Posted by Jerry on February 3rd, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Travel
One of the surprising things about Tokyo is how easy it is to get away from the hustle and bustle of 12 million people. You can walk along the Sumida Gawa canal and check out the canal boats
But when you see the water, it’s actually not too inviting!
Far better to find one of the many restful parks, like Shiba-Koen park not far from Tokyo Tower. This is just up the road from a wonderful street full of small noodle houses – so you can buy a tasty snack and eat it in the park. But follow the local practice and find a bin for the rubbish.
If this is winter – imagine what it will be like in Spring – Cherry-blossom weather!
As if this were not enough, just nearby was a working Buddhist temple – Zojoji Temple gardens are just the place for some quiet contemplation or a prayer whatever your faith. It is calming simply to walk through this delightful garden. Zojoji Temple is he main temple of the Jodo (pure land) Buddhist sect originally founded in 1393. Zojoji was founded as an orthodox and fundamental nembutsu seminary for Jodo-shu in the Kanto (east Japan) region. It moved its main site to Tokyo in 1598, and has been here ever since.
The Himalayan cedar tree just inside the gate was planted by General Grant, 18th President of the United States, when he visited Zojoji Temple as a national guest in 1879 – according to a small sign next to the tree. Interestingly, though, there seemed to have been some confusion over the year, as this was affixed separately over what was written beneath.
The tree now towers over the Sanmon gate house which was built in 1605. It is constructed in the Chinese Tang Dynasty styleย and is a rare example of early Edo-period architecture.
People have built all manner of shrines over the years, but one really caught my eye – It comprised about a hundred stone effigees about two feet tall, each with its personal crocheted hat and tiny clothes. The statues are of jizobosatusu, the protector of the souls of still-born children. Mothers of still-born children often dedicate an image of the deity and decorate it with baby clothes and toys.
Here’s one close up
And the Daibonsho bell is quite a sight. It was completed in 1673, and has a diameter of 1.76 metres, a height of 3.33 metres and weighs 15 tonnes. It is noted as one of the Big Three bells of the Edo period.
This was a wonderful place to conclude my all-too-brief stay in Tokyo.
Cheers
Jerry
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Posted by Jerry on February 3rd, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Travel
With a population of around 12 million – how do they all fit in to a city the size of Tokyo? The answer lies in efficient use of space. Perhaps there are lessons here for Sydney.
The cars are designed to make really good use of space. The majority are small cars, and the good road surface means that small wheels are no disadvantage. One popular car seemed to be one called ‘the cube’
Tall and box-like it seems easy to park and a fine example of how to get the most interior space with th e smallest external footprint.
Or you could go for the classic motorcycle, as this individual has done, getting around on a beautifully maintained Royal Enfield motorcycle. This one is an older example of the new classic bikes made in India.
There were quite a number of larger motorbikes being ridden around Tokyo, with teh Japanese marques being well represented, as well as a fair sample of Harley Davidsons.
And for firms with a lot to deliver, you could always use the all-weather scooter. Although it has three wheels, the cornering is still quite stable as the rear wheels stay firmly planted while the rider and front wheel lean like a motorbike. There are hundreds of these on the road. Interestingly, I rarely saw a parked one without the key in the ignition. And very few pushbikes are locked – clearly this is a city with a low rate of property crime.
With parking at a premium, you could make use of the ‘rack and stack’ method as seen here
Though it’s hard to see how you would get out in a hurry if yours was the car on top!
In a city, one of the challenges is to keep all the cars on the move, and petrol stations which typically take up a lot of room have found ways to minimise their footprint too – just get rid of the fuel pumps and hang the hoses from the ceiling ๐
Once again we could learn much from this use of space in our cities ๐
Cheers
Jerry
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Posted by Jerry on February 2nd, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Travel
After observing some really unusual drain covers in Tokyo – part of the quirky side – I found that some people have built up quite a collection of such photos. And some are truly exquisite works of design.
The ‘damn cool pics’ blog has some fine examples – the flower designs are amazing.
I photographed this one in the Ginza district – apparently a sewage cover.
And here’s another fine collection – from all over the world. But they include Japanese ones, and not just from Tokyo either!
Manhole Covers of Tokyo provides a useful typology of the covers, including information on what they are covering – whether utilities or sewage or fire hydrants.
This one I found near the wharf in Tsukiji district not far from Takeshiba station. Probably another sewer cover.
