Remembering Japan
We loved living in Tokyo! It's exciting, weird, beautiful, inexplicable, and just plain fun. Here we look
back at some of the things about Tokyo we didn't have time to tell you about before.
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| Zero Point |
We lived six blocks from the center of Japan. In the Edo Period the Emperor
decreed that all points in Japan would be measured by their distance from the Nihonbashi -- the Bridge of
Japan. Today the Nihonbashi is an elegant stone bridge (a beautiful replica of the original wooden bridge is in the
Edo Museum). Many days we walked over the bridge, past the small park that records its history, and
remembered that we lived closer to the heart of Japan than even the Emperor.
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| Meiji Restoration |
The
beautiful Meiji Shrine in Tokyo was built to honor the Emperor Meiji,
the first emperor of modern Japan. Throughout the grounds are 365
different species of trees. When we visited the actual entrance was
closed. Was it part of a second Meiji Restoration? 
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| Seclusion |
The
biggest expanse of trees is smack in the middle of Tokyo. The Emperor
lives secluded somewhere out there in the greenery behind the wall.
This is lovely for him. But all air traffic, subways and surface
traffic must go around the palace grounds. More than a few
inconvenienced Tokyo residents commented that maybe it was time for the
Emperor to return to Kyoto. Despite the fact that he's lived in Tokyo
for 150 years, people in Kyoto take a longer view and -- as the joke
goes -- consider him away temporarily. |
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At night the palace grounds leave a black hole in the lights of the city. It's easy to see
where it starts ... can you tell where it ends?
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| One in a Million |
While
the Emperor lives in seclusion, he's about the only one in Tokyo who
does. This is shopping on a normal Saturday afternoon. The density is
not oppressive. One gets used to it quickly and everyone is polite. 
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| Temple Tempo |
This is a normal Sunday at Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo's oldest, where we visited many times.
The smell of incense, beat of drums and bells, and the drone of the priests
are background to the chatter of visitors enjoying the sunshine and posing for photos.
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Temples have their quiet moments, too. The bride is being primped for photos, and the
groom is following the ancient tradition of checking his messages before tying the knot.
The beauty and pageantry of weddings blend well with the elegance and timelessness of
the temples.
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| Incense Super Store |
With space at a premium, the concept of
'superstore' takes on a whole different meaning ... in this case, super small. What you see is the woman's
entire store in the Ginza.
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| Tidy Town '08 |
Despite so many people using each square meter, Tokyo is a remarkably tidy city.
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| Cocktail Hour |
Is Tokyo blue because we left? No, it's that hour of the day. It wouldn't notice that two of its 12,790,000 residents moved on
unless they were the Emperor and his wife.
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Sayonara, Tokyo
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