The only thing I planned for my first trip to Japan was to recreate Scarlett Johansson's crossing the Shibuya in Lost in Translation. I did buy the requisite travel guides, bookmarked links on must-see's, but decided to junk all that at the last minute, because I wanted Japan to surprise me. I knew it'd be a strange adventure. I never thought it would be life-changing, especially for a Filipino.
I did get to cross the Shibuya, bathed in neon on a very cold February evening - three times. I was in a sea of Tokyoites, all clad in black winter wear. The Shibuya crowd was a big fraction of the 13-million Tokyo populace. Yet, no elbows rubbed against mine. Not one shivering pedestrian pushed me in a rush to get to a heated enclosure. The Japanese are big on "sense of personal space," it seems. (philstar.com)
The only thing I planned for my first trip to Japan was to recreate Scarlett Johansson's crossing the Shibuya in Lost in Translation. I did buy the requisite travel guides, bookmarked links on must-see's, but decided to junk all that at the last minute, because I wanted Japan to surprise me. I knew it'd be a strange adventure. I never thought it would be life-changing, especially for a Filipino.
I did get to cross the Shibuya, bathed in neon on a very cold February evening - three times. I was in a sea of Tokyoites, all clad in black winter wear. The Shibuya crowd was a big fraction of the 13-million Tokyo populace. Yet, no elbows rubbed against mine. Not one shivering pedestrian pushed me in a rush to get to a heated enclosure. The Japanese are big on "sense of personal space," it seems. (philstar.com)