Tokyo Off the Beaten Path Tips by andrew_in_ilbon

Koreans are Japan`s biggest - and most controversial ethnic minority, and Shin-Okubo is their part of Tokyo. Many Korean-Japanese are the descendants of slave laborers imported during Japan`s brutal colonial occupation of Korea, and even today they suffer from extreme discrimination.

But, lately, a surprising new trend has emerged- Korean culture has become "cool". The most popualar celebrity in Japan is now the Korean actor Bae Yong Jun, and his fans are flocking into Shin-Okubo, an immigrant ghetto on the fringes of Shinjuku, to see what the fuss is about. You`ll soon notice the shop signs in the Korean alphabet "Hangul"- totally distinct from Japanese writing.

Here, there are no "sights" but you can you can shop for Korean books and CDs at "Korea Plaza", watch K-pop videos on the big screen and shop for authentic Korean groceries..and Bae Yung Jun posters (they adorn almost every shop!) And of course...come for the Korean food! The restaurants offer some of Tokyo`s heartiest and spiciest meals. And dont listen to the naysayers- the area`s seedy reputation for crime and prostitution is much exaggerated by xenophobic Tokyoites! Be sure to venture into the little sidestrets- lined with lovehotels and little Asian groceries, its here that the msot interesting places are found!

Just get off Shin-Okubo station on the Yamanote line and have a wander!

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A little-known fact outside of Japan is its 200,000 strong Brazilian immigrant community. In fact, Brazilians make up the 3rd largest minority group in the country! And here, at the Asakusa Street Carnaval, they make their presence felt with the biggest samba festival outside of Brazil.

Held on the last weekend of August in Asakusa, Tokyo`s temple district, the parade is a simply unmissable spectacle of thousands of feather trimmed, brightly colored, skimpily dressed dancers- both Japanese and Brazilian - shaking to a samba beat. Its an explosion of color and excitement. Literally hundreds of thousands people come to watch.

But here is an insider tip - dont stand on the street with the locals, make your way to the backstage waiting areas - anyone is allowed- where you`ll see the samba schools rehearsing, dancing, and mixing in their
outrageous costumes, purely for their own enjoyment..a much more "authentic" feel than if u wait on the main street, amongst Japanese pensioners, with leering faces and long-range camera lenses aimed squarely at the dancing girls`s cleavage. Yuck!

The samba festival is one of the most amazing sights Tokyo has to offer, and offers an intriguing look into the "new Japan" of the 21st century, in the globalized age.

I saw little black kids speaking Japanese as a native language, Asian faces babbling excitedly in Portuguese and dancers proudly waving the flags of both Japan and Brazil , (the "Hinomaru" and "Ordem e Progresso").
And of course, seeing a feather topped showgirl in a sequined bikini shimmying to samba, with a Buddhist pagoda in the background, takes some beating!

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Tokyo has no shortage of shrines and temples. Unfortunately though, many of them seem rather overrated, like the famous Meiji-Jingu which doesnt really live up to expectations (although the creepy surrounding forest, with its squawking, giant crows is like a scene from Hitchock`s "The Birds" , kinda fun in a macabre way).

But there are alternatives.

Shinjuku`s Hanozono-jinja is located right on Yasukuni-dori, one of the city`s main thoroughfares, opposite the giant Isetan department store and close to the Marui store as well. However, you could miss it. Enter through a narrow little alleyway under the red torii gate and suddenly youre in a shady yard of old trees, seemingly a million miles away. On Sundays there is a kimono market, good for cheap second hand traditional clothing for souvenirs, and if youre lucky you might see an outdoor play, staged in the temple`s yard. If you turn left, past the ornate red temple building, you`ll head out right into the blinking neon lights of Kabukicho, a tawdry pleasure-dome of illegal gambling and prostitution. The contrast between the calmness of the temple and its surroundings could hardly be greater.

The same is true of the delightful Togo Shrine, in the teenage shopping mecca of Harajuku. From Harajuku station, walk down Takeshita-dori, "Teenagers Street" - crushed full of hip hop boys and overly-made up girls, with stores selling all kinds of crazy, funky fashion fads...but turn right just before the end of the street (if you can hold out that long in the maddening crowd) .

