Venturing

During our week off of our internships, for the Japanese New Years holiday period, CRCC, Massey University and Education New Zealand planned a series of activities to give us a crash course in Tokyo’s history and culture. Here are some of the highlights:

The week began with a sushi-making class and trip to the Tsukiji fish market. The class was really fun, and I was surprised how involved the process of making seemingly simple sushi, like nigiri (literally just a piece fish on rice) was. Although the fish auctions aren’t actually held at the original markets anymore, it was still fun to get amongst the hustle and bustle, and see the strange array of street foods on offer, like glazed strawberry skewers and hot mochi. I found it very confronting, and quite uncomfortable to see live crabs and octopi still squirming on the ice, ready to be sold and consumed.

Afterwards, we walked through the Hamarikyu Gardens, a rare, and quite refreshing, green space amongst the kilometres of concrete. It was such a shocking contrast to the towering buildings surrounding its perimeter.

On the Monday, we ventured to Yokohama, Japan’s second largest city. The polar opposite of Tokyo, Yokohama is devoid of any neon lighting or skyscrapers, no bustling crowds. Instead, the sleepy seaside port was a city of European-inspired architecture, post-war monuments and large, open spaces. It hosts Japan’s largest Chinatown, a labyrinth of more than 600 shops, stalls and restaurants. We were more at home here, amongst the shouting street hawkers selling panda-shaped buns and bags of roasted chestnuts, frenetic crowds, fluorescent signs and endless stalls of souvenirs.

Tuesday highlighted Tokyo’s extreme juxtaposition of old and new, beginning with a traditional tea ceremony, followed by a visit to Teamlab Borderless, the world’s only digital art museum. I didn’t expect to be as taken by the tea ceremony as I was, but I found it to be a really special, spiritual experience. Tucked away in a shoebox apartment in Ginza, our hostess invited us into her tea-room, a tiny tatami-floored paper structure. The air was thick and sweet with the smell of incense, a pot of boiling water bubbling away on a tiny sunken fire in the centre of the room. We sat in a circle, sipped matcha from intricate floral cups, and ate sweet bean cakes shaped like blossoms. It seemed as though we were impossibly far away from the world outside.

Afterwards, I tried (vegan) ramen for the first time. I still really can’t understand the hype… it’s just noodle soup..? Post-ramen, we headed on the monorail to Odaiba, a man-made island with a distinctly futuristic feel. Upon arriving at Teamlab, we were met with a daunting two-hour long queue to get in. Although we considered walking out, I’m incredibly glad we decided against it. Teamlab was possibly the most incredible visceral experience I have ever had. I barely have the words to describe how phenomenal it was. There was an entire room full of mirrors and a forrest of shimmering LED lights, one with artificial lily pads, with patterns of fish and flowers projected onto their surfaces, a mountain that looked like a giant waterfall, a room full of projected waves, one full of psychedelic flowers, another had geckos scuttling along the floor.