16 November 2019
No sign of tension
Koreatown in Shinjuku
If you have been watching the news lately, you will see that tensions between Japan and Korea (South) are very high. Japan seems to be getting on ok with the North strangely! This of course dates back to the comfort girl issue. There is now also a drama over an island no one really cares about which is surely just both sides genitalia measuring contest (saying penis in 2020 is considered sexist). I will just put the name of that island here for google to find, its called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese. Just to make that situation amusing, a Japanese university angered Chinese students the other day by allowing a Hong Kong demonstration to occur, which resulted in the Chinese students having a DOKDO ISLAND IS KOREAN protest at the same time. Thats enough politics, I have a point.....maybe.
Tonight I went for a walk through Koreatown. My hotel is on the edge of it. I went there the very first time I came to Japan in 2010. It is much bigger now. It is one of the busiest places in Tokyo, with lots of signs telling people that due to congestion, pedestrians must keep walking at all times. So despite the political tensions, people from Tokyo still like to go buy filter snail face cream.
This is the strangest Don Quijote I have seen. Donki is like Daiso but things cost more than $2.80. For whatever unknown reason, this one exists across a few parking lots.
The alleyways to the main part of Koreatown are very authentic, most shops are selling face masks (make up not tear gas) and nothing else.
Here is the main street. The shots dont really make it look busy, I guess I timed my standing in the middle of the road with everyone behind me to make it look less busy. It was busy. Busy.
Bonus shot of Koreatown in the other direction. I think it has grown considerably in the last 10 years.
I should have stayed in this hotel. So many colors.
Apparently this circus is free. I doubt it.
Sure I went to Koreatown, but all the Korean places were fried cheese coated chicken and had huge lines. So instead I had Sichuanese Japanese food in Koreanese. I really wanted something hot and spicy, and dan dan ramen is my new favourite thing.