Day 2 - A walk in the park

Went for a walk in Ueno park in the morning, which in my book means around 10am. To really get into the Japanese groove, I thought the best thing to do would be to eat like one, so breakfast was onigiri from a nearby 7-11. These rice cakes are the epitomy of functionality - no nonsense carbo-loaders to kick start your day. What's amazing is the sheer quality of the food they have in Japan. Even the sushi you get from a convenience store is really fresh.

There were some demonstrators (very peaceful) just outside of Ueno park, trying to get signatures for something related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The park is much used by the local populace, and this park in particular seemed to be the preferred home for many of Tokyo's homeless.

The heartbeat of a city - the train station

All life in Japan revolves around the train station. You really can live in and off these stations. There's food, books, video shops, and there was even a Snoopy speciality outlet in one particular station. A lot of times, you have to get past the gantries just to get access to the shops

Taking a train in Japan tells you a lot about how the Japanese view communal living. The trains tend to be devoid of conversation, and you're even told to put your phone to silent and avoid conversation while on the train. It's just another reflection of the respect they have for people's personal space, and it makes living amongst so many people all the time much more bearable I'm sure.

The electronics mecca

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering Akihabara, where you can find every conceivable electronic doodad ever invented by mankind. That's probably an exaggeration, but I'll bet I'm not too far from the truth. Imagine Sim Lim Square expanded to an entire district, and you get Akihabara.

Space is certainly limited in Japanese cities, and to get around this most shopping spans many floors. One electronics store had a whopping 10 stories worth of gizmos.

Being invisible

It's both a blessing as well as a curse to look Japanese but not actually be one in Japan. Nobody looks at me twice (at least I don't think so), so I don't have problems blending in. But I don't the leeway that being obviously foreign brings, and I'm sure I've confused many a local by my strange manner.

So much for Tokyo for now. Tomorrow Kyoto beckons.