Tokyo: Old and new

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SUN HERALD SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018

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Tokyo: Old and new

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Living history and modernity in splendid lockstep T

wo women dressed in silk kimonos glide over the pebble walkway in Hama-rikyu Gardens, their dancing silhouettes casting exaggerated shadows in the afternoon sun. Their bright flower-embellished kimonos stand out against the deep green of the pine trees and if it weren’t for the skyscrapers of Shiodome in the background, you could well be in a different era. The women are heading towards a centuries-old tea house that sits overlooking Shioiri Pond. Here they will drink matcha tea and eat wagashi – a tradition known as sado that stretches back hundreds of years. Although Tokyo is a modern, buzzing metropolis, it’s not uncommon to find patches of yesteryear entwined in today’s city. At Hama-rikyu Gardens, there’s a sense of travelling back in time; so too at shrines and temples that date to the Edo Period. Traditional homes and shop fronts maintain their old-world charm and art forms such as calligraphy and sumo wrestling are sustained and supported today. These historical sights and experiences sit side by side with looming skyscrapers,

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high-tech superstores, games arcades and cutting-edge boutiques. It’s a perfect representation of Tokyo today – traditional and modern in lockstep. A few kilometres from Hama-rikyu we are met with a completely different scene. Here, hundreds of people are waiting at Shibuya Crossing. A group of Harajuku girls dressed in decorative Lolita-style costumes giggle

with one another. Businessmen check emails on their phones. School children huddle together. Tourists get their cameras ready. Groups of friends and families mill around. As the lights flash green the human swarm spills over the intersection, people moving left, right and centre like busy working ants. It’s frenetic, yet so

remarkably orderly. Music blankets the crossing from speakers set high above; flashing neon billboards promote the message of the moment and people scurry in all directions. It’s a beautiful and busy scene amplified by the sheer quantity of goings-on. Although the Hama-rikyu Gardens and Shibuya Crossing scenes vastly differ, both


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Tokyo: Old and new by Tatyana Leonov - Issuu