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angharaGetting lost in Tokyo.
Tokyo is the most confusing city in the world. The streets have neither names nor numbers. The numbers on buildings are not sequential. You will get lost. Don't worry about it. It's part of the experience. Ask for directions frequently. Draw yourself maps.
The little buildings on corners with cops sitting in them are koban-- police boxes. They exist to help lost people. Go in and ask for help. If the cop does not speak English, say, "[place] wa doko desu ka?" Try to get him to draw you a map. He will be happy to help you out.
Or ask strangers. They may not know where you are, but if they do, they will be sympathetic. At any given time, Tokyo has thousands of lost tourists wandering about in circles.
As a last resort, if you get really hopelessly lost, you may have to go to the nearest train or subway station and take it to a stop you're familiar with.
(From the Nippon 2007 site, reprinted from Rachel Manija Brown's accounts of travels in Japan.)
Looks like "Get lost" is not considered an insult in Japan [grin]
Tokyo is the most confusing city in the world. The streets have neither names nor numbers. The numbers on buildings are not sequential. You will get lost. Don't worry about it. It's part of the experience. Ask for directions frequently. Draw yourself maps.
The little buildings on corners with cops sitting in them are koban-- police boxes. They exist to help lost people. Go in and ask for help. If the cop does not speak English, say, "[place] wa doko desu ka?" Try to get him to draw you a map. He will be happy to help you out.
Or ask strangers. They may not know where you are, but if they do, they will be sympathetic. At any given time, Tokyo has thousands of lost tourists wandering about in circles.
As a last resort, if you get really hopelessly lost, you may have to go to the nearest train or subway station and take it to a stop you're familiar with.
(From the Nippon 2007 site, reprinted from Rachel Manija Brown's accounts of travels in Japan.)
Looks like "Get lost" is not considered an insult in Japan [grin]
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Date: 2007-03-20 02:36 am (UTC)One of our favorite places in Tokyo was the Senso-ji Temple, which you can get to from the Akasaka-Mitsuke station. If you want to get your geek on, you can go see the tech toys in Akihabara. The best day trip destination outside the city is Hakone, a national park with hot springs, a lake, and my favorite view of Fuji.
I don't know if it's still the case, but back in the 1970s, you could take your bearings in the less built-up parts of Tokyo by looking for the cluster of skyscrapers in Shinjuku, much the way New Yorkers used to take their bearings from the Twin Towers.
The day of the dead is celebrated in mid-July in some parts of the country, and in mid-August in others. If you're there in mid-August, it would be worth trying to find a place where you could see the Obon dances.
It was lovely to see you, however briefly, at Lunacon. Safe travels home.
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Date: 2007-03-20 02:39 am (UTC)Con report to follow maybe tomorrow or so, Watch this space...