Tokyo Highlights - the essential must sees

Any visit to Tokyo should include a visit to the largest Shinto shrine (Meiji Jingu) and the most important Buddhist temple (Sensoji). Also don’t miss the high-rise new buildings of ultra modern Shinjuku. Shopping in Tokyo is expensive but a treat with a level of service rarely equaled outside Japan. An early morning visit to Tsukiji fish market is a tradition for the jetlagged. Mt Fuji in winter is a sight to behold!

When the busy city gets just too much head for some parks, or Kamakura and Nikko - two pretty towns within easy reach of Tokyo.

The best time to visit is cherry blossom season in early April but the only real bad time is the hot and extremely humid summer (July - September).

Quick Tips:

Several companies operate half day and day tours that can be arranged by your hotel. These are generally fair value for money if you prefer not to go it alone, or if time is limited. However, central Tokyo is very easy to get around in and virtually all signs are in both English and Japanese. Surprisingly few Japanese speak English but virtually all can read English well. When you get lost write down or show in your guidebook where you want to go. (That said, I’ve heard the King’s English from some station and post office officials so always ask first before going into mime!)

Central Tokyo has a population density of about 13,000 per square kilometer so people watching is possible anywhere although Harajuku and Shibuya are areas famous for the outrageous fashion of the youth - weekends, especially Sundays are a good time to watch school girls get dressed up in the most ridiculous outfits imaginable. They love to get photographed.

Shops in Tokyo generally opens late (10 am or even 11 am) but similarly stay open late at night.

Best Way To Get Around:

For long distances Tokyo’s subways (underground) are the best choice. They are fast, safe, highly efficient and relatively inexpensive - punctuality is measured in seconds. They do get crowded during rush hour but after about 8:30 am and before 17:00 it is relatively easy to get a seat on most lines.

Once in a sightseeing area it is best to walk, or take a taxi if you must. Taxis are expensive, and most drivers don’t speak English but being cheated is virtually unheard of. An address written in Japanese (ask the hotel front desk) is always appreciated. Remember the left rear door of the taxi opens and closes automatically.

Buses are generally not convenient for most tourists - drivers don’t speak English and routes are often posted in Japanese only. The Subways are more practical, faster and cheaper.

Driving in Tokyo is surprisingly easy but can be slow - my average speed in central Tokyo and mostly in light traffic measured over a month or so is at most 15 km per hour. Parking is a nightmare - never mind the cost per 15 minutes, just finding an available spot is a struggle.

The mammoth Hotel New Otani complex is the largest hotel in Japan. It is also one of Tokyo’s most prestigious and the hotel of choice for delegations from many governments and international organizations.

The complex consists of two hotel buildings (the Main and the Tower), an office building (the Garden Court) and arguably the best maintained privately owned garden in Tokyo. Banquet rooms, shops (about 120) and restaurants (almost 40) are spread out throughout the complex and cater to all tastes (except cheap!). A revolving bar on top of the Main offers good and changing views.

We once stayed in the hotel for two weeks in The Main in room 444, which is the Japanese equivalent of 131313 (with death specifically rather than ordinary standard bad luck foremost in mind). I doubt they would offer this room to Japanese and many Asian customers but it suited us fine. An error in the quotation added free breakfast which generally cost from yen 2500 to yen 4000 (about US $ 20 - 30) per person. The room was spacious by Tokyo standards and tastefully decorated with ample storing space. The bathroom had a small waterproof TV but showed only local Japanese channels. Standard cable with CNN, BBC, etc is available in the bedroom. All rooms have coffee and tea makers - but avoid the plum tea like the plaque unless you are constipated and even then there are more human treatments. The view from this room was a bit disappointing featuring rather prominently the roof and air-conditioning units of the public rooms. That said we were astonished the first morning to see Mt Fuji, almost 100 km from Tokyo. The mountain looked so close as if you could actually stroll there in half an hour. We stupidly didn’t take any photos and never saw it again the rest of the two weeks.

