Tokyo as a Potential Stopover: Blog

[Guest fountainhall]

I have responded to Michael’s recent post about this Board being ‘ruined’ and suggested that some posters may be put off by my volume of posts. As I said, ‘fair enough’. This, though, may put some off gaythailand for life, as it is going to be a long blog-type series of posts featuring personal experiences! So anyone put off by that, please just avoid them.

 

Many who fly from the USA to BKK for vacations do so on airlines which require a plane change at the city’s Narita airport. Most, I suspect, just endure the shortish layover, get on to the next flight and then sleep on the final hop to Bangkok. I wonder how many actually think of stopping over in Tokyo to find out a little more about the city and the country? Probably not many. And if that is the case, then it is a pity, because Tokyo has so much to offer.

 

I know I have said I am not really into blogs, even though I fully accept that some contain very useful and interesting information. Over the next few days, I hope this one will. It will offer some details about the city, bars, saunas, entertainment, hotels, getting around, etc. plus a description of a side-trip to Kyoto. So I also hope some will stay the course and pick up some insights from my thoughts, either as a stopover to/from Thailand, or even just as a one-off trip.

 

I started writing this on my arrival in Tokyo on March 29. Unfortunately, the iPhoto programme on my laptop is dying and I could not edit photos for adding to the text!! So each section will just begin with the days on which it was written.

 

Friday 30 March

 

A year ago I had planned to spend 8 days with good friends who lived here (and had a spare bedroom!) and another 2 days in Kyoto which I have not visited for 30 years. Sadly, the earthquake, tsunami and the consequent massive disruption to flights meant I had to postpone.

 

One purpose of that trip had been to see once again the amazing sight of the sakura, the cherry blossoms. This has a very special meaning in Japan and the appearance of the sakura is charted very closely by all the news and travel media as it starts in the far south and works its way north. Unfortunately, one can never predict its precise arrival as that is dependent on the weather. Had I travelled as planned at the end of March/early April last year, I would have found it in full bloom!

 

This year, I have had to accept the fact that the weather has been much colder recently and on my run in from the in-town Haneda airport yesterday, I could see no blossoms out. Today, looking down from the open terrace at the top of the Takashimaya Department store close to Shinjuku Gyoen Park where sakura will soon turn it into a blaze of colour, I noted only three solitary trees in bloom. The official forecast in today’s newspapers is that most trees will not start to blossom until mid-next week - which is when I am scheduled to leave!

 

Sadly I have no choice but leave earlier because the friends with whom I would have stayed last year no longer live here (they might at least have waited until after my visit!). Although I am using the mileage tickets from last year and my remaining Hyatt points for the 2 nights in Kyoto, I cannot afford to stay in Tokyo for 8 nights - even though, as I have found, prices remain depressed as a result of the earthquake.

 

I am in an excellent small hotel - the Best Western Astina in Shinjuku - at a 45-day advance purchase rate of around US$120 per night including tax, breakfast and internet. It's almost midway between Shinjuku station and Shinjuku ni-chome (basically Shinjuu’s ‘second’ district) where much of the gay nightlife entertainment is located. Its other advantage is that you don’t need to take a taxi to get here from the station, even when it rains. Assuming you have arrived there on the Airport Limousine bus or the Narita Express train (or indeed by any other train getting into Shinjuku station), you can use the extensive underground walkways to get to within less than 100 meters of the hotel.

 

Clearly I should have travelled a few days later. But then, there is always the chance that the blossoms would have already come out, the rains arrived and all the petals ended up sodden underfoot! Fortunately, I have been here at exactly the right time before (as in this photo from 2004) –

 

Picnics under the blossom in Shinjuku Gyoen Park - 2004

 

– and so there are other things to do on this trip.

 

One glorious sight I did see as the flight descended in to Haneda airport was Mt. Fuji, still snow clad and resplendent above the clouds. It is not so often you can see it from the city nowadays. On clear days, though, if you go up to the Polestar Bar in the Keio Plaza Hotel, the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt (where much of the movie “Lost in Translation” was filmed – indeed Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson met at that very bar) or the top floor dining room in the Tower Wing of the New Otani Hotel (just say you are looking for a friend and wander in!), you may have a superb view.

 

Mt. Fuji on a sunny morning from the top of the New Otani Hotel - 2006

 

Next episode has something about entertainment and nightlife.

[Guest]

Keep writing these posts Fountainhall, after all you are the only one who writes anything worth reading .

I guess the cost would be one of the main factors putting people off staying in Japan more frequently. However, there are reasonably priced hotels that make it affordable for at least a few days (just under $100 a night). One just needs to take a little care, as on my last visit I was just about to book a hotel in Shinjuku then realised they offered a choice of daily or hourly tariffs.

 

The 24 Kaikan sauna remains my favourite. Some may quite correctly argue others such as Babylon have much more facilities, however the 24 Kaikan has everything that's necessary AND the Japanese show a little more flesh. A superb piece of layout work places the "jacuzzis" directly opposite the washing area, making them an interesting place to relax.

A nice little detailed touch is the towel spin dryer directly an the entrance to the "wet" section. No more walking around in wet towels. Every sauna should do this.

[Guest fountainhall]

PART 2

 

Shopping, Entertainment and Saunas (part 1)

 

First, three short additions to the last post. Some of the comments I mention have appeared in other threads, both by myself and others. It seemed sensible to try and bring all together on one thread.

 

Second, I landed at Tokyo’s inner-city airport, Haneda. For decades this was just a domestic airport (Taiwan's China Airlines was the only international carrier allowed to land there - and that was for political, not practical reasons). Narita is much further north. With a flight path that tends to take aircraft well over the ocean, any sighting of Mt. Fuji is usually only in the far distance. Thankfully – and perhaps interestingly, given Bangkok’s current debate about the viability of two airports – the Japanese authorities now permit quite a number of international flights into its upgraded in-town Haneda. And unlike in Bangkok, no airline seems to object to splitting flights between the two. Cathay Pacific is perfectly happy to give you a daily choice of two to Haneda and four to Narita. From Haneda, it’s a breeze to airport buses or the monorail which links you to the overground and underground public transportation. If you are making a trip specially from Bangkok, try and enter via Haneda.