So I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees beauty in industrial design – and who looks down, as well as up, in cities!
Cheers
Jerry
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Posted by Jerry on February 1st, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Travel
You can look at Tokyo and see a city and shops and hotels. But it is in the small details that the soul of the place emerges. The trick is to look at what goes without saying.
Take the ground, for example. Beneath the flashing lights and skyscrapers is the place where you put your feet. Look down and notice the grill behind the flowers – that’s the subway and you can feel the air being pushed along by the trains.
Everywhere there are wonderful details hidden in plain sight, like the chrysanthimum on this drain access
And near the wharf area there is a delightful series of painted ships rendered in concrete for another drain cover
All these treasures at your feet!
And like any city there is a dynamic building program going on – but even construction sites have their distinctive visual impact. Take this sign, warning of hazards above
Even without an English translation its message is clear – Beware!
Tokyo is host to a huge number of press clubs – Kisha clubs – with press rooms for journalists. As I rounded a corner I glanced up to find myself looking at a crest with crossed fountain pen nibs and surrounding text in English declaring the place as the ‘Blue Red Blue Club’. It took a while, before I considered that maybe this refers to the drafting process – writing in blue, then red pen for editing, then blue again for the final copy. The approximately 1000 press clubs have come under fire in recent times for their exclusivity as well as their power to control rather than report the news.
According to the Kisha Club guidelines:
“The kisha club is a “voluntary institution for news-gathering and news-reporting activities” made up of journalists who regularly collect news from public institutions and other sources.
Japan’s media industry has a history of applying pressure to public institutions reluctant to disclose information by banding together in the form of the kisha club. The kisha club is an institution and system fostered by Japan’s media industry for over a century in pursuit of freedom of speech and freedom of press. The fundamental purpose of the kisha club system, which has been so closely involved with the general public’s “right to know,” remains unchanged today.“
Today most large institutions and companies have their own press club to ensure their own message becomes the public face of the company.
Sometimes you can be between crosswalks – and here there are signs to point out where you can find the nearest safe crossing point
And when you do get to the crosswalk, there are lanes for people and lanes for bicycles – just look down again ๐
Signs are everywhere – and they are often graphic so as to be independent of language. I was thumbing my way casually through the hotel information pack in my 14th floor room when I encountered this gem. I was abruptly reminded that I was on the 14th floor in a city built on one of the most seismically active zones on the planet. The instructions tried to calm my irrational fear of collapsing buildings by getting me to focus on the little things – like hiding behind a chair so the earthquake monsters don’t get you!
Interesting how they are all depicted as Westerners – do the locals know something that I don’t?
I must admit I didn’t expect to have a complex control panel to operate the toilet – my single button toilet at home seemed somehow simpler.
Clearly I have to watch the water pressure lest I get elevated on a fountain, like the poor person depicted above the button marked ‘bidet’. But reassuringly, there was a standby button so I would have some warning perhaps.
But the designers waited until I lifted the lid to give me the bad news – the warnings and cautions – perhaps they could have told me BEFORE I sat down! Toto was no longer in Kansas ๐
And it’s also worth checking out the advertising billboards – even these have a charm of their own
As you can see, it is all about selling cars – isn’t it? This is an ad apparently for a company called Car-seven Japan. And I thought they were advertising face cream.
So it just goes to show – you can learn a lot about a place from looking up, down or around corners – anywhere but straight ahead. You only see a city that way!
Cheers
Jerry
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Posted by Jerry on January 31st, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Travel
Perhaps it was the origami crane placed for good luck in my hotel room, but very quickly I gained the sense that this is a country that loves texture. Japan has a long association with paper and paper arts so it seemed fitting that I would seek out some handmade paper when I arrived. There was also a beautifully wrapped sheet of instructions on how to make a crane – along with a small square of patterned washi paper.
And sure enough in my fairly random arrival at Ginza district I was amazed at the variety and quality of the paper. Naturally I had to bring some back. There were rolls of the stuff, so I found a couple of really nice neutral paper that held out the possibilities of its texture.
Photos don’t really do it justice
Japan is also known for its fine silk kimonos and I was delighted to find a couple of ceremonial kimonos displayed in the hotel
The detail work was fantastic – if difficult to photograph!
You could tell how much into texture are the Japanese women – in the high end of town the simple classic black coats gave way to camel hair and cashmere coats and capes.
Tokyo is also a quirky place – but more on that tomorrow!
Cheers
Jerry
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