The view from higher rooms and especially those in The Tower is generally nicer. The rooms in The Tower are also slightly nicer but there is not much in it. I checked many delegations into this hotel and have seen most of the types of rooms and the difference is not much unless you go for a suite. Rooms become nicer as the price goes up but as the movement is from a rather high base even the lower price rooms are nice.

Check in is remarkable fast and smooth for such a busy hotel. The bellboy will accompany you to your room and remind you that tipping is NOT customary in Japan. (Japanese restaurants and hotels manage to work the salary of staff into the price of the services they offer.) Ironically many of the restaurants in the hotel add a 10% service fee to bills, something that is usually not done in restaurants in Japan except those in internationally oriented hotels!

Room rates generally exceed $ 200 but specials are often available on the Internet or package deals and can go as low as $ 120.

The exterior of the 40 floor Akasaka Prince hotel is one of the most dramatic in Japan. The hotel is on a small hill and not surrounded by any other high buildings so defines the skyline all on its own. It was designed in 1983 by renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and resembles the vertical folds of a Japanese fan. It is ultra modern inside and out.

The inside, apparently also designed by Tange, continues the theme of straight lines and simplicity. In fact many people consider the huge white marble lobby a bit sterile. It is definitely cool and airy. Whatever your opinion on it, it will never be described as gaudy or kitsch.

Each room in this hotel has a superb view, whether you face Akasaka with the possibility to see Mt Fuji in good weather, or facing Marunouchi and the Imperial Palace. The unique shape of the hotel makes every bedroom a corner room with views in at least three directions. The windows are huge with built-in sofas underneath. Furnishings are white, silver and shades of gray. The bathroom is a typical Japanese prefabricated plastic unit but a nice feature, also common in many Japanese houses, is that the washing basin is outside the bathroom itself making it easier when two people are sharing.

All rooms have coffee makers and fridges. Closet space is a bit limited (even if you don’t stay 40 nights like I once did) but large drawers add useful storage room. I liked the modern lighting in the rooms but a colleague complained that he found it too dark to read.

There are 12 restaurants / bars in the hotel including the two with excellent views on the 40th floor. A sign board in the lobby with weather information announces daily whether Mt Fuji is viewable from the 40th floor - you don’t really have to go that high up but the hope is that you should linger in either the bar or restaurant there. The Trianon used to be considered the best Western restaurant in Tokyo but had stiff competition the past couple of years (prices haven’t come down though). The Potomac offers standard hotel restaurant food but at reasonable prices for Tokyo.

The Akasaka Prince doesn’t offer many additional facilities. It has a pool for a couple of months in the summer. The best thing to do is probably to sneak across the road to view the beautiful garden of the Hotel New Otani.

The hotel is very conveniently located with excellent access to public transport. Five subway lines interlink at the Akasaka-Mitsuke - Nagatacho stations which are within five minutes walk from the hotel.

Room rates are around yen 17,000 ($ 130) per night.

The original shrine was destroyed during the Second World War and the current construction was completed in 1958. In contrast to many other postwar reconstructions in Japan, the original plans were followed and the correct building materials, in this case mainly Japanese cypress, were used. The shrine is situated in a forest like park with more than 120 000 trees donated from all areas of Japan.

The main entrance to the shrine is close to Harajuku Station (JR Yamanote Line) or Meiji Jingumae Station (Chiyoda subway line). You enter through an enormous wooden torii (see photo below) and proceed along a wide gravel walkway. After several minutes walk turn to the left and go through another torii - the largest wooden torii in Japan. To the left is a small park - admittance charged and not really worth it. (A surcharge is added while the irises are blooming in June / July whether in full bloom or nearing expiration!)

The shrine itself follows a type of Shinto shrine architecture dating back to the eight century of dignified simplicity with decorations limited to the absolute minimum. This is in stark contrast to the splendor and excessive decoration at the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa Shogun in Nikko. At Meiji Jingu most of the wood are unpainted, with a limited use of white paint and copper naturally turned green the only contrasting colors. The chrysanthemum crest of the imperial family is visible in several places including the square lanterns hanging from the eaves.

