Fall Colors and Xmas Lights in Tokyo

Wednesday, Dec 9

We took the subway to Haranjuku station to see more fall colors and to enjoy more cool, but sunny weather.

Our destination was Yoyogi Park. When we exited the station we saw that we were right next to one of the other famous shrines, Meiji-jinju which is located in the area called Yoyogi. We’d been to this shrine five years before during the summer, so we decided to take a walk through to see what fall colors it might offer. Turns out, it was quite pretty—and it was filled with people. When we were there before in high summertime it was busy, and this Fall Wednesday afternoon at 3pm, it was still busy. There weren’t any weddings happening like last time, but it seemed to be ‘family-picture day’. We saw various young families posing with their kids for photos, with quite a few of the kids dressed in traditional Japanese garb. Little 3-foot-tall kimonos and samurai robes ran around, stopping momentarily to smile for the camera. One photographer was photographing a beaming grandmother dressed in a traditional kimono and the tiny head of her new grandbaby was just showing above the large, draping-fabric detail of her brown floral kimono sleeve. That was going to be a beautiful pic.

We wandered around oohing and awing the adorable kids in their miniature regalia, and the beautiful explosions of oranges, yellows, and reds sprinkled throughout the otherwise lush green setting. There are supposedly over 100,000 trees planted here. The park is home to quite a few forty-foot-tall tori gates, a museum, and an enormous shrine complex. The shrine was built back in the 1920s as a dedication to the spirits of the Emperor Meiji and his empress. It’s a lovely place to spend time strolling, enjoying nature, and for people watching.

We left the park at the main entrance and turned right, heading away from the train station from which we’d arrived. A short distance past the Meiji-jinju Shrine area was Yoyogi Park.

Yoyogi (I love saying this name) is a large park as well but it features at the entrance a main walkway with a long fountain running down its middle, leading to a large pond. It is an area mostly of rolling flat lawns and trees—many of which were covered with red, orange, or yellow leaves, though many were now leafless. I can imagine it was even more colorful a couple of weeks earlier before the leaves started to drop. It’s a pretty park but it lacks the lush greenery of the forest of neighboring Meiji-jinju.

After enjoying the serenity of the parks and a couple of cans of mystery booze, we wandered off to Tokyo Midtown to take in the garishness of a shopping center and all its famous Xmas lights. From the photos and descriptions of the place it was supposed to put one in the mood for Xmas by hammering it over your head. I couldn’t wait.

From the various sites I’ve read, there are supposed to be over 180,000 LED lights on display here. I kept losing count, so I guess I’ll just have to take their word for it. According to their website this year’s theme with its sci-fi feeling is called ‘Midtown Cruise’. Go figure. The surrounding high-end Galleria shopping area, which includes a Ritz Carlton,  is decorated with the typical Christmas deco and shops. It was like any high end shopping mall anywhere. We bought a lighted xmas card for $13.

Though it was pretty, it wasn't as beautiful as I'd imagined and the 180,000 LED lights didn't hold a match to the beauty we found in the surrounding parks.

More Fall Colors and Cheap Italian Food in Tokyo

Tuesday, Dec 1

The day started out sunny, but chilly. We decided to visit the Koishikawa Korakuen Park listed on that Japanese Fall Foliage Report we’ve been following. We want to see as much Fall color as we can before the winter comes roaring in and finishes off the leaves.

Getting off at the Iidabashi station and going left from the Tokyo Dome, we headed to the gardens. Upon paying the 300Yen (less than $3) per person, we entered into a green oasis and found ourselves facing a large pond. This park was once belonging to a feudal lord and built back in the late 1600s. I read that it covers over 17 acres, but it really did not seem to be all that big, especially since you see the Tokyo Dome, a roller coaster, and several tall office buildings looming over it from most angles. In this regard it was not as nice as the Rikugien gardens, but there were definitely more colors here.

Strolling around the pond there were quite a few little paths going in different directions and as with seemingly anything in Tokyo it was rather crowded. Besides the varied bird calls—I saw on a board that there are twenty types of birds and ducks found here in this park—we could also hear the sound of the roller coaster whooshing by with its screaming riders, as well as quite a bit of ambient traffic noise.

Getting lost on the various pathways, we found a stone bridge, a bright orange Chinese-style bridge, a strolling pond, various birds and ducks, a profusion of trees teeming with greens, oranges, and yellows, and a series of wide, flat stepping stones that allowed one to ‘walk on water’ for a few moments.

