After the swim we set off for the outskirts of Tokyo to do a walk through Yanaka. Appealing as it reminds me of the gorgeous Yanna, second-born, most likely at school working hard. Peak hour on the subway is a sight to behold. We descended the familiar path to the Ginza line to be overwhelmed (we thought we had been overwhelmed before, but, no.... today was overwhelming) by a sea, ocean, universe of navy / black suits with black hair. The station-hands pushed people - including me! - on to the train, squashing me against complete strangers who received their punishment in stone faced silence. #1 Boyfriend and I, on the other hand, got the major giggles. It was amazing shocking and mildly disturbing, also hilarious. After a few stops of agreeable, friendly pushing and shoving of salary men getting on and off, we left the CBD hotspots and ended up at Ueno station. North and quiet. None of the white noise that hums in your inner brain whilst in the Tokyo Mecca. We grabbed a coffee, sat and regrouped - read: recovered from the subway pushing. A quick connection on the JR Train (above ground) landed us in a haven of Tokyo suburbia. Beside a peaceful graveyard. We followed the guidebooks suggested path along narrow alleys and felt like we were amongst some of the more real Tokyo. Not the celluloid, fluoro, contrived order of the city areas. The walk was a welcome respite, finishing at the Museum area that sits within the culturally calming Ueno park. At least 5 museums, sit majestically amongst these meticulously manicured gardens. We tried to visit the Science and Nature Museum - closed on Mondays :(, then the Museum of Western Art, which was closed except for the members. We decided to come back to this area tomorrow as it was such a relief from the hustle and bustle.
Next stop - Akihabara, brace yourselves, we are about to be catapulted in to Tokyo-robot-outer space.
Above - Matthew buys some ultra-fresh rice crackers from a quaint little shop in Yanaka.
No comments:
Post a Comment