Let’s complete our ride on the Yamanote circle by passing through the Northern side of Tokyo. Compared to the Southern half of the circle, the Northern half shows its age, it is more linked to traditional elements of Japan, it is less rich and in some brief moments it can also appear a bit sketchy.
After leaving Akihabara, Ueno is the first interesting stop. The big Ueno park is a an important meeting place for both families and couples. A very typical kawaii date consists in taking your girlfriend on a ride on a swan shaped boat on the Ueno park’s lake. If you are too shy about the swan shaped boat you can also get a regular boat –which allows you, when your girlfriend is distracted or sunbathing, to improvise rowing races with other guys.
Next to the lake with boats there is another lake covered with huge water lilies and, nearby, a beautiful and colourful temple. There are also many stands selling sweets, fried octopus and corn. Many tall buildings are the background for the lakes. They are residential buildings that show their age in this working class ward (the very few times I saw a political meeting with many Japanese taking part it was in front of Ueno station with a Japanese Communist Party member seeking re-election). The buildings in this area are not particularly beautiful. But at night, when you can only see lights and they are reflected on the lilies lake, the view can become particularly nice. From the lakes, following a beautiful path you can reach the National Museum of Tokyo –the most important, but not the only, museum in Ueno.
You might be surprised by seeing many writings in Persian language. It is the reminder of the Iranian immigration to Japan, that peaked in the 90s and is hardly visible nowadays. The Ueno park used to be an important meeting point for this community. Nowadays many homeless people –an almost invisible, but existing, community in Tokyo- find refuge here. The Ueno park has always been seen as a borderline place. During the prosperous early 90s it was the place to go if you were looking for drugs, the use of which is extremely harshly punished in Japan. All this happened under the peaceful eyes of the statue of Saigo Takamori, better known as the last samurai, depicted with a huge belly and his dog.
Apart from Ikebukuro, huge residential and commercial area in the North of Tokyo, in this half of the Yamanote circle we find Takadanobaba, a small station 15 minutes from Waseda University. Every day thousands of student get off in Takadanobaba and walk towards the university, naming their 15 minute walk “Baba aruki” (walk towards “Baba”). They often stay in the area after class to eat and drink (“Baba nomi” – have a drink in Baba). In this area you will easily find tipsy young people in the evening –although the sense of harmony and security typical of Tokyo is never compromised. The feeling of security that can be felt all over the Yamanote circle at any hour of day and night is a miracle that any foreigner can perceive after living a while in Tokyo.
From Takadanobaba we can reach Shinjuku in two stops. We covered 35 kilometers in 55 minutes stopping 29 times.
No comments:
Post a Comment