Neon-lit robot bars and Zen tea ceremonies, Harujuku's cosplayers and Kyoto's geisha, the architectural feat that is the Tokyo Skytree and the Imperial Palace, a fortress with roots in the Edo period. The real question is: What can't you find in Japan? From sumo tours to luxe onsen retreats, find out from Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours how you can customise your own Japan or Tokyo tour package today.
A collision of worlds In the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi we learnt that it took an apprentice three months and 200 attempts before his tamagoyaki (sweet omelette) was deemed good enough by Jiro Ono, the 85-year-old sushi master and owner of the Ginza restaurant where a meal runs ¥30000 (approximately S$350) and up a pop.
In a basement in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red-light district, eyes are wide open over quite a different sort of spectacle. Think flashing lights, sexed up robots controlled by scantily clad women, outlandish costumes and drama-filled dance routines. If you’ve ever dreamt of being trapped in a video game, the one-hour show goes beyond your wildest fantasies.
Hope for a peek at Japan’s royalty at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, where the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world lives in near-secrecy and in accordance with strict imperial customs. Knock down beers and feast on sizzling yakitori alongside standard black-suited salarymen at Ebisu’s teeny tiny izakaya or standing bars. Watch the ties get loosened as the faces get redder and the toasts, rowdier. Hunt down Alcatraz, vampire and ninja themed cafes, not to mention establishments where you can pay to have a sleeping – no, really, it's just to sleep – companion.
Welcome to Japan, where age-old traditions and modern absurdities co-exist in perfect harmony.
A sumo tour and a thumping good time A sumo match is a quintessential Japanese experience and a sumo tour, which may include perks like visits to a professional sumo stable, will give you a more in-depth crash course.
Dating back to ancient times where sumo was part of Shinto worship, the sport has retained many of its rituals, and you'll find that the time spent on sprinkling salt and pacing the ring much outweighs that of the actual fight, which can be over in seconds. Yet, it's thrilling to watch, and even elegant, especially at the top division.
There are six sumo tournaments a year, held in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Balcony and box seats are well and good. The expensive and hard-to-get ringside seats, however, are where spectators run the risk of having a flying 150kg wrestler land on them. But hey, if you're already there, why not go all the way?
Wherefore art thou?
Yayoi Kusama,Yoshitomo Nara, Daido Moriyama, Tadao Ando and Shigeru Ban. Japan has produced some of the most famous names in the art, photography and architectural worlds so it's no surprise that the country has some of the best museums in the world. Tokyo alone has stellar establishments like the Mori Art Museum – which has an observatory deck with a view of the Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower – and acclaimed independent galleries like SCAI The Bathhouse and Hara Museum of Contemporary Art.
Landscape gardens are another great art form in Japan, where everything is pruned and sculpted to perfection and the elements are in complementary scale. While the top three landscape gardens – Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen, Mito’s Kairakuen and Okayama’s Korakuen – are all hours from Tokyo, the metropolis is not without its escapes. Once an Edo feudal lord’s residence, Hama Rikyu is a beautiful landscape garden right smack in central Tokyo, and its elegant beauty is all the more incongruous because of the skyscrapers looming over it.
The Mount Fuji embrace
For many visitors, Tokyo is the origins of their love affair with Japan. Add an element of nature and onsen relaxation to your Tokyo tour package by throwing in some short trips. The Fuji Five Lakes region offers crisp, clean air, luxurious hot springs and stunning close-up views of Mount Fuji minus the crowds of the more popular Hakone. For lovers of the great outdoors, the lake resort also serves as a base for Fujisan climbers and offers activities like hiking, fishing and snow sports.
Looking for other unconventional holiday experiences? Try:
You can't go wrong with a sumo tour, an experience offered nowhere else in the world. But that's hardly all there is to Japan. Customise your Japan tour package or Tokyo holiday package with Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours. Call 6212 9935 or email privatetours@chanbrothers.com.sg for details.