese friend, make sure to get both their phone number AND mobile e-mail. It's cheaper to send e-mails than make calls. Most Japanese know this and will write these down if they give you their contact information.

What to buy

If you're going to somewhere like Thailand later, save your shopping for when you get there. There are not too many bargains in Japan.

One exception is electronics, especially secondhand goods. Japanese always need to have the latest gear. As soon as a new version comes out or if something gets scratched, they rush out and buy. Japanese also take good care of their possessions, so even pre-owned products are in good condition.

Akihabara is the place to go. I was seriously tempted to get a used SLR camera. Remember to check if you can get an international warranty and whether the electric plugs are compatible with the outlets in your home country. If you're buying something expensive, you might qualify for a tax refund at the airport before you leave Japan. Ask the clerk for the right paperwork before you buy.

To get an idea of Japanese electronics prices, look at this website: Kakaku.com. It's in Japanese and prices are in yen. You can navigate fairly easily using the picture icons. A computer for the computer section, a camera for the camera section, etc. Use the Universal Currency Converter to get home currency values.

For traditional Japanese crafts, go to flea markets. Temple markets offer excellent deals, but they are typically only held once a month on a weekend. Check your guidebook for which temples will hold markets during your trip.

The Arai Yakushi Temple Market is one of the more local hotspots, which fewer foreigners know about.

Oedo Antique Market is one of the biggest official markets. Another major one is the Heiwajima Antique Fair, which is held five times a year.

For more touristy souvenirs, go to the shops around Sensoji Temple and in the Oriental Bazaar. The Japan National Tourism Organization has a handy master list of Tokyo flea markets.

Where to party

The scene in Tokyo changes too fast for me to recommend specific bars and clubs. I'm better off discussing certain areas of the city.

Roppongi is the main spot for foreigners. More English-friendly, but can also feel more trashy.

Shibuya and Shinjuku are more Japanese and high-class (except for Kabukicho, which is more like the seedier parts of Bangkok).

Golden Gai is a really local area packed with interesting bars. But they can sometimes be unfriendly to new customers. Space is tight, so the bar owners rely heavily on their regular customers.

Yurakucho is a good spot for working-class izakaya bars and yakitori barbeque restaurants.

The best source of information is Metropolis, an English-language magazine aimed at expats. You can find it in most expat bars and bookstores.

The Metropolis Visitor's Guide is excellent. It's better than most guidebooks for shopping, dining, and nightlife leads. This was where I found out about the Udagawa-cho record shop district.

Hiroshima: Crisis of Conscience

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts."
--Mark Twain


Locals walking past the A-bomb Dome in Hiroshima.

Nuclear ruins. That's what I expected to see in Hiroshima. Growing up, all I saw on TV documentaries and in history textbooks was the infamous mushroom cloud.

In Shanghai, I had the great luck to become friends with Marie, a traveler from Australia. She had lived in Hiroshima. In Marie's words: "I lived in Hiroshima for 15 months. I had to leave.  If I hadn't, I'd have never left! It's awesome!"  She made me wonder if I held an outdated stereotype of the city. The only way to find out was to go.

The shock of my life was seeing a charming, fun city with the friendliest locals this side of Taiwan. Marie helped out by putting me in touch with Naomi.

* * *

Naomi led me through a neon spiderweb. The alleys criss-crossed each other into a maze. "This is the place," she said.


Fortune Cafe & Bar

Marie had told me about this pub, one of her favorite hangouts in the city.

I stomped up the steps, trying to shake off the cold. The welcome I received inside warmed me up quickly.


Yumiko, me, Naomi, and Megu

They all greeted me happily and were eager to hear news about Marie. Playing the newscaster, I filled them in on her travels through Italy, England, and Canada. She was always the girl on the move.

The women took turns playing tour guide, suggesting where I should go. More importantly, they also told me which foods I absolutely had to try while I was in Hiroshima. That's Asian-style traveling: the food takes priority over the sights.

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the former."
--Albert Einstein, physicist

Being a typical American, I was surprised that Hiroshima wasn't a radioactive wasteland. Intellectually, I knew that couldn't be true since people live there now. But that impression lingered. Pretty much every history book I had to read in school only talked about the atom bomb. After that, Hiroshima disappears from the records.

What the books don't say is that parts of Hiroshima feel like a European city. I could write about it, but the pictures are better:


Girls on bicycles


Electric streetcar


Old man sitting by a canal

Even though it wasn't Tokyo, Hiroshima still had a great buzz. I didn't feel like I was in a remote countryside. The girls were really fashionable too, sporting the high-heeled boots that are popular in winter time.

