OK, so I’m just going to say it: I’m getting old. In past years, I’ve felt like I can arrive in Asia and hit the ground running, so to speak. Today has been different. I woke a few times in the night, the first at 1:30AM Japan time wide awake. Then again at 5:00AM I woke and decided let’s start the day! Shower in the tiny bathroom and then a little work before I head out into the gale force winds in Tokyo.
The day dawned bright and clear with a cloudless sky beckoning me to enjoy these moments. I’m dressed for the wind and we’ll see how I handle the weather. My plan is to slowly make my way by foot to Ueno Park and stop for photographs along the way…see, that’s my thing on this trip: photography. Finding places that want to be photographed…or something like that. I’ve been reading The Tao of Photography as a way to open my mind to ways to see the world around me and my connection to it. Here’s to hoping these images offer something in the way of perspective.
…more to come over the course of the day…stay frosty my friends!
Walking through Asakusa to Ueno Park
To say the weather was chilly this moring might be an understatement. The temperature on a sign near the Sumida river showed 2 degrees Celsius. The wind was so strong between the buildings walking toward the bridge that crosses the river that it blew me sideways as I reached for a light post at the street corner. The group of people crossing the street with me to start walking over the bridge all gasped as one as we all reached for something…then a set of laughter broke out among the group and I suddenly felt so connected to these folks. We smiled at each other and quickly went on our way. At the crest of the bridge, the wind calmed and I stopped for a quick snap shot as I continued into Asakusa.
I woke so early and left the room around 7:00AM to find the city quiet. Businesses were restocking shelves or preparing for the day. Few people were on the streets and my early AM destination, Senso-ji, was practically empty. I was able to walk unhindered picking and choosing places to shoot. The wind was brutal at times and my hands were cold.
Senso-ji has been written about by many folks and I’ll leave that background for another person to write. My experience today was much more immersive in that I could easily walk up the steps of the temple proper and see the entire space. It was almost quiet in the structure and the chill bit hard in this place as the sun had not reached into the halls this early in the morning. Workers were using hoses to wash off the grounds.
A man using a very old-style broom swept bird droppings from the grounds as well as the rocks that accompanied the sculptures. These men made quick work of the grounds in a matter of the hours or so I stayed to wander. By the time they finished, it all looked clean.
Without an easy escape from the whirlwind, I kept going with my goal Ueno Park about 5 KM in the distance. I picked a side street and pointed in the direction of the Park, stopping for shots that came to me. I realized pretty quickly that I was finding my photographic voice when, suddenly, a message shouted out of my phone warning of an earthquake. The message read, “Emergency Alert / Earthquake Early Warning: Strong shaking is expected soon. Stay calm and seek shelter nearby.” That message shook me out of my revere and I stopped, as a few people did around me, waiting for something to happen.
At that moment, workers on the street in front of me just kept digging; a woman on a bike with a child kept riding. an elderly man looked my way, smiled, and then waited for the crossing signal to beep. I stayed put in front of a temple, waiting for any sign of shaking. An NHK TV message popped up on my phone a few minutes later. A 5.0 quake was detected nearby. Hmmm.
As you can imagine, I was a bit concerned and walked toward the Park as people went about their daily routines. I followed along. After a few minutes, I fell back into my rhythm, finding my way now on Asakusa-dori.
I hoped that the cherry blossoms would show some signs of opening…a couple of trees had started to bloom but clearly, the cold weather and rain had slowed the process. It looked like another week or so before they really started to bloom. So, I walked around among many locals hoping to see what I came to see. Many were disappointed as well AND the sight of elementary school kids heading to the museums roused me and I chuckled at their silliness. One group all had on pink hats; another group all held onto a knotted rope; still another was singing “It’s A Small World” in unison. I avoided photographing the kids as there is a strict no-photo policy for children. It was a fun sight to see and was a signal to make my way to another location.
As is sometimes the case, my travels have coordinated with other families I have met and today was one of those days. I connected with a former student and her mothers as we grabbed food at Kura Sushi, a fun conveyor belt sushi restaurant. The place serves all kinds of food, actually, and it was a blast to watch the food be rapidly sent your way on a conveyor belt above the table. I mean it was FAST! We enjoyed some lunch and our time was too brief. On the elevator down to the ground floor, I shared it with Yula from Russia. She was in Japan for twenty days and spending much of her time between Tokyo and Kyoto. We chatted for a couple of minutes and she showed me photos of a petting shop with dogs. I know little Russian and she very little English AND we definitely had fun laughing over petting dogs in a store.
Back on the streets of Asakusa, it was afternoon and the place was packed with humanity. Lines of people formed at various restaurants and in one case, a huge group was qued to grab some kind of meat on a hoagie roll. I counted something like 50 people. Wow! I was shooting with my film camera at the time and grabbed a quick phone shot.
It’s now 2:00PM here I’m back in the room for a little rest before I head back out for a nighttime photo shoot in Asakusa. After today, I’ll be going back to some places to grab more scenes that stood out to me. I’ve gotten a bit more bold in my street shooting and will play around with that technique in the coming days. The ONE thing I keep in mind for my film camera is Zone Focusing; set the focus for, like 10 feet and then try to shoot at F22ish to get most things in focus. I used that technique years ago and am bringing it back for this trip with a 35mm lens. I cannot wait to see the results.
I’ll leave you with this sign. It seems appropriate.
May you be happy, may you be well
gentryfunkblog 