If you cut your shrine viewing teeth in Nikko or Kamakura, Meiji Jingu will come as a pleasant surprise - there are practically no stairs here. That said the walk from the entrance to the shrine itself takes a good 20 minutes or so. It is mostly gravel and can get a bit dusty on a busy day. It is also not suitable for narrow wheel strollers and wheelchairs although ones with thicker wheels seem to be OK.

There are frequent festivals and events held at the shrine. The most crowded is the first three days of the New Year. On New Year’s Eve it can take several hours to proceed from the entrance to the shrine itself and even on 2 January you can expect enough people to slow proceedings down to a crawl.

The Meiji Shrine is open from sunrise to sunset and entrance is free.

Sensoji Temple, also known as Asakusa Kannon, is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Tokyo. Its foundation in 628 is based on the legend that fishermen fished a golden Bodhisattva Kannon (goddess of mercy) out of the nearby Sumida River. The image is kept in a gold plated shrine but is never shown to the public.

Approaching the shrine, the first gate is Kaminari-mon - the gate of thunder; the god of thunder is on the right and the god of wind on the left. However, more picturesque to most tourist will be the huge red paper lantern hanging in the middle of the gate. It is one of the most famous sights in Tokyo and makes for great photos in almost any weather. Rickshaws usually offer services from the gate - many speak English.

After the gate you enter Nakamise Dori - a famous shopping street leading to the temple. (See Asakusa area entry). Before reaching the temple you cross another huge gate with more big red lanterns - the Hozomon Gate. The lanterns here are donated by tradesmen, including the traders from Tsukiji Fish Market. The huge, several meters long straw sandals are from rural Yamagata - the idea is that if the guard of the temple has such enormous feet it is better to pass than to contemplate evil deeds!

You reach the main hall after passing a huge cauldron of smoking incense. For a cure, wave the smoke towards areas of your body that ache. The main hall has been rebuilt at least four times. The current temple structure dates from the 1950s and is mainly reinforced concrete. It replaced the 1651 temple, which was destroyed by air raids during the Second World War. During the war the image of Kannon and several other artworks were buried and spared from destruction. The three huge lanterns hanging from the main hall are donated by geishas from various areas in Tokyo alluding to the important role Asakusa played in Edo times as an entertainment area. (This role has long since moved elsewhere, especially to Shinjuku and Ikebukero.)

After donating some coins you can pull your fortune out of cylinder with sticks - just follow the lead of other people there. You’ll get a stick with a letter and then take the fortune out of a drawer with the same number. There are sometimes English instructions available or just ask - many visitors are keen to help foreigners to find the right slip of paper. If you don’t like your fortune you can simply nix it by tying it to a nearby tree!

The temple area is open 24 hours and admittance is free.

The Asakusa area is most famous for Sensoji Temple, Nakamise and Kappabashi shoppig steets. The incredible variety of shops in Nakamise Dori, the 300 m street that leads to Sensoji Temple, offers everything from cheap souvenirs to authentic antiques and exquisite handcrafts. The price of souvenirs varies little throughout Tokyo, but Nakamise Dori has a variety and selection not equaled elsewhere. Many shops sell rice crackers (sembei) in a range of flavors and often will offer pieces for tasting. The atmosphere here is usually jovial and very friendly towards foreign visitors. Some find the shops gaudy and kitsch but selling these type of wares is a tradition as old as the temple itself.

Kappabashi Avenue is famous as the area where the plastic food displayed in the windows of Japanese restaurants is produced. It is also full of shops selling more ordinary kitchen utensils. Most shops are closed on weekends.

Asakusa is one of the areas in Tokyo where you may have involuntary interaction with Japanese school children. They normally operate in a group - staring and giggling and always trying to push one member of the group forward! Have pity on them as they are on English class assignment and have to ask foreigners a few questions and report back to class. As soon as they realize that you understand them and their purpose the shyness may disappear in seconds and all may start talking and ask questions. The questions are usually related to where you are from, what you have seen in Tokyo, where you plan to go in Japan and your views on world peace. Some speak astonishingly good English - especially the one initially being pushed by the rest - but some speak very basic English. Remember that they have to report back in class so keep the message simple and upbeat. They may ask to take your picture and will be happy if you take one of them.

