We were literally exhausted after yesterday’s adventures and needed downtime. We punted the AM activities and spent the morning in an easy-going way, wandering around Asakusa again finding little out of the way parks, food, and people.
Very close to our residence is a park connected to the many parks along the Sumida river. This one included a large shrine/temple complex with playgrounds, lawns and food trucks. Many of us found our way here or to other local places that captured our attention and enthusiasm. I can honestly say that even though we were in Asakusa for 6 days, we barely scratched the surface of this place.
I’d also like to advocate on this page for an alternative approach to seeing as much as you can in a short time. I’m a big believer in experiencing places by meeting and talking to people in that place. Yes we saw some sights and going to the laundromat is as meaningful as seeing another temple . I know that’s an unusual approach to travel, and simply being in a place and being a part of a place by staying in one location for a while and making connections is so nice.
By afternoon, we were ready to take on the whirlwind that is Harajuku, Shibuya, and the Shibuya Crosswalk. First, in Harajuku the crowds were at their height at 3:00PM and I deliberately put us in the middle of it all on Takeshita Street. I wanted students to experience that moment in its fullest form…being among and in the crowd.
From there things got weird. I had walked Oliver to the Nintendo World store. ON our way back, I made the wrong decision to try and get on a train back to Harajuku that was too far to reach on time…then we had to change stations, walk to the JR lines, and grab the Yamanote line to Harajuku. We got off the train expecting our group to be there only to find they were about ¼ mile away. We walked, swiftly, to their location just in time to learn that the Meiji Shrine was closing…meaning we didn’t see that temple/shrine complex at all. I started laughing hysterically at the comedy of it all as the group stared at my mirth. Ah well!
Our group headed to the Hachiko sculpture and then I had them video the Shibuya crossing in video form…I’ll post those video today….,then we split up, searching for food. A small group of us headed to the Starbuck Reserve Store, got lost, and then found themselves again. Another group hung around the crosswalk, and another I led back to the Nintendo Store….it was an eventful evening in the maze of Shibuya and was part of the unique experience of seeing city life in all its glory.
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