Tokyo, a study of Japanese Avantgarde

Tokyo - a Study of Japanese Avantgarde

One cannot fully prepare for the visit to the world’s largest city, Tokyo.

Here you encounter one culture shock after another, especially for us Europeans. One example? The trains run on time and take care of two daily migrations of 37 million people.

Here are Love Hotels for every constellation. Schoolgirls dressed as schoolgirls, Businessmen in suits and ties sleeping it off on the sidewalks. Kobe meat from cows that are fed with beer and massaged in whiskey. More about this later on in the article. A hyper-stoic people who never get egitated and there is almost no crime here. And when it rains, it rains hard, it’s like walking around in the movie, The Bladerunner.

You will often pinch yourself. Tokyo, an ode to surrealism. We visit a number of the city’s 11 districts, each the size of Berlin. And, true to our DNA, we show a Tokyo that few ever experience.

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Roppongi Hills Club, Tokyo

Parnassos.dk is a member of the ultra-fashionable Roppongi Hills Club, a kind of Tokyo’s answer to London’s, The Reform Club. If you are a member, you are often invited to events in the city. A network is being built which can open doors to the city’s most interesting venues. And of course we make use of that.

The club can be found on the 51st floor of the Roppongi Hill Building. It is strictly members only – and their guests. Here, on Saturday evening, we will enjoy our first of a total of 3 gala dinners during our stay, with an unrivaled view of the city. The dress code here is on the conservative side.

But we ahead of ourselves a little. Our stay starts the day before. Tokyo is, contrary to what most people think, a rather inexpensive city and it has long been our wish to see what we could get out of an amount other tourist agencies charge for a trip to Tokyo. Below is the result.

The Trips First Culture Shock

If you take a flight from Copenhagen, we will land Friday morning on the 12th September at Haneda airport in Tokyo, with a time difference of eight hours compared to Denmark. As a Dane, you do not need a visa to Japan. When all the formalities are settled, our bus will be waiting for us, which will take us to the center of Tokyo and our hotel. We are here at approximately 12 am.

We only have access to our rooms at 3 pm. – Japanese hotels are quite strict about this. Some of you probably managed to have a nap on the plane, others are more sensitive to jet lag. For the latter guests, we offer two hours at a Love Hotel, which is included in the price, near our hotel. And here you experience the first fascinating Japanese phenomenon.

It sounds a little bit, what shall we say, sleazy, perhaps? But by no means. These love hotels are very common in Tokyo, they are not only hotels for love, many a businessman takes advantage of being able to rent such a hotel room for two, four or six hours.
But of course, the rooms are significantly different from what we are used to. Often they are theme-based. So, it’s pretty fun. The person at the counter, when you check in, does not look directly at you out of respect for your privacy. And then you can have a nap on top of an after all long flight.

You may hear noises from the adjacent rooms. Let’s hope it helps with the birth rate.

The Fish Market at Toyosu

Few of us can avoid jet lag. We take advantage of the effect for our first full day in Tokyo. On Saturday the 13th September, very early morning, when we are all awake anyway and before the sun rises, we go to Tokyo’s new fish market in the Toyosu district. The tuna auction begins at 5.30 am, which is a piece of theater in itself.

We experience the huge complex, visit the wholesale centers with shops that have the largest selection of Japanese knives, shops and restaurants that offer fish you have never seen, let alone heard of or tasted before. Around 500 species of fish and shellfish are landed here daily. And here we will enjoy an early lunch where, unlike all other Sushi and Sashimi dishes you have had, they are brought directly from the fish houses themselves.

The prices are therefore very reasonable and it couldn’t be fresher. When everything has been tasted and eaten, we go to the 7th floor of one of the buildings where we can have a well-deserved foot bath, and from her we have a perfect view over Tokyo Bay.

We head home via the Yurikamone line, that takes us through the city’s most futuristic district. Depending on our level of energy, we can also spend an hour or two exploring this part of the city.

Azabudai, Akasaka and Roppongi

Saturday afternoon, it’s still only our first full day, we explore one of Tokyo’s most fashionable neighborhoods. We begin the route in what must simply be among the most elegant department stores of all times, Azabudai Hills, not far from Tokyo Tower.

The mall represents more than anything else, Japan’s relationship with aesthetics, everything is thoroughly delicious. And fairly decadent as well. If you are considering taking Japanese kitchen knives home, we can point you to the right shop. While we are here, we will also visit a shop that sells over 100 different types of honey. Tasting follows.
And then the director of The Manga Art Gallery is waiting for us with a glass of Sake or two.

