Mapping the City: Tokyo Station
Of the six above ground exits in Tokyo Station, I decided on the Marunouchi North exit for no real particular reason. I was able to find a nice shady spot underneath a tree to sit a begin my initial observations of the area. There was really only one thing in the immediate area that caught my eye, and it was the Tokyo Station itself. The bright red brick felt so out of place against the cold, glass grey of all the surrounding buildings. It was such a beautiful building, with two domes at the ends and a middle section that I would like to believe was used as an entrance when the building was first built. The domed portions made me think of the movie Spirited Away, because the train station in the movie looked very similar. Due to that the sense that a journey was about to begin filled my mind as I observed. The buildings surrounding the Station loomed, bathing most of the station in shadow. They were sleek and shark looking, almost the exact opposite of the rounded, almost rustic look of the station. I assumed most of these buildings to be office buildings of some sort, although from my seat it wasn’t very obvious. From my seat I was able to see a far off building with the kanji 朝日生命 along the outside. It was bright red as well, one of the only other colors I really saw in the plaza.
The people immediately surrounding the station were fairly varied. I saw many salary men likely leaving work, from just about every age. Some of them looked about my age and some looked very ready to retire. There were many people that came and took pictures of Tokyo Station, foreigners and Japanese alike. As well as people coming and going with suitcases, also from all kinds of ethnicities. There wasn’t an overwhelming amount of foreigners, in fact it felt less than what I expected. The last group that was very prevalent was mostly older women, often travelling in pairs or small groups. One woman that caught my eye immediately was wearing a yellow kimono with geta and pink lace tabi. She was with two other women, who were both still in regular more western dress. This woman made me realize that she was the first person I had seen in traditional Japanese clothing so far. It brought me back the the untouched Tokyo Station juxtaposed with the surroundings.
After actually walking around I found that basically all of the buildings in this area were part shopping mall, and part office building. The shops themselves seemed very high end, and just about every person I saw inside the buildings seemed like they had quite a bit of money. This was mostly through my observations on their clothing and how they carried themselves. There were large signs showcasing the, honestly, ridiculous amount of dining in each building. There were slightly more young people inside the mall parts of the buildings, but they were mostly women and looked to be in their late 20’s.
This entire area had a lack of student age children, which led me to believe there wasn’t a school in the area. This became more apparent as I got farther away from the station. I discovered multiple banks, life insurance agencies, and buildings that seemed to have higher security due to guards standing outside.
I didn’t hear a single car honk the entire time I was walking around despite there being multiple bustling streets.
Finding a hidden 7-eleven made this experience very interesting. The 7-eleven was selling basically all coffee in the drink section, with a much smaller miscellaneous drink section thank other convenience stores. There were new dress shirts and neckties being sold there a well.
There was an increasing lack of foreigners as I got further away from the station. I basically only saw salary men, and a decent variety of women. The whole area was shaded due to all of the tall buildings, but when there was sun, I was able to notice a bit of a smog, or something that contributed to a haze in the air. There was green everywhere I went, however. Trees and bushes were planted everywhere and there was even a building that had a wall with mosses and grasses growing off of it.
There was an increasing lack of foreigners as I got further away from the station. I basically only saw salary men, and a decent variety of women. The whole area was shaded due to all of the tall buildings, but when there was sun, I was able to notice a bit of a smog, or something that contributed to a haze in the air.
The last place I had found that looked interesting was directly under the train tracks. There was a whole line of small restaurants running almost three or four blocks. None of them had anyone in them at the time, and some were even closed. I think these shops didn’t really get busy until people started to get off work. They all had pictures or ads for alcohol in their windows, and they all seemed to serve grilled or fried foods.
Sitting down and first getting an initial look at what might be residing in this part of Tokyo and then going in and exploring in depth really gave me a stronger idea of what kind of place I was in. I was able to come to a conclusion that the place I was in was probably a financial district where many wealthy people came to shop and dine, while office workers went along their daily routines, and likely needed some relaxation after their long work days.
