When you mentally picture Tokyo, you're probably thinking about Shibuya. It's the super busy part of the city with the big buildings and massive crowds of people, the BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY atmosphere that Tokyo is known for. It's also home to the most insane crosswalk in the world. But first let's talk about Hachiko.
This is Hachiko. To be more exact, this is a statue of Hachiko outside Shibuya Station. He was a dog who really loved his master, a professor at Tokyo University. Every day after work, without fail, Hachiko would wait him at Shibuya Station. One day while at school the professor died of a heart attack. Hachiko, being the loyal dog he was, still waited for him at Shibuya. Despite his master's passing, he came back every single day until he died. His loyalty made him something of a Japanese hero, so they erected this statue in honor of him. Today, Hachiko's monument is a common place for people to meet and for teenagers to loiter around.
AND HERE HE IS ON DRUGZZZ!!!
See what I mean? This is pretty much Tokyo.
And here's the intersection where the magic happens. It's the one you always see in movies with the massive crowds of people crossing the street. Soon, all these people will cross at the same time, making what is nicknamed "the Shibuya Scramble."
THE HUMANITY
Those lines on the pavement mean pretty much nothing. People walk whatever direction they want.
We were there on a Friday night during a vacation time. Here's a video of how it looks on a normal Saturday afternoon:
Seems like you enjoyed Tokyo! There is nothing quite like the metropolis, but Osaka is a lot closer to you and has 80% of what can be found in Tokyo. If you don't already know, Amemura is a bit like Harajuku; the Dotonbori area of Namba is almost as crowded as Shibuya crossing; Den-Den is a smaller version of Akiba and has lots of maid cafes, etc.; and of course there are plenty of dog and cat cafes all over.
Oh yeah, we love Osaka! We went there for New Years' break and had tons of fun in Den-Den and Dotonbori (although our students keep telling us how dangerous Dotonbori is...? I don't know, I didn't feel all that threatened :P) I didn't know about Amemura, though. :D
I wish I'd known about Cat Cafes at the time. There's all of one in Hiroshima. It's hard out there for a crazy Cat Lady.
Seems like you enjoyed Tokyo! There is nothing quite like the metropolis, but Osaka is a lot closer to you and has 80% of what can be found in Tokyo. If you don't already know, Amemura is a bit like Harajuku; the Dotonbori area of Namba is almost as crowded as Shibuya crossing; Den-Den is a smaller version of Akiba and has lots of maid cafes, etc.; and of course there are plenty of dog and cat cafes all over.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, we love Osaka! We went there for New Years' break and had tons of fun in Den-Den and Dotonbori (although our students keep telling us how dangerous Dotonbori is...? I don't know, I didn't feel all that threatened :P) I didn't know about Amemura, though. :D
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd known about Cat Cafes at the time. There's all of one in Hiroshima. It's hard out there for a crazy Cat Lady.