We continue the route and reach The National Art Center in Akasaka, with unparalleled exhibitions and unparalleled architecture.

When Saturday evening arrives, we will have our first out of 3 gala dinners, which, as mentioned, will be at the Roppongi Hills Club. We know our guests, it’s a well-traveled group and it takes a lot to impress. However, we are sure that our guests will be completely captivated the moment we step into Tokyo’s most prestigious club.

A Wagyu Burger with the Day Traders

I am usually in Tokyo for six weeks at a time. Here I rent an apartment in the Chuo district, close to the old fish market Tsukiji to the south and the hyper-elegant Ginza to the west and the Hibya subway connection just around the corner.

A short distance from Chuo is the city’s financial district. The management of the Tokyo’s stock exchange has promised to give us a tour of the world’s third largest stock exchange, after London and New York. For an hour Monday morning we will be showing our respect for the god Mammon. An intense atmosphere. Here, it is not tuna that is up for auction. It’s money.

After the tour, we will be approaching lunch, which we will enjoy together with the city’s stock traders. It may be that you can get a good tip if you sit next to one of them.

When we’ve finished our lunch, we move towards Ginza, a kind of London’s Regent’s Street multiplied by a hundred. Elegance everywhere.

The Shopping Mekka of Tokyo - Ginza

You will find all fashion brands in Ginza. Here is one department store after another. And here you will find BIC Camera, if you can’t have enough of gadgets… you actually can have enough with a visit to the 12-storey building right next to Tokyo’s main train station.

There are also a large number of museums here. We visit one of them, which we have chosen to keep a bit of a secret. Ginza does best on our own.

We split up at the oasis of Mint Ginza and meet a few hours later at a large and reasonable priced restaurant owned by the beer brand Sapporo. This is the restaurant where the American officers met during the occupation of Japan and therefore also a landmark of historical importance.

Ryogoku National Sumo Arena, Tokyo

We will have tickets for the Sumo wrestling during our stay. And here, we are as close to Japanese culture as we can get.
It is a traditional Japanese sport with deep roots in the country’s history. This spectacular sport combines both power and technique and is known for its ceremonial significance.

In Tokyo, Sumo is particularly visible, as the city houses the famous Ryogoku area, which is the hometown of Sumo. And sure enough, here the Sumo wrestlers wander around in their traditional costumes, seemingly unperturbed by the curious glances of the passers-by. Our Sumo match will take place in the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena.

Six official Basho, or tournaments, are held each year in Japan. Of these, three is in Tokyo, in the months of January, May and September. (the remaining three are divided between the cities of Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka). Sumo wrestlers, known as “Rikishi”, train intensively in dedicated Sumo stables (“heya”) where they live.

Matches are decided by an opponent being pushed outside the ring or touching the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The rituals before the matches are almost as important as the matches themselves. Of course, we also get the opportunity to experience them.

Sumo is not just a sport, but an experience that encapsulates the essence of Japanese culture, binds the generations together and celebrates traditions dating back thousands of years. We have invited one of these wrestlers to give us a lecture during one of our dinners. Questions are welcome. He only knows Japanese, but an interpreter will be at hand.

There is one more thing. If you think you have a little bit of a spare tire, you can’t help but feel good during and after the matches. It’s not six-packs these gentlemen are focusing on.

The Suntory Concert Hall

Something that is fascinating, absolutely fascinating, is how a number of countries in Asia, led by Japan, have embraced 18th century European classical music culture.

You listen to Chopin, Beethoven and Schubert in hotel lobbies, restaurants, museums and shops. Japan’s music conservatories are of the highest international standard. Instrument production as well, with Yamaha in the lead, which among other things owns the Austrian grand piano company Bösendorfer. When we visit the Ginza district, we will peep inside Yamaha’s 12-story flagship. Floors devoted to sheet music, musical instruments, rehearsal rooms and two concert halls.

I was, as the only westerner, in Suntory’s concert hall in Tokyo on Wednesday, the 25th December, where we listened to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, among other things.

You might ask yourself why a European tourist in Tokyo should listen to music one has easy access to at home. Well, it is mostly because it is an experience out of the ordinary. Young people are well represented, as you can see from the couple sitting in front of me.

