The train we got on in Toyama this morning was full by the time we hit Tokyo Station. And then it emptied. I expected the worst at the station: a rush of people coming from every direction aggravated at me for getting in the way. Instead, although plentiful with people, the exit signs were clear and it didn’t seem any more pressing than what we experienced in Osaka.
Walking the streets to our hotel, we enjoyed the wide sidewalks. Big city, big solutions to crowd control. The Prince Park Tower where we’re staying looks out on to a park where there’s a constant spread of people picnicking.
The Tokyo Tower looms above us a futuristic rebuke to Eiffel’s effort in Paris.
To get a sense of the layout of the city, we ventured out to the tower after we unpacked. A lot of people had the same idea, but no worries. The tower was built for tourism so lines kept moving and elevators were synchronized for maximum flow with women dressed like majorettes pointing the way.
We got out of the elevator at the main deck to get the full panorama.
In the center of the tourist crush on the main deck there was shrine.
So going up for the view was easy; getting out was more difficult. It wasn’t a straight shot down. All exit arrows directed us to floors where merchandise was being sold. Once we got outside at the base of the tower we found ourselves in a beer garden. It’s spring in Tokyo at the beginning of Golden Week, so there was loud music and a lot of young people enjoying the suds.
We went back to our hotel to plan our attack on the city for the following week.