Ginza District

I had a difficult time deciding where my first trip would take me. My previous knowledge of Tokyo came from a few films: Yozujiro Osu's Tokyo Story and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. So on the map I recognized a few names such as Shinjuku, Shabuya, and Ginza. Right away the name Ginza reminded me of the documentary I had seen a few months back entitled Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The documentary follows Jiro Ono, an 85 year-old sushi chef that, although deemed a national treasure in Japan and the owner of the only 3-star Michelin rated sushi bar in the world, is still on his quest to perfect the art of sushi. Even though the wait-list for a reservation is 3 full months, I wanted to see the shop in person. With that documentary fresh in mind, I set off in that direction with my trusty map.

The Tokyo Metro was surprisingly easy to navigate and very inexpensive (up to 230 yen to go nearly anywhere in Tokyo). The ride is fairly smooth and comfortable during the slow hours; hot, sweaty, and smells like cigarettes and armpits when it's busy. I had to change lines only once on this trip and once I got there and exited the tunnel, there was no mistaking that I had made it somewhere important.

My first exit from a metro tunnel was a little overwhelming. As I reach the last step I got hit with the beaming sunlight, sound of cars and motorbikes racing by, and the clip-clap of high heels walking somewhere in a hurry. I had to stop for a second, take it all in, and decide where to start. Then I looked behind me and found the thunder god, Lord Raiden, from Mortal Kombat.

I went towards the direction of the least crowded street just to warm up to the herds of people. It took me far away from the madness and towards the historic Tokyo Train Station. One of the busiest stations in Japan, around 3,000 trains stop here every day. It was also under construction, an intense facelift, which is why I didn't snap any pics. If I had, it would be of two stories of scaffolding with a 98 year-old building hidden behind it. I circled around the dismantled station and headed back towards the loud noises.

I walked around the Ginza district for 4 to 5 hours. Up one side of the street, the down the other, down a side street, and repeat. I released that this is the Japanese version of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Building after building of high-end department and retail stores. Louie Vuitton to the Apple store; it's all there. None of which I entered.

Here's a peak of the district.

I never did find Jiro's sushi shop. I walked the area of the subway that I was told it was for nearly an hour, but no luck. I may try again another day.