 

I mentioned the underground passageways. Shinjuku has a rabbit warren, virtually a small town all on its own. And with most people having nothing to do but get from A to B, it is packed with shopping and advertising. I rather liked this series for a well-known 7-member boy band KiS My Ft . . . a pretty obvious ‘take’ on KiS My Ass!

 

 

 

Saturday 31 March

 

Today is one of those days one hopes never to encounter when travelling. It’s really cold, raining hard and with a strong blustery wind. Perhaps its just as well the blossom is not out, for this is exactly the sort of day which sees the petals blown off the trees. So, other activities are on the agenda.

 

I am not much of a shopper, although Tokyo has an amazing variety to offer in terms of shopping experiences. Three years ago, I bought a T-shirt that always raises a laugh, for emblazoned on the front is –

 

 

Seeing it reminds me that Japanese love to adorn Ts and sweatshirts with English phrases that are often rather inaccurate transliterations. When “Phantom of the Opera” played here, there was merchandise on sale in the theatre with this on the back:

 

She Chased Him around the Opera House and then Caught Him by the Organ

 

Wonder what Andrew Lloyd Webber thought of that!

 

My priority is socks, odd though that may sound. I love the Japanese Polo casual socks and buy a dozen from one of the main department stores. It’s amazing in this world of rising prices, that the price has remained the same (barring a slight increase in VAT) for more than 15 years.

 

When the rain stops for a while, I take a look at the small temple behind the hotel. It’s one of many throughout the city that look new. That’s because they mostly are! These were taken on my last day, when for a change the sun was out!

 

 

 

The Best Western logo can just be seen in the background

 

Tokyo suffered massive fire-bombing during World War II and very little of the old city remains. The main temples include the Sensoji in the Asakusa district (not to be confused with the more central Akasaka) which is a major draw for Japanese and tourists alike, and the Meiji Shrine near Harajuku.

 

Harajuku is where the trendy young teens hang out in their often-outrageous garb on Sundays, each group having its own spot on the pavements and doing its own thing. Whilst still an ‘in’ shopping area and still attracting amazingly dressed young things, I’m told the real ‘in’ place now is nearby on Aoyama-dori. But I will be en route to Kyoto tomorrow morning and so will miss that and all its great photo-ops.

 

Apart from all the usual indoor things like cinemas, theatres etc., if you are interested in art in any of its forms, almost all shopping centres have small galleries which exhibit a wide and changing variety of often amazing works. In the trendy Shibuya district – popular with seemingly tens of thousands and young people – is the Bunkamura complex where I once saw an amazing exhibition devoted to Monet and Renoir. Diagonally across is the famous ‘Love Hill’, a street devoted to short-time hotels of all shapes, sizes and descriptions. If your idea of “short-time” is the car park rooms at the Suriwong hotel, Love Hill is quite the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

Today I am off to a Museum I had never heard of before, even when I lived here – the Bridgestone Museum near Tokyo station. The artworks – mostly impressionist and contemporary – were collected by the Chairman of the Bridgestone company before he donated them to start this Museum. It’s a small gallery, but with some stunning works by Picasso and Monet (two water lily paintings, but also his sumptuous “Twilight, Venice”)

 

http://www.bridgesto...ection/works/2/

 

Works presently on display also include Manet, Dégas, Van Gogh, Renoir, Klee, Bonnard, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cézanne and many more. Entrance is ¥800, or ¥600 if you are 65 or over.

 

Another afternoon activity if you want to get to know a little more of Japanese culture, is to go to the Kabuki Theatre close to the main shopping street, the Ginza, incidentally very close to the Bridgestone Museum.

 

 

The theatre is undergoing major renovation and is scheduled to reopen next year. The afternoon performances often feature short excerpts from the main rather long kabuki dramas, and are designed to give newcomers an introduction to the art form and thus perhaps less boring than a full-length work might at first seem.

 

Whilst on the subject, another unique Japanese entertainment is the all-female Takurazuka Reviews. Supremely professional with stunning sets and costumes, these reviews have been going on for many decades and remain hugely popular, especially with Japanese ladies. You may not be able to understand what the actors are saying, but it will be a spectacle you will never forget.

 

One thing to beware of are the popular western blockbuster musicals. You might be thrilled to get tickets for “Phantom of the Opera” or “Wicked”, but these will be with in Japanese with Japanese casts, and not quite of the same quality that you will find in London, New York or Sydney.

 

There is also Tokyo Disneyland, far larger and more impressive than the piddling little park in Hong Kong. But you have to get there early, otherwise you’ll spend your day queuing for the major attractions. And if you are in the Osaka area (not far from Kyoto), there is the major Universal theme park, the first outside the USA.

 

However, this is late on a Saturday afternoon with the rain still pouring down. So I head back to Shunjuku to go to a sauna which ought to be quite busy at this time. My choice is arguably the most popular with foreign visitors, the “24 Kaikan” - and clearly also with z909. Like him, I find it superior to Babylon in many respects, not least the number of fabulous times I’ve had there! But that will have to wait till tomorrow.

 

[Guest fountainhall]

PART 3

 

Some thoughts on Japanese Saunas

 

Even in the early 1980s, there was quite a thriving sauna scene. Bathing in public baths has been part of Japan’s heritage for centuries. So I guess it was quite natural that gay saunas would eventually open and become a place where guys could meet, especially when due to tradition most remained very firmly in the closet.

 

The first one I ever visited was called “Oban”. On that first of several visits, I was amazed how being naked was so perfectly natural to everyone! Most walked around the bathing, sauna and steam areas with just a tiny towel either wrapped around very slim waists or unashamedly nude. Upstairs, there were individual rooms reserved for those paying extra charges. Most of the ‘goings on’ took place in dimly lit longish rooms open to all with futon mattresses on each side. The fact that others could just make out what you were doing and would congregate in the hope of getting a better look seemed to put no-one off. Very Japanese!

 

Soon, Oban and almost all other saunas became off limits to gaijin, the Japanese term for foreigners. By the mid-1980s, AIDS had become a major concern, but was considered a disease brought into the country by foreigners. The answer was simple. To protect Japanese people, foreigners were banned and notices to that effect were posted in Oban and elsewhere. One stayed open to all – “24” in Asakusa (close to the famous Asakusa Shrine complex).

