Shinjuku
One Sunday in late April I took the train down to Shinjuku area and walked around. The station is amazingly crowded. During the morning rush hour the Yamanote trains come at 90 second intervals. They make 30 second stops at the station. There are employees whose job is to push people into the cars as the doors close.
You can't go anywhere in Tokyo where there isn't a crowd. This is Sunday morning, not rush hour, on the Yamanote Line headed from Ikebukuru station to Shinjuku Station. I'm so tall I feel like a giant. I have to bend way over at the waist to get under the signs, straps and doors. People think I'm so polite.
About five blocks east of Shinjuku station is the Shinjuku Gyoen, another one of the emperor's gardens. It has several formal garden areas, including traditional Japanese plantings and bridges.
Looking up from the previous view we can see that we're still in the city. West from inside the gardens is one of only a few skyscrapers in Tokyo. Earthquakes are an ever present problem here and the Shinjuku area has some of the only solid bedrock near the surface.
The arching bridges seem to remind people to enjoy the park slowly.
April is a fine time to be viewing the blooms. The Shinjuku Goyen is a botanic garden with a great variety of plants from around the world.
Set among the plantings are teahouses where one can have a refreshing cup of green tea as a break from exploring.
Everywhere are curving paths, meticulously trimmed plantings and rock lined ponds with the famous Japanese carp.
It is definitely spring in Tokyo. A busy spider has strung a thread between clusters of tulips in preparation for future construction.
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