31 October 2019
The quiet river
Walking along the all but abandoned Sumida river
A rest day for me today. Hopefully a big day tomorrow. Also a big night tonight, for me, I might even get back to the hotel after 8:30pm, which will mean I will miss fat cat telling me its time to go to bed. A rest day means not many photos. But to most people, I am sure they are more interesting than another set of boring hiking photos.
I got up at 6 and set off. Once I hit the river I just decided to follow it. Theres a nice smooth, wide, jogging path. Bikes are not allowed. And basically no one at all was using the path. Very unusual.
After I had followed the river for enough time I turned back towards the Ginza region and saw a few people in their Halloween costumes early. The first one was a shock, I assume it was a Japanese guy, but he had on a full silicone fake face, with an eyeball missing, and blood running out of the hole. Actually gushing. I wish I could have taken a photo but whenever someone tried to take a picture he would disappear back into the doorway of a building.
Once I got to Ginza I visited the police museum, its free! It has bathrooms. It is actually quite interesting, but the interesting parts have a strict no photo policy, a policy that is becoming more and more enforced across Japan as every day goes by. Kyoto is banning all photos! No one will ever see pixels representing Kyoto again.
Anyway, the interesting parts of the Police museum were the departmental structure flow chart diagrams, and how it all links together via a series of hot wax stamps and the brave efforts of the secretaries. Also theres a group called the color pride girls, who perform dances and sing at events.
One entire level has a recruitment film playing on loop that looks like Fast and the Furious crossed with BMX bandits crossed with Airwolf. Extreme Shaky cam, explosions, swinging from the skytree on a rope, leaping from a flying 747 in a wing suit while on fire, standing in a Koban helping old people find their way.
The mighty, hazy, Sumida river. Note the lack of people, I think theres a grand total of 2 in this shot.
Here is a canal with some fishing boats parked, although I dont know where they fish as there are signs all along the river advising that the water is poisonous, no fishing. Yes I know they are not really fishing boats anymore.
I assume these were the old houses of old fisherman. Probably all craft beer places now, or vape huts.
The underside of this double bridge is mirrored tiles. Still no people.
This is a dog park. A few metres of fake grass under a bridge. There is a person here though! And her dog, which tried to attack me but I was saved by the fence. She seemed quite embarrassed that the dog was so angry at me.
FUTURE BOAT IS HERE TO SAVE US ALL. Many of the bridges are very low, they therefore have to design a boat that sits very low, and can have bow waves wash over the top of it.
Here is part of the police museum where you can take photos. I think its an interactive computer game for kids. They also have a section for kids to do CSI work on tyre tracks and footprints.
The entrance has a helicopter. The name of the helicopter is Otori.
Eventually I got to the main bit of Ginza. Last year it was under heavy construction. It all appears to be finished now.
My lunch was somewhere I have been before, design your own lunch box in Takashimaya - Annex - Basement - East Building - New. A lot of the choices today were mackerel based, I did not want mackerel.
Inexplicable single pair of womens underpants drying on busy street. I think it might be an art installation. It represents the struggle of the modern Japanese woman, without child, to find a place in society.