 

 

Although pretty run down and patronised generally by older gays, it was usually possible to come across a few younger gaijin-lovers.

 

Of course the gay ban had come too late. I remember flying up from Hong Kong to Tokyo for a long weekend in 1984 to join a party for three friends who had birthdays within days of each other. Afterwards everyone paired off (including yours truly) and a great evening was had by all. Indeed it was rather typical of gay life in Tokyo of the time where better-off gays met at informal parties thrown by other friends as often as in the bar scene. But by that time the wolf was not just at the door: it was well and truly in the house. By the end of the decade, two of my Japanese friends and one other at that party had died of AIDS.

 

If you were Asian, there were ways around the ban – just by speaking a few words of the language. A Chinese friend from Hong Kong went regularly to Oban right through to the late 1990s when the ban began to be relaxed. Around that time, a new “24” had opened about 15 minutes from Ueno station – another major transport hub. After Shinjuku ni-chome, Ueno has the largest concentration of small gay bars, but few of these welcome foreigners.

 

The new “24” soon became popular with those foreigners who could find it. For the last few years, though, there has been a more recent “24” that is even more popular and easier to locate. That’s the one in Shinjuku.

 

Sauna Etiquette

 

Located in Shinjuku’s ni-chome gay nightlife area, there are lots of ways of getting to “24 Kaikan”. Unfortunately, you can be given very accurate descriptions, but still not locate it. Many people say it is near Isetan Department store. Well, it is – relatively speaking, but it is still mighty hard to find. Others will suggest taking the subway to Shinjuku ni-chome station and then walking along the rabbit warren of underground passageways to the BYGS store (exit C8). The problem is that exit C8 is still a long way from the actual subway train exit – and you can still get lost.

 

So my recommendation is always to take the red subway (Marunouchi line) to Shinjuku Gyoemmae station (pronounced Gy – as in ‘key’ with a hard ‘G’ – o as in ‘oh!’ – em as in ‘hem’ without the ‘h’ – and mae as the actress ‘Mae’ West). Find Exit 1 and go up to street level.

 

 

As you exit, keep going straight ahead across the road. Crossing you’ll see a Family Mart on your left and a Subway sandwich shop on the right.

 

 

Continue for just 50 meters and then turn left at the first corner

 

 

You’ll then see the back of a Buddha statue which is part of a small shrine.

 

 

 

Continue straight on past the shrine and then turn first right. There, about 40 meters ahead on your left, is a yellow sign with “24”. (Close by used to be a famous cruisy small park. I see that has now been closed and is about to be redeveloped).

 

 

The ritual in all Japanese saunas is more or less the same. At “24”, go up the steps. On entering, take off your shoes and put them in a special set of shoe lockers at a cost of ¥10. By the reception desk is a ticket machine. Entrance is ¥2,400 (around $30 for 12 hours) and you purchase the ticket from the machine (it gives change). Give the receptionist the shoe locker key and the ticket. In return, you get a clothes’ locker key plus a basket with a medium size towel, a long small towel and a bathrobe. You may be asked your name. If so, just give your first name. (I am told, however, that if you arrive very late in the evening, you may be asked for your passport. This is because all establishments where people stay overnight must have personal details for the authorities.)

 

The formalities over, first go to the changing area around the corner, find your locker and strip down. The small towel is generally long enough to cover most hip sizes and enables you to proceed upstairs to the baths, steam and sauna area with a degree of modesty!

 

This area is divided into two parts. The first has a series of bathing sections on the left and two hot tubs on the right, one a good deal hotter than the other! Thoroughly soaping all of your body is absolutely de rigeur in Japanese saunas. With mirrors in front of you, it is also enjoyable to see who is wandering behind you. Once bathed and rinsed, you can dip into the pools, or move into the second section. This has a series of shower rooms, some with glory holes, a frigidly cold tub, a sauna, a wet and a dry steam room, a rain shower dark room, and a ‘play room’ which seems only to open at night.

 

If there are not many patrons, not much will be happening here. So pop downstairs again after first drying your towel - as z909 mentioned. Once at your locker, exchange your little towel for the robe or larger towel, and head upstairs to floors 4 and 5.

 

Floor 5 only has two tiny public dark rooms – suitable really only for couples – and a starlight room, though there is more light than just that from the star bulbs in the ceiling, and not much seems to happen whenever I pop in there. The main activity is on the 4^th floor. This has a video room (usually with vdos of chubby Japanese) and a series of dark rooms (not completely dark) with bunk beds in some parts and large futon mattresses spread over other parts of the floor. There’s lots of cruising around and, when busy, lots of activity going on. As in Bangkok, younger and in-shape gaijin are more in demand. But I have almost invariably found a few younger guys on the look out for older gaijin. And as on this occasion, my visit was . . . well . . . extremely enjoyable. I’ll leave it at that! Even as I was leaving, two guys entering made very obvious passes at me! Now, why do I like Japan??

 

Later, more on a different type of sauna, hotels, bars and getting around the city.

[Guest]

Thanks for the detailed report on the sauna. I fondly remember watching what must be the cutest young lad ever seen in a sauna walking around entirely nude all evening. I got the impression he had sessions with about 5 other people in his age range.

 

GPS co-ordinates for the sauna: 35.689853,139.708822

Put into google maps & it shows the location.

 

For those who want to visit a convenient host bar, 35.690592,139.708841 gets you to "King of Castle" upstairs opposite a convenience store. http://www.kocnet.jp/profile/boys.html

According to their website, 1 hour costs JPY 13000, equivalent to USD 159! I don't think that's change much in the last 5 years or so, however the exchange rates have certainly taken a turn for the worse.

There are several other ordinary gay bars in the area, which can be easily found by wandering around.

However, the sauna is my preferred place to spend the evening.

[Guest takeaway77]

I have stopped off in Tokyo a few times en route to SEA. I really love it there and enjoy my visits, which are usually 3 - 4 days in length. As an art lover, I enjoy numerous museums all over the city, with special mention to Roppongi and Ueno Park. I also stay in a small hotel in Shinjuku and after several visits, no longer get totally lost in Shinjuku station. Also, it's so easy to take Narita Express for evening flight to Bangkok.

