Turned Japanese - Part 2

Looking over our most recent credit card bill, Joe and I were filled with remorse. We had anticipated heavy spending in Japan but the outstanding balance proved that we had exercised too much restaint. It is not that Joe and I possessed outstanding self control while shopping in Tokyo. Rather, we were overwhelmed by the abundance of choice.

Like Hong Kong, shopping is a hobby or even a sport in Tokyo. You have to do your research to figure out which product is right for you and then you do a lot of walking to find exactly what you want. Unlike Hong Kong, prices in Japan tend not be of the bargain variety so you have to be choosy otherwise you would go broke buying every variation of what you want.

Consumerism is so strong that whole buildings and malls service niche markets. 109 is a shopping mall eight stories high that caters to the fast and cheap fashions of teenage girls. More to my taste was Parco, another shopping mall that focused on moderately priced, current fashions for young women. Meanwhile, in Akihabara, manga enthusiasts could find six storey high buildings filled with nothing but manga and related paraphenilia (including life size mannequins of your favourite characters, seen above).

Unused to such a level of choice, Joe shut down and bought almost nothing for fear of succumbing to his need to possess every $200 robot and new notebook he saw. Drowning in Japanese fashion, I found myself seriously considering styles that I would not otherwise consider back home ("Do I want this cute maternity styled top? Think! Think!"). It was in Japan that we discovered that I have a far greater capacity for shopping than Joe, who uttered the words, "I'm tired of shopping for electronics" (!).

Apart from shopping, our other main pursuit in Japan was going to shrines: Asakusa Kannon Temple (seen above), Toshogu Shrine, Meiji Shrine, and various shrines in Kamakura. We even took an impromptu 2km hike in Kamarkura to get from one shrine (Kencho-Ji Temple) to another (Daibutsu statue). We quit at the 1km mark when it became clear, after an hour spent scrambling on all fours, that we were unprepared for the steep and muddy terrain.

The shrines were all very beautiful, historical, and actually varied widely in style but by the time we went to Kyoto, we were all shrined out. Even as I chased geisha with my camera, I found myself thinking, "I wish I was shopping in Tokyo." My best capture was at Kiyomizu Temple, seen below.

To be continued...