Leaving Tokyo

On Nov. 8 we left Tokyo for the second (and more relaxed leg) of our trip. Tokyo is a great place to visit but it is very busy and can be exhausting. It is a bit artificial in a way as well because it is so large and there is such a high degree of commercialism there. As such, it is not the greatest place in which to see Japan and meet its people. I really found that people in Tokyo, while not cold, were simply too busy to give you the time of day. This is not a direct criticism of Tokyo though, as I'm sure that this is the case in almost every large city.

We left Tokyo by train headed for Iruma City in Saitama prefecture where Hana's cousin lives. Our plan was to spend a night with his family and take in some of the historical sites in Saitama. Near where her cousin lives is a place called Kawagoe which has many historical buildings and museums that date back over 200 years to the Edo (samurai) period. Kawagoe has so many historical items that it is comparable to Nikko and Kamakura, if you are interested in Japanese history. In fact, the town has been dubbed "Little Edo" given that most of the historical properties in Tokyo (such as Edo Castle and its surrounding environment) were largely destroyed by the 1923 Kanto Earthquake and the bombing raids of World War II.

 

There were several places of significance that we visited on the historical tour -- Kurazukuri, Tokino Kane, Kashiyayokocho, Kawagoe Daishi (Kitain Temple), and what's left of the Kawagoe Castle. Here's a link to some further info on these sites: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6500.html

 

It was great to see that some history has been preserved which can give visitors an impression of what Tokyo was like 200 years ago. Tokyo itself is pretty much a brand-new city. For various reasons, not much of historical significance has been preserved there.

It was also fun staying with our relatives in Iruma. We played a lot with their two sons and ate some traditional food. If you can stay with Japanese relatives or have the ability to stay at a traditional inn (called a ryokan), I would highly recommend doing so. This is a perfect antidote to the craziness of Tokyo and you get to experience first-hand day-to-day life in Japan (and you will discover that Japanese people are extremely kind). This is interesting in that you get to compare your daily routine and discover for yourself that life here really isn't all that different than at home. One of the major differences that I strongly noticed though was the commitment to work and long working hours. It's not unusual for people to work 12 hours days on a regular basis (probably a permanent basis) here (and not get paid overtime -- casual overtime is an expectation). Realizing this left me with tons to think about (which I won't bore you with).