4 June

Today I reluctantly rose after a fitful night’s sleep. I’m not sure whether that was due to my mobile going flat (it won’t charge now through the USB cable I have for it, only through the car charger, and … no car!) and me worrying about not waking in the morning, the fact that my sojourn is nearly over or other factors.
I was prepared by 7 and went down, this time armed with my Vegemite. I met another Australian couple on the way down, from just north of Sydney (they have retired to there from Sydney), and we had breakfast together and chatted about Australia, travelling and retirement. Not long after we started, another Australian couple from yesterday came down, the wife spied my Vegemite and asked for some. I said she could not borrow any but she could certainly have some. She did, and looked as if she was really longing for it.
After breakfast we all went our separate ways. I got ready for a day out, came down, and ran into the Australian lady from yesterday, with her daughter now. Her daughter looked at her despairingly as she headed off for a tour but didn’t know which one. I headed off to the subway to get my ticket and work out what to do.
The weather was just warm, overcast, but no rain. I got my all-day travel ticket and headed off to the Imperial Palace. On the subway, I suddenly realised where everyone was – on the same train as me! It was very crowded and, at each stop, although large numbers got off, large numbers also got on. Once out at the other end, the Imperial Palace looked a lot better in the overcast conditions, with the green grass really looking green and the stone blocks looking quite menacing. I walked around and found that the gardens were open, so went in through the gate.
After a short walk I got to the garden entrance, where I was given a plastic ticket (to be returned when I left). After another short walk there was a rest house, kiosk and supply of maps of the gardens. I bought postcards of the actual Imperial Palace, as I wasn’t going to be able to get into there and got a map to guide me walking around the Imperial Palace gardens.
I set out, but realised quickly I had already walked about four kilometres to get to this point, and I have said before, the shoes I now have left (the others have winged their way home) are not made for long-distance walking. I slowed my pace and perhaps appreciated the scenes a lot more. The gardens contain many relics from the earlier Imperial times, but also contain plant species and are a calm and serene area only a short walk from the bustling heart of Tokyo.
During my walk around, I met a few Australians, a family from the US and a few others, where I ended up taking photos of them in groups or pairs. I also found there are no rubbish bins, except at the kiosks. By around midday I had looked at most parts and gained an appreciation of the gardens.
I went back onto the subway and took the line I caught out to its terminus (Nishi-takashimadaira). A few stations before the terminus, the subway became elevated and the Tokyo I expected to see was there – high-rise apartments, small balconies, furniture and washing out and plenty of people.
I took another line out to Hakarigaoka and went for a walk at the terminus there. Bicycles? Nearly as many (or perhaps more) than in Holland, very few locked up, but all in use as areas were secured after dark. There was also a shopping centre, bustling, with hours of 9 to 6, compared with the city hours not starting until nearly 11. I had hit the real Tokyo of living people. When I photographed the bikes, I got a grin from an elderly local who probably thought, “Mad foreigner!” as this was a common scene – but only common if you live there. Prices of things were far lower than in the centre, with a 500 ml bottle of Coke being ¥150, almost the same vending price as in Australia.
On the way back to the hotel, school was out, so there were young children (six or so) travelling by themselves on the train, giggles of teenaged girls and the inevitable groups of boys being quiet and sombre (though the earpieces gave the reason why they were quiet. Just to show things aren’t different, when I caught the train, some girls from a group did but others didn’t, and once on the train, they sent text messages to the others saying they were on the train (as if they didn’t know).
There were also large groups of men in business suits, but why they were wandering around at that time of day made me wonder.
I got back to the hotel, processed the photos and was writing this when I got a call that there was a fax for me. I had already checked downstairs and knew I had to be ready before 8:30 with my luggage and that the suitcase was going straight to Kyoto while I was to take an overnight bag (well, the backpack and the computer, as that’s all I have) with me to Hakone. What was on the fax? Exactly what I already knew, except the excess baggage charge.
It seems to be a case of multiple redundancy in terms of personnel, which is very evident in nearly everything which is done. It contrasts very much with Denmark, where there just are not enough people to do jobs.
Ah well, I will go to sleep tonight secure that I have learned a few things today.