Tokyo Times

Times change, but tough times, and the attempted diversions from them, sadly don’t.

Tokyo may well be ridiculously busy, but just like in other cities around the world, Sunday mornings can be quite different. In fact so different that one could even call them serene.

Earlier in the summer, a machine wielding mannequin head scarecrow made a solitary appearance. But now, with Tokyo grown rice almost ready to harvest, the main crew have moved in. A somewhat disheveled rabble it has to be said, but their realistic features and vacant stares are as striking as they are unsettling.

Tokyo’s many large, concrete structures, mean there are always at least some shadows to briefly escape the sweltering summer sun. A genuine blessing, particularly so once utterly boiling August begins. But that said, those same buildings only increase the temperatures further, making the shade nowhere near as restorative as it should be.