Tokyo

I have three days to explore Tokyo. Where does one even begin? That was the question I asked myself this morning. Rivers, I thought, are good places to begin.

Sumida river. It’s the only name I knew. As with anything Tokyo related, I knew it from watching all the episodes of “Midnight Diner.” It was just one line from one of the episodes, spoken by the sullen “philosopher,” Katagiri:

Life is like the Sumida river
You have to keep your distance
Don't underestimate life.

Wandering around without a plan is my next usual option. I did that for a long time before wandering back over into the Ginza where my hotel is located. I’m here because the hotel looked like a nice place to spend my last few days in Japan and it is close enough to walk to and from Tokyo station. Otherwise, Ginza is an uber-rich persons idea of heaven. I’m a bit out of my element.

The wide avenue of Ginza was open only to pedestrians on this sunny but cold Saturday. I found a chair to sit in the warmth of the sun, eat my trail mix, and watch people strolling and taking selfies, often at the same time.

My big excitement came on the train ride here from Kyoto. The sky was clear. I had the right seat assignment and, from being pretty sure I wouldn’t see it, I saw it, and it was spectacular!

The first photo is taken from the east side of Mt. Fuji and the second from the west. I’ve gotten used to Shinkansen speed but the video captures that speed pretty well. It also captures a long segment of the barriers that are regular parts of the viewing “pleasure.” You never know when they are coming to mess up the views.