Japan Tokyo Trip
By . Filed in Japan |
August 1st, 2008
I had a week in Tokyo before starting the clock ticking on my three week Japan rail pass. For the first three nights I stayed at the excellent “K’s House” hostel in Asakusa, sleeping in the smallest bedroom I’ve ever been in - the room was exactly the same size as the little bed, plus just a slither of carpet to step on to. Because I hadn’t realised that my first weekend in Tokyo was a Japanese national holiday, my next accommodation options after that were limited to four nights in a capsule hotel, or a bed in a dorm further out in Ikebukuro, which I went for.
The distance from central Tokyo didn’t really matter, since the city’s rail network is so good - Ikebukuro is the second busiest train station in the world (second to Shinjuku, one overland stop down), and once I had the hang of the Tokyo underground, getting around the city was very easy and quick.
Shinjuku station at rush hour is a sight to behold, and trying to buy a ticket and find the right platform seemed an impossible task at first, but somehow was actually pretty easy, and there was never even any queuing. Incredibly, even at rush hour there’s a lot less hassle and shunting than somewhere like Kings Cross at the best of times. It must be a marvel of planning and people-flow design with an average 3.64 million people passing through every day.
On the same night we managed to find the GoldenGai area near Shinjuku, where a network of narrow streets are crammed full with tonnes of miniature bars - most with space for only three or four customers. We ended the night in Rappongi, the expat ‘playground’ of Tokyo, which was a disappointment, the only place where you get hassled on the street - by pushy club promoters and prostitutes.