Gregory Starr: Forget the glitz and find the real Tokyo in its shopping streets
The heart and soul of Tokyo is certainly not the domain of the almost ludicrous Sky Tree. Nor is it found in pretentious Ginza, rowdy Roppongi, or Shibuya’s alleyways.
The most salient feature for those who choose to live well in this city is the neighborhood shotengai, the “commercial streets” -- there are more than 300 in the city -- that cluster around just about every local station.
A shotengai is not just a street of intimate one- and two-story shops selling all the necessities of life; it’s a portal through the aloof crust of the city into the warmth of social acceptance and interaction, where the mammoth sprawl can be dealt with on a more human scale.
Neighborhoods thrive when these lanes are throbbing, and shrivel when the open facades of old shops are replaced by buildings with no street “face.”
More on CNNGo: All about the Tokyo Sky Tree (ludicrous or otherwise)
If there is any feature of the city that should be legally protected I would suggest the shotengai. These streets are the glue that holds Tokyo together, and we would not be the same without them.
But what makes a great shotengai, and how do you know one when you see one? Here are a few things to look for ...
Local identity
The local color of the shotengai reflects the identity of the neighborhood. Student area? Plenty of discount eateries and drinking spots. Residential suburb? Fresh produce stands and drug store chains caught in never-ending warfare.
Embassies nearby? A melting pot of Mexican, Italian and curried cuisines. Condominiums and office buildings? A lifeless, fractured shadow of a shotengai with one dusty ramen shop and no visible soul.
Protection required
You need protection not from the yakuza (though that is often part of the neighborhood associations’ efforts), but from the elements. A full arcade roof is a huge plus, but even a connected sidewalk awning is a positive.
Not only does it hold the street together from a visual standpoint, but it keeps us dry when standing in front of shops trying to decide where to eat, drink or pass out on the sidewalk after a few too many.
Controlled chaos
Time stops at the entrance to the shotengai; these streets are not meant for swift pedestrian transit.
Expect all the stop-and-go action of bumper cars. Meander left to right and back again for no apparent reason. Happily trip over the boxes of stacked tissues sprawling out of the drugstore. Learn to apologize for accidentally sticking your foot in that little kid’s tricycle spokes when you stepped forward to check out the new menu in the ramen shop window.
More on CNNGo: Famed Shibuya shopping street gets bizarre, ridiculous name change
And learn to accept the apology from his mother, who was chatting with the tobacco shop granny about her brother’s problems with the bank. By the time you get home, you’ll have added a gigabyte to your neighborhood information file and made one-and-a-half new friends.
Inconvenience stores
Konbini are for wimps. Let’s just say you can get everything at your local shotengai that you can get from the shelves of a convenience store -- and you’ll have the chance to visit as many different shops and meet as many familiar faces as the number of items you want to buy.
There will be a convenience store on the shotengai street, but it will be the saddest, loneliest looking place on the planet. Only go there after 3:30 a.m., when you are the saddest, loneliest person on the planet.
No-man’s-land for MBAs
At least 26 percent of the shops break every rule written about how to succeed at business.
These will include a shop that sells only senbei crackers, one that sells high-end chopsticks (including a few pairs made from the bats of Tokyo Giants’ baseball players), three barbers and six beauty salons (in the same block) and a store with a showcase full of pork.
There will also inevitably be one shop whose business you will never, ever figure out. It has a large framed picture of Mount Fuji next to what looks like a dehydrated rooster’s comb in the window.
Character studies
It’s understood that many of the shops should be more than two-generations old, and that at least a few enjoy a heritage that stretches back to when swords and topknots ruled.
So it’s also perfectly reasonable to demand a fair amount of eccentric characters of both pleasant and not-so-pleasant demeanor.
Look for them. She’s a tofu/noodle/bento/tea shop owner who sees every male customer under 86 as a potential mate for her twice-divorced sister.
He’s a fish/chicken/tofu/ramen shop vendor who treats his customers with all the graciousness and charm of Vladimir Putin.
But they both also dispense healthy doses of neighborhood gossip and innuendo that are far more entertaining than a frozen smile at the supermarket checkout.
Block parties
The shotengai association is usually responsible, along with the local shrine, for the annual matsuri festival. Huge fun, and one of the few times when you’ll see lots of interaction among neighbors away from the shops.
More on CNNGo: Our favorite Tokyo shotengai
A good shotengai will have a big turnout of locals getting involved in the matsuri. But a great shotengai will also have many regular events -- morning markets, song contests, mystery tours and more -- held throughout the year.
The Shotengai is also where ...
... your kindergarten-age daughter is given a free meal after falling and scraping her knee.
... the sake shop owner stays open 20 minutes past closing time because you are late to pick up an order thanks to a train delay.
... you find a beautiful old wooden rice box under the shelf of knickknacks for sale at the ice-man’s shop, and he lets you have it for almost nothing.
... and in true shotengai spirit, you help a drunk Vladimir Putin, the fishmonger, find his way home.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gregory Starr.
What do you think? Do you favor shiny and modern or real and old-school? Leave a comment.
