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| Koishikawa Korakuen in Autumn |
Tokyo is famous around the world for being busy. Guide books are quick to point to Shibuya
Crossing as (apparently) the busiest crossing
on Earth; Shinjuku station as (apparently) the busiest station on Earth; Tsukiji fish market as (apparently) the busiest fish market on Earth; and depending on
what criteria you use, Tokyo may be the largest city on Earth.1,2
Before I visited Tokyo for the first time in 2009, this array of trite
facts had convinced me that I would be stepping into a world of unceasing
chaos—something like Hong Kong but much worse!
Well, I was mistaken.
In my opinion, Tokyo is a remarkably peaceful city. In fact, I find it more peaceful than my
hometown of Melbourne. I don’t deny that
Shibuya Crossing will be busy on a Saturday afternoon and that rush hour trains
are packed, but that is only one facet of Tokyo, and a facet that every guide
book encourages tourists to witness to maintain the myth that Tokyo is a swarming
bee hive of salary men and OLs!3
I think there are several reasons why Tokyo is so
peaceful. First, I think Japanese people
are very discrete and courteous.
Secondly, many people don’t own cars, which is in stark contrast to
Australia where every household owns multiple cars. However, I think the main reason is the
abundance of parks and “green spaces” throughout Tokyo.
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| Koishikawa Korakuen in Summer. |
Apparently there are over 6,000 parks and
gardens in Tokyo covering over 1,000 hectares.4 I haven’t counted, but I can vouch that there
are many! The Tokyo Metropolitan Park
Association lists around 80 parks on its website but this doesn’t include the countless
small shrines and green spaces.5 I wouldn’t be surprised if the
total number ran into the thousands. No matter where I am in Tokyo, I am only a
few subway stops (or may be only a few hundred metres walk) from a garden, shrine,
park or some other urban oasis. Further, these green spaces aren't bland patches of grass but thoughtfully created refuges that are designed to invoke a sense of peace.
So, if you are planning a trip to Tokyo, please take time
to visit some of the famous parks and gardens.
In my opinion, they’re more characteristic of Tokyo than dodging junior
high school students on Shibuya Crossing!
Thank you for reading and take care.
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| Roppongi Hills Garden |
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| Koishikawa Korakuen |
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| Koishikawa Korakuen |
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| Inokashira Park in Kichijoji |
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| Inokashira Park in Kichijoji |
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| Inokashira Park in Kichijoji |
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1. I read
these claims a lot. I don’t know if
they’re really true, but it’s certainly possible.
2. Please note
that the fact that my blog uses footnotes does not mean it has intellectual
pretensions! They’re just so convenient.
3. OL is short for “office lady,” which is like a female
equivalent of a salary man. I think
they’re both rather unflattering terms that understate the value of the work done by many employees. Still, people seem to embrace them almost
with pride.
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