Twilight in Tokyo

Tokyo received little direct damage from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Suburban areas, particularly Chiba seem to have been more directly affected. Rolling blackouts continue in the suburbs of the city, but the central part of Tokyo remains largely unaffected by these. Subways and trains in the city center are back nearly to their pre-earthquake schedules. 

Because so much of the Tokyo Electric Company’s (Tepco) generating capacity is offline, power shortages and the rolling blackouts are likely to continue for weeks, or more probably months. Train stations, department stores, grocery stores and other large retailers are keeping their lights dimmed, with their outdoor signs mostly off. The reduced hours many have kept for the past couple of weeks are inching back to their normal operating hours. Mom and pop restaurants have begun turning their signs back on at night. Whether the lessons of excessive power consumption have truly been learned is yet to be seen. 

There have been stories in the foreign press about the self-restraint that has taken hold in Japan. That is true to an extent. But the crowds in Shibuya on March 18^th did not appear any smaller for the lack of giant, blaring advertisements that usually light the main crossing there. The screeches that are supposedly singing coming from local karaoke bars in the wee hours of a weeknight would indicate not everyone has taken up this outlook. The lights may be down, but aisles of electronics retailers and bookstores have not seemed much off their typical size.

Restraint certainly has been encouraged by Tokyo’s governor and even local governments. This is traditionally the time of year when Japanese hold hanami parties, picnicking under the cherry blossoms in the parks. Signs have been erected by the Tokyo municipal government discouraging such behavior this year. In the idle monkey trainer’s neighborhood city officials (or their volunteer minions) distributed leaflets and politely asked those partaking in such parties – particularly those with alcohol – to show restraint. They even implied that those not showing restraint would be asked to stop drinking. Rather than revel in the new spring as usual, everyone is being told it is more appropriate to be mourning the victims to the north. These reflect the attitude of Governor Ishihara, who has had to retract his own remarks about the disasters being divine punishment for Japan’s ego and greed. (Sadly, such thoughts and statements probably will not prevent him from winning another term as governor in Sunday’s election.)

And despite the perfect weather for hanami this past Saturday, the park did seem a bit quieter than in years past. Perhaps there was less alcohol and food consumed. Maybe there was even a bit more reflection on the transcendence of life as witnessed in the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms – or cherry jello shots.

Back in time - sort of

Tokyo has an uncountable (at least for an idle monkey trainer) number of museums scattered throughout the city. Last weekend, the Idle Monkey Trainer wandered over to one such museum, the Fukugawa Edo Museum. This is a rather modest musuem of a recreated Edo-era piece of town. The indoor, life-size model shows several typical buildings and streets as they would have been laid out in the 19th century.


Even at that point the city held close to a million people, about half of whom were samurai-class, in rather tight quarters. The above is a the typical room of a married couple (minus one wall). Volunteer guides are eager to escort visitors around the museum floor, offering a bit of history and quizzing visitors. Incidentally, during the explanation of this house, the answer to the guide's question about where they kept their underwear is not, "They didn't wear any?"


The museum comes complete with canal and boat (a main form of public transport on what was already "reclaimed" land.*) And, this being spring in Japan, nowhere is complete without blooming cherry trees.



Those interested in seeing a bit of the way Edo was, will find the musuem a short walk from Kiyosumi-shirakawa station on the Oedo and Hanzomon subway lines. Admission is 300 yen for adults.


Also just a couple minutes from the station is Kiyosumi Teien (Garden). The garden is full of large stones, providing pathways through the shallower portions of the pond and allowing up close encounters with what appear to be well-nourished but still very hungry koi (carp).
As with any pond or garden in Japan, there are also plenty of turtles, some balancing.
There is also an open space away from the pond which has an enourmous cherry tree and memorial for the Japanese poet Basho, with one of his poems carved in a large stone. "The sound of a frog, jumping into an old pond."
In many ways it is quite typical of Japanese gardens, but offers a nice retreat from the constant concrete buzz of modern Tokyo for 150 yen admission.

Sakura Blossoms and Booze

Spring has arrived in Japan, and although it is a little early for the sakura blossoms, the parks are filling with people getting drunk under the trees.

This is, of course, the time of year that people look forward to for months. Preparations can be very involved or spur of the moment. From April 1st it will also be the responsibility of the newly graduated employees to hang out in parks to hold spaces until their new bosses and co-workers get out of work and can get drunk under the trees.

It's also the time of year when you get out your pink dress, fuzzy paws and camp out and dance by mountains of garbage. Women, too. 

Special thanks to the newly certified doctor who slept in the park overnight to hold on to the prime spot in Ueno Park next to the dancer.

Spring in Tokyo

Officially the sakura blossoms have come out six days earlier than last year. Global warming? I have no idea. But, it looks good this week.


Both photographs were taken March 23, 2008 in Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan.

Obligatory Sakura Photos

Spring in Japan is the time of the sakura (cherry blossoms) and so, here are a couple of shots from the Sumida River park. Global Tito has also been updated with photos of the ubiquitous trees.














Nothing says Japanese tradition like sitting under the sakura, eating a donner kebab.