Warming Up To Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the world’s great cities, or so everyone says. For me, it took a while to warm up to its charms. I got a good lesson in hotel booking during this leg of the trip. The place I stayed at was right next to the Imperial Palace, the National Arts Center, and the country’s Supreme Court. Unless there is a performance underway, the Arts Center is basically closed and the palace is apparently just a place for joggers to run around in circles. (Tours of the palace grounds are available but the buildings are open to the public two days a year). The Supreme Court isn’t a hotbed of excitement either. So the area was largely dead after 4-pm and it was a hike to reach anyplace that was open. There were some familiar signs nearby (unfortunately).

Trying to find Japanese women who are, err, “equipped” to work at a Hooters is probably a bit of a challenge.

The Senso-ji temple is Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple and always crowded with tourists and locals. Retail areas surround the temple with plenty of drinks, food, and keepsakes available for international travelers.

As I’ve been touring more and more religious sites, I see a disturbing trend of people acting disrespectfully. Shouting, laughing, and blocking entryways for selfie shots are not acceptable behavior. And that’s just among the adults (the young ones, mostly). It’s obvious that some of the people at these sites are making long-planned, deeply spiritual pilgrimages that often involve generations of a family. Yeah, yeah, I’m an old crank. But treat others the way you want to be treated, right?

Still, the area is open, friendly, and easy to navigate on foot. And that led me to my favorite office building of all-time. EVER.

That’s Asahi Brewing’s HQ. Yes. Their offices are the shape of a giant beer. Even better, there’s an upstairs bar in “the head” that’s open to the public with great views of the city. Asahi isn’t too common in the States. I had it a few times before my trip but now that I’ve seen that the bosses clearly have a sense of humor, I like the beer even more.