66 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | MAY 2018
THE FOCUSMARC DEGEORGE/MUSEMARC STUDIO(SHRINE)12.58 p.m.
Charmed
Entering Meiji Shrine is
like walking into Tokyo’s
natural air-conditioning;
the city is steamy in the
summer, but a canopy
of camphor trees covers
the park-like entrance,
offering cool shade. A girl
sells prayer charms, and
they’re very specific. “A
charm for traffic safety.”
“A charm for passing an
entrance examination,”
which would have made
my dad laugh. I may have
run away from memories,
but I see him everywhere.4.11 p.m.
Retreat
Overstimulation can be
a problem in Tokyo. So I
spend most of today being
quiet, trying to listen to
my own heartbeat. Tokyo
may be a concrete jungle,
but there’s still some
tropical scenery—if you
know where to look.
Next to Meiji Shrine is
Yoyogi Park. Even more
peaceful is the garden at
Nezu Museum, designed
by Kengo Kuma, the archi-
tect behind Tokyo’s new
Olympic stadium. Nezu
Museum has premodern
Japanese and East Asian
art (including priceless
Buddhist statues), but the
garden’s the thing. It’s like
you fell asleep next to a
bonsai tree and woke up
in an enchanted forest. I
inhale deeply and smell
something sweet. “A mos-
quito coil,” my guide says,
laughing. “To kill bugs.”
Everything is beautiful.Weekends
bring a wave
of weddings
to the Meiji
Shrine.Use
Yo u r
Noodle
10.30 a.m. Brian MacDuckston left his
Bay Area tech job to teach English in Tokyo. But
10 years later his one-year adventure threatens
to become something more permanent now
that his blog, Ramen Adventures, has turned
into a local institution. “Real ramen nerds eat
600 bowls a year,” he tells me. He eats 300. But
the dude’s legit. He once hosted his own local
TV show where he and the women of AKB48
(basically Japan’s Spice Girls) would go around
town tasting ramen. The concierge at the Palace
Hotel (a contemporary retreat with impressive
views of the Imperial Palace gardens) arranges
a tour for me with Brian, and we set out to hunt
ramen. We hit Ginza Noodles for the triple ramen
(which refers to three broths—dashi, chicken, and
clam, plus some aromatic oils). With good ramen,
Brian explains, you should experience “salt right
off the bat, then a smooth, umami aftertaste.”
At Kikanbo (recommended by Noma chef
René Redzepi), droplets of pork-back fat float in
a spicy broth. A woman next to me orders the
Devil Spice ramen—made with Trinidadian
scorpion peppers and served in a black bowl—
but barely breaks a sweat.