Tokyo. The world’s most populous metropolis. It therefore offers a seemingly unlimited choice of shopping, entertainment, culture and dining to its visitors! Can you imagine how this ancient small fishing village came to be? Went on to suffer two major catastrophes yet retained many unseen natural beauty. Join us in our fantastic quick tour and discover food, fun and its beautifully blended history.
Here’ some TOKYO TRIVIA courtesy of Timeout.jp:
Tokyo world records
As you might imagine for a city this size, Tokyo holds a worthy amount of world records, some of them more unusual than others. We’ve picked out a selection of pleasingly bizarre winners.
1. Most people in a Mini Cooper On May 5, 2011, Tokyo’s Shiodome Nihon TV Studios witnessed one of the greatest human feats of all time, when 21 members of the Caless Dance School squeezed into a Mini Cooper. The reason? Quite simply, to see if 21 women could squeeze into a Mini Cooper. Why else?
2. Longest slab of meat The world’s longest single slice of meat was cut by Nico Jimnes Rodrigez of Hattori Nutrition College on September 23, 2010. The Iberico ham slice measured 13.35 metres.
3. Youngest Dance Dance Revolutionary The youngest person to achieve the ultimate score on a Dance Dance Revolution game did so in Tokyo on August 29, 2010. Ryota Wada mastered the song ‘Hyper Eurobeat’ at the tender age of nine years, 288 days. A great future awaits.
4. Biggest bikini parade On May 23, 2010, Venus Fort in Tokyo hosted one of the world’s most scantily clad world record claims when 323 women stripped down to their bikinis and wandered around the stately shopping mall holding Venus shavers in their hands. A prouder day this city has rarely seen.
5. Crazy kanpai! The world’s largest toast took place in Tokyo at Jingu Stadium on June 26, 2010, when 27,126 people raised their glasses and shouted, ‘kanpai’. At the time of writing, 14 months after the event, plausible reasons have yet to surface.
6. Busiest, er, mountain… Takao-san, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, is the world’s most visited mountain, having attracted 2.6 million visitors in 2009. After all, there can’t be many mountains that have a decent udon shop and a beer garden at the summit, which only prompts the younger generation to bring their fake id card, or any other type of identification with them, so they can be served the many different alcoholic beverages that they will have the option of drinking once they get to the top.
Explore3DTravel-Tokyo-Japan-Trailer-SBS from 3DGuy.tv on Vimeo.
Tokyo food facts
OK, so it’s well known that Tokyo has around 88,000 restaurants and more Michelin stars than any other city in the world. But did you know that there’s a McDonald’s serving specials for sumo wrestlers? No? Well you’re about to…
7. Megasize me! The McDonald’s in Ryogoku, on the east bank of Tokyo’s Sumida River, has a very special deal for the fat men that make the area famous. On any given day of the triannual Tokyo basho, the overall winner is entitled to one free McD’s meal. What’s more, the restaurant boasts a huge sumo chair for him to enjoy it in – three times the size of a normal McDonald’s chair. Talk about lard-arsed luxury!
8. Gyu to go And while we’re on the subject of Japanese fast food chains, Yoshinoya, the venerable gyudon franchise, burst into life no less than 122 years ago, when the family store began carving up cows in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi area. Like Mos Burger above, the company is now an international chain, with outlets in Shanghai, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US.
9. Starbucks rules Depressing news for fans of the humble kissaten, but Starbucks now has 259 outlets across Tokyo, with the branch overlooking the Shibuya Crossing (itself the world’s busiest crossing) taking the prize for the highest revenue generated. So busy is this Shibuya branch, in fact, that it registers second on the company’s worldwide success list, topped only by (and this is hard to believe if you’ve ever been there) the branch in Stansted Airport, UK.
10. How many bars in Golden Gai? Golden GaiAt the time of writing, the Golden Gai district in Shinjuku has 257 bars open for business. The area, which is one of Tokyo’s most celebrated drinking dens, is approximately 2,000m2 and was formerly one of the city’s red light districts. These days it is better known for its camaraderie, although foreigners often find it less welcoming when not in the company of a knowledgeable local. Not that famous faces have that problem; Quentin Tarantino and Wim Wenders are known to favour La Jeteé whenever they happen to be passing through.
11. The oldest restaurant in Tokyo The restaurant that seems to have the strongest claim to being the oldest in Tokyo is Komagata Dozeu, an eatery that has been flogging poached loach to the Asakusa faithful since 1801. There are probably a few other places that would try to pinch the title for themselves, but Komagata have managed to survive earthquakes and bombing raids to maintain their business on the very same plot of earth for six generations. Not bad going in this transient sprawl.
12. The most expensive restaurant… in the world! Regularly topping the world’s most expensive restaurant list is Tokyo’s very own Aragawa, a steakhouse specialising in Kobe beef that will cost you at least ¥35,000 per person, per meal. By all accounts, the mustard sauce is a must-have.
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