Lots of people ask me where to go and what to do when they come to tokyo?
Here's my suggestion
close your eyes, pick a point on the map.
so boom that's the 23 ward's of tokyo
and go
okay, I'm at Takahashi station, then once you're there. Just walk
anywhere
Don't believe me？ my friend Angela and I aka "Miss internationallyME"
Did just that on a gloomy february day.
supposed to be sunny today, but I don't see the sun... yet
so come along as we randomly walk around tokyo
all right, we started off the day right by the imperial palace
As a matter of fact, the five kilometer ring around it is quite popular with Runners
the fascinating aspect of this part of town is you can really see the contrast between the old and the new
You go from these ancient stone walls to Modern skyscrapers
The funny thing about touring around with Angela
is that I'm used to simply capturing people in their natural state
I don't direct.
whereas she's used to planning out her day and her actions
so we ended up with discussions like this
I'm gonna record you walking. That's okay
No, I just just walk around. You don't have to pretend to do, looking stuff
Walking through the imperial grounds is free to do
Some parts of the castle are closed at certain times of the day or week
So if you plan to visit, you'll want to check just to make sure
what you wouldn't expect at the center of Tokyo is that there are these quiet parks that you can stroll through and relax
At many parks, it's not uncommon to bump into a group childcare students getting some playtime
We also happen to bump into what I think are elementary school students,
probably sixth grade visiting the science Museum
The hats are a dead giveaway that the students are on a field trip.
Oh Yeah, did I mention that we did this whole trip without aid from our smartphones?
That's not to say though that we couldn't use maps we happen to find around town.
Okay made through Kitanomaru park
and going North again.
Luckily, there's maps all over the place so I can keep on going North properly
You can see outside the castle grounds. There's the hustle and bustle of the city
The intriguing part of the walk is that there is so much history in the city
that to those who live in a new country
like Canada or New Zealand
Every Corner reveals new and fascinating artifacts.
I have to say I just kind of like though the wall
I like how the construction zones show their noise levels
In these densely populated areas in the city, you'll notice so many more people are on foot than in cars
Walkability is aided by the fact that the major transportation networks in tokyo usually go above or underground
Rather than street parking for cars. You're a lot more likely to see bike parking
When there are major roads, you'll often see these overhead pedestrian walkways,
which come in handy when you want to film overhead shots
Angela was so in the zone filming, she had no clue I was filming her.
That must be like how I am when I'm filming though
So We're in idobashi(井戸橋) right now.
Okay, and what's been the most interesting thing you can so far?
Me? Just seeing everyone doing their normal daily life in English.
How about you?
No, I'd say I just like seeing...
what's going on? How people moving, just the different scenery.
Yeah, because we're actually observing this time right?
Normally we go on with our lives, but today. We are like to observing.I find that really interesting.
Alright, time for lunch.
I enjoy the quick and casual lunches that you can get in Japan
It's under a thousand yen, and you get a nice balanced meal.
I know we didn't walk in the poorest of neighborhoods,
but this was seriously the most grungy looking place we came across during the whole trip.
I respect how the people living in all the concrete, still try to green up the areas around their homes.
This is a good example of a small little shrine area,
stop between homes and businesses
so even in busy Tokyo, there are these little areas of refuge
I always love seeing the exuberance of youth. I hope as I get older
I don't become one of those old grumpy guys yelling us youngsters
Hey you!
She that's probably an old lady, but whatever.
Look, how skinny this house is.
because in general, there are no restrictions on the size of land you can build on
you'll end up with these unique houses that are built to fit
the size and shape of the lot
So, should I touch the wall?
Haha, Your think, that's funny enough. I got that.
Oh no! Don't!
Let's see she touch the wall then it's hum... very obvious that you did it the first time
But you actually you didn't do it the first time
You know what? I really like the orange there.
If you check out the sidewalks most of them have these barriers
These are a big reason I feel relaxed when walking a biking around with my family
This is a buddhist temple. We're at now
91% of funerals are conducted as buddhist ceremonies,
so if you see a graveyard like this, you're probably looking at a buddhist temple
not a Shinto Shrine
and yes, things are so tightly packed
you could jump straight into a grave from the balcony of one of those houses
This is a park found in the middle of the boulevard
sandwiched between the roads
I admire how these functional parts of the city can be made so beautiful.
I mean instead of a storm drain pipe
It's a rock line string
In this area,
light industrial is mixed right with homes businesses and parks
It might not seem like a nice place to go or to live
but I like the mix
I just love these small little alleyways between the homes, so I have to film it
You know what I like seeing. I like seeing the salaryman
Again another shrine we just happened to chance by
These torii gates are a giveaway, that it's a shrine dedicated to the Shinto Religion I
I thought this entrance to a local high school was quite scenic. So, here you go.
I found really interesting that we we didn't get lost, right?
We didn't have the map, but it's just walk and followed out (?)
And we also followed our stomachs for a quick bite to eat.
I love these self-serve bakeries
alright, so where are we now?
-So right now we're at ... -Come on!
otsuka station
-rea..Are we? No no no. We are in sugamo. -Ah... No no no
So right now we're at sugamo station
And yet again, we're on the grounds of another religious property.
This time a buddhist temple.
In these areas, open street fronts are quite common
I like this kind of setup, as you can sample little things here and there a lot easier
than if you have to enter a shop and buy a big bag or box of something like I'd normally have to do in Canada
our last stop is a popular shopping district. Which Angela called the harajuku (?)
you can find all the essentials
hats
canes and walkers
and a lovely a sort of the aprons.
yep, all the way to keep you looking like a spring chicken.
I like the diversity of the things we saw
yeah, just like seeing everyone do go about with the daily life.
I have so much fun
I had I thought you know be tired at end of the day.
I'm walking... you know a lot how much we walked?
-I don't know. I'll check it later. -Okay, check it later.
but I'm not tired and it's really fun.
I think it's more fun than actually planning a trip then I guess going to the location
You Just... you just see so much more things and it attract your eyes
Hey, if you're interested in how I plan this random walk, and it was random to an extent
I have that footage up on Patreon.
Over there I also posted a deleted scenes video
for those that want to see a bit more of the city and its inhabitants
thanks for watching, see you next time, bye!
what's a walk around the city like where you from?