 

Thanks for the good report on Tokyo at stopover.

[Guest fountainhall]

PART 4

 

Sauna Postscript - Hattenbas

 

You may have read on some websites about hattenbas. These started to spring up around 20 years ago, basically as a way around the licensing system for formal baths and saunas. I was only ever in one, and that was more than 12 years ago. From what I read, not much has changed.

 

A hattenba is essentially an apartment with additional temporary walls usually made of cloth. This gives it a maze-like structure with small areas where 2 or more people can get together. The one I went to near Akasaka had no bathing area. Indeed, it just had one tiny, inconvenient shower. Everything was totally impersonal. The receptionist could not see those entering and paying the admission fee. The changing area was tiny, and the maze area pretty dark. Often there are theme nights, including naked nights.

 

The one I attended was named Treffpunkt in Akasaka (again, not to be confused with Asakusa!). Below I talk about Japanese addresses and the problems of finding your way around. Treffpunkt is a good example, for its address is 2-13-14 Fukutomi Building! No street! But you can actually find that exact block in the Street Atlas I recommend below. Personally, a hattenba is not to my liking, whereas a sauna like “24” is a highly pleasurable experience – even if you are there just to enjoy the eye candy !!

 

Thoughts about Hotels and Finding your Bearings in Tokyo

 

Hotels

 

Tokyo is not the most expensive city when it comes to accommodation. It’s important to remember, however, that price to a large extent equates to space. You can pay around ¥6,000 ($75) and get little more than a broom cupboard with a small desk, a shower and toilet. It will be very clean and well laid-out, but it will be tiny. I was once in a twin-bedded room where, if I stood between the beds and stretched out my arms, I could touch two parallel walls! If that’s all you need, fine - go for it! If you need a little more space, especially if there are two of you, you need to pay more. My room at the Astina has what they term a “double bed”. For one, it is perfectly fine; for two, it might be a bit too cosy!

 

On the other hand, my ‘points’ room at the Hyatt in Kyoto was beautifully decorated in a minimalist style, and at least 4 times larger than the room on Tokyo. Thank goodness I was not paying!

 

Part of my room at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo (my wide-angle lens could only capture part!)

 

So before you opt for that great deal on agoda.com or wherever, do some checking directly on the hotel’s own website, especially room area and the size of bed/s.

 

Gay Bars

 

The subject of Tokyo’s bar scene is not new of this Board. Tokyo itself has probably more than 600 gay bars, the majority clustered in the Shinjuku-ni-chome district, with the next highest concentration near Ueno station. However, whilst that must sound like a paradise of sorts, it is important to stress that the vast majority do not welcome foreigners. The reason is simple. These small bars should be considered more small social clubs. Their ‘members’ tend to return frequently to the same bar and become friendly with the mamasans and the barmen. If you happen to stumble in to one, you will not be thrown out. It will merely be made unsubtlely clear to you that you are in a Japanese only bar and that you would be better off going to one that welcomes gaijin. That narrows your options to only a dozen or so.

 

Actually, to stumble upon most you have to climb up way above street level. As this photo shows, each floor in a smallish building may have several little bars –

 

 

- which is almost exactly mirrored by restaurants and bars in the main streets of Shinjuku. How many have not seen photos like this of one of the main drags?

 

 

A quick check on utopia-asia and in the gay section of the latest Time Out Guide will provide a useful list. This web page also has some useful information especially about foreigner friendly bars –

 

http://www.japanvisi...ID=459&pID=2592

 

The other point is that Japanese bars are generally tiny! Many will have a bar counter with perhaps a dozen seats around it and a few set against the wall. That’s it! GB, the popular bar for Japanese who like gaijin, is thankfully quite a bit larger. Another that used to be almost exclusively men only but now seems to have a less restricted policy, Kinsmen, is about half the size of GB.

 

A few months ago, one poster lamented the decline in the bar scene in Tokyo. I had never seen much evidence of this - until this trip. Admittedly, I first wandered around ni-chome on a chilly Thursday evening and it was only around 9:30pm. Yet, the area seemed all but deserted apart from a few rent boys standing around. Looking in at the three vdo stores, I noticed that list prices of even the latest vdos have been reduced by between a third and a half. Still vastly more expensive than the same vdos with almost the same quality that you’ll find in Pattaya, though, but perhaps an indication that times are indeed tough for gay businesses!

 

Perhaps, as used to be the case, business will pick up over the week-ends. Or perhaps the social networking sites are gradually replacing some of the bars, as we have seen in other cities. On the other hand, perhaps it is just me, but when I checked on sites like gayromeo, fridae and gaydar (two of which have yielded excellent results on previous visits), on this occasion there was nothing. So, is it perhaps age creeping up? Too many ‘ifs’! Just enjoy!

 

In addition to the bars, there are host bars where you can take boys out at the bar’s going rate. One of the oldest is King of College which z909 has mentioned and provided the GPS co-ordinates. For those without GPS (is that only me??), it’s easy to find it from “24”. As you exit "24", turn left, proceed about 40 meters to the T junction and turn left again. There it is on the opposite side of the street.

 

 

(Those who know the area will remember the ultra-cruisy Shinjuku Park by this corner. That is now closed and about to be redeveloped.)

 

As I took the photo, one gaijin exited with a very handsome boy from the bar. But they were speaking Japanese, and that is sometimes one of the problems. You will find no end of cute guys, but unless they speak a little English or you speak a little Japanese, the meeting can sometimes be a bit awkward. I am told the mamasans, especially at King of College, can be very helpful, so tell them exactly which boy you like and what you are looking for. There is more general information on another part of their extensive website (the staff section was already posted by z909 above) -

 

http://www.kocnet.jp...enu/course.html

 

There are more host bars in the area, but King of College seems to be the most popular with foreigners.

 

 

Getting Around Tokyo

 

Greater Tokyo is still the world’s largest city and one of the most spread out. Most of its streets are generally narrow, criss-crossed by a series of expressways and elevated highways, many built for the Olympics in 1964. Consequently, each direction is mostly double lane. All are clogged with traffic much of the time.

