Umbrella Dodging
I spent the day and night in constant fear of losing an eye. When the clouds come out, the streets here explode with umbrellas. There seems to be a fear against being hit with a single drop of water in every Japanese soul. Maybe they don’t like covering up their style or endangering their gelled hair-styles with a hooded raincoat. I don’t know the real reason why, but it puts any 6’4” gaijin in danger. Thousands of umbrellas whizzing by your face, as the metal support rods keep coming close to scraping out your cornea.
Staying on high alert is necessary, but dodging certain disaster while navigating the crowds of Tokyo can be a bit stressful. I railed to Ginza, seeking cover inside the Sony building. This place is supposed to be the rainy day adventure of Tokyo. Inside you can find a small museum displaying an assortment of past innovations and emerging technologies. Great for a gadget head, but not too exciting to spend more than an hour in.
I anxiously made my way up to the sixth floor in search of the legendary Playstation floor where you could play free video games and sample future releases. To my utter surprise and disappointment, it wasn’t there. After asking around, a friendly employee directed me a few subway stops away to the Playstation corporate office which now houses the demo floor in its lobby. I railed over and found the place nearly deserted. I was able to secure a large plasma screen, 5.1 surround, PS3, and several of the latest games along with a rather comfortable chair to seek solace in. I managed to kill a few hours while the skies poured down outside.
Eventually I had to leave, and headed towards Shibuya to meet Kanako, who invited me to one of her Yoga classes that night. On the way, I passed the Aoyama cemetery and it felt like the proper thing to walk through it as the rain fell. Poetic in a morbid sort of way… but kind of appropriate for a solitary day of dodging umbrellas and rainfall in Tokyo.
Tags: Asia, Japan, Japan: Toyko, Rain, Tokyo
Adam Shane
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