Suddenly, you are standing by a serene pond, in the garden of this Shinto shrine. When I was there, a traditional wedding was taking place, carp were splashing in the pond and stray cats were dozing in the shady gardens...just seconds away from the seemingly parallel world of vibrant commercialism on Takeshita-dori.

Sundays here is an antique market- not cheap, but good quality pieces if youre looking for something distinctive to take home.

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This store is one of Tokyo`s most idiosyncratic and little-known attractions. It is a boutique on hip, happening Cat Street in Shibuya , which confusingly goes by a surfeit of names : Rock and Roll Department, Too Young to die, Pink Dragon...However, the store itself is easily distinguishable by the giant egg over the doorway (!)

Inside, the store sells retro-inspired rockabilly clothes, hats, accessories...but the real surprise is in the small adjoining room where the "dragon museum" is located. For reasons known only to the store`s owners, they have contructed a bogus plaster-of-paris "dragon skeleton" as their mascot. The goodsized "dragon" remains are presented in a completely deadpan manner, as a genuine specimen.

To support this, the walls are lined with (obvioulsy faked) photgraphs and diary entires from the "paleontological dig" which uneatrhed the "dragon" and a tooth and egg are also on display. The whole thing is just one small room, but it is delightfully bizarre and certainly worth a stop if you`re heading down Cat Street - in any case, a fun hang out on weekends with Shibuya`s fashion-obsessed youth.

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Shinjuku Nichome (literally Shinjuku 2nd District) is a name known to most straight Japanese but visited by very few- it is the "notorious" epicentre of gay life in Japan.
In a four block radius,this little corner of Shinjuku is packed with hundreds of tiny (and amusingly named) gay bars and clubs, like "Baby Satan", "King Light Costume Bar" and "Kings of College". As well, there are cafes , restaurants , a very cruisy Starbucks full of pretty boys flirting over their frappucinos, and of course... porno stores.Its quite remarkable how completely gay the area is - you wuld be hardpressed to find one "striaght" establishment.

During the day the area has a quiet, pleasant village-like atmosphere. Unlike the rest of Shinjuku, there is a nice community atmosphere here. On weekend afternoons crowds gather early to drink, see and be seen at the fashionable Advocates Cafe, standing outside on the footpath as there are no chairs

There is only one "sightseeing" spot per se- the Temple to the King Of Hell - with Tokyo`s biggest statue of the deity and a peaceful graveyard, where mourners leave offerings to their loved ones. Amusingly the graveyard is now overshadowed by a ten-storey (!) gay sex club where patrons can sunbathe nude on the roof and look down over the graves!

At night, the park next door is also a lively and rather seedy cruising area. However, the much more refined pleasures of one of Tokyo`s biggest parks, Shinjuku-Gyoen, are only a few blocks away, if youre more in the mood for French landscaping and lotus-covered ponds than a quick hookup!

For more information on gay nightlife, see the nightlife section.

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Sugamo, a stop on the Yamanote line before Ikebukero, is known jokingly as "Grandmothers Harajuku" (a reference to the funky neighborhood favored by Tokyo`s clothes-conscious youth).

Sugamo, of course is anything but "happening". Its more about hip replacements than "hip".

This strange neighborhood is a stronghold of Tokyo`s rapidly growing over 60s population (and by extension, the tradional Japanese culture they embody). Walking through the streets here can be a strange out-of-place experience for anyone under the age of retirement, amongst the bobbing silver heads and clatter of canes. But its not an unintereting one.

The main street, lined with shops selling sensible shoes, floral aprons and tradional herb rememedies lead down to the main attraction, a popular shrine.

Many older people come here to pray for their health, a tradition that dates back hundreds of years to when the shrine`s Buddha statue found fame for "sucking out" wooden splinters - if you have one, place it on the statue and it will supposedly be drawn out!

A wander around the busy Shrine with its burning incense and street vendors selling "senbei" tradional crackers is an interesting experience . Thought-provokin too, when you consider than with Japan`s rapidly-ageing population, and unwillingness to open to largescale immigration, Sugamo might be a taste of what Tokyo life will soon become!

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