A big hello to Japan, which I haven’t revisited in the past 44 years. I remember my last visit to Tokyo was after I won, as a Pan Am Account Executive, our airline’s prestigious President’s Sales Award in 1980. I was the only Filipino among the chosen 25 outstanding Pan Am Sales officers from all over the world, thus my decision to treat myself to a fun Japanese holiday.
Although I always transit Tokyo for a few hours twice a year on my way to the USA or Canada, I somehow never found a reason to leave the airport premises to enjoy more of what the city offers.
In my present designation, I have to attend many international events participated in by seniors and potential retirees, thus this Tokyo visit. The city hosts this week a gathering of this section of Japanese society at the Tokyo Big Sight, Japan’s largest international exhibition center. Since our incoming flight arrived early, and the hotel, which my team and I were booked in, strictly followed the 3:00 p.m. check-in time, we decided to spend our waiting time sightseeing.
First on our list was the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world where, at any given time, more than 3000 people go on a mad scramble to cross to the other side of the intersection. It is said that the volume of people in this intersection never wanes, even during midnight or early morning. Authorities estimate 260,000 pedestrians cross the intersection per day on weekdays, and about 400,000 on weekends and holidays. This massive number is not a surprise, considering the city’s population of 38 million.
Naturally, I had to look for an elevated vantage spot to take photos of this intersection before and as the green light went on. Looking at the thousands of people crisscrossing the intersection, I could almost hear the command, “Chaaaaaaaarge!” from Lord Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade.
Right beside the Shibuya Crossing is the statue of the world-famous dog, Hachiko, which has become the Japanese symbol of loyalty. This Japanese Akita dog has been honored for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, a university professor who took him in from a farm and made him his pet.
Every day, Hachiko would meet his master at the Shibuya station, who would be coming home from work. One day, the professor died while at work but Hachiko still went to the station to wait for him and went back home only when it became dark. The dog would do this every single day, waiting for his master at the Shibuya Station for nine long years until he died. Indeed, a beautiful story of loyalty. I had to line up for 30 minutes waiting for my turn to have a photo with Hachiko’s statue as the queue was snaking around the plaza where it was located.
Next on our itinerary was the beautiful and majestic Akasaka Palace, which used to be the Imperial Residence of the Japanese Emperor and his Empress. It is now a State Guest House where visiting Presidents and Prime Ministers of other countries are billeted when in Tokyo.
near the Zojo-ji temple
Then we went to the famous 333-meter Tokyo Tower, a communications lattice tower patterned after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It also has an observation deck 250 meters above ground, thus, its main sources of income are tourism and antenna leasing. It is painted white and orange to conform with air traffic safety regulations. This majestic tower has been featured in many Hollywood movies.
Nearby is Shiba Park where stands Zojo-ji, the oldest and biggest Buddhist temple in Japan. Built in 1393 and originally owned by the Tokugawa Shogunate, it is now a monastery for Buddhist priests and continues to be a hub for religious events in metropolitan Tokyo. Posing nearby as a striking contrast to the ancient temple is the five-storey high Unicorn Gundam, a popular robot in the highly rated Japanese TV action series, akin to the Japanese animated heroes, Voltes V.
What a nice “Kon’nichiwa” it was for my team and I, visiting these attractions in the world’s most populated city immediately after we landed. Of course, the tour got us tired and hungry, so we decided to cap our exciting pre-check-in activity with an honest-to-goodness Japanese meal. Next, I heard was, “Shokuyoku osei (Bon Appetit)!”
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