Overseas

By Emmet Purcell

The Japanese eh? A great bunch of lads, but a completely incomprehensible culture, and the notoriously expensive cost of living mean that for a lot of us, the closest we ever get to enjoying Japan's unique charms is by watching Lost in Translation on DVD or killing a whale.

Still, how could anyone knock the nation that gave us Pokémon, Ninjas, Samurai, Godzilla or Spirited Away? Exactly. So after extolling the virtues of a trip to Krakow a short while back, it's time to stock up your Pokéballs as we provide you with the ten best reasons to visit Tokyo, the Japanese capital and site of many horrendous Godzilla massacres.

Greater Tokyo is the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 million people, double that of greater New York. With such a mass of people, rent and prices in the city are eye-wateringly expensive, with Tokyo named the 'World's Most Expensive City' in 2009 for expatriate employees (according to the Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit cost-of-living surveys). The urban railway system is the world's most expensive and efficient in the world, with the famous intersection outside the Shibuya Railway Station (see main photo) serving over 2.5 million people every day.

So it's crowded and expensive - where's the appeal? Basically, if there was no Tokyo and aliens arrived on earth, set up their own city and went about their business, it would bear a lot of similarities to the Japanese capital - it's that mental.

The majority of unique Japanese foibles - sumo wrestling, hostess bars etc all owe debts to the two-hundred-plus years (1640-1853) of nationalist isolationism. So if you've got the cash, seek out Tokyo, as it will be unlike any city trip you're ever likely to take. And we've got ten suggestions of things you should do while you're there:

1. Cheer on the Irish at the Tokyo Dome

Japan and neon lights - a never-ending love affair

Surprisingly, Japan's national sport is not Pokémon battles, nor harassing schoolgirls, but rather baseball. The Tokyo Dome is the 55,000 seater all-weather multipurpose home of Japan's most famous team, the Tokyo Tomiuri Giants. Aside from baseball there are numerous concerts, wrestling and sporting events that take place at the Dome. Believe it or not, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), who hold their biggest annual event at the Dome each January, currently have an Irish Junior Heavyweight Champion, "Prince Devitt", hailing from Bray, Co. Wicklow. Devitt's signature move is called "Bloody Sunday" and no, we're not making that up.

As Japan's sporting Mecca, the Tokyo Dome is a great place to visit. However, the Dome also boasts a number of nearby attractions, such as the Tokyo Dome City amusement park, the LaQua hot spring complex, and the MagiQuest interactive role playing game centre.

2. Sob like a baby at the Hachiko Statue

Okay, to the untrained eye this looks like a fairly 'meh' statue of a dog, causing one to wonder, what did a dog do to deserve a statue? Is this some sort of Japanese, bionic, super-dog? Well grab a tissue, as JOE runs through the cliff-notes of this beloved hound.

Lassie has got nothing on Hachiko

In 1924, Univerisity of Tokyo Professor Hidesaburo Ueno took in Hachiko as a pet. Each day, Ueno would let Hachiko out from the front door before commuting to work, and be greeted by the Akita at the end of the day at the Shibuya Railway Station.

This routine continued for years until one day the Professor suffered a brain hemorrhage and died shortly after, never returning to the station. However his loyal companion Hachiko returned to the station every day, without fail, at the exact time his master’s train would be arriving - for the next nine years.

Though Hachiko was given away after Ueno's death, he frequently escaped to try reach his master at Shibuya, becoming a national celebrity as time went by. Sadly Hachiko died of a heart infection in 1935, though he lives on through the bronze statue erected outside Shibuya Station.

The statue was completed in 1934, with Hachiko himself being present at the unveiling. Today the statue is a popular meeting point for Japanese youths and a must for any tourist, though perhaps the beloved Akita received the most valuable tribute one can hope for, a a biopic co-starring Richard Gere.

3. Visit the Disneyland that nobody's heard of

That's right - there's another Disneyland, and it's in Tokyo. Tokyo Disneyland first opened in 1983 and receives over 13m visitors per year, making it the third most popular theme park in the world, and even more successful than Disneyland Paris. Aside from grabbing Minnie's arse, there's lot to get up to in the park, with a lot of the best amusements from its three sister parks (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, for instance) carried over. The stunning Tokyo DisneySea companion park was opened in 2001 too, and holds the record for most expensive theme park ever built, at a cost of $4bn.

This is a fraction of what $4 billion looks like

With a recreation of Venice and themed areas based on famous Disney animations, such as the Arabian Coast (Aladdin) and the Mermaid Lagoon (The Little Mermaid), not a single expense has been spared. In all, a trip to Disneyland isn't admittedly the most Japanese activity you can get up to in Tokyo, but it's Disneyland, so stop complaining.

Vending machines, Sumo and Shrines