Tokyo blossoms

From Philip Moore

Traditions endure in the modern city that is Tokyo. They’re not all Japanese either. I’ve just done the lead-up to Christmas in Tokyo and saw more Christmas trees than in Lapland, spotted more Santas than have been down the chimney of a heritage-listed house.

The wealth of Tokyo means superb shopping. This is a city where 94.3 per cent of women in their 20s own Louis Vuitton products, where the department stores include Cartier, Tiffany, Prada and Hermes boutiques, and where a 1.05 million yen kimono ($10,000) is casually displayed.

You’ll also see more babes in boots than anywhere. And the women strolling the boulevards of fashionable Omotesando have an elegance that can only be achieved by spending the GDP of a small developing country. They always seem to look good. It also seems it’s a social faux pas of the highest order for a Tokyo woman to venture out in a less than fully coiffed state, even if it is just to go to one of the thousands of convenience stores that dot every neighbourhood. The other necessity is the ability to look poised despite 34-degree temperatures and outfits intended for an autumn that hasn’t quite arrived. This town has got style that equals any of the top-gun cities, Paris, Milan, New York, throw ‘em all in. The malls in the Gulf have nothing on the style you see here.

You can encounter gorgeous geishas along the ritzy shopping streets of the Ginza on the arms of ageing Mafioso types, while teenage girls dressed like Go Go Yubari in Kill Bill giggle and take photos on mobile phones that seem even smaller than those that no self-respecting expresso joint in the Gulf is complete without.

It’s little surprise to discover that the Ralph Lauren store - built from scratch in what can only be described as a neoclassical American style is the largest in the world.

Tucked cheek by jowl with the high fashion of Omotesando is Harajuku’s edgier Takeshita Street where Tokyo’s hippest young fashionistas buy the outfits to go with the attitude. It’s also where you can outfit your dog or cat in Lee jeans, in goggles, or any number of other strange but terribly fashionable outfits. How Californa is that?

Akihabara is a must for cutting-edge technology.. Shopping has replaced culture as the top draw for tourists to Japan. Those who come for electronics invariably head for Akihabara. It’s a neighbourhood best known for being one of the largest shopping areas on earth for electronic, computer, anime and otaku goods, including new and used items. The district, five minutes by train from Tokyo Station, has 250 electronics shops of all sizes located in a small area around Chuo-dori Avenue. Foreign tourists tend to visit the big-name shops like Laox or other specialty shops near the train station. There are loads of sushi and gyosa restaurants nearby too which are as cheap as (computer) chips.

TV is kinda wild. It doesn’t really seem Japanese. The Japanese contestants will willingly humiliate themselves on national telly, dressing up as dummy-sucking babies and diving into vats of syrup, baked beans or worse to win a set of saucepans or sheets.

For more real-deal tradition there’re the sumo tournaments, held three times a year in Tokyo. Elaborate ritual developed over more than 1000 years is punctuated by the sheer physicality of two 150-kilogram athletes colliding. The wrestlers parade in embroidered aprons, then stamp, strut and fling salt in a glaring face-off that lasts a regulated four minutes.

The bouts that follow are brief, ferocious affairs of slaps and attempts to grasp the loincloth of an opponent, to heave him from the ring, or to topple him into the sand. The gyoji - referees - are dressed in kimonos modelled on those of the samurai of 800 years ago, their rank defined by the colour of the tassel on their fan, and whether they wear sandals or go barefoot.

Live gigs? Missed Madonna at Coachella? Still spewing over not getting to Glastonbury. There are usually big names touring Japan. Indeed, some of the great live albums have been made in this country, Deep Purple’s Made in Japan being particularly famous.

Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival is held in June and the last one drew over 100,000 punters to hear 196 acts including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Broken Social Scene, Sonic Youth and the like.

Japan has set a goal of drawing 10 million foreign visitors by 2010, nearly double the figure in 2003.

The government has aired television commercials abroad, waived visa requirements and expanded amenities for tourists in a bid to draw foreigners who may be put off by Japan’s high prices and language barrier.

Last year, a record 8.1 million foreigners visited Japan, according to the government. The tourism group said that 4.98 million came for tourism.

Eat this way

Some of the greatest food in the world is in Japan. Trial and error is fine, but the experience can be enhanced if you have a few clues. Here’s a guide to making reservations, ordering, what to do if you need to cancel and instructions on etiquette.

Getting the reservation: Your best bet to eating at less touristy places is to make the reservation in Japanese. A hotel concierge can help, but a few smaller, more exclusive places won’t accept reservations made by concierges (because they have so few seats and they want to be sure someone in the party speaks Japanese). If you don’t speak Japanese, ask someone who does to make the call. There are loads of places where you just walk in and point at pictures and get away with it. There won’t be a word of English, French or Arabic understood but you’ll still have a meal to behold.

How to dress: At expensive kaiseki and kappo restaurants in Tokyo, neat and casual is fine, and if you’ll be sitting on the floor, dress comfortably.

Shoe business: Kaiseki restaurants or other restaurants with tatami rooms will ask you to remove your shoes before entering. If you go to the toilet, you’re expected to put on bathroom slippers at the door. Remember to take them off again - it’s easy to forget, and it’s a major transgression to wear the bathroom slippers back into the tatami room.

How to order: Sit at the counter if you can and use Japanese greetings. When the chef greets you with “irasshai” (welcome), answer with “yoroshiku” (hello, please treat me kindly). Order beer or sake or other drinks and a set menu. One chef suggests, “say as best as you can, ‘omakase’ [chef’s choice, or we eat everything]. That’s the best way to go because most restaurants in Japan cook that way.”

How do I eat that? If you’re not sure how something should be eaten, ask - even if you don’t speak a word of Japanese. Often, especially in the soup/rice/pickle course of a kaiseki meal, something might need to be poured into something else and stirred. Asking in pantomime is easier if you sit at the counter.


Sushi: Fingers or chopsticks are okay. Ask if the sushi is meant to be dipped (much of the time, it isn’t). If a dip is in order, touch just the edge of fish, not the rice. Don’t mix wasabi into the soy sauce. If you want wasabi, put a bit on top of the fish.

Towels and chopsticks: Rather than a napkin, you’ll probably be given a hot or cold towel (shibori). Wipe your hands (not your face) with it, fold it neatly and place it to the side, using it like a napkin to dab your fingers during the meal. Place chopsticks in front, parallel to the counter, on a rest, if there is one. Don’t blow your nose into this towel or rub it over a bald head. You’re not on a flight.It’s horrid enough then.

Never pour your own sake or beer: It’s your responsibility to keep your companions’ cups filled, and theirs yours.This stuff is important. This isn’t Aussie Legends.

Words that will help: Please can I have this (kudasai) and thank you (arigato), delicious (oishii), thank you to you and all who prepared it (itadakimasu) or this was a feast (gochiso-sama).

Tipping: The good news is you don’t need to. A service charge is included in the bill.