When I was walking around Ginza this afternoon, it was hard to believe that I was in Sanya this morning – they are completely different. Sanya is a working-class neighborhood, whereas Ginza is a ritzy, nice shopping district. It was such a shocking contrast.
In Ginza, a group of us went into a nice traditional Japanese store where they sold fancy paper, stationary, fans, etc. I bought a few souvenirs for my friends and family. After spending a lot of time in the store, we started to get a little hungry, and we knew that Ginza is known for their desserts! We spotted a nice looking 2nd floor tea room from the street, and went up to the restaurant. I think we went up the wrong way because we had to walk through basically the whole tea room to reach the hostess stand. During the long, awkward walk to the hostess stand, I noticed how underdressed I was compared to the other people there. I shouldn’t have worn shorts and a tshirt to Ginza! Frankly, I am surprised the hostess didn’t make me leave because I violated the dress code.
Lauren, Mary and I decided to order the champagne and macaroon special with another dessert, while Rachael decided to get a milkshake and a dessert. IT WAS SO GOOD…but very pricey! The tea room was French themed, and it was adorable. I felt like I was back in Paris for an hour. Even though the two macaroons and raspberry tart weren’t very filling, I decided that would be my dinner for the night since I spent 2,800 yen on sugar.
While I enjoyed my dessert very much, I thought about Sanya multiple times. How is it that only a few miles away there are day-laborers living in a working-class neighborhood? I guess this is the kind of thing that happens in a modern city. There will always be a contrast between the higher and lower class neighborhoods.
I didn’t visit Ginza during my stay. I was a pity. The desserts looked really yummy. It is brutal to see and to think what made such a huge difference between San’ya and Ginza. I hope one day people in San’ya will be able to consume in Ginza through their efforts.
It’s really weird how two extremely opposite areas can be so lose in proximity to each other. I was thinking the same thing when I saw the SkyTree just before heading to the Bridge of Tears intersection. But you’re right, it does seem that this occurs more than we would like.
And the funny thing is that both neighborhoods are just a train ride away. Same type of contrast we saw in Harajuku between the hip, busy shopping district and the Meiji Shrine. In a city as big as Tokyo, it makes sense that there will be some variation, but it’s still quite a sight when you see it yourself.