Behind the Buddhist Asakusa Temple is the Shinto Asakusa Shrine, which was erected in 1649 on instruction from the Tokugawa shogunate. It commemorates the founders of the Asakusa Kannon which is enshrined in the Temple. The shrine is not of particular architectural note but it is one of the oldest wooden constructions in Tokyo. The shrine somehow escaped the destruction that befell all the other structures in the area - a miracle easier to subscribe to than the golden unseen Kannon.

The photogenic five-story pagoda close to Sensoji Temple is a 1973 replica of the Edo original.

Asakusa is the end terminus of the Ginza subway line, the departure point for Nikko Tobu Railway and also a stop for the Sumida River waterbus.

Shinjuku is legally one of the 23 wards (or cities) that together constitute Tokyo, but for most visitors Shinjuku is associated with the bustling area that surrounds Shinjuku station. Shinjuku Station (it is actually 6 stations next to and atop of each other!) is the busiest station in Japan with about 3 million passengers passing through each day. Any time you go to Shinjuku station you may feel alone but you’ll NEVER walk alone in this area!

Nishi (West) Shinjuku has the highest concentration of skyscrapers in Tokyo. For some reason the ground in this area is considered less susceptible to earthquakes and of course modern technology makes increasingly higher earthquake resistant buildings possible. The most impressive is the 48 story Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices - this huge complex consists of three buildings and resembles the façade of a very high gothic church. It was designed during the economic bubble of the 1980s when the sky seemed to have been the limit and no expenses were spared. A free viewing platform is in the left tower and many of the nearby office buildings have restaurants with a view on the top floors.

Much more lively is the east side of the station. A few blocks to the north is Kabukicho - the most famous adult entertainment area in Tokyo. Erotic shows and adult entertainment compete with fairly normal restaurants and bars for business. The area is fairly safe to walk in and as all the writing is in Japanese most foreigners would not even guess what is advertised on the higher floors - although graphic displays are becoming more prominent of late. This being Tokyo a large theatre with mainly family oriented shows as well as several standard cinemas are smack in the middle of this "red" (in Japanese "pink") light district. Note that foreigners are mostly not welcome at the adult entertainment establishments. In contrast foreigners are mostly welcome at bars in the gay entertainment area in adjacent Ni-chome.

However, the best part of Shinjuku is the shopping. A visit to at least one department store is a must even if just to see the display of food or the massive selection of make up and perfumes. Isetan department store is close to the station and very popular with locals and visitors alike. Several branches of Marui (younger demography), Mitsukoshi (more mature shoppers) and Takashimaya (usually more mature but in this specific branch aiming younger) are all close to the station.

Thousands of other shops cater for every need and every price range. True bargains are often to be had. For electronics try Bic Camera, Sakuraya or Yodobashi - these three stores are practically next to each other and are famous for having employees constantly checking the prices of the competition and adjusting their own prices accordingly. Sakuraya also has a seven-story watch store selling all kinds up to Rolex at discount prices.

Isetan is one of Japan’s famous department store groups and a favorite of many chic Japanese and visitors. The main store is close to Shinjuku station.

The food stalls are in the basement and this floor alone makes a visit worthwhile. Many individual stores and brands have their own stalls here - all the famous names are here: for chocolates Godiva and Neuhaus, several bakeries including Johan (French), Andersons (Danish), Tuechheim (German) and of course all the Japanese confectionaries as well. Beautiful fruit beautifully displayed - and please don’t touch the $ 200 melons! Japanese stalls have fresh produce and precooked meals - all which must be sold the day it was prepared so nearing closing time the stall owners start to scream out lower prices to attract customers. Although it gets quite noisy it is still pretty sedate and very polite.

