Sights of Life in JP

Ever wondered how it's like if Shenton Way meets Orchard Road or more familiarly, Wall Street meets Downtown Manhattan ?

This is Ginza, a super high class shopping district.

Everyone is in power suits and polished shoes, and looking sharp and professional even when they are walking along one of the most famous shopping districts in Tokyo. I felt super touristy and a little out of place in my jeans and sneakers, and my oversized 3 litres Mambo backpack.

top to bottom:
>> Matsuya, Ginza's mini Macy's
>> Apple ! The exterior of the building looks just like my PowerBook.
>> the Sony building
>> they manage to have a car showroom in a busy shopping district ... I wouldn't want to imagine the rent for it ...

Cigarettes vending machines ! Very convenient indeed.

Of course, they stand right besides the drinks vending machine ...
I almost slotted my coins into the wrong machine while getting my can of drink.

The famous Jackpot arcades of JP, and there's one of these every fifty steps along the streets:

A Pachinko arcade at 9.30a.m in the morning

There's a familiar story behind the uncountable no. of Pachinkos on the island ...

You see, men in JP don't seem to go home early, esp. not for dinner. Coz going home early means they are not working hard enough / not diligent enough.

General thumb of rule is this - no one goes home before the Big Boss does.

But when the Boss does decide to go back before 8p.m, instead of rushing home to be with the kids, you see the men hanging out at places like the pachinko arcades, or ordering one small bottle of sake at a local bar, and making it last for the next three hours or 'til 11p.m, whichever is later.

Almost like smartly dressed hobos, they are.

The kind of social pressure they seem to be under ... poor peeps.

Did I mention that JP men never seem to go anywhere without shirts and ties, and for 80% of them, overcoats as well ? Never mind that it's a burning hot 39 degrees celsius in the day. Well now you know.

This is a game arcade. It is not as common as the Pachinko.

A "wet market" seafood stall opening for biz along Ueno Flea Market.
Rich history, this place has .. Ueno, I mean, not the seafood stall.

Good ol' McDonald's, still one of the cheapest food you can find.

Wendy's !!

and Denny's !!

Unlike in the US most of these restaurants are double stories high.
The counters and kitchens, together with a few seats occupy the ground level. The rest of the tables and chairs are on Level 2.
The restaurants are usually rather cramped.

That night, I decided to try out ...

their famous homebred brand, the MOS Burger

And I say, nothing beats the Originals ! Yum.