Tokyo Off the Beaten Path Tips by kdoc13

The Ueno Zoo is just like most every other metropolitan zoo. The calling card for this one though is its Panda Bears. The panda's are pretty cool to look at, and there are a few other animals which I didn't see in the usual American zoo's.

The hardest part about going to the zoo is getting there. I was lucky and a co-worker drove me. Ueno is on the East side of Tokyo and a bit away from everything, so a Taxi can be expensive. The best bet is to take the subway to the Asakusa station and either make the long walk, or get a taxi from there.

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Website: http://www.kensetsu.metro.tokyo.jp/zoo/ueno/

The Ueno Park is a great place in the spring to experience the Cherry Blossom festival. It is best to have a Japanese companion with you for the festival, as things can devolve into drunken revelry at times. For the most part (meaning 99.9% of the time though) it is a safe area, and a lot of fun.

The park is beautiful any time of year, although a bit of a challenge to get to. It is in the area of the Asakusa and Ueno stations on the subway and is near a lot of other interesting attractions, in case the park isnt working for you.

There is one knock against this park though, it is a very much working class neighborhood, and times haven't been so good there. It is not uncommon to see homeless men there, although they have never been a threat or a problem.

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The museum is exactly what it says it is. It is home to alot of western art. And I mean a lot! The good thing about it is, there is no shortage of breathtaking works of art. Included in the exhibit are Kdoc favorites Reubens, Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Pollack.

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Phone: 03-3828-5131
Website: http://www.nmwa.go.jp/
Other Contact: 7-7 Ueno-koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo 1

Zojoji Temple is the Tokugawa family temple. In fact, many of the Tokugawa mausoleums are on the site. It is easily viewed from Tokyo Tower, and is worth a few minutes to look around.

The closest subway stations are Onarimon or Shibakoen Station on the Mita Line and Daimon Station on the Oedo Line. Zojoji is also a 5-10 minute walk from Hamamatsucho Station on the JR Yamanote and JR Keihin-Tohoku Line.

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Website: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3010.html

Kokugikan (Or as Americans know it Budokahn) is the major home for Sumo Wrestling and "Cheap Trick" Concert albums. Sumo is a very cool sport that is misunderstood by those who don't understand it. It can be difficult because of the many weight classes and traditions (such as throwing salt into the ring.) But it is the fastest and most intense sport I have ever seen in my life!

Ryogoku, the area around the Kokugikan and the Tokyo Edo Museum is home to many Sumo Stables. One of the coolest things is watching some of these Giant Sumo Wrestlers riding to their stable on a bike, or being fortunate enough to catch practice through an open door. I was there around dinner time and got to see what just one of these guys eats, impressive!

The Sumo Wrestlers are major celebrities in Japan who appear on commercials and cooking shows and everything in between. Plus, my gut looks small in comparison.

Take the JR Sobu Line or Subway Oedo Line to Ryogoku Station.

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Website: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3022.html

The Tsukiji Fish Market is more than just a place to buy fish wholesale. It is where you buy fruit as well. Chances are, if you are eating it in a restaurant in Tokyo, it has come through Tsukiji.

Every day 2000 tons of fish go in and out of it. And trust me, it can be smelled as far away as Hatchibori!

You probably won't be able to buy fish at the market, but there are plenty of sushi places around there that are more than willing to serve you. A visit to the fish market is an early morning experience though, as it opens at 5:00 in the morning.

To get there, Tsukiji Market is best accessed from Tsukijishijo Station on the Subway Oedo Line or Tsukiji Station on the Subway Hibiya Line.

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Phone: 03-3541-2640
Website: http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/

The Yebisu Beer Museum is one of those places you can only find in Tokyo. The admission is free, although the beer isn't. It is in the Yebisu Garden Palace, and is a place that commemorates the history, sicence and technology of all thing beer! There is a beer tasting available, but the best bet is to go to the "Beer Station" restaurant nearby and get a meal with your Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and/or Sapporo.

Yebisu Garden Place is a 5 minute walk from Ebisu Station on the JR Yamanote Line and JR Saikyo Line, one station south of Shibuya Station. It is connected with the station by the well marked "Yebisu Skywalk".

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Phone: 03-5423-7255
Website: http://www.gardenplace.co.jp/english/

Pachinko is a local obsession in Tokyo. It is part pinball, part slot machine, and marbles. You know a pachinko parlor when you get near one, the lights and sounds are unmistakable, and so ar the rows and rows of housewives, students and sallarymen who sit on little stools in front of these machines for hours, addicted to the lights, the sounds and the chance to make money.

Other than controling the speed at which the marbles are released, there isn't much to Pachinko. Just like on the American game show "The price is right" the whole trick is to get as many of the little ball bearings into the high point holes as you can. If you are good at this, you win..... more ball bearings.

Why would you want ball bearings? You wouldn't. But you can trade them in for little gifts, food, and electronics. The little school boys like to trade them in for smokes. Me, I like to trade them for money!

That's right, money. While gambling is technically illegal (Ha ha ha), you can trade the ball bearings for these little packages. Then you take the packages to a little slot in a doorway around the corner where they must really love these things, because they give you cash for them. (In reality it is about saving face. Gamblers don't flaunt it in front of the cops, the cops look the other way since technically all that is occuring is a sale of money for a small box with a token in it.)

Pachinko is everywhere, you won't need directions, follow the noise.

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LaQua is a whole city unto itself. There is shopping, roller coasters, water rides, shows, restaurants and more. But the best reason to go isn't any of these. It is the spa!

Underneath a roller coaster near the Tokyo Dome is this odd little building. It doesn't really look like it belongs there, but is actually part of the Tokyo Dome City district's entertainment area. The building is LaQua, a spa.

Believe it or not, there is actually a hot spring in the middle of Tokyo near the Tokyo Dome. The water is brought up from a depth of more than 1km and pumped into the spa's sauna's and hot spring pools. Plus, there are massages which can be either relaxing, or painful enough to make the hardest man cry!

For the full thing you can expect to pay about 630 Yen during the day. On the weekends and after midnight, the price skyrockets to almost 2000 Yen. So go when it opens. Plus, if you aren't comfortable with little on and in public, the crowds are smaller then.

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Phone: 81-3-5800-9999
Website: http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/laqua/index.htm

Not far from Asakusa, there is a little shopping area beneath the Yamanote Loop Line. It is the Ameya Yokocho Food and Flea Market. I was actually tipped off to this place by a relative who knew it as a black market during WWII. It is still a little shady, and is more known for Ginsing and Candy sales than anything else.

But today they sell everything from handbags to fish and a lot of things in between. I used to buy these really great Japanese pickles to take back to the hotel for part of my dinner. I also found that produce could be bargained for, where you couldn't do that in a normal market.

Got some great buys, later in the afternoon. Shops are closed on Wednesdays (odd) and the place is a madhouse during commuter times.

Easy to find, right near the Yamanote Loop Train line station in Ueno near Askusa.

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