Here were children from the age of 10. And since I have your attention: if your children or grandchildren play an instrument, take them to real professional concerts. Nothing will be more educationally conducive to the child’s musical development.

And while we are at the subject of children. If one contacts the Suntory concert hall no later than a week before a concert, you can have your child looked after for free during the concert.

Our evening is therefore dedicated to our culture being treated by another culture. Suntory produces, among other things, whiskey. In the film Lost in Translation, actor Bill Murray’s character has to promote Suntory’s Hibiki whiskey.

As a warm-up to our Japanese whiskey dinner, mentioned later, Parnassos.dk will therefore provide a whiskey during the break, where you can choose the aforementioned Hibiki. With or without ice cubes.

How to Avoid Religious Wars

There are more than 1,000 temples and shrines in Tokyo. They appear everywhere with their distinct entrance portal, called a Torii. The temples represent all facets of Japanese society.

There is even a shrine to the souls of the approximately 180,000 prostitutes who worked in Tokyo from the beginning of the Meiji era in 1869 until World War II. The shrine is found on the way towards the Bonsai village, which we will visit. We can make a detour if there is an interest for this.

What is quite specific about Japanese society is that religion is less dogma, more tradition. The two main religions are Shintoism and Buddhism. There is a third that is equally important: Syncretism, which is a fusion of the first two. So many Japanese easily handle two parallel religions. Why be small minded?

We will familiarize with them both, or all three, during our stay in Tokyo. We will visit the two most popular, Sensoji Temple in Asakusa and the Yasukuni Shrine. The latter is controversial especially in China and South Korea, as the souls of 12 convicted war criminals from World War II rest here.

We have found a third large and beautiful temple in Akasaka which, peculiarly, does not seem to be visited by tourists.

The 32 Imperial Bonsai Trees

Bonsai trees are, as most people know, an art form involving the cultivation of miniature trees, a more than 1000 years old Japanese tradition.
Bonsai is not just about making small trees; it is a meditative process that requires precision and patience. The trees are shaped through pruning, wiring and repotting, which creates unique, aesthetically pleasing shapes. This practice also symbolizes harmony, balance and eternal life.

The Bonsai Art Museum at the Bonsai village just outside of Tokyo, has agreed to receive us and give a lecture, go through the processes of this refined art form, while we look at these natural sculptures in quiet admiration.

When you are there, remember to bend down and look up at the Bonsai tree. A masterpiece is defined by experiencing the mini-tree as you experience large trees on a forest walk.

Dinner and Whisky Pairing

It’s time to enjoy our second gala dinner. During our research in Tokyo, I fell head over heels for The Whisky Library restaurant. A restaurant with a library of whiskeys, simply. Primarily Japanese, of course.

We have decided to hire the whole restaurant for our evening. Dinner is served as a buffet and then there is whisky pairing. (One of the reasons why I was seduced. Wine pairing has been tried by most, but whisky-pairing?).

Japanese whiskys are, as is typically Japanese, among the finest in the world. And also quite distinct, achieved by storing the whiskies in different casks during the aging process.

We think it will be a fantastic experience. Not least because it is a dinner with whisky ad libitum. Both buffet and whisky are included in the price.

Drinks, as they will be served in Tokyo

Tokyo's Sacred Mountain

Mount Fuji, or Fujisan, is Japan’s highest mountain (3,776 meters) and deserves our full attention for a day. We go by bus in the morning to meet one of the country’s most iconic symbols, approximately 60 miles from Tokyo. You can also see the mountain from the Roppongi Hills Club.

The mountain is the perfect counterpart to Japan’s culture, with its almost overwhelming symmetry and aesthetics. Fuji is therefore not surprisingly considered a shrine in itself. In art, the mountain has inspired countless paintings, poems and photographs.

The famous ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, (who lived during the years 1760 – 1849) created one of the most famous works, 36 Views of Mount Fuji. Incidentally, Hokusai was the first to use the term Manga.
The best-known woodblock print of these 36 views is The Great Kanagawa Wave. Another is Sunset over the Ryogoku Bridge, close to where the Sumo wrestling matches take place today.

If you would like to own the 36 prints, you can go to the publisher Taschen’s website and acquire the collection.
Furthermore, Mount Fuji is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. So, all in all, a must see.

The Harajuku Youth

The following three districts, Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya are arguably the most exciting in Tokyo. Where the Ginza district, representing the elegant districts, is for the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie, there is more pulse and energy in the area to the west.

