Around Tokyo 2

The streets of Tokyo are incredibly clean, which is even more surprising since there are no public trash bins.  I was told that they were removed many years ago after a rumor of a terrorist attack that would involve bombs or dangerous substances planted in trash bins.  Quite inconvenient, actually.

A small number of adults in Tokyo own a car.  Like in most big cities, parking is expensive and hard to find.  Also, public transit is great and inexpensive in comparison with other prices in Japan.  Also, it costs a fortune to get a driver's license in Japan.

Japan is where old meets new.  For example, tradition and latest technology are often seen side by side.  Narrow alleys with old buildings (and sometimes great cafes and restaurants) like the one in this photo are a fun way to cut through between modern, neon-lit streets lined with shiny gigantic modern buildings.

A Tokyo Metro entrance.  My Japan Railways pass was not good for this train system but I rode it for an experience anyway.

On a JR metro line, screens show you exact time in minutes to the next 12 stations.  The language switches between Japanese and English.  The screens also show ads, train announcements such as delays (which are very rare), weather forecast, news etc.

A subway car.  It is rude to look at a Japanese person more than just for a moment and they will look uncomfortable.  Taking photos of people has been very tricky.  This goes even for the young people in very flashy hipster clothes in Harajuku.  In the country where silence is golden, image is everything, but only to look at.  Not to ask about or take pictures of.  So I was often waved off as soon as I aimed my phone's camera at someone.  A sense of personal privacy is very strong in Japan.  A privacy protection law prohibits cameras in public places, even around cigarette vending machines.   

An entrance to a video arcade.

A video arcade doesn't only have video games.

Teenagers are typical visitors of video arcades.

Who could resist money flowing?

A cool display window.  Can you find the product (bags)?

Of all fruit, melons seem to be most sought after and they can be super expensive.  In the past, melons were only imported and they were a luxury then.  Today, domestic varieties are  grown in parts of Japan with suitable climate.

The melons on the top left are $150 a kilogram.

The devil was in the fitting room.

A restaurant's display window.

Classic American movies on DVD.  Judging by the low price, I think these may be rentals.  Japanese are very frugal.  A flagship CD shop in Shibuya rents CD's (4 for $12 per day).

A jewelry store's display window so exclusive, there is no product in it.

This photographer was taking photos of a trendy art gallery at night.  I wish I could see his photos.

Despite the its unappealing English name, Pocari Sweat is a tasty sports drink, barely sweet and with a hint of grapefruit.

An advertisement for the Lion King musical on the window of a subway car.

Everybody is checking texting and emailing on the subway.  There are announcements even in English to refrain from talking on a mobile phone while on the train (thank goodness), especially in areas near priority seats.  I never noticed an outage of cell phone signal in Tokyo, even on underground trains.

Opening today in Japan.

The biggest Starbucks in Tokyo and perhaps much broader.  This intersection, famous for an incredibly huge sea of people crossing when lights turn, is located in Shibuya. 

This is also the spot where Scarlett Johanssen was filmed in "Lost in Translation" when the mega-display (on the right in the previous picture) showed a walking dinosaur. 

Coming soon: more about the Shibuya crossing, a visit to an Apple store and a day trip to Kyoto (the old capital) with its shrines and temples.