We stayed for a couple of hours then left so we could go to our next destination: Tokyo Dome City. We were going there to see the lights. I was expecting it to be set up for Xmas because I’d seen it listed on various websites as a place to go to see lights. As it turned out, it was really just an amusement park with lots of lights set up. There are a few rides there and it would probably be a fun place to hang out for a love-struck teenager perhaps, but for a bitter adult with the weight of the world on her shoulders, it was good for a quick run through. We did stop and have dinner at an Italian restaurant located there and were surprised at how good the food was. And for under $50 we had two big bowls of pasta, two glasses of champagne, two glasses of beer and a large green salad.

While eating, we spied a Don Quijote store out the window and decided to go do some shopping after we ate. Known as Donki by the Japanese, it is a discount chain with tons of stuff. We buy mostly food, snacks, booze, and cleaning items from them and we proceeded to buy three bags of stuff that is not available at our local Donki. I actually bought a bottle of CA Woodbridge wine for less than $7! Score!

Heading home with our 3 bags of food and booze, and with tummies full of Italian-style pasta, we could have been home in NYC—except we had spent a whole lot less money.

Two Days of Parks and Ancient Porn in Tokyo

Sunday, Nov 29

We decided to take an exploratory stroll through our neighborhood on Sunday after The Professor made a quick stop at the university. Turning left instead of right upon exiting the school campus, we just walked with no destination in mind. Seeing what looked like a river in the distance we directed our steps toward it. It was a nice surprise to come upon a rather large river (Kandagawa River) so close to home, flowing through a deep channel with tall stone retaining walls and lined with now leafless trees. Crossing the river and on either side of it were city streets. There wasn’t a lot of car traffic but there were lots of people of all ages out strolling, enjoying the crisp fall sunshine. Beyond the river we could see more trees and old Japanese-style rooflines peaking out over a 10-foot tall stone wall. We followed a trio of young college-age boys in their tee-shirts, shorts and flip flops across the bridge and up some stone steps that lead up a steep incline through the trees, and past an old shrine in a clearing amongst some large trees to the left of the stairs. Turns out we had discovered the Shin-edogawa Park.

The boys turned left onto a walkway leading to a dorm-like building but we continued on up the hill. There were surprisingly large groups of people here and we soon discovered there was a small museum located just off the narrow street, back off the street under a thick grove of green-leafed trees. The sign at the entrance read Shunga.

The Professor saw the sign and announced it was a showing of ancient 18^th century Japanese woodblock prints of porn. Apparently, it was all the rage for the nobleman of the 1800s to check out ancient forms of Shogun hanky-panky. We’re talking all kinds of hanky-panky. He had read that it was a really popular show and how there had been really long lines to get into this museum. Since there was only a short line, we decided to take the opportunity and check it out.

After paying approximately $15 each we entered the small museum and were directed up to the fourth floor to start the exhibition, and to work our way down to the ground floor. The reason for the long lines apparently was because everyone had to stop and first read all the cards, then slowly and painfully work their way down in a slow-moving line past all the prints. Luckily, the cards were also available in English but just like Playboy, you don’t really have to read the captions to figure out what is going on. I was surprised at all the older, staid-looking men and women in line, but it was definitely full of people from all walks of life (but no one under 18). No photos were allowed, but I accidently pushed the camera button and took one of a woman wrapped in the warm embrace of a giant squid. As luck would have it though, I’m interested in the study of cephalopods and will possibly use it for an essay on Global Warming.

After walking through the small museum we left and went back out onto the narrow street and kept wandering. Across the way we discovered the entrance to a beautiful little park area featuring a pond and a dirt path that followed around the pond, through lush greenery and past large stones with Kanji carved on them. While across the road at the museum there were crowds of people still milling about, ogling the prints and reading their descriptions, we shared the cute little garden area with only a handful of people who were quietly enjoying this little city gem with us. It was so serene and relaxing—one felt far away from the millions of nearby Tokyoites and their amorous cephalopods.

Monday, Nov 30

On the heels of a beautiful Sunday stroll in the park, we decided to go check out the Rikugien Gardens-another area listed in the Fall Foliage Report for Tokyo.

Getting off at the Komagome stop on the Yamanote line, we waited a few frantic moments for Google Maps to figure out which end was up. Once decided, it then guided us through the many winding streets away from the train station to the park. There are no recognizable directional signs on the streets to the park and it was at least a 15- 20-minute walk before we stumbled onto its entrance. This park though quite large is not noticeable from the busy streets of the city. Without the assistance of Google Maps, I’m pretty sure we’d still be wandering.

