Tokyo Off The Beaten Path Tips by Wild_Orchid Top 5 Page for this destination

Onsen Experience (Part II) Odaiba & Ariake Review

What greeted me next was quite a surprise (even for a liberal thinker such as myself!) & even though I had mentally prepared for it. A sea of women of all ages and a few girls, were changing out of their yukatas in readiness for the best part-the bathing ritual.

Here, I was handed a big towel & a small towel & had brought along a 100 yen coin for the small & final locker. Photography is strictly not permitted here.

Having changed out of my yukata, I entered through the doors & found numerous stations outfitted with low wooden stools, showers & various ranges of liquid soaps shampoos. I picked an unoccupied shower station, turned on the water and gave the little stool a quick rinse. Taking my cue from a mother & daughter team I observed there, I proceeded to wash & scrub every inch of my body. (The hot water of the public bath is meant for soaking, not for cleaning.)

After that, I was faced with many choices. There were pools of all sizes, some with Jacuzzi-like bubbles, a few that were hot and others hotter still and one at the corner which was filled with icy cold water. There was also a small steam room.

After some minutes of peaceful soaking (per Japanese customs, no splashing please!), I wandered in a daze & stumbled outside. It was drizzling lightly but with a clear plastic covering the “roof”, only a bit of water splashed through. I then soaked in a couple of the small hot pools, and soaked in the atmosphere. It was lovely, and I felt completely sensual, free and at ease, absorbing the outdoor scenery, the Japanese gardens, the light blue skies and beautiful women around me.

After that, I returned back indoors and bravely soaked in the the cold pool. Thus invigorated & feeling pleasantly drowsy, it was time to leave.

Entrance Fees: 2,827 Yen for Adults, 1,575 Yen for Children. Extra for massage, foot reflexology, sand sauna.

Yukata-wear the left flap on the outside, over the right. I wore mine the wrong way!Sash can be tied in many ways, usually, with bow at the back.

*Update (2009): The link below which is by the Tokyo Metro Tourist Board is very useful as it describes how to get to the Onsen. It also has 53 different self-guided walking tours for visitors to Tokyo to explore on their own.

Phone: 03-5500 1126

Website: http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/guideservice/route/route53/50/50.html

Traditional Onsen Experience (Part 1) Experience Review

At the Oedo Onsen Monogatari, the Edo Period is recreated & those who come here will feel like they’ve been transported to the Edo era.

When you arrive, you will be greeted with shouts of welcome outside the complex. Once inside, take off your shoes & leave them at the small locker (wear the key around your wrist). Pay the entrance fee, & get issued with a layout map in English, another set of locker keys, plus a special tag to wear (use this to pay for your purchases, no need to carry any money). Then move on to select your yukata (casual cotton kimono-in different colours, different designs and in different sizes) & matching sash.

From there, enter (different entrances for men & boys and women & girls) the first set of change rooms and change out of your clothes and into your yukata. Place all your belongings into this locker. Then proceed onto the main area. The entire surroundings is like a scene out of a period Japanese movie. There are food stalls, souvenior shops, simple games for children and a stage where shows were carried out. I found it graceful, and yet bewildering at the same time, with the entire complex, a hive of activity, as men, women and children wander the streets, eating, drinking or simply relaxing. Photography is permitted here.

After a quick tour, find your way out to the footbath gardens (see pics). This is where you can walk on the foot reflexology path or bath your feet while seated around a square footbath. This area is co-ed. Nearby there is the hot sandbaths where you can get buried from toe to neck.

Getting back inside, I was momentarily disorientated by the darkness inside & found myself inside the Men’s Only area as indicated by the blue curtains! Making a hasty retreat, I then managed to find the red curtain which showed that the area was for women.

If you don't speak Japanese, it may be quite difficult to manage, but please don't let this put your off from this unique experience.

*Update (2009)
http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/guideservice/route/route53/50/50.html
This link from the Tokyo Metro Tourism board is very useful to help you plan your route.

Phone: 03-5500 1126

Website: http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/

Browse at the Ameyoko Wholesale Market, UENO Ameya Yokocho (AMEYOKO) Review

At every city that I visit, I always love to drop by at the local markets. This is because I find that shopping and browsing at local markets to be far more interesting than shopping at typically nondescript supermarkets, which are not particularly inspiring replicas of one another, and not too different from what you can find back home.

Indeed, I do enjoy poking around, taking in the sights, hearing the sounds and breathing in the smells of the markets. By observing what the locals buy and eat, you get a sense of their culture and their wonderful lifestyle-a slice of life, as it were!

If you’re like me, and enjoy visiting markets, don’t miss the Ameyoko Wholesale Market at Ueno district, which is located on the street covering the area from the JR Ueno Station to Okachimachi Station. It is not at all messy or smelly and was overall a very pleasant experience, with dried goods, fresh fruits, clothing, fresh seafood, sashimi, sliced fruits available for sale.


What to look out for:
Dried Goods
Wooden Blocks of tuna (not sure what this is for or how you cook it!)
Dried seaweed, I especially liked the slightly spicy variety
(Some seaweed is from Korea, not from Japan. You need to check the packaging.)
Snacks eg. savoury rice crackers, rice crackers with wasabe flavouring
No bargaining is necessary, although some traders may throw in some free samples if you buy more.

Directions:
JR Ueno/Okachimachi Station,
or
Keisei Ueno Station on Keisei Line

Website: http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/guideservice/route/route53/10/10.html

Of Bonsai and Green Rice Fields Day Trip out of Tokyo Review

On the drive from Narita airport to Tokyo, I was pleasantly surprised by all the greenery. The trees were in lovely shades of green and had unusual roundish shapes that were almost bonsai-like. Coming from the equatorial region of Malaysia, it was so pleasingly different.

You will also encounter quite a lot of parklands in Tokyo itself, especially around the Imperial Palace and Yoyogi park areas.

On my drive back from Hakone to Tokyo city, I came across this ricefield and I couldn't resist but to take a picture of it (from the moving coach!).