The first floor has mostly female accessories and make up. Practically all the European and Japanese brands are represented, each with their own display area and staff. Sampling is possible everywhere and you can even get a complete makeup done if you ask for a demonstration. On the next couple of floors designer clothing ranging from Calvin Klein to Isay Miyaki will tempt you.

The fifth floor has house ware, porcelain, and Japanese pottery and lacquer ware. The latter makes beautiful if pricey gifts. There are often items on sale on this floor that can make reasonably priced souvenirs. Anything you buy can be gift wrapped for free - just tell the shop assistant that it is a gift or present. And it is true - in the less busy sections you can simply give your purchase and money to any shop assistant. While you continue browsing she (sometimes even he) will complete the payment transaction and find you again to give you your change and purchase.

Men’s clothing is in the Annex building - connected to the Main Building at several floors. It has the same designer kind of collection but if you are 190 cm there is little reason to linger there!

Western and Japanese restaurants are on the top floor and smaller coffee shops are scattered throughout the building.

In most department stores foreigners can claim sales tax (only 5%) back on presentation of your passport at the International Service counter. Purchases should usually exceed yen 10,000 for the day but it is no challenge to shatter that level here.

The best time to visit is at opening - be there on the minute and feel like royalty. The store manager will come down to open the door and while the music plays each and every shop assistant must bow to each and every customer (real or potential) passing by! Head down the smaller aisles if you don’t want to share "your" bows with other people. Try not to laugh but if you can manage it without smiling you may already be in need of psychiatric help. It lasts at most five minutes; it’s childish but what fun!

The Imperial Palace is a bit of a non-sight. Sure, unlike Paris’ Bastille it is there but you just can’t actually see it. However the huge moat and some of the stonewalls and a few guardhouses make the trip worth the effort.

The Japanese Emperors resided for centuries in Kyoto while the Shogun wielded real military and political power from Edo (now Tokyo). In 1868 the Tokugawa Shogunate collapsed and Emperor Meiji moved to Edo and renamed the city Tokyo. (Tokyo simply means capital in the east.)

Edo Castle burned down during the 17th century and was never rebuilt as a military bastion. However, the new castle residence of the Shogun was ringed by 16 moats resulting in the biggest castle complex in the world. The castle was in the center and the proximity of the residences of nobility to the castle was determined by the level of trust the shogun had in the nobles. The level of trust was never very high and the Tokugawa shogunate had a system in which a nobleman alternated his residence between Edo and his real productive land. While on his own land his family had to stay in Edo basically as hostages of the Shogun. This system forced the nobility to maintain two expensive households and none ever manage to upstage the Tokugawas. The result was that the nobility was impoverished and after 250 years of peace the merchants and other professionals, who were of a low rank in the shogunate, emerged as the rich and most respected class after the Meiji restoration that begun in 1868.

The palace was destroyed in the Second World War and the current structure dates from the late 1960s. Today only the innermost moat remained intact but it is impressive enough. A favorite jogging course in Tokyo goes around the Palace and it is exactly 5 km. Small parts of some of the outer moats were preserved including in front of the Akasaka Prince and New Otani hotels in Akasaka.

For ordinary mortals the only time it is possible to enter the palace grounds is on 23 December (the Emperor’s birthday) and the second of January. On both days the Imperial family waves at the crowd and even then you can’t go in far. The only area of the former palace proper that is open is the East Garden, which is well worth a visit especially in spring.

Japanese tourist groups flock in droves to have their photo taken at the Niju-bashi Bridge. There is even a semi-permanent scaffolding so the whole tour group can get into the official picture. The bridge is famous in Japanese history as the scene of several famous kabuki plays and is thus revered in Japanese folklore. The bridge is however rather plain and of limited attraction to foreigners. Some of the white guardhouses and gates make for prettier "only in Japan" photos.

Ginza is Japan’s most famous shopping area. It is famous for its department stores, excellent service and high prices. The average shopper in Ginza, compared to Shinjuku and Shibuya, is older and richer. Ginza has snob value but other areas are more vibrant, popular and exciting. Land values came down a bit of late, more as a result of the sluggish economy than of Ginza loosing real appeal and land is now easily available at less than a million dollars per square meter.