 

A first-time visitor has to find his bearings, especially in relation to his hotel. Since Japanese addresses are totally unlike most other cities – they rarely mention streets, for example – pinpoint your hotel in relation to some major building, street crossing, department store, another major chain hotel . . . whatever. The chances are you will get lost sooner rather than later, and knowing roughly where you should be helps.

 

Get your hotel’s name and address in Japanese from reception. If you rent a Japanese mobile phone and SIM card, also get the phone number. Should you then have to take a taxi, you have a good chance of getting home. But BEWARE! Taxis are horribly expensive and Tokyo’s traffic jams see the meter running up at an alarming speed. Flagfall is generally ¥710 (occasionally ¥650), so you start at around US$8.50 or so. If you are crossing just the centre of town from near Tokyo Station to Shinjuku station, expect to pay around $40 - $50 for a trip lasting around 30 minutes. Which is patently ridiculous, because there is the fast overground Chuo Rapid Japan Rail (JR) train that runs every 3 or 4 minutes and does the trip in just 14 minutes – all at a cost of just ¥190 ($2.50).

 

The other problem with taxis is that most will not want you near them at around midnight. They all stand in line waiting for those who have missed their last trains out to the suburbs (trains stop soon after midnight). So, location of hotel is important, especially if you are to be going out to bars etc. late in the evenings. That really means being at or near Shinjuku where there are dozens of hotels to fit most budgets.

 

To find your way around, you need two things: a good bilingual map and some knowledge of the public transport system. I swear by this book of maps.

 

 

It may take some getting used to, but it pinpoints the detail of everywhere you are likely to wish to go within the city. All the major and many of the minor hotels are marked, as are all landmarks and important buildings (including the block numbers which are so important if you are trying to find a particular building), subway stations with all their various exits, all the underground passageways and their exits . . . it is simply invaluable. I got my latest copy at Asia Books in Bangkok.

 

The public transport system essentially means the JR overground lines and the Metro subway lines. Between them, and with the addition of some private lines, you can get very close to wherever you want to be. They are generally wonderfully efficient and cheap, even if very overcrowded at rush hours. But they all stop very early at around 12:30am.

 

Also, like public transport maps in many major cities, the official diagrams can look horribly complicated until you begin to get the hang of them.

 

Tokyo's Japan Rail Network (including the extensive suburban lines)

Tokyo's Subway System

 

In many Tokyo stations, the large overhead system maps are usually only in Japanese; but the smaller ones nearer the ticket machines will often be in both languages. To make sure you are going to the right station, consult your bilingual map. Since finding the shortest route from A to B requires some knowledge of the various lines, start by asking the hotel receptionist or concierge to advise you. All the lines are colour-coded, station platforms have their names in English as well as a list of all stations serving each line. You’ll soon get used to the system. And it is so cheap!!

 

Next, some tips on eating well and cheaply, and my side trip to Kyoto

[Guest fountainhall]

PART 5

 

Eating in Japan

 

It’s a popular myth that everything in Japan is expensive, including food. But it’s really just like anywhere else in Asia. Eat western style in western hotels or in western restaurants and you can pay through the nose. When I worked here, I had the level of expense account that foreigners only dream of now – and we were encouraged not only to spend, but to overspend! Paying $300 and more for dinner for 2 was positively encouraged, this to be followed by taking a client to an expensive hostess bar! Times soon changed, though, as the effects of the burst property bubble worked their way through the system.

 

But in Tokyo you can eat well at a western restaurant at a much more modest price, and you can eat surprisingly cheaply if you eat Japanese style. There are Japanese fast food shops all over the place where a Japanese curry or nourishing ramen noodles will cost you less than $10. If that is still too much for your budget, one trick known to many lowly paid gaijin in the city is to hit the major department stores. At basement level, you will find a whole host of little stores and counters, each with small free samples for you to try. Without being too obvious, you can progress from counter to counter sampling enough of all manner of dishes to fill you up. The key, though, is not to return to the same store for a few days (don’t worry, there are many dozens of them).

 

Alternatively, wait until an hour or so before closing time when these counters start reducing their prices The Japanese like their food fresh, and so keeping to the next day is a no-no. In the last 15 minutes or so, you will get 50% off. Buy your selection, get some beer, sake or a beverage of your choice and then take it back to the hotel for a picnic.

 

Another perfectly legitimate ‘dodge’ is to have an excellent meal at more expensive western restaurants at lunchtime. Many will have a set menu offering two courses with coffee at prices around $20 - $30. The portions will be smaller than you will receive in the evening, but against that they will cost you up to 75% less than the evening price.

 

Lastly, if you want to eat in a restaurant or café but do not know how to order, most Japanese restaurants have plastic reproductions of dishes in the window. If you see what you want, just try to copy the Japanese characters and the price, and then show that to the waiter. Or, using hand gestures, ask the waiter to come outside and point!

 

Side-trip 1: Kyoto

 

Sunday 1 April

 

After my really fun evening at “24”, I packed a small trolley bag for my two days in Kyoto and then crashed in my small ‘double’ bed. On my arrival two days ago, I had gone to Shinjuku station to book my shinkansen (bullet train) tickets. You cannot book these on the internet yet, but you can download the timetables. Armed with the train type, time and number, I had no trouble at the ticket counter.

 

Japan’s bullet trains are no longer the fastest around. The great thing about them, though, is that those between Tokyo and Osaka run virtually every 5 or 6 minutes.

 

 

There are three types of train depending on the number of stops. The Kodama is the slowest, the Hikari has less stops, and the Nozumi is the fastest. Since each is only about 20 minutes faster than the next between Tokyo and Osaka, I just can’t see the point in paying the Nozumi price! Very handily, the first two can be booked using the Japan Rail Pass – extremely useful if you are to be touring around, for they cost virtually the same price as I paid for my Tokyo/Kyoto return ticket. But the Rail Pass has to be purchased prior to your departure for Japan and there are certain restrictions. For example, you cannot use the fastest Nozumi bullet trains. Overall, though, they are a bargain.

