Prayers for the smoker?
A beautiful Japanese woman in a traditional temple
The temple is traditional, whereas the clothes most certainly aren’t, and yet together they weren’t necessarily what one would call uncomplimentary.
Tokyo’s summer-like October heat
Japan’s fabled four seasons seem to have left leave of their senses this year, as despite being well into October, the summer-like heat shows no signs of abating. Quite the opposite in fact, as in Tokyo on Saturday it reached a new high of 31.3 degrees.
A temperature hot enough to not only enter the record books, but also result in slightly excessive grumbling and grimacing.
Knives out in Tokyo
Knives out, and daggers too.
The real Tokyo?
A preference for neon, packed trains and teeming entertainment districts are common images of Tokyo — particularly so in foreign media outlets. They are images that don’t lie either, as that’s exactly what places like Shinjuku are like: bright, noisy and often busy beyond belief.
Yet at the same time, much of the city simply isn’t like that. Quite the opposite in fact. It’s quieter. Older in every sense of the word. Plus not nearly so busy. And in many ways, it is all the more interesting for it.
