Live and Direct from the Flip Side

[mangosteen]

I'm in Tokyo for the next week or so. Having flown in yesterday evening, the jetlag beast has triumphed in ways that I've not experienced in years, so here's a couple of random observations from way too early in the morning:

Streams: In Tokyo Central Station, people moved in streams. Being a bit taller than the average bear around here, I could

Comments

[plumtreeblossom]

I remember the huge amount of coins I amassed in Tokyo. Enjoy your time there. It's a truly surreal place, and one I miss!

[mrf_arch]

Streams: In Tokyo Central Station, people moved in streams. Being a bit taller than the average bear around here, I could get a really good view of it. Outside a stream, motion would seem completely unpredictable and frustrating.

Also true in most of the big stations in the States I've been in, although there are usually a percentage of clueless tourists messing up the flow. :-)

[mangosteen]

I typically only see the "streaming" thing locally at the moment when tracks are called. Otherwise, it seems much more.... brownian.

To your other point, I wonder if there's less overall variation in the way people move through stations here, not just due to tourists (Tokyo station is a local maximum for that, from a cursory look), but also due to locals not blocking traffic.

Clearly, more observation is required.

[_nicolai_]

I find that I am a bit less appalled by the over-packaging when I remember that Japan has a high recycling rate, and what they don't recycle they mostly incinerate so there is energy recovery from the packaging and no landfill. If it's paper packaging that's a good outcome.

[dr_memory]

Oh man. You are going to love Tokyo. LOVE. Take NYC, remove 90% of the (non-white-collar) crime and then make it SEVEN TIMES LARGER. It's insane in all of the best possible ways.

Only a week? Sigh. Roppongi. Akihabara. Harajuku. And if at all possible, Koenji.

If at any point you find yourself wondering "what should I do?" immediately pull out the Tokyo Damage Guide.

[dr_memory]

Oh, and Shibuya. You have not experienced that Japanese Pop Culture Particle Accellerator Effect until you've spent an afternoon wandering slackjawed through the 109.

If it's still around, Pink Dragon (1 Chome-23-23 Shibuya) is the world's only multilevel rockabilly shopping mall.

[mangosteen]

Aye. Regrettably, it's for work, so I have a rapidly dwindling amount of evenings free; I was told to expect that they'd get absorbed by co-workers and customers.

I will have one full day free, though. Shibuya is at the top of the list. :)

[gaiaturtle]

If you have a chunk of several hours free and you are in any way a Miyazaki fan, go to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka City. It's a magical experience. You have to buy tickets at weird little machines only at Lawson convenience stores (it's so bizarre) but it's worth it. (I got the store clerk to help me buy tickets because there wasn't much English at the machine.)

http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/

http://www.lawson.co.jp/ghibli/museum/ticket/english.html

[spacehawk]

I have heard interesting things about the bathrooms in Japan. Please tell us if this is true!