Our 4 hour Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong brought us into Japan's Narita International Airport, located some 65 km away from Tokyo. After the painless immigration and baggage claim, we headed a level below to find the Japan Railways (JR) office. The first order of business was to validate our Japan Railways 14 day Pass bought in Hong Kong as it is meant only for use by tourists and hence sold only outside of Japan. We had also decided that since our luggage was pretty manageable going in, we would take the Narita Express (NEX) train from the Airport to Shinjuku station. The best deal for this is the NEX + Suica option, whereby for Y 3000, you get a NEX ticket effectively for Y 1500 which otherwise costs Y 3000, coupled with a Suica card which is used on all local forms of transport within Tokyo city. The card package of Y 1500 comprises a refundable deposit of Y 500 and a pre loaded value of Y 1000. All in all a good deal, and we bought this as well from the JR office. We had to be sure to mention that we were getting off at Shinjuku because not all NEX trains stop at Shinjuku.
This was also our first brush with the legendary Japanese politeness and service, with several bows and "arigato Gozaimaaas" repeated ad infinitum.
Thus loaded we found our way to the NEX platform and awaited our train, which of course, arrived bang on time, and of course the carriage we had to board stopped exactly where it said it would on the platform. There is enough space near the doors to store large luggage and overhead racks for smaller suitcases and backpacks. The train took about 50 minutes to get into Shinjuku station. We found the elevator to get to the concourse level quite easily and came face to face with the madness called Shinjuku for the first time.
With an average throughput of 2-3 million passengers a day, most of which I am sure were swirling around us that early evening, Shinjuku station is a mini city. There are a plethora of signs, labels, kiosks, shops, counters, vending machines, gates, escalators, steps, you get the idea. The key thing, as we discovered, is not to get fazed by everything the eye sees, and to know what you are looking for and focus on that. The Japanese, in trying to be helpful, have gone overboard with their signage, posting 5 signs where perhaps one would suffice. For example, you will see a sign saying " Marounochi Line 200 metres". After a few steps, there will be another sign saying " Marounochi Line 160 metres", very helpfully telling you that you have covered 40 metres and that you have another 160 metres to go in the same direction. A very worthy cause, but multiply that with signs for other lines, for the gates, for the ticket offices, for the elevators and escalators and everything else, and things descend quickly into an organised chaos. Hence the advice - know what you are looking for and focus on that, ignoring the rest and you will have no problem. If all else fails, resort to that final certain solution - ask someone, anyone, and step back and prepare to be amazed at the helpfulness and friendliness of complete strangers.
We made our way towards the South Gate as had been advised to by friendly travellers on the travel forums, and found a taxi rank. We had on hand the address of our hotel in Japanese, which is something we did for all of the hotels we stayed at, a very good idea, and for Y 800 the cab traversed the 1 km distance to our hotel - The Citadines Shinjuku Apart Hotel.
We had come across this property while doing our research for accomodation on this trip. They opened just a month before and hence there were no reviews on the place, but the parent company operates many such properties around the globe. Besides, we were getting a great introductory offer of around Y 8300 all inclusive for a studio double room, which, lets face it, is pretty unbeatable in Tokyo. More details on the Japan Accomodations page but the photos below perhaps will indicate why this is an absolute find.
After checking in and dumping our stuff, we set out to explore the neighborhood of East Shinjuku. We walked down the street towards the Shinjuku San Chome area (Citadines is situated very close to the Shinjuku Gyoemmae park).
We decided not to do anything really heavy that night and so browsed around some of the shops and stores. This arrangement of "geta" or wooden clogs was very interesting, in that the clogs can be fitted with the cloth straps of your choice and colour. Customised footwear Japanese style. Another delightful assortment was that of blended teas, formulated to suit any mood and solve any problem from migraine, stress, aches and pains to "dreams of good job", "happy marriage" and "luxury house".
Our first meal in Japan was at the Agio restaurant, one of many in the Isetan department store building. Given my vegetarian proclivities, Gordon kindly eschewed Japanese food, with the argument being that he would get more than his fill in the ryokans and other traditional places we would be staying at throughout the trip. Agio had good Italian food, and was our first exposure to some common customs such as - the sanitised wet wipes served before the meal, the waitress always kneeling on the floor at the time they take the order and the practice of collecting the tab which is left on the table and paying at the till.
We are used to neon in Hong Kong, but Tokyo is bigger and brighter by far. The lights and crowds provided just the energy we needed after a fairly long travelling day.
We were fascinated by the range and depth of items available at vending machines. By the end of our trip, we were completely in love with the flexibility, ease and convenience they provide.
We made our way to the Golden Gai, a network of narrow alleys in East Shinjuku which have many small bars and eateries. These are sometimes just hole in the wall places with a counter and a few bar stools but they have a fiercely loyal clientele, so much so, that most do not patronise newcomers. Very atmospheric, especially on a cold night like this.
The Japanese are big smokers so cigarette vending machines are a very common and very colourful sight.
After visiting the Golden Gai, we made our way to Kabuki-cho. Once the red light district, it is now a glitzy, in your face neighborhood with shops, restaurants, bars, pachinko parlours, peep shows, nightclubs, etc. The energy is electric, the pace, relentless. The arch in the photograph below marks the entrance from the main street into Kabuki-cho.
On the main street. If one walks straight down in the direction of the "Epson" sign, one reaches Shinjuku station. Go the other way about 5-8 minutes for the hotel.
As we made our way back to hotel, hordes of the "Japanese office army" was getting ready to blow off the day's stress. Our army of two was ready to hit the sack and awaken to our first Tokyo morning.