My good friend Colin once talked about "prime cities." These are cities with enough restaurants, nightlife, economic growth, and international flavor to be a cool city to live in. Some countries have lots of prime cities, like Malaysia. Other countries have none, like Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma).

On the other hand, Japan seemed full of prime cities. Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and now Hiroshima. I could easily see myself staying in any one of them. People told me Fukuoka and Sapporo were awesome as well.

I was amazed that Hiroshima recovered so well from its tragic history.

“Men like war: they do not hold much sway over birth, so they make up for it with death. Unlike women, men menstruate by shedding other people's blood.”
--Lucy Ellman

Visiting the Peace Memorial Park and Museum were an exception for me. As a rule, I don't like going to the sites of tragedies. They're so damn depressing. People like to quote that saying, "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." But I'm not sure if people have learned that lesson from building all these memorials and museums.

It's like, "We've made this monument to commemorate the sacrifice, but now we want to do it all over again." There are hard-line Japanese conservatives who want Japan to re-militarize. As for America, they didn't end wars after Vietnam.


"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in."
--George McGovern


"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

In businesses, executives are given stock options, so they have a stake in the success of the company. I wonder if that would work with war, if politicians were exposed to the risk of failure.

A modest proposal: if a politician does vote for war, any of their kids aged 18 and over get sent straight to the battlefield. Not stay in the reserves at home, or in some officers' club away from the front lines. Dropped right there in the middle of the crossfire.

Leaders love to talk about "shared sacrifice" without practicing it. With their own children in danger, this would focus their minds on winning wars, bringing troops home, and most importantly, backing off from going to war in the first place. A stark contrast with how war is conducted now--to make defense companies and mercenaries rich.

"You can't say civilization don't advance . . . in every war they kill you in a new way."
--Will Rogers


A replica of the atom bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Bombs should be big. Considering how much destructive power the atom bomb had, I expected it to be huge. I was shocked by how small it was. The average car is bigger than that atom bomb. When I took a picture of it, I made sure to include people in the frame. That gives you a sense of scale to see how tiny it actually was.

Thinking back to the Manhattan Project, it's frightening to think of how much brainpower, money, and resources went into developing this weapon. The research and development cost was $2 billion at the time. That would be worth much more these days. Was it money well spent?

What kind of problems could have been solved if a bunker full of geniuses were given the same unlimited budget?

How could otherwise intelligent people be convinced to kill so many?

" . . . the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”
--Hermann Goering, Nazi military commander

After seeing the preparation of the bomb, the exhibits moved on to cover the aftermath. This was not going to be pleasant, that much I already knew.

One of the tough parts about travel is facing the bad things that your country has done. I think most people are brought up to believe that their country is good and right, no matter where they're from. It's not until you visit the countries your homeland has victimized that you get the other side of the story.

In Vietnam, I visited the Hoa Lo Prison, a.k.a. "The Hanoi Hilton." I was with a French girl. On one wall, there was a painting of French colonialists torturing Vietnamese peasants. The French girl sucked in her breath and clucked her tongue. She turned to me and said, "My country has done many bad things."

Now it was my turn to see what America had done.

"There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever."
--Thomas Edison

There was a display that re-created what the blast zone looked like. Crumbling buildings, raging fires, and a dark sky. The worst was the wax mannequins. They were shuffling forward, with skin dropping off their bodies, arms outstretched for a rescue that wasn't coming.

I shuddered. Zombie movies could compete on gore, but can't compare with real horror. History can't be dismissed as fiction.

Then there were the photos. I couldn't bring myself to look at the photos. The melting skins, the mouths cracked open in silent screams. These victims didn't need to die to go to Hell; they were already there. Fire and brimstone brought to Earth by American ingenuity.

Members of the U.S. Army examine the area around ground zero in Hiroshima, Japan in the autumn of 1945. (U.S. National Archives)

"I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

In a weird way, Hiroshima actually reaffirmed my faith in mankind. If anyone had a reason to hate Americans, it'd be the Japanese. But all the Japanese I met this trip were completely hospitable and didn't resent me for being American.

On the other hand, there was the attack on Pearl Harbor, yet every American I know thinks Japan is cool and Japanese are so nice. People can overcome hate.

How did they do this? I'm not smart enough to solve the world's problems, so I won't claim to have any answers. I do think openness is a big factor. Openness in communication, in culture, in politics, in trade, and openness to change can make a difference.

It's hard to hate a people when you like their food, their art. Impossible to hate if they're already your friends. The way we know about each other is through openness and staying connected.


"We have two ears so that we can listen twice as much as we speak."
--Epictetus


Sato Hitomi, a volunteer guide and daughter of an atom bomb survivor. She and others give free tours and spread their message of a world without nuclear weapons.