The heart of Ginza is Ginza Crossing with Mitsukoshi, fabulously expensive Wako and Nissan showroom on the respective corners. Ginza subway station exits here. In close proximity are Matsuzakaya and Matsuya department stores. Mikimoto has abranch for pearl watching and always has a well anticipated huge Christmas tree in December. Tiffany’s has a branch just down the road and many lesser known jewelers have showrooms in the smaller side streets. This being Tokyo you will be treated well in all stores whether you wear a suit or jeans and sneakers.

There is a Haagen Dasz close to Mikimoto but the queues may force you to settle for something elsewhere.

The first Starbucks in Japan opened behind Matsuya in the late 1990s, which is hard to believe, as it currently seems as if there is a Starbucks on every corner in Tokyo.

Sony is the only electronics maker to still maintain a showroom in Ginza. It has several stories and all the latest gadgets are on display. Feel free to touch and play - everything is in Japanese but just push buttons randomly and see what happens. Many of these latest gadgets won’t be on the market three months later due to the constant pressure to improve and renew.

The Kabuki-za theatre is in Ginza and is worth the five minute stroll from Mitsukoshi to see the outside of this interesting building. If you want to see a show it is possible to buy a ticket for a single act for about yen 1000 (no advance booking possible for the cheap tickets.) The seating will be on the fourth floor without the option of English earphone guides. A single act is about half an hour and more than enough for the average visitor. The full play can go on for four hours or so. Most Japanese know the story and often the words of the play and the pleasure of the performance is to see how well the actor can interpret his well-known role. Needless to say the subtleties of the play is totally lost on the non-Japanese speaker.

Shibuya is the place to go to see Tokyo’s youth culture, office ladies spending recklessly as well as some of the chicest neighborhoods. An invisible barrier separates the areas but you’ll know it when you’ve changed from one to the other.

Shibuya station area is famous as a shopper’s paradise for younger office ladies. Office ladies, or OLs in Japanese-speak, are famous for staying for free with their parents, earning a salary and spending it all on themselves. Many Western magazines have written about them of late, as they are the only consumers in Japan who are spending money at the moment and doing their bit to keep the economy going. Here you can see the latest fashions - fashions that often change by the week. CD recordings last only three days on the top hit parade in this part of town then it is passé. It is a fun area to walk in and some of the mainly clothing shops may be surprisingly reasonably priced, as many shoppers are students who can’t afford the more glitzy OL haunts.

It is a short walk from Shibuya to Harajuku (or one stop on the JR Yamanote line). Walk on the left of the railway if you want to see some of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Stadiums. Just before reaching Harajuku is the entrance to Meiji Jingu Shrine - a must see. If you want to see more shops, walk to the right of the railway up Meiji Dori.

In Harajuku, and especially Takeshite Dori, the age of shoppers drops to high and junior high school level. It is crowded, it is noisy, it is busy and the quality and prices are a lot lower than in Shibuya. The area between Harajuku station and the entrance to the shrine is famous on Sundays for schoolgirls dressing and making up in the most ridiculous outfits imaginable. Most love to be photographed and are happy to pose.

If you stroll down the wide tree lined Omotesando Dori, often called the Champs Elysee of Tokyo, the atmosphere changes. The shops and coffee shops become more up-market as you enter the area known as Aoyama. On the left of the avenue are several three and four story older buildings - these were part of the Olympic village and were due for demolition to make place for more boutiques until some conservationists intervened. There seem to be some dispute over whether the buildings must be preserved and who are going to finance the upkeep as Japanese buildings are commonly designed to last less than 40 years and these ones are literally crumbling and not of much architectural value.

Other buildings in this avenue include TAG Heuer, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake, Pleats please, Comme de garcon, Shu Uemura and Emporio Armani. Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior are currently erecting new buildings here. A nice place to stop for coffee and totally in harmony with the area is the faux French Café Anniversaire.

An early morning visit to Tokyo Central Wholesale Market, more commonly known as Tsukiji fish market, is a tradition among jetlagged visitors to Tokyo. The main attraction is the fish market held in the early morning.

