3 in 30 - 2002.06.02 Sunday
I know that we have commented more than once about the somewhat crowded conditions in the metropolitan entity of Tokyo. It affects/manifests how close we are to our next door neighbors, how many vehicles we are allowed to own, and--how close we are to many amenities like restaurants, banks, food shops, and public transportation.
Every once in a while, some little detail reminds us of the proximity of every thing.
While returning home from a morning in the mountains, I was stopped at a light and took this shot out the window.
A tree was growing at the edge of the property at streetside and someone put up a wall and a building but left space for the tree.
You can also see that people must sometimes park on the sidewalk in front of restaurants, though I don't think this particular restaurant is open this early Sunday afternoon. Perhaps they just stopped to buy some Pocari Sweat from the vending machine. The encroaching post and low wall reduce the sidewalk area to about a hand’s breadth just by the bus stop sign with a big red X taped over it.
We have also mentioned the wealth of public transportation with the trains near where we live. Unfortunately, we never did learn to use the buses very well. I doubt if that is the reason that a bus doesn't stop here anymore.
One of the reasons that we didn't learn the bus system is that so much of the information is presented solely in Japanese. This sample from the bus stop sign gives you an idea how difficult it can be for someone with only a limited grasp of the Japanese language and of its written forms.
Never-the-less, we have been able to get to most places that we have wanted to by other means. We certainly wish that we had been able take the time to learn more than we did.