Tokyo 29th of September

I had plans for my first day in Tokyo, however a night at the Golden Gai kind of changed those plans, the combination of bad beer, cheap sake, Japanese whiskey meant that instead of rising at 5 o’clock I woke around 7 o’clock. My plan to see the sunrise at Senso-ji were officially ruined, in hind sight the clouds had ruined that chance way before I knew it and I needed my sleep regardless Asahi isn’t for the faint of heart (and also not for people who like their beer with a hint of taste).

After a short breakfast consisting of a miso soup, some water, much needed vitamin C in the form of fruits and vegetables and lots of coffee I finally felt ready for my first real day in Japan. I wasn’t sure how the metro trip to Senso-Ji would pan out, heck I didn’t even knew the first thing about the metro besides that I needed to calculate my fair upfront. It turns out that google maps indication of the fare is quite ok.

I decided to head for Iwamotochō Station as it has a direct connection from Shinjuku station and it offered a nice walk to Senso-Ji along the Sumida river. I was quite sure the fresh air and the atmosphere would strengthen my resolve for my plans this day. I planned on walking from Senso-Ji to Shibuya. A walk that would take the rest of the day but would lead me around a lot the highlights of Tokyo, seeing them all would be impossible nor an honorable goal as you cannot do a city as big as Tokyo justice in a day.

I could not imagine a better place to start exporing Tokyo, the Sumida river runs through the heart of Tokyo. The only regret I have is that I decided to cut to the Sumida park from the Yanagi bridge, but it was the only place with view on the river and the Tokyo Skytree. — If only you could walk two paths at the same time in life, now there would be an adventure! —

The neighborhood between Yanagi bridge is an ordinary neighborhood in Japan, some would call it mundane. The magic for me is the variety in people you meet, the park was relatively quiet but the few people I met came from seemingly every walk of life. Shop owners, Athletes (professional runners), Teachers, a mother of four and the typical salary men. Out of respect for their privacy I didn’t shove a camera under their nose but it was nice to get my first glimpse of the real people in Japan.

Just as I committed to the path eventually leading to my destination, people in Japan seem to commit to a path as well. Just by looking at someone you can superficially learn about someone, you can at least guess in what industry they work. We normally think of Japanese school uniforms but it seems to seep through in adult life as well.