though, until recently, I had never
been there. My Father, one of a long
line of migrant entrepreneurs, was the
first Datsun Dealer in Sydney.
in 1980, my Dad travelled to `head
office' for business many times and
brought back little bits of Japan with
him each time.
abalone, soba noodles and tempura,
remote-control cars, walkie talkies,
Sony colour TVs (at a time when the
only programs broadcast in colour
were the cricket and Gilligan's Island),
and my Mum and Dad lounging in
yukata (house robes) sipping sake.
Forty years ago this was all very exotic
and a touch eccentric.
family holiday to Japan; one I had not
made till now because of a sense of
trepidation, perhaps borne out of a
subconscious desire to share this first
time experience with my children
something my father didn't manage to
do with my sister and I.
designed as another in our series of
ideal recuperative retreats for the
time-poor healthcare professional a
destination offering equal parts re-
invigoration, exotic culture, adventure
and, of course, gastronomic delight.
honestly say that although I've done
my fair share of travel, I have never
before experienced a country that is
so unique and so completely different
to my every day, yet remarkably
family with limited time to navigate
and enjoy.
spring (onsen) town of Kinosaki.
new number-one world capital. It's
sprawling, diverse and as high-rise as
it is vast the CBD stretches for as far
as the eye can see.
Meguro at the beginning of our trip,
and then returned to the centre of
Tokyo for another four days at the end.
megalopolis, the quiet little suburban
town of Gakugei-daigaku, in the
Meguro district, is the perfect place
to acclimatise and get our bearings.
Japanese natives live, shop and eat here
it is the real deal and we instantly feel
immersed in the local way of life.
quirky and modern Japanese `home
away from home', filled with character,
personalised attention, modern design
and a superb restaurant all in all
giving off an overwhelming sense of
staying at a cool friend's house. We
couldn't have picked a better location
or finer hotel to start our adventure,
and I highly recommend it to you.
the modern Japanese personality
eccentric, extremely hospitable,
focused on outstanding attention to
detail and surprisingly fun-loving
(a good example is the funky dog-
grooming parlour adjacent to the
so you can watch fluffy poodles being
washed and clipped).
(both ancient and cutting-edge
modern) and the cuisine (this is a
food loving nation, up there with the
French and Italians when it comes to
reverence for ingredients, presentation
and the delight of eating) to the sense
of personal style the way everyone in
Japan presents themselves starts from
a foundation of deep respect and is
often imbued with a highly developed
sense of humour.
shopping trip. We prefer to leave
the city until the end of our holiday
and focus our first four days on the
neighbourhood surrounding the
Claska. We discover a kooky collection
of furniture stores, soba (noodle)
houses, cafés, bars, art galleries,
boutique grocers and Pachinko
(Japanese poker machine) parlours,
all surrounding a meandering river
and housed in brightly coloured little
lanes framed between Meguro and
Gakugei-daigaku train stations.
suburb at a time, is my preferred mode
of travelling. We deeply immerse
ourselves in all our four-block radius
has to offer. We get to know the
fruit vendor from whom we buy our
perfectly formed, blood-red apples; the
rockabilly quaffed barman at the Blue
Reef Whisky Bar, who recommends
a variety of Japanese liquor for our
nightcaps; and the sausage dogs and
poodles who walk their masters daily
at the local children's playground.