Tokyo Times

With their staggering array of sights and sounds, Tokyo’s entertainment districts are special places to be; locations where the possibilities are arguably endless, and the only real limits are money and imagination.

Yet now and again, it’s nice to get away. A long way away. And amazingly that is still achievable in the city itself. Head west, way out west, and along with the capital’s only village, there are views that are as far from ‘typical’ Tokyo as it’s feasible to get.

No neon. No people. Not even a vending machine. Just nature.

Quite why I don’t know, but there’s always something rather wonderful and relaxing about watching rice being planted in the capital’s western outskirts. A sight that, even with the use of modern technology, somehow still has a timeless appeal about it.

Although while watching may well be unwinding, actually doing the deed must be bloody hard work.

A quick glance to see if commuters are clutching umbrellas or not is almost always a good indicator of the day’s weather. And the more people in possession of one, means a higher percentage of rain. A technique that, without a doubt, is far more accurate than any forecast.

But even when there’s apparently no chance of precipitation, and absolutely nobody appears to have a brolly, the moment there’s a quick downpour, almost everyone suddenly does. A sort of mass magic trick, when umbrellas, and not just folding ones, appear to be pulled out of thin air.

However, for those not in the know, or whose conjuring tricks are on the wane, the consternation of being caught out is often all too clear.

Lost, discarded, or often stolen and discarded bicycles are a common sight in Tokyo. Some are left alone, whereas others are used as conveniently placed bins, resulting in their baskets gradually filling with garbage. But none of them, not by any means, come anywhere close to being as beautiful as this one.

An old to begin with machine that is perfectly preserved (and yet at the same time not preserved), in a manner that, for me at least, is pretty much perfect.