October 27, 2003 - Metropolitan Life

October 27, 2003

A Day in Ueno

Tokyo has several public parks, and the one most often noted in the tour books is in Ueno. It's a little like Central Park in New York in that it has a series of small lakes (or large ponds), its own zoo, and several museums. It's also supposed to be one of the most popular places for hanami (cherry blossom watching) in the spring. We walked around in the afternoon and enjoyed some of the sights. We saw a few shrines and temples, people enjoying a stroll through the tree-covered sidewalks, and several ducks getting fed at the lake. The highlight of our day was when we took a rowboat out onto the lake and enjoyed rowing in the middle of the city.

We passed by the zoo, but we didn't go in. Right across from the zoo's exit, there's a small "Children's Park", with a couple of tiny merry-go-rounds, a small roller coaster, and a few other miscellaneous rides waiting to ensnare passing children and deprive their parents of their hard-earned yen. We watched toddler after toddler exit the zoo and then stumble across the sidewalk with arms outstretched like miniature zombies, heeding the irresistible summons of the Children's Park. Any parental denials of entrance were met with a flurry of foot-stamping and wild cries of protest.

People Who'll Go the Extra Mile

Tokyo is a big city, and bustling like any other metropolis. Many people scurry from one place to another; businessmen from work to clients, children from school to after-school activities, and shoppers from store to store. It's easy to feel lost in the crowd, and even easier to get lost in the city. However, there always seems to be someone who will help you find the way, even without having to ask them. All you have to do is wear an "I'm lost" look on your face, or open a map and look about confusedly, and someone is bound to say, "Are you lost?"

Of course, this doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes you have to approach someone and ask. We were in Shibuya on one of our first nights here. We needed to access an Internet cafe, and since Shibuya is the area where young people like to hang out, we figured we could probably find one there. We were overwhelmed with the lights and crowds when we first stepped out of the station, and realised it could take all night to find what we were looking for. So, we approached a young woman hanging outside of one of the entertainment complexes and tried to explain to her in very broken Japanese that we wanted to send an email. After several attempts, and a great amount of patience on her part, she finally understood what we were looking for. She pointed towards a Starbucks and indicated it was near there. She paused a moment to reflect, and then indicated that we should follow her. After about a five minute walk, we took an elevator up to the sixth floor of a building were deposited in an Internet cafe. Our Japanese companion stayed for about fifteen minutes to help us explain to the cafe staff exactly what we wanted. After matters were resolved, we thanked her profusely, she politely said it was nothing, and we never saw her again. Try experiencing that in L.A.! You're lucky if they don't shoot you, and even luckier if they bother to give you directions.*

* OK, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but I think you get the point.