We have hired a Hop-on-Hop-off bus for this day – and evening. And there is plenty to look at from the first floor of the bus. What will particularly fascinate is the very special Japanese youth culture you will experience in all the streets and alleys, especially in Harajuku.

We will make an attempt to differentiate between the different genres and subgenres where the girls reign supreme. There is, for example, Cosplay, where you dress up as Manga characters. Or Gothic Lolita. Or Visual Kei, where the youth go overboard with makeup and hair styles.

Then there is Kawaii, which means cute in Japanese. Here the teenage girls dress up as children. Not forgetting Decora, where you decorate and embroider the clothes with small pieces of toys and jewels.

The subject is not exhausted and new styles are constantly emerging. Just sitting in a café and looking at the throngs of people on the street… a theatre play in itself.

Kobe: As Decadent as it Comes

And then we’re going to gala dinner number 3. It’s impossible to go to Tokyo for ten days without it turning into a culinary experience as well. Considering the theme of the trip, decadence or avantgarde, it is obvious to put our 3rd gala dinner in a restaurant whose dishes are centered around the desirable Kobe meat. Known for their premium meat, Kobe cows are a special breed of the Hereford cattle.

They receive a pretty unique treatment that sets them apart from other breeds of cattle. Part of this unique method involves massaging the cows in whisky. This process is believed not only to contribute to the exceptional quality of the meat, but also to improve animal welfare. Maybe worth trying for oneself?

Kobe meat and beer, especially the local Japanese type like Asahi or Sapporo, accentuate the flavor of the tender meat and create a harmonious combination where the taste of the fat marbled piece of meat becomes an ethereal experience.

During dinner, we experience yet again, this typical Japanese balance between luxury and tradition. It is a tribute to the craftsmanship and methods used to produce the world’s most sought-after type of meat. And it’s also fairly decadent!

This dinner is included in the price of the trip. We have settled on a menu for 25,000 yen, equal to approximately DKK 1,150. The restaurant has another menu that costs exactly twice as much if you want to taste the finest cut. One option, if you are traveling as a couple, is to upgrade one of your dishes and thereby taste the difference between the finest and the finest piece of meat. You can make that decision right up to the dinner itself.

Shinjuku Station

The world’s largest city, the world’s largest railway station.

During our stay in one of Tokyo’s largest districts, Shinjuku, we will pass by its train station. Its 53 platforms serve 3,65 million passengers daily, making it the world’s most active – and hectic – traffic hub.

For first-time visitors, the railway station is utterly unmanoeuvrable. We have therefore decided to lead all our guests to the center of the railway station. Whoever finds their way out first wins a bottle of Sake. It’s going to be fun.

But maybe you want to stay here a little longer? Here are supermarkets, electronics stores, department stores, fashion stores, specialty stores, cafes, wine bars and restaurants. An underground city of millions, which tells quite a bit about Japanese society. And the trains run on time. Every day.

Shopping in Tokyo

One of the days, presumably Thursday, is a day off from the schedule, when you can explore the city on your own. Until we again meet in the evening, which begins at a Sake bar we have to ourselves for an hour, where a Sake sommelier gives four tastings and descriptions thereof. This is included in the price. (By the way, the person who manages the bar is a Japanese married, Frenchman.).

To return to our day off: Perhaps during our guided tours you have found an area that you would like to return to. Or go to museums and parks…. the possibilities are almost endless.

If you are tempted by a bit of shopping, Tokyo naturally has everything. Again, the prices are very reasonable and what makes it easy for us foreigners, is that you can get the goods VAT free in the shop and deducted on the spot.

You must buy for approximately £ 30 / € 35 or above. That’ll give you a 10% discount. You just need to have your passport at hand.

Return Leg One or Two?

Parnassos.dk aims to make our trips as flexible as possible for our guests. This also applies to our trip to Tokyo and Japan. We are happy to take care of all parts of the logistics, but it may suit you much better to go to Tokyo a few days before our program start, or after the program.

Perhaps you will take the opportunity to explore Japan on your own, on top of our days together. In addition, if layovers are not a problem – and thereby a slightly longer flight – you can save money by searching via, for example, Momondo.dk.

Quite likely, if you read about our trip in English, you may prefer to fly from a different destination than Copenhagen. For those of our guests who want to use our offer from
Scandinavian Airlines, which is the only airline with a direct flight from Copenhagen to Tokyo, you are most welcome.