 

Most people know that Kyoto was the old royal capital in Shogun times, that it is packed with amazing temples – more than 1,500 Buddhist ones alone – and in the Gyon district old Kyoto is recreated at night, complete with geishas. The problem is that it is a large city and the major temples are well spread out. So if your time is short, either you spend a lot on taxis or expensive tours, or you do as I did: select just a few of the major temples and gardens and ‘do’ them on foot. On this trip, I wanted to make my first ever visit to nearby Nara, the even older royal capital in the 8^th century, where parts of the city are almost perfectly preserved. Since I would already have so much walking, I bought a half-day tour, leaving me with 3 half days in Kyoto itself.

 

Surprisingly, the sun is out for much of my first afternoon, and the Hyatt is relatively close to several temples, including one of the oldest and most famous, the wooden structure Kiyomizu Temple. There is some cherry and plum blossom out here, but still only in isolated trees. The entire foreground of this photo of the Kiyomizu Temple should be covered with cherry blossom. Alas there was almost none.

 

 

Yet, on the way to the temple, I pass some blossoms in the early stages - and was able to take two rather cute photos (possible with a 20 times zoom).

 

 

Sakura with Cloud in Sky

 

Cloud Explained!

 

I also bump into a party of young Chinese tourists and just couldn’t resist a photo or two!

 

 

Kyoto residents and Japanese tourists are also flocking to the major temples, often wearing the kimono, as I spotted with these children (although not their parents) –

 

 

On my wanderings, I realise that space is not just a problem for hotels and bars. For cemeteries it presents such a difficulty that in Japan you have almost little choice but to be buried vertically! I caught this pic of a young boy racing uphill past such a packed cemetery.

 

 

Back at the hotel by 6:00pm, I am tired – too tired to consider going out, even if I knew where I was going. There is gay nightlfe in Kyoto, but I have had no success in finding anyone to meet up from any of the dating sites, and I have no great desire to visit a bar. So an early night it will be.

 

Next: More Kyoto and Return to Tokyo

[Guest fountainhall]

PART 6

 

Monday 2 April

 

At around $40, the buffet breakfast at the Hyatt, though it looks wonderful, is entirely miss-able. So I head into town and quickly find a McDonald’s – $2.50! The sun is out again today, and by lunchtime, I have ‘done’ a beautiful old garden complex and several much larger temples. In two there were services taking place in memory of those killed in last year’s earthquake and tsunami. It was very moving. In one, I found this gorgeous old ornamental gate. There seem to be lots of students around, some wonderfully cute!

 

 

My coach leaves from the railway station and so I am there in good time. As often happens, the elderly guide gives some useful information about Nara and Japanese customs, but he does tend to drone on and on about his trips to Europe and the US. With only two stops in Nara, it is a bit of a waste of time and money (I begin to think I should have done it myself by train), even though the main Buddhist temple, the Todai-Ji, is huge and stunning. The original dates back almost 1,300 years, although the present building is its third incarnation and only around 350 years old. However, not only is it the world’s largest wooden structure, it also contains the world’s largest Buddha statue. it is therefore packed with visitors.

 

Todai-Ji Temple

 

World's Largest Buddha Statue

 

There follows a trip to a Shinto Shrine in the hills which I would have happily missed! Then it’s off to the almost inevitable souvenir shop, but mercifully for only 15 minutes.

 

Back in Kyoto, I have a splendid curry ($10) and some draft Sapporo beer at one of the many tiny restaurants dotted throughout the station. I find it interesting that more people here seem to speak some English than in Tokyo. When the nice waiter realized I was having difficulty ordering, he started speaking English! (Another example: in Tokyo, the floor layouts in many major department stores are only in Japanese, Here in Kyoto, Isetan has both languages.)

 

As I leave the restaurant, I notice this rather odd sign. Fleetingly, I wonder if prices are higher for those more generously endowed!

 

Fantasy aside, they are the prices for various lengths of Swiss Roll!

 

Ending the evening, I head over to the famous Goen district whose narrow streets, entertainment establishments and occasional geisha are supposed to be an example of Kyoto in olden times. Perhaps I hit the wrong streets or, more likely, I am there too early, as I only see a couple of geisha ­– and hundreds of tourists with cameras at the ready.

 

 

 

Tuesday 3 April

 

This can not be true! After a lovely sun-filled day yesterday when I was sure Spring had finally arrived, the cold and the rain are back – with a vengeance. It turns out that typhoon-strength winds are hitting the country – and it’s still months before typhoon season! Even with my rain gear, I’ll get soaked walking to McDonald’s and so I bite the bullet and hit the hotel’s splendid breakfast buffet, gorging myself so I will not need lunch!

 

There is a floor-to ceiling window at one end of the restaurant which frames a sad-looking drooping cherry tree, its blossoms still attached – but for how much longer, I wonder.

 

One young waiter (20-ish) attracts my attention. He’s cute, slim and very efficient. Finally, I catch his eye and ask for more coffee. He brings a new cup and gives me a drop dead gorgeous smile. We start to chat. He commutes daily from Osaka, speaks only a little English but is not afraid to try. Since sightseeing is out of the question, I linger at breakfast for two hours, with my little Adonis regularly bringing me fresh coffee, his smile and a little chat. This more than makes up for the depressing sight outside. I decide to write to the manager to complement him on the young waiter’s efficiency and on cheering me up! (Yes, and Osaka will be on the list for my next trip ).

 

By noon, the rain is easing, but dark clouds remain ominously close. I decide I have to abandon my plans to visit the Castle and the Golden Temple, and instead get an earlier train back to Tokyo. Tonight I’ll have dinner with a Thai friend who is also visiting Japan this week. But as my Hikari gets closer to Tokyo, the weather gets even worse. Even some of the bullet trains, normally departing and arriving to the second, were delayed. In Tokyo the weather is foul. So we go underground for dinner to avoid fighting the elements.

 

Wednesday 4 April

 

I wake fearing the worst – more dreadful weather wiping out my last morning. But when I open the curtains, I am amazed – bright sunshine in a totally blue sky! Finally, the possibility of some good photos at Shinjuku Gyoen Park. I throw everything into my bags, check out, grab a quick breakfast and then get a taxi. I know it’s only a 15-minute walk, but I want to get there early as I only have 3 hours before I have to leave for the Narita Express train.

