Season Guide - Japan - Hilton Racing
Season Guide
Japan - Suzuka
Think Tokyo and your mind’s eye immediately pictures Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen, two jet lagged “Gaijins” (Westerners) stumbling around their hotel, trying to make sense of one of the world’s most vibrant cities.
“Lost in Translation” is a massive hit with people who have never visited Tokyo, but imagine that this is what it must be like. Tokyo veterans will have had a wry smile on their faces too at times, while watching the film. Some may even have made the same mistake as Murray’s character, of sleeping with the cabaret singer.
Tokyo can appear impenetrable at first. The signs are all in Japanese, most of the people you meet once you step out of your international hotel do not seem to speak English and you wonder how you can ever do more than merely skate over the surface of this neon-lit wonderland.
Tokyo was in the 21st century when the rest of the world was on dial-up. It feels like stepping into the future. Venture down to Akihabara, the “Electric City” and you will find electronics to blow your mind. Even the white goods here measure their power in gigabytes rather than watts. I toyed with the idea of buying a hoover about the same size as a set of bathroom scales, which you leave pottering around your apartment all day, like a pet that cleans up after itself.
Another area, which can initially make you feel like you’ve landed on Mars, is Shibuya. This is the neon epicentre of youth culture in Tokyo. Here you will find disaffected teenagers, breaking with centuries of Japanese traditions by ignoring work, dressing like rock stars and ‘hanging out’. Shibuya is about fashion, music and attitude. It is to Tokyo today what Carnaby Street was to 1960s London. The new social phenomenon is “Shubuya girl” or gyaru, to give her the Japanese title. You will find her in a department store called 109.
Another store nearby, frequented by grown ups, is Tokyu Hands, which is unlike any shop I’ve ever encountered. All I can say is it’s full of things you never realised you needed until you see them.
I always stay at the Conrad, close to the main station into which the train from Fuji Speedway will whiz you after the race. The Conrad is also ideally located for the chic quarter known as Ginza. It’s Tokyo’s Bond Street, basically. Armani, Hermes and a giant Mikimoto put a twinkle in ladies’ eyes. But Ginza does down to earth too; Uniqlo has fantastic Japanese clothes for kids. The presence of an Apple Store hints at Ginza’s underlying coolness and in the side alleys behind the main drag you will find some authentic bars and cafes.
An early morning trip to Tokyo’s fish market is a must. A staggering 40,000 people work here, handling weird and wonderful creatures from the deep. The market shuts at 11am, which is the ideal time to slip into one of the sushi bars lining the market walls, serving sushi, which was swimming just a few hours earlier.
When it gets dark Tokyo goes into overdrive, like New York. A great night might start with a few drinks in the Conrad bar, with its staggering views over the harbour and botanical gardens, then on to eat at Jinroku. Ask for Okonomiyaki, which can only be described as Japanese pizza. Then hop into a cab and head for Roppongi Hills, the saucy, shady Soho of Tokyo. This is where the music plays. There are dozens of great music venues, but my favourite is the Cavern Club; a replica of the legendary Liverpool hang out, complete with a Beatles tribute band which is note perfect.
If you like Beatles music this place is unmissable. If the Silver Beats are playing you will be shocked by how much the lead singer looks and sounds like John Lennon. Afterwards if you feel inspired you could head for Karaoke-Kan in Shinjuku, which featured at length in Lost in Translation, or you could stay in Roppongi and go to Lovenet, about as elegant as a karaoke bar can get.
Or if you feel like dancing, head for Yellow, the original ‘happening’ Roppongi club. If you want to go totally mad you could head for Geronimo, a shots bar where you lose all track of time and everything else.
After a couple of days in town, you begin to let your shoulders untense, go with the flow, get chatting to locals and soon you realise that if you make the effort to connect with Tokyo, rather than hide in your room, nothing is lost in translation.
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