We have two flight offers, both starting from Copenhagen on the 11th September 2025. You can then choose to fly home on September 21st or you can choose to return home on September 25, four days later. Either way, it is the same price, DKK 9,000.

If you choose to return on the 25th September, we offer an extension of the trip with a stay in Kyoto and Osaka, as mentioned below.

Hotel Stay at Copenhagen Airrport

A married couple, who has traveled with us a number of times once told us, a while ago, that they had decided to stick to flights of 4 hours maximum. However, we managed to persuade them to our trip to Cairo in the autumn of 2024, with a flight of just under six hours.

We are aware that a trip to Tokyo is in an altogether different category. 11 hours in the air is a long time and it is across 8 time zones.

We would therefore suggest that everyone travelling from Denmark, not just our guests coming from Funen and Jutland, spend the night next to Copenhagen airport. This way, you don’t have to think about traffic delays, but just walk over to the SAS counter. Unless you actually live in Amager, (next to Copenhagen Airport), this will result in a time saving of perhaps three hours or more.

We have received an offer from Hotel Clarion for the night between the 10th and 11th September. The price is DKK 900, £ 100 / € 110, which you can add during the purchasing process. It’s entirely up to you, of course. But you are welcome to take advantage of the offer.

Our Hotel Stay in Tokyo

As mentioned in the introduction, Tokyo is a cheap metropolis compared to comparable cities in Europe. The price difference of approximately 30% between Copenhagen and Tokyo makes getting the plane ticket there somewhat worthwhile. By the way, you can go to this city price comparison site, where you can see what you get for your money in the world’s various capitals.

However, one thing that is expensive in Tokyo are apartment and hotel prices. For the latter, which is relevant to us, we choose 3* hotels and it will probably be a hotel from the APA hotel chain, whose slogan is Luxury simplified.

The rooms are small but very functional – and always extremely clean. In addition, we can choose a hotel that is strategically located in relation to what we want to do with the city. Of course, if you want to upgrade, either when ordering or upon arrival, we can arrange that. Just let us know.

An Additional 4 Days in Kyoto and Osaka

Now the choice is yours. 10 days in Tokyo and you have a good grasp of this biggest city of them all. But not of the country. Therefore, do you want to extend the journey by four days?

In that case, you can come along with us to the cities Kyoto and Osaka. Worth an article in its own right, but to limit the scope of this travelogue after all, you get the short version.

Formerly Japan’s imperial capital, Kyoto is known for its beautiful temples, traditional teahouses and breathtaking gardens. One of the highlights is Fushimi Inari-taisha with its iconic torii gates. We also visit Kinkaku-ji, the golden pavilion, reflected in the still waters of the lake.

We also get to taste Osaka, Japan’s third largest city. (which we will visit in March 2026, in connection with the Sumo matches there). I Osaka we are met by a completely different atmosphere. The Dotonbori district provides that, with its lively neon signs and delicious street food, where you can enjoy local specialties such as takoyaki and okonomiyaki.

Transport between Kyoto and Osaka will naturally be with the iconic Shinkansen train. And we stay at a 4* hotel. We have set the price at DKK 4,500. (£ 500/ € 550) including transport and three nights’ accommodation with breakfast. As well as one dinner in Kyoto and one dinner in Osaka.

And our Purpose is?

We want to create exclusive experiences – without excluding anyone.

Granted, our tours are not among the cheapest, but they are still accessible to most of those who walk in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish poet who once said, ‘to travel is to live’.

The ‘trick’ is to be a large group. We’re talking about around 40 people. Being many has its own dynamic. And a larger budget allows us to offer truly unique adventures that surely will be beyond most of us if we acted on our own. Sometimes we will split us up in 2 groups of 20 when that makes more sense.

Our purpose is to tear us away from our day to day lives, to ensure that when you are back home again, you will ask yourself, ‘did I really experience what I think I experienced’?

What Exactly do you get for Your DKK 20,000?

Nine nights, breakfast included.
Bus to and from the airport.
Entrance fees to all our visited museums, temples,
Japanese garden and concert visits.
Ticket to the Sumo tournament.
Six dinners, including three ultimate gala dinners.
A day trip to Mount Fuji.
A day trip to Bonsai Village.
Own Hop-on Hop-off Bus.
Own boat in Tokyo Bay.
Wine and Sake for own events.
Flight ticket is purchased separately.

Tokyo – A Study of Japanese Avantgarde