 | Tokyo People and Life Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 18 |  |
 | |  |  | People and Life: Browse at the Ameyoko Wholesale Market, UENO | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
ScbAt 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 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 Leave a Comment Website: www.ameyoko.net/ Other Contact: (website in Japanese only)
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| | | | People and Life: Samba in the land of sushi | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
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! Leave a Comment
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| | | | People and Life: The other Japan | Tip Rating: | | | | |
I think most of the people when they are in Tokyo just want to see the great templs and shrines in the middle of this super modern metropolis, but they think Japan is a rich country so they will never see many poor people in this country. Most of the people don't know about the homeless life in this city. You can find them in many big public parks living in tents, they are not really unemployed, some of them go to work wearing suits, some of them are living like this 'cause in this city is too expensive to get your own place, some of them are really poor and this is their only way to survive here. I can tell you they are not dangerous, I met many argentinians who had no place to stay or no money to pay a hotel when the soccer worldcup and these people gave them a place to stay, offered them food also. Why in the park and not in other place? 'Cause in the park you have toilets and you can get water, wash yourself, they live as they can. Not all is good for them, winters are very hard in Japan, so many times you hear about some homeless dead because of the cold temperatures. Remember not just rich people is living here, remember not to be able to have a place doesn't mean you are a thief or you are bad, and remember no one has the righ to treat them as less human beins just 'cause they are living like that. (THANTKS A LOT VT BIXENTE FOR THE PIC) Leave a Comment
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| | | | People and Life: The entire second day in Tokyo... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The entire second day in Tokyo was 'off the beaten path.'Our Meguro friend Fumiko had told us the previous night to return to the front of Meguro Station and take the Number 2 bus to Daiyei Supermarket. All I had to tell the driver was 'Daiyei, onegai shimasu'--he told us when to get off. Nihonjin make very creative use of limited space--we had never seen anything like the place. The entryway to the first floor was a large flower/plant shop, leading into a food supermarket. The second floor was clothing, and I do not even know what the other five floors contained. Fumiko and her husband Hirofumi san met us there and took us for a walk through narrow streets crowded with small shops, bicycles and people. Lee complained that the dress shoes she had bought in America were hurting her feet, so our friends took us to a shoe store where Lee soon found a nice looking, comfortable pair of shoes, which allowed her to enjoy the rest of our trip in comfort--halfway around the world to find a good pair of shoes. I had no problem in my dress cowboy boots--nothing better for ankle support. We walked into Makudonaludo (MacDonald's) to put together a bag of coffees and snacks to have in a nearby park. (Receiving a cheerful smile with bow from behind a fast food counter is a unique experience.) The park had a shrine where Fumiko performed the ritual of pouring water on my hands with a long-handle dipper. A few children playing in the park looked curiously at us as we sat in the sun, enjoying our coffee. We went to our friends' apartment, which was decorated partly in western style, partly eastern. Their balcony was full of potted plants, obviously tended with much care. It is customary among Nihonjin to bring a gift when invited into someone's home. The gift does not have to be expensive--something from the guest's country is good; a handmade craft is better. I was proud of my wife for the way she offered her candle gift to Fumiko with both hands and a bow. (She had made candles to present to everyone we visited.) We enjoyed a nice dinner with Fumiko's recently married sister and husband. Then our friends surprised us by bringing out champagne, which they knew from our e-mails we enjoyed. At night, they walked us to a taxi--Hiro san insisted on paying the driver. The next morning we checked out of the hotel, returned to Meguro Station, took the train to Tokyo Station to board Shinkansen for Nagoya Station to meet friends who live in Tokoname (Please click on 'Travelogues' for this part of the trip). Leave a Comment
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