 

At 9:30, the park is almost empty. It’s obvious that more blossom is out. Still nothing like the carpet of colour it will be if the weather stays like this for another few days. But thankfully there are spots where it is perfectly lovely. Later, as more people arrive, older Japanese come with their plastic sheets and rugs, their bento boxes and green tea to sit underneath the near-open blossoms and to enjoy the beginning of the sakura season. They will soon be doing this all over Tokyo. One of the strangest sights will be at Aoyama Cemetery which is packed with blossoms. In the evenings, hundreds of people will bring their paraffin lamps and take their dinners under the trees.

 

Last Part Follows - Another Side-Trip Suggestion and Summary

[Moses]

You are superhero Excellent posts with huge amount of info. Thank you!

[Guest]

Excellent posts again Fountainhall.

 

1 GPS -I don't possess or know how to operate a GPS "thing". I put the co-ordinates into google maps, then either print out a section or manually mark the location on my street map. Presumably smartphone users can use the co-ordinates directly with a map?

 

2 King of Castle is possibly the most popular host bar amongst foreigners as they have an semi English website & the location is easy to find.

I also managed to find the following company, located in an apartment building 35.708703,139.704893 (some distance away). You need to contact them by phone. http://www.hi-na.com/main.php

I've never found any other Tokyo host bar, although there probably are several.

 

Incidentally, Fountainhall have you found any gay bars in other Japanese cities? I heard Osaka has some, but am not sure about other locations.

[Guest fountainhall]

PART 7

 

Side Trip 2 Suggestion: Matsumoto and Takayama

 

Whilst I head back to the hotel to retrieve my luggage after several hours in the park, I remember another fascinating side-trip I made some years ago. The two most colourful times to visit Japan are Spring and Autumn – the former for the sakura, the latter for the Fall colours. They may not be as impressive as New England, but still spectacular. As with the sakura, though, it’s impossible to work out exactly when the Fall colours will be at their peak, but any time over a 3-week window you will get some impression of the autumnal splendour.

 

Weather-wise, June to September can be incredibly humid, even more so than in Thailand, and consequently difficult for sight-seeing. August and September are also the main typhoon months when the occasional driving rains and the wind can make life miserable for tourists. From mid-October, it starts to get cold at night, but even in the early part of the year it never gets much below freezing. For fall colours close to Tokyo, bank on mid- to late-October.

 

If you have your Japan Rail Pass, consider taking a train from Shinjuku station for a three- or four-night excursion starting in the hills to the east and the town of Matsumoto. Here you can visit one of the oldest (and indeed one of the few original) great castles and see round inside. This was built more than 400 years ago, but many in the country are replicas due to wartime destruction and fire. In the hills around the town, you can also have a very Japanese experience (but totally non-sexual) in a number of onsen (hot springs).

 

http://welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp/

 

It’s a quaint town and totally different from the major cities. On the next day, take a public bus over the hills to Takayama where the old town seems not to have changed for centuries. Instead of a western-style hotel, stay Japanese-style at a ryokan and experience true Japanese hospitality. They tend to be more expensive than hotels, but worth it.

 

http://intrepidtravelogue.com/takayama-japan

 

After lingering in Takayama, take the train across to Nagoya and there connect to a shinkansen either back to Tokyo, or perhaps on to Kyoto for another two or three days. If you are on a stopover from/to the US, see if your international carrier will permit an open-jaw ticket at no extra cost – i.e. arrive in Tokyo; then, after your stopover, continue on to BKK from Osaka. JAL or ANA should permit this, but perhaps one of the Airline Alliances may also have some arrangement between carriers. From Kyoto and Osaka, there are bus and train services directly to Osaka’s Kansai International airport. This will save your spending $300 or so getting back to Tokyo and on from there to Narita airport.

 

Summary

 

So, that’s it! A wordy series of thoughts and suggestions that may, I hope, encourage some to consider visiting Tokyo. Despite the weather this time, my 30-year love affair with the country continues (it started in June 1982 – and yes, I did meet a tall, handsome Japanese student on the very first day of that first ever visit !)

 

I wish I knew the country better. I wish I had taken the trouble to learn more than just the basics of the language. That isn’t now going to happen, alas. But it’s probably abundantly clear that I thoroughly enjoy my visits. And whilst I did not see the full glory of the sakura on this trip, I’ll end the ‘blog’ with a few more photos of some of the blossoms as they were emerging over my few days in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest fountainhall]

Excellent posts with huge amount of info.

 

Thanks so much Moses. I'm delighted you have enjoyed them. Japan can seem a complex, expensive and even intimidating country to some people. I hope I have helped show that it is a great and relatively easy place to visit!

 

I don't know if you have ever been to Japan, but I do hope you will consider it some time.

[Guest]

A visit to Shinjuku

Getting to the gay area is a pleasant short stroll eastwards from Shinjuku station. However, if it's raining I take the metro to Shinjuku Sanchome and take exit C8 into the "BYGS" building. The gay area starts immediately behind this building & has many bars, some gay shops, short time hotels, one or two massage places & a sauna.

 

There are many gay bars & these seem as busy as ever at the weekends, but rather quiet in the middle of the week.

On this trip, I mostly just tried wandering into bars rather than following the advice from guidebooks or gay websites. This leads to much more variety. In addition to a few "beer" bars, I discovered a couple more host bars.......

http://tk2.jp/e/access.html

http://www.get-wave.com/tokyo/

Whilst very cute, in the flesh their hosts look a little more mature than on the website (just as well), so perhaps some photoshopping is going on. Beers cost about 1500 in the host bars & other expenses can quickly result in a 15,000+ yen bill, although they really know how to look after their clients well (so I'm told...... ).

 

I also tried introducing myself to a few people other people in some of the obvious meeting places in the area.

In broken Japanese, I asked one guy his name.

He replied "Masash", or so I thought.

Well, my Japanese is very poor and as my muscles could do with the attention of a masseur, I then asked "how much?"

He replied 6000 yen.

Only when we arrived in the hotel did I discover his name was Masashi and he was not offering a massage. However, what did happen was very pleasant indeed .

