Japan: Day Three Tokyo

I started day three in Tokyo and spent the day around Shibuya. It was raining so I slept until 11:00! My strategy for time changes is to sleep when I can. I started with a waking tour where I learned so much about the Japanese culture. This statue located near the Shibuya Station is of a dog, Hachiko, who would greet his owner at the train station every day after work. One day the owner died but Hachiko came back every day until he too died. 

The Japanese culture is known for men working long, hard hours. After work they go to Izakayas to relax, which are somewhat like pubs with food. But they are tiny, like cafes. Japanese are often allergic to alcohol and can drink very little. Men are tested at work to see how much they can tolerate as often business is conducted while drinking and not being able to handle your liquor is not good. 

Japan is a conservative, patriarchal society where women stay home and raise the children. You rarely see children in public and never did I see a buggy (stroller) on public transit. I asked where they were and was told most children spend the day in school and walk everywhere alone at a young age. 

We visited Takeshita Street which is where you’ll find the youth dressing up like Lolita’s and cosplay. I saw several and think they are so beautiful but it felt wrong taking photos. The young girls feel free when dressing up. 

When a woman does work, they are given guidelines on what they need to wear, high heels are often required, and are given a colour range for their hair and required length of their fingernails. To me, this is sad. However, only 18% of Japanese hold a passport so I understand this is the world they know. 

They also have animal cafes on this street. The animals range from dogs, cats, Guinee pigs, otters, and pigs! It is sad to me but I am sure a money making service. 

We ended at the Meiji Jingu shrine. There are endless Shinto shrines and Buddhist Temples in Japan. You can tell the difference in that the shrines will have a torii gate. They all have wooden plaques or papers where you can write a prayer and they will burn the following day. For money of course. Those white barrels below are sake barrels. 

I next made my way to the Akihabara area on a mission for Pokémon cards. This is the tech hub of Tokyo. The Japanese love vending machines. They are everywhere! You can find games, toys, and food. There are vending machines even outside 7-11s! And they hold both hot and cold drinks. 

I returned to Shibuya Crossing to watch the Shibuya Scramble as I was told 19:00 would be the busiest. It was pretty quiet I think due to the rain. This intersection is known for being the busiest in the world and handles normally 3,000 people per green light. Considering there are 14 million people in Tokyo that is not surprising. 

I ended my evening at an Izakaya enjoying a couple of lemon sours, their most popular drink next to beer. 

I was exhausted. It was a good day. 

Steps: 17,383