I arrived a little later than I expected, so I really didn't have much of an opportunity to check out Tokyo the first night I was there. I did walk around Ebisu for a bit, but got hungry so just stopped in a place for a cheap (but good) bite to eat.
The next morning I took some pictures from my hotel room of the area that I was walking around, and it was pretty shocking. The panorama was a little more interesting than I remember from the night before.
I did get a chance to walk around a little bit between interviews on the first full day. Shinjuku is a crazy place. Incredibly crowded, yet very peaceful. It's a little different in that crowds like that in Chicago and New York seemed to have a little more aggressive energy. The Japanese just lacked the 'edge' that New Yorkers have. I don't know any other way to describe it.
There was one cool area where I was able to check out some old buildings from pre-World War 2 that didn't burn down. Now they look like some old alley or something, but in every doorway there are a few stools and a bar advertising cheap beer. There were even stairways leading up to second and third-floor bars in a few of the buildings, as well as signs indicating other 'pleasures' that could be had for a price. My colleague (and tour guide) for my stay in Tokyo, Tetsuya Hatano, said that intelligence officers are rumored to use that area for information exchange because it gets so crowded at night. I'm sure it gets crowded,but I was shocked by how empty it was at 5:30pm on a Friday.
The little bit of sight seeing involved a brief stroll through one of the gardens around the Imperial Palace (cool water fountains) and then hanging out at the New York Bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel. Incredible views. There were several scenes from Lost in Translation filmed in that bar, and it was really a unique experience. I was able to listen to some live jazz, got 360-degree views of Tokyo, and relax to soak it all in.
Very cool, and I'm definitely going to have to go back.
