Really, what would be a trip to Japan without visiting its capital city, Tokyo? Recently, I took that opportunity.
Like my home in Kochi, Tokyo is a prefecture and the name of the predominant city. But in Tokyo there are 23 special neighborhoods, or wards, that make up one of the most populated (although not the most dense, as we will see) areas in the world. That is no surprise, Tokyo is almost famous for its massive population. Take for example the city's anti smoking laws. At least in Chiyoda, were the Japanese Palace resides, it is illegal to smoke not because its bad for public health (nationally, smoking in Japan is not make illegal by Article 25 of the Health Promotion Act) but because the streets were so crowded that the people began to report very high numbers of accidental cigarette burns.
That's a good story, but did you also know that Tokyo is the most populated metropolitan area....in the World?! Yes, in the World. As of 2011, there are 13.2 million people living there, at about 6,000 km2 or 16,000 square miles. For comparison, Manhattan houses 1.6 million people though at a much higher density of people at 27,345 km2 or 70,825 square miles, and San Francisco houses just under a million people with 840,000 at a density of 6,898 km2 or 17,867 square miles.
Historically, Tokyo was first named Edo. It was named and founded by the, you guessed it, Edo clan in the late 12th century. And for a while, in the ensuing years, the clan and city grew in strength, commerce, and popularity. Eventually, the small town was to grow exponentially and become the focal point of attention because of just one man's social and cultural status. So much so, that by the 18th century, the city rivaled Kyoto, home to the Emperor. That man responsible for Edo's large popularity name was Tokugawa Ieyasu, and he was to rise to the level of Shogun in 1603, and transform Edo into an informal capital itself. Essentially the leader of the nation's entire military and president of foreign affairs (the emperor, having appointed the shogun, was little more than ceremonial at this point in time), he commanded the legendary Samurai warriors who, despite largely began putting down the sword in favor of aristocratic positions, still held the authority to cut down any commoner for lack of respect without question.
Like my home in Kochi, Tokyo is a prefecture and the name of the predominant city. But in Tokyo there are 23 special neighborhoods, or wards, that make up one of the most populated (although not the most dense, as we will see) areas in the world. That is no surprise, Tokyo is almost famous for its massive population. Take for example the city's anti smoking laws. At least in Chiyoda, were the Japanese Palace resides, it is illegal to smoke not because its bad for public health (nationally, smoking in Japan is not make illegal by Article 25 of the Health Promotion Act) but because the streets were so crowded that the people began to report very high numbers of accidental cigarette burns.
That's a good story, but did you also know that Tokyo is the most populated metropolitan area....in the World?! Yes, in the World. As of 2011, there are 13.2 million people living there, at about 6,000 km2 or 16,000 square miles. For comparison, Manhattan houses 1.6 million people though at a much higher density of people at 27,345 km2 or 70,825 square miles, and San Francisco houses just under a million people with 840,000 at a density of 6,898 km2 or 17,867 square miles.
Historically, Tokyo was first named Edo. It was named and founded by the, you guessed it, Edo clan in the late 12th century. And for a while, in the ensuing years, the clan and city grew in strength, commerce, and popularity. Eventually, the small town was to grow exponentially and become the focal point of attention because of just one man's social and cultural status. So much so, that by the 18th century, the city rivaled Kyoto, home to the Emperor. That man responsible for Edo's large popularity name was Tokugawa Ieyasu, and he was to rise to the level of Shogun in 1603, and transform Edo into an informal capital itself. Essentially the leader of the nation's entire military and president of foreign affairs (the emperor, having appointed the shogun, was little more than ceremonial at this point in time), he commanded the legendary Samurai warriors who, despite largely began putting down the sword in favor of aristocratic positions, still held the authority to cut down any commoner for lack of respect without question.
The shogun Tokugawa housed his military strength in Edo and what was once a small fishing village became the new political capital. Kyoto and the Emperor were being overpowered. In 1868, when the Tokugawa Shogunate (also referred to as the Edo period) ended and the Meji Restoration began, the emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo, and renamed it Tokyo. A similar even occurred in 324 AD when Byzantine was inaugurated as Constantinople (dedicated on May 11th - the same day as my birth), and reformed many times over into what is now modern Istanbul. So it has been.
My mother once asked me, "Andres, I love your photos, but where are all the people?"
Although I really do love living out in the country side, where the air is so fresh and I don't have to wear a watch, there is still something in me that can't help but to frolic happily in city streets. The concrete, the sounds people in motion, and cool frames such as this.
Unfortunately, the rain seems to follow me in my travels. From my long days spend cycling under the rain in Kyushu, the dark clouds are back in Tokyo, and they've brought high wind typhoons with them.
Bike parking, Tokyo style.
Watching the rain as I wait outdoors, foolishly, for the rain to pass by.
Eventually, the rain and storm did pass by and the sun came out to play =) Still early in the afternoon, I took the rest of the day to walk around the famous neighborhoods.
Random corners in Tokyo's famous Shinjuku.
Walking around Shinjuku.
Playing tourist and looking up at all the cool signs.
I had walked for so long, entertained by the lights and stores, and new faces that the Sun began to set before I knew it. Not that that stopped me from my bi-pedal exploration.
I like to praise cycling as a means of travel, however since I've left my bicycle at home, walking around has made use out of forgotten muscles. I am glad I did, I got to see so many other things by looking up that I have to believe I would have missed if I were cycling, observing traffic and avoiding collisions. Here, in what was the brightest moon in recent memory, I sat and sipped my coffee. Seriously, the moon was as bright as a streetlight.
Like most big cities, Tokyo is constantly under construction.
With the night came more of my excitement. I was expecting neon beams of light, drunk laughs and conversations down the street, and hurried excitement that can never be copied outside of a Saturday night metropolis - but this was all more than I expected. Tokyo at night is all that amplified. I didn't even want to go eat dinner inside because I wanted to just soak up all the atmosphere I could until I was bloated in saturation. And even then, I knew there was much more to see, good food to eat and smell, and random streets to get lost on.
Along the way, why not take a random store elevator? No good reason not to, that's why.
"Gothic" is what I thought to myself as I stared up at this clock-tower for the better part of ten minutes. "Straight out of a Batman comic book."
Lucky for me, there is only an overnight bus between Kochi and Tokyo, so I hopped on the late bus, fell asleep like a baby, and woke up practically at home. Great times all around. I'll be back.
Much, much Love,
-A
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