For anyone who has watched the film Lost in Translation, this is a magic place: the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku. Shinjuku is somewhat elevated over the rest of the city and full of skyscrapers. This hotel is one of those buildings reaching 53 floors, and with the wise idea of installing a bar on that top floor. That, together with the five stars (you feel the stars both in the service quality and in the price), good drinks, live jazz music, and an unimprovable view of the city, makes it an excellent place for an evening.
Of course, this is nothing without good company. Do you want to come? 😉
Today, we are enjoying another public holiday on Monday (it is the fifth in the last four months), due to the Coming of Age Day. This day is basically a celebration of all those becoming adults after the teenage.
Today, the city was full of young people very dressed up (specially girls with those beautiful kimonos), who were during the morning in a shintoist temple with their family to pray for the new time…
… and in the afternoon they had already gathered with the friends, and were having some fun in Shibuya…
A bit of Japan among the posts about the trip to China. This is the famous Shibuya Crossing. Shibuya is one of the centers of Tokyo, and is a very common place to meet, as there are lots of restaurants, shops, and pubs and discos in that area. But one thing it is quite famous for is its crossing. There are 5 streets with heavy traffic getting to this point, and a lot of human traffic around. One of the particularities, is that the green light for the pedestrians is for all directions. So, all cars stop, and for a few seconds the street is for the people…
Another main characteristic of this place is the huge screens and all the advertisements surrounding this area. The screens have not also advertisements, but also some music clips.
And I wrote a few lines before, this was a common place to meet, and at least for me it is the case. There is a specific point in the square, where all kind of people gather. It is called Hachiko and it is a dog which everyday waited for his owner in front of his office, and after the death of him, remained going there everyday until it died after a couple of years.
That is the story (it can be improved, but this is not my point). My point is that it is such a common place to gather, that it is not strange to meet people you know there, which is especially surprising if we remember we are talking about one of the biggest cities in the world.
I am back in Tokyo. I am getting used again to the silence of this country, to the big smiles even though they do not understand you, and to the fact of the paying what the price tag says,.reunion with real sushi, plenty of pending housework… :S
Where would you start a visit to Tokyo? Exactly, anywhere but in the electronic quarter… Where did I start? Yes, you are right… Akihabara, the area where you can find all kind of shops with all kind of electronic devices. You can find there:
…sirens… (quite a niche market)
…a pink stand with a pink laptop… (and probably they do sell it)
…and of course, a superhero…
…and friends…