The normal hours of the park are until 5pm, but in the fall they keep the park open until 9pm-with last admittance at 4:30pm. We always like to push the envelope so we arrived a bit after 4pm. Paying the 300yen (less than $3 per person) we walked in and thankfully headed to the right. I say thankfully, because this direction leads one through the lushest part of the park’s paths, over multiple wooden bridges and through a much less crowded area. The only sounds in this part of the park were the loud caws of crows and a distant traffic sound muffled by the canopy of surrounding trees in greens, oranges, reds, and yellows. Also, because this part of the park is naturally darker because of the dense foliage, they close it off after 5pm and we would have missed it if we’d instead gone to the left upon entering.

Exactly at 4:30pm, the various colored floodlights started coming on in the park. White lights hidden in short pieces of bamboo lined the pathways and there were blue lights glowing over what looked like a creek bed. As the evening darkened, the lights became more impressive and soon the small lake, trees, and wooden bridges at the center of the park were all brightly lit, giving it the look of a fake diorama. It was very pretty and though there were lots of people milling around, the darkness helped to hide the multitudes. We were able to grab an alcoholic drink and sit, enjoying the darkness and the pretty lighted trees and bridges, and listen to the muted conversations going on around us. Again, it was very peaceful and worth the trip.We finished our drinks and reluctantly headed back down the hill to the cacophony of the city.

Mt. Takao

Saturday, Nov 21
After a daylong fit of inertia, sitting on my butt watching movies on my computer and staring out into the gloomy, rainy gray day through our wall of windows on Friday, I awoke to a blaze of sunshine on Saturday. It was blinding. And it was uplifting. And it filled me with guilt about the day before—along with an urgent desire to do something outdoorsy.

It was 9am and I convinced The Professor that we needed to get outside and enjoy the weather—despite the fact that it was the beginning of a three-day holiday (I have no idea for what).

‘We need to get out and enjoy this day,’ I said. ‘Especially since it will be gray and gloomy again soon. How about going to Mt. Takao and seeing the fall colors?’ It was one of the many near-Tokyo spots that was listed on the Fall Foliage Report.

The Professor agreed and then went on the computer to quickly figure out the route to get there. He read an article that suggested we be there by 9:30am to avoid the crowds—and it went on to warn of 30-minute waits for the cable car and that there would be swarms of people on any given day. Threatening The Professor before he could get engrossed in any more informative websites, I got him off the computer, refocused, and committed to the day.

Knowing that it takes at least two hours for The Professor and I to assemble ourselves and get out the door, that it was a beautiful Saturday of a three-day weekend, and that it was now almost 9:30 and we were still sitting in our pjs drinking coffee--we threw all logic to the wind and decided to still go even if it meant it would be crowded. I mean just how bad could it be? We lived in NYC and were now used to crowds, we thought. We were going.

Quickly showering and packing our day packs with whatever snacks we had, we were out the door in an impressive hour. Quite good time for The Professor and me.

Upon exiting the front door and waiting for The Professor to lock it I looked down and noticed bits of black fluttering from The Professor’s feet with each move he made. What was going on? We discovered that his hiking boots that have sat in his closet unused for these past few years had decided to disintegrate and the soles were decomposing right before our eyes. So back in the apartment we went so that The Professor could change his shoes.

Back out of the apartment a couple of minutes later, we were on to the next stop—which was to purchase food for our daylong trek. Filling our backpacks with rice balls and waters, we then headed for the train station next door. We were off.

We took the first route to the Shinjuku station where we needed to switch to another train line—the Keio Railways, headed to the Takaosanguchi station. Exiting the first train gates I realized I needed to get money added to my PASCO card as it was almost zeroed out—and this is when The Professor decided it was the time to purchase the other—more useful—Suica card since it’s good at more places. Getting this new type of card, however, meant hunting for a kiosk to purchase it. After much searching we found the kiosk, and after a few attempts at running the machine, we managed to purchase the new card for me. However, after doing this, The Professor decided that we should get more money. This meant we had to leave the train station in search of a post office containing the bank needed to get the money at no charge.

We followed Google Maps to the Post Office—to find it closed. We retraced our steps to a 7-11 and got money from an ATM. We then trudged the 10 minutes or so back to the train station to catch the Keio Line headed to Takaosan.

By now, it was past 11am. (It requires patience to hang with The Professor. Sadly, I have little.) Let’s say there were a few cross words bantered between us by now; but as luck would have it, we only had a few minutes to wait before the 11:07 Semi-Express train arrived, and we were finally on our way. Though we were shoved up against windows and standing the whole 50 minutes, it went rather quickly. The Professor got to read and I got to watch the countryside fly past. I had a great view standing there with my face shoved up against the glass. I managed to look around and saw there were quite a few people not so lucky. They were traveling the whole way staring at their neighbor’s armpit.

