| Just in Tokyo by Justin Hall Page #25 This is a browsable copy of the original pdf hosted on Rikai.com If you enjoy this work, please consider donating to the author  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. | |
|
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 | |
|
| |
of Electric Light." They were talented, but they were wrong. Tokyo is
the city of electric light. And Shinjuku is its brightest spot.
Donald Richie. Shinjuku literally means "new inn," new in the 1600s
or so. Shinjuku today is tall bright streets and alleys with tiny stalls
and stores. This is the part of Tokyo that looks the most like Blade
Runner. Electronics, books and sex are for sale here, like any other
area, just in more dense profusion. Out the East gate from the giant
Shinjuku station you'll find both large department stores and small
massage parlors. Nearby Kabukicho is about as sleazy as modern
Tokyo gets; a dense profusion of video booths, small sex clubs and
love hotels. On the Yamanote Line, Shinjuku Station is the busiest
train station in the world, where over 700,000 riders mingle daily.
dress up: Amish fetish, mutant tan and blonde girlstyle, fresh-from a
car wreck makeup. There's a narrow street of shops, Takeshita-dori,
where you can accessorize yourself completely for any fetish or
flash-in-the-pan trend. It's some of the best people watching in the
world. The nearby park is also nice walking on weekends, between
the tough looking 50s Greasers. On the Yamanote Line; listen for
the unique bittersweet Harajuku chime on the JR line subway plat-
form.
into narrow streets and low-rise buildings. Shimo is known as a
theater and performing arts district, a relaxed and intimate locale
with many small pleasant restaurants and shops. Take the train to
Shibuya and head west four stops on the Inokashira line.
are over 65 years old. The Japanese government forecasts that
percentage could go as high as 28 percent by 2025. Add the
lengthy Japanese lifespan, a low birthrate, an absolute aversion
to immigration, and Japan may soon be a nation of old folks.