The market is huge, covering some 210,000 sq. m. and supplies 90 percent of all fish consumed in the greater Tokyo area. The refrigeration rooms, not open to the public, can hold enough fish to supply Tokyo for up to ten days.

Action at the market starts early but you do not really have to be there by 5 am as many guidebooks advise. Around 6 am but definitely before 7 am would ensure enough action.

The major wholesale auction that happens before 5 am is not open to the public; what you will see is the secondary and tertiary auctions but those are spectacular as well. On the outskirts are displays of smaller fish and other seafood, some still alive, others in water and some on ice. In this area smaller traders and restaurateurs buy their stocks. The deeper you enter into the market, the larger the fish become until you reach the area where frozen tunas are sold. Tuna, especially Bonita, is a popular if pricey fish used for sashimi and sushi. (The fact that the fish is frozen solid begs the question why sushi is considered to be the freshest cut of seafood?) The writing on the fish prior to the auction indicates the quality rating and once a fish is sold - it can go up to thousands of dollars - the buyer’s mark is added.

You can’t miss the small gas powered scooters using to transport the fish - in fact a considerable part of the morning will be spend trying to avoid getting run over by them. These scooters compete with each other, in an orderly Japanese fashion, to get to the wares and then get the fish to the trucks. It can get hectic at times with "traffic jams" so solid you won’t be able to pass even on foot. Mixed in are traditionalists who still transport the fish on hand pulled carts. All in all a jolly good show but do remember that this is a working area. The people don’t mind visitors and photographers but don’t get in the way, as people carrying heavy boxes may be less tolerant of having narrow passages blocked by tourists getting ready for the perfect shot.

One of the biggest surprises is the lack of a fishy smell - although the exaust fumes of the scooters can become nausiating during traffic jams. Everything is cleaned meticulously each day and many of the food is either frozen or kept in water. Even a rumor of food poisoning here would be enough to kill the market.

At 3776 m Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. It is also one of the most famous sights in Japan and is often used as the symbol of Japan. This volcano crater may well be the most photographed mountain in the world. From certain angles its conical shape displays almost perfect symmetry. The crater has a distinct circle shape with a diameter of 500 m at the top and around 50 km at the base.

The sight of Mt. Fuji, especially when snow covered and etched against a blue winter or late autumn sky, is unforgettable. However, Mt. Fuji presents a headache for tourists and especially to the independent traveler. Mt. Fuji is shy and only visible on about 50 days each year. Sometimes it is not to be seen for weeks as it hides behind a cloud cover - it may be sunny in Tokyo or Hakone and you would not even know in which direction to look to see the mountain.

During the official climbing season - July and August - Mt. Fuji can easily be reached by bus from Shinjuku station in Tokyo. Traveling time is about 2 hours. Buses are less frequent during other months and are not available from December to April. It takes about 5 hours to climb the mountain and three hours coming down. It can be very crowded on weekends during the official season and resembles walking in a busy station. Up to 400,000 people ascend Mt. Fuji each year - the vast majority during the two official months.

I belong to the school of thought holding that Mt. Fuji is just for viewing but even people who actually climbed the mountain subscribed to the famous Japanese saying that everyone should climb Mt. Fuji but only a fool would do it twice! The summit is above the clouds so a sunrise is guaranteed for people who climbed late night to arrive at the top early morning.

It is easy and generally pleasant to drive from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, although that is not a very realistic option for the independent foreign traveler. Several web sites with web cameras give you the opportunity to see whether the mountain is actually visible or not before setting out. Several companies offer tours to Mt. Fuji but if the mountain is covered by clouds there is not an awful lot else to see - bookings must be made a day in advance so the web cams don’t help!

With luck you can see Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Kyoto. It is also possible in good weather to see Mt. Fuji from central Tokyo - not only from high buildings, I once saw it from the fourth floor of the Hotel New Otani. It is also visible from the Akasaka Prince Hotel - phone the front desk and ask if the mountain is visible!