We got off at the last stop, conveniently located at the bottom of the mountain-Mt. Takao. Exiting the train we followed the huge crowds out the gates and into the gathering area where the Info office and a huge painted sign of the park were located. We got a small, free trail map in English and then fought our way through the crowd filling the pathways until we found an empty spot to sit amongst other families where we ate a bit of food and looked at the map before heading back into the mass of nature lovers.

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After this brief respite of purchased pre-made tuna fish sandwiches, rice balls, and water, we decided to get a move on and entered back into the foray up the mountain. There was a mountain of people on the side of the mountain, and it divided up into three loosely formed lines.

 There was not a lot of direction so we wandered to the front of the line closest to the sign that said Cable Car to purchase some Cable Car tickets. There are three ways up the mountain—one that requires a 90-minute hike up the side, one on a tram—or Cable Car as it’s called—and one using a chair lift. The Professor and I had decided upon the Cable Car  as it would drop us about 45 minutes from the top and it was enclosed unlike the chair lift. We don’t do well in natural settings for too long so this was a happy compromise. I had suggested we buy a one-way but as it turned out, The Professor didn’t listen to me and instead, thankfully, bought round trip tickets.

We turned around with our tickets in hand (about $8rt per person) and started walking back to the end of the line. It was a long walk back. And just like the online story had predicted, we waited about 20-30 minutes before getting on the Cable Car. (Apparently, these cable car tickets can be purchased ahead of time along with the train tickets. We did not know this. It would have been a bit easier to do it this way as it would allow one to just stand in line with everyone else. Our place in line was a lot further back because we had to go up and buy our cable car tickets then come back to get in line.)

The Cable Car is brightly colored and quite cute. According to their website: At an inclination of 31.18 degrees at the steepest point, the cable car boasts the steepest incline of any cable car system in Japan, and it offers riders an awe-inspiring view through the windows.

It was very steep which made for a fun trip, and it goes up the side of the mountain 1020m according to their website. The ride was definitely worth it as it takes you right through the forest and is a really pretty way to go. It definitely beats a trudge on the trails surrounded by fellow hikers as we would soon find out.

Exiting the Cable Car around the area of Monkey Park, which we sadly did not enter, we hit the trail.

Hitting the trail with thousands of other Trail Hitters however, does nothing but allow one to fall into a slow Death-March-like trudge. We spent the next couple of hours at this pace surrounded by thousands of other Leaf Lovers, Trail Hitters, and weekend Nature Lovers. We are talking thousands. There was not one spot that was not filled with a crowd, with the possible exception of one of the first little shrines along the trail. I think after a series of stairs the sight of more stairs leading to this little shrine was a bit much for many people and many simply passed it by. After being goaded up the stairs by The masochistic Professor, I am happy to report the extra stair climbing was definitely worth it.

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At the top of the stairs was a clearing surrounded by trees in all their fall glory—and the clearing was filled with stone statues of gods and various types of shrines. It was very pretty and relatively peaceful. We took a few pics, took a deep breath, and then plunged back into the crowded madness. 

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Following the crowd like lemmings we continued up the hill along the path—checking out more shrines, enjoying the fall colors, and pushing and shoving through the crowds on up to the pillar at the top of the mountain.

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From here much of Tokyo can be seen in one direction and in the opposite distance, shy Mt. Fuji looms. There are definitely lots of beautiful views from here and well worth the climb.

We sat up here for a few minutes and had some more snacks and water and rested with hundreds of others. Thankfully, we found a place to sit for a few much-deserved minutes of recharging. By now it was about 3:30pm and beginning to get a bit gloomier on Autumn’s quick slide into early darkness—and we decided it was time to head back down the hill. Along with the hundreds of others with the same idea. About 60 minutes later we found ourselves back at the Monkey Park entrance waiting in line for the Cable Car—now with throbbing feet and aching leg muscles.

‘We made it. We climbed Mt. Takao and saw the fall colors. It was beautiful today, wasn’t it? I’m glad we decided to pull it off and not stay home—but I’m done. We did it, it’s done, delete from the list of things we didn’t know we wanted to do in Japan. I’m done with this crowd and standing and I just want to be home now.’ I said. ‘Sure glad I made you buy those round-trip tickets on this Cable Car. I am ready to get out of here!’

The Professor looked at me, rolled his eyes, and shook his head.

It was not the escape to nature we had, perhaps, expected. But it was an escape to nature—Tokyo-Style.

We are the climbers of mountains. Did it. Done it. And done.