So it seems there are quite a few freelancers in the area early in the evening on Saturday & Sunday. The obvious congregating points are on the fence behind the BYGS building & down near the sauna.

[Guest fountainhall]

1. Beers cost about 1500 in the host bars

2. In broken Japanese, I asked one guy his name.

3. He replied 6000 yen.

4. The obvious congregating points are on the fence behind the BYGS building & down near the sauna.

 

1. Do you know the price of a beer in a regular gay bar now? Understandably host bars are more expensive, but ¥1,500 is pretty steep at almost US$19.

 

2. These misinterpretations can often be very amusing. I had to meet a Japanese client at Suvarnabhumi on Saturday evening. Although we had not met before, I knew she was small and middle-aged and had seen photos. So, to impress, I decided I'd approach her, make a little bow and say "Konbanwa, Sato-san. O-genki deska? Watashi-wah Fountainhall san!" Clearly startled, she just gawked and said in near-perfect English: "What are you doing? Who are you?" Fountainhall squashed!

 

3. Wow! Good deal! Around $76 that's well under half the host bar off-rate - and you probably had no time limit.

 

4. The BYGS building is one of the obvious ways of getting to Sanchome - provided you remember to turn left up the last steps and then left at the top. Before that building was remodelled, it was itself a well-known cruising area with a lot going on in its 'facilities'. Sadly no more. And I wonder for how much longer there will be much cruising around the sauna area. Again, the little park just after King of College host bar was often packed with cruisers, but it is now being redeveloped and only the open toilet remains.

 

[Rogie]

A visit to Shinjuku

 

Thanks for posting this. I have never been to Japan and probably never shall (unless I were to join a tour group which in general I'm not keen on), but hats off to anyone 'going it alone' like yourself.

[Guest]

A small beer in a normal bar comes to around 700 yen.

 

By Japanese standards, I thought 6000 yen was a good deal for the "massage". However, a couple of other freelancers were quoting 5000 & 6000, which was also a lot less than expected.

 

On balance, I think Japan possibly has the cutest guys on the planet. Sadly, my pitiful collection of trip photos doesn't contain a single example of one. Sorry. Must try harder.

 

I'll show you just how the space on the SD card was wasted when photobucket decides to work properly.

[Guest fountainhall]

On balance, I think Japan possibly has the cutest guys on the planet

 

For me, Taiwanese = 1; Japanese = 2

[Guest]

For me, Taiwanese = 1; Japanese = 2

I've not been to Taiwan, but are the guys really the cutest, or do they just flaunt it more? ie wearing speedos @ the gay pride event.

 

 

The Photos (Panasonic TZ9)

Experimenting with night shots, instead of searching for the cute guys. What a waste.

 

On the way back down from a >1400m high summit, west of Tokyo:

 

 

Earlier Trips to Japan

Here's a view from near the summit of mt Fuji, taken on an earlier trip. Nice view, but something went wrong with the photo (either lack of operator skill or an earlier digital camera -Olympus C450).

[Rogie]

Mountain summits are frustrating for the photographer!

 

Here is a short description I emailed to a few friends after returning from China in November 2002.

 

"We had a couple of mountain ascents, one of which completely defies description. This was owing to the heavy shroud of mist that clung to it never lifting, so we went up it and came down it not much the wiser! The postcard sellers did brisk business, not many cameras seeing any action in such conditions. The other mountain was fine going up but the next morning (we stayed in hotels on the summit for both mountains) you-know-what had descended. For the second time we were denied a chance to see the sunrise over a mountain."

 

The two peaks in question were Huang Shan (Yellow Mt) at approx 1800 metres and Tai Shan at 1545m.

 

It's also said you'll live to be 100 if you climb Tai Shan!

[kokopelli]

Although I enjoyed reading about Tokyo I have no yen to visit. Once I did stay one night outside of Narita Airport due to food poisoning on the flight from BKK to USA. I notice that Delta Airlines, my carrier, is offering flights, using frequent flyer miles, which arrive at one airport, Narita, and departs from the other, Haneda and with a 15 hour connection time.

Apparently it is up to the traveler to make the connection on his own. For me that would be a challenge and even more so with lots of luggage. I suppose if there were a connecting bus from airport to airport it might be possible but not something I would consider.

[Guest]

I notice that Delta Airlines, my carrier, is offering flights, using frequent flyer miles, which arrive at one airport, Narita, and departs from the other, Haneda and with a 15 hour connection time.

 

15 hours is no use. After cutting out all the travel, airport stuff etc, I reckon you have just 9 hours for eating, sleeping and sampling the night life. Not enough. Add 24 hours, then it becomes more interesting.

[Guest fountainhall]

There is a frequent door-to-door connecting bus service between the airports, so the transfer is easy. If Delta will automatically check-though your large bags to final destination, that's one problem solved. Your own transfer would probably be not much more 4 hours gate-to-gate - 1 at Narita, sail through Immigration, 2 for the bus trip (maximum), 30 minutes for Security/Immigration and 30 minutes at gate for boarding.

 

But if you were considering spending time in the city, you'd not go airport-to-airport. As z909 suggests, to be safe, you'd then need to set aside 6 hours for getting in and out - 1+2 (gate at Narita to Shinjuku), and another 2+1 (Shinjuku to gate at Haneda). That part is relatively easy (though may sound more complicated than it is). The problem is what would you want to do when you get there! If you enjoy the sauna experience, you could spend all the time at '24'. You can even take a private room and use it for some sleeping time - just make sure you have a good alarm clock!

 

For bar hopping, it would not be worth it due to the difficulty finding many of the bars. For sightseeing, about the only thing a first-timer with so little time might do is an official bus tour. A day or two longer does make it worthwhile, though. I'm sure z909 and I could map out a nice itinerary for you

[Guest richber]

Does anyone know if the get-wave host bar in Shinjuku accepts foreign customers?

Thanks for any information.

[Guest]

Does anyone know if the get-wave host bar in Shinjuku accepts foreign customers?

Yes & customer service was exceptionally attentive.

They also welcome your business at Tokyo Kids & "An Independance" (hi-na.com), although the latter requires a lot of effort to find.