7 November 2016
Tourists outnumber locals
The always busy streets of Shibuya
Tonight I went to Shibuya, because the subway line from Ueno goes straight there and the random tunnel I went down was for that line. Thats how I decide where to go.
Good choice, lots of bright lights, lots of food, and lots of tourists. I think they outnumbered locals. And thats only counting the non asian tourists, because I wasnt paying enough attention to recognise Koreans and Chinese.
Not sure I have ever noticed so many tourists before, on a Monday night too, although maybe that contributes to my observation, locals are at home after being out all weekend. Actually it wasnt that busy so perhaps thats it, but now I am just talking crap.
The subway to get there was very busy, because it was peak hour, but I got a seat and it was then too difficult to offer it to anyone else, plus everyone else seemed to be younger than me, depressing.
Anyway, the guy sitting next to me was an older guy, but I was fascinated by the game he was playing on his phone. He was somehow controlling an animated cat that was attempting to get fish out of a fish bowl, only he was not touching the screen. He was tilting the phone a little bit, perhaps triggering accelerometers, but he was more moving his head around as if the game was traking his eyes.
I had never seen that before, did not know it existed.
Later in the evening, I was back at the main crossing, and watching a group of old folks from Germany try and pose for a photo in the middle of the road. The photo taker of course never had the camera ready before they ran (stumbled and staggered) into the middle of the road, so they would stand there giving peace signs thinking they were clever old Germans, when the one old German that needed to be clever was failing terribly.
The first attempt, he did not even manage to take a photo, the second attempt I think he at least took a photo but I have no idea of what because the woman who I presume was his wife just about belted him for being useless. After the third attempt they seemed to give up, and there was a lot of anger towards the poor old guy who cant work a camera.
My final story of the evening involves terrible buskers, from somewhere in South America. They had a cardboard box for drums, an old acoustic guitar out of tune and a big scary looking girl shaking something with rice in it screaming in portugese / mexican / similar at the top of her lungs.
They were so popular with Japanese people I could not get close enough to take a proper photo. However they took a break and everyone left, so I checked the hat they were collecting money in, despite having hundreds of people watching, they only had about $2 in the hat.
Perhaps this is why buskers are rare in Japan.
Finally, stay tuned for Super Mario Kart...
Shibuya random street with all the bright lights.
And more, not too busy.
Another great store, this one is not big boss, it was G something or rather. Theres also the original Ishibashi store in Shibuya somewhere.
Some of the guitars in this photo, which are second hand, are over $10,000.
Maybe I would have tacos for dinner. I came here on my first ever Japan visit, its still there. It was terrible 10 years ago.
The worlds busiest pedestrian crossing.
Couldnt force myself to have Taco Bell, but I actually tried to go to another place I have been, there used to be a pepper lunch store under the tracks, which was the first time I ever went to pepper lunch.
In its location is now curry, so curry I had, could be the last time I have curry this trip.
I had read about this. I cannot believe they allow people to do this. Tourists dress up in onesies and drive around the busiest streets in Tokyo in go karts.
Actually I zoomed in and the faces of all the drivers appear Japanese, but I read about Australians doing this too, no license required! The go karts dont even have number plates. Drivers dont have helmets.