Smoking Out Old Tokyo

One of the things I can't help doing over here is seeking out the trace-elements of old Tokyo, hardly an elementary pastime since much of this has been removed by the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, the carpet bombings of the mid '40s, assorted fires, and the rapid pace of reconstruction and renewal that Tokyo willingly submits itself to every day.

Today I discovered these gems in Shintomi, not more than 100 metres from Ginza - one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world and the most expensive real estate in Japan.

Kabuki-za Theater

Boasting a lot of greasepaint, big hair, and some frightening, exaggerated facial expressions – not to mention specific choreography and minimal music to score the whole caboodle – it’s no wonder that some young Japanese think of kabuki as an old fashioned, unintelligible art form that needs a good dust-down after four centuries on the go – just like Shakespeare.

Yet it’s remained remarkably durable, and has in fact made a comeback in recent years that culminated in its nomination by UNESCO in 2005 as one of the “43 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”.

Here in Tokyo, kabuki performances take place on a daily basis at the Kabuki-za theater in Ginza, a historic location first built in 1889 but consecutively destroyed by fire, earthquake and Allied bombing.

The current building, a reconstruction built after WWII, has been rendered in a Japanese baroque style that looks gorgeous, and is itself another reason to attend one of these vital Japanese cultural performances.

Word has it that this building too is fated to be destroyed, next time by a wrecking ball in the next year or so.

Yurakucho Yakitori Alley, Tokyo

Chiyoda Ward: home to over 36,000 businesses employing over 888,000 people, at least according to the stats I just found elsewhere on the Internet. I could be wrong, but at least it should give you the gist of this central location in Tokyo.

It's the nesting place of the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Station, the electronics wonderland that is Akihabara, and the insanely overpriced Ginza.

But while Ginza is Tokyo's most expensive and "fashionable" district (at least for designer brand types with fat wallets and not so much imagination) and home to brand-name stores like Chanel - and Ginza in fact competes for the title of the world's most pricey real estate - right next door there's down-and-a-wee-bit-dirty Yurakucho... home of the infamous Yakitori Alley and some awesome faux old skool Japanese movie posters as well.

And an alley it truly is, situated only five minutes from Yurakucho JR Station under the railway tracks, boasting a series of roadside shacks and open-air grottos with makeshift names like "Tanuki" (raccoon dog) that are the complete antithesis of Ginza's glitz and supposed glam.

Yakitori literally means "grilled bird", and here you'll discover every possible part of a chicken (meat, liver, skin, gizzards, heart, cartilage) shoved on wooden skewers, along with other treats like shitake mushrooms and okra. Believe it or not, it's all delectable. The liver is the part I generally demand, and you can get it dry and salty or with special sauce; your choice, depending on the mood.

A throwback to old Japan, these places are the most informal eateries in Tokyo, incredibly atmospheric and down-to-earth, great meeting places, and the best way to see how many Japanese salarymen and office ladies spend their summer evenings: Indulging in yakitori, huge mugs of beer, sake, riotous fun, falling off plastic stools, and some good old fashioned rabble-rousing.

Then you can check out the posters round the corner.

Yum.