Japan Day 1:Old Things And New Things

The Japanese have very good balance. As the train roars and jolts along tracks little old ladies teeter on high heels, schoolchildren stand with noses buried in their phones, business persons emulate the school children in a more grown up manner, all the while swaying back and forth in perfect synchronisation. The same can't be said for me, holding on for grim death to whatever part of the train I can reach and trying hard not to clobber anyone by mistake as I try to stay upright on the corners.

I went exploring today. My first exploration was in search of breakfast which I found once I figured out that all the shops were tucked away under the buildings and what looked like the entry to random hotels and high rises was in reality a portal to a bustling subterranean world.

After breakfast I caught the train in to Tokyo Station where I promptly got the nicest kind of lost in the subterranean labyrinth, wandering through malls of pop-up anime shops (none of which meant anything to me), past noodle restaurants and bakeries groaning with all sorts of delectables. Eventually I figured out how to find my way around and got myself back to ground level outside Maranouchi Station.

Grand old architecture.

From there it was only a short walk down to the Imperial Palace Gardens and back a couple of centuries. Although first my bag was searched by a Palace Guard, splendidly dressed in formal uniform complete with spotless white gloves. Fair enough, given that the Imperial residence was within the gardens, albeit not the bit open to hordes of gawking tourists both local and foreign.

The moat.

Old on the right, new on the left.

Guard tower.

Water. To protect wooden buildings against fire.

The gardens were lovely. I explored the ruins of Edo Castle (not much left other than impressive walls constructed from massive slabs of stone), spotted rainbow carp in the ponds, and generally enjoyed the wintry gardens still devoid of leaves and with just the slightest hint of cherry and plum blossoms to come.

Warning: photo spam ahead.

Walls.

Roofs and trims.

Lamps.

Rocks and reflections.

Trees.

Tree and wall.

One lone tree had burst into precocious blossom, attracting a crowd of photographers all vying to get a shot suggesting that they were alone in a forest of blooms.

Blossoms.

Guard tower 

Fully gardened out, I went back to the shops for my first lunch experience, helped out by a very enthusiastic waiter who shouted all kinds of encouraging and upbeat (I assume, I couldn't understand a word) things to all his customers. Along with my chopsticks he gave me a bib which I thought was prudent. The bib wasn't a comment on my chopstick incompetence either, even the locals were wearing them. Let's just say I'm in no danger of gobbling my food in Japan, restricted as I am to chasing food around the plate and then dropping it en route to my mouth.  The bib was necessary.

Waiter incoming with bib.

What was left of the day I spent shopping for a few necessities of daily life, which entailed following Google maps in and out of corners, getting confused as to whether I should be at, above, or below street level, and just generally having a good time.

Dedicated baby parking in public toilets.

I was glad to get home and rest my feet.

Hotel foyer glitz.