As a tourist of planet Earth for the past 20-30 years, Japan is the closest utopian experience I have ever had as a traveler. The people are warm, welcoming, respectful, and helpful. The culture is more passive than anything else I have witnessed anywhere. The country is the cleanest I have ever experienced in a first world location. The diverse culinary experiences it offers the world are incredible. I spent five nights in Tokyo. The first two at the Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park. This hotel is a small boutique hotel in a newer neighborhood right on Yoyogi Park. It is in the Shibuya ward or district. Then I spent a couple of nights at its sister hotel the Trunk Hotel on Cat Street. This area has a more electric feel because of its bustling location. After that I relocated to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, because of its proximity to the Tokyo train station for my upcoming travels to the mountains in the northwestern part of the country.
The map of Metro Tokyo’s outstanding and very clean subway system. On my first day I engaged the services of a local guide for five hours. His mission was to familiarize me with the underground and how it works. Together we traveled all over Tokyo. With that knowledge, I was able to get all over this city, and fairly quickly. If covering long distances in Tokyo it’s the only practical way to get around.On the subway, I see some of the working people of Tokyo. Please note how spotless the floor is. I suppose that if these six people were reading newspapers, instead of their devices, they would have to spread out. Otherwise they’d be reading each other’s papers.One of the many shopping districts in the city. The major international designers cannot only be found here, but also in many other locations in districts throughout the city. The United States has nothing on the Japanese when it comes to consumerism. New York has Fifth Avenue. Tokyo has it on steroids, and in many places all over the city.This Dior building has some very interesting architecture. It’s as though the rooftop gardens are going to spill over onto the sidewalk. Another thing I took note of in Tokyo was that no one J-walks. All pedestrians wait at the crosswalks for the lights to allow their safe crossing. Another manifestation of just how respectful this culture is.Professional dog walker operating at the Japanese level. Quite the orchestration of animals so as to prevent tangling. Think about how much time she must spend picking up poop.Open space near the center of government and the Imperial Palace. Geographically, this area is at the center of the entire Tokyo metropolitan area. It is also very close the financial center of Japan as well. Only a short walk from the open space above is the Seimon Ishibashi bridge at the Imperial Palace in the Chiyoda district of Tokyo.The Imperial Palace is pictured in the background. This is the residence of the Emperor of Japan.Shinto shrines are quite ubiquitous throughout Japan. Shinto is the nature-based spirituality of Japan. It dovetails quite nicely into Buddhism, the other popular belief system in Japan. More than eighty percent of Japanese participate in its traditions. They say that Shinto celebrates life and life events, while buddhism is prominent at death and funeral services.Here is one open market in the northeast corner of Tokyo.Just one of the many kiosk stands at the market.Now down to the always spotless subway. I encountered less non-Japanese people than I expected. This unknown woman was kind enough to stop and smile for my camera. She bears an uncanny likeness to that housekeeper I had years ago in Palermo, Sicily. Another Shinto shrine tucked in near the very fashionable Patek Philippe store. I was wondering how the Shinto afford the rent on this trendy location?No shortage of awesome machinery either. This mauve Bentley was parked just outside the Stella McCartney Boutique.Very expensive YSL footwear. Not only stylish, a pair of these could save your life in a knife fight.Prada makes a statement in its architecture alone. The building’s architecture just screams style with simplicity.Nighttime on the way to the Den omakase, an extremely in-demand restaurant. I had to make this reservation 60 days in advance. Also had to literally call 75 times to finally connect.I was seated inside the Den at the table-bar. The chef is the only one in black. His name is Zaiyu Hasegawa. The restaurant is located in the Shibuya district.Just like the graffiti says, watching them have such a good time while working to prepare dinner seems to make the food taste even better.Pictured here is the chef on the box of “Dentucky” fried chicken. The similarity to a KFC box is no coincidence.And inside the box is the very delicious nested chicken. It’s too bad it didn’t come by the bucket. It was “So Good,” just like the box says.Another quiet back street, and of course more stores. This image was shot just before opening hours.Nighttime in Tokyo from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The illuminated Stytree Tower tops out at 2,080 feet (634 meters). Gotta love this design in the hotel’s restroom. The entire country boasts not only the cleanest toilets in the world, but I was unable to encounter one that was not equipped with a bidet self-washing seat feature. Last dinner in Tokyo at the Pizza Bar on 38th. This restaurant was not only a nice departure from all the sushi I was consuming, but it won its Michelin Star in 2025.
Tomorrow I plan to take a bullet train to the mountains in the western part of Japan. The town is known as Kagaonsen. It will be quite the different from Tokyo. Hope to see you there.
