Shinjuku is a very crowded city, especially around Shinjuku Station.
Just for the JR train lines, an average of 736,715 people a day got on at Shinjuku Station last year. And Shinjuku Station also has the Odakyu, Keio, Toei, and Tokyo Metro lines, too. If you've ever been here, especially on a weekend, you know what it's like.
But it was actually even more crowded last weekend. Can you guess why?
Wow that sure is some crowd Kaori, what an effective image you've shown us, brilliant! and I"m not sure how I missed it but your Friday sky watch picture is fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the people in your photo are watching or waiting for some kind of event on the street, but I have no idea what. A Hello Kitty parade? The world champion (yay!) Japanese women’s soccer team?
ReplyDelete(According to Wikipedia there are about a total of 3,400,000 people entering and exiting Shinjuku Station daily. That is three million and four hundred thousand people every day!)
a really crowded place!!!
ReplyDeleteI’ve looked around as best as I can from here but I still can’t see what they are checking out.
ReplyDeleteHmm. The Korean group B2ST was surprise performing near here June 14th (performing “Bad Girl”—definitely not Hello Kitty).
Maybe, could it be, a festival? If so, what kind of festival, Kaori?
that Chinese word means medicine. Is it Japanese too?
ReplyDelete@Ann: Yes. As a stand-alone character 薬 is read as kusuri in Japanese. In compounds it is often yaku (as in 漢方薬—kanpôyaku:—Chinese herbal medicine; or 薬局:—yakkyoku—pharmacy). In Chinese it is yào, is it not? The traditional Chinese character 楽 becomes 药 when simplified. Simplified Chinese characters confuse me.
ReplyDeleteBrings back my memories of Shinjuku when I arrived as a new Mombusho English teacher in July 1989! Then I left Tokyo after my week training to teach in rural Gero-Onsen for 2 years!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the outskirts of Portland... a town of 5,000. Very nice. I see few people.
ReplyDeleteI find the advertising on all the buildings rather fascinating.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm stumped about last week...
If it's crowded, chances are I won't be there...
ReplyDeleteOur crowds are never so disciplined...
ReplyDeleteThis is like Mongkok in Hong Kong, the densest square kilometer on earth! What a super capture, Kaori? Were these people on their way to the Kagurazaka festival?
ReplyDeleteI'm with VP.
ReplyDeleteNo summer here. Rainy, cold then muggy then rainy and cold again.
Tell us please.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened last weekend?
Matsuri?
I can't imagine that many people. More people get on or off trains at that station than live in my entire city. That's extraordinary!
ReplyDeleteWhat a chance to meet friends, to make one, to melt into oneanother.
ReplyDeletePlease have a good Sunday.
daily athens
Last weekend? It was the Shinjuku Eisa Matsuri on the 31st of July, and the streets were very crowded indeed. Is that what you're referring to?
ReplyDeleteThank you Rurousha. “Okinawan taiko drum and dance festival held annually in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Eisa is Okinawa's Bon dance.” A YouTube link here.
ReplyDeleteThink I’ll go listen again to my CD of Yanawaraba— now.
Hi everyone! Thanks for your comments and for guessing! Some were VERY close!
ReplyDeleteIt truly is crowded around this station and I actually try to avoid it, too. But sometimes it's worth fighting the crowds ;D
Ann, yes that kanji does mean medicine! We use it just by itself. Matsumoto Kiyoshi is a very large pharmacy shop :D
That is crazy about the number of people who go through there on the JR train lines! And this photo is too cool. I love the crowds and the buildings. It really shows the pressed in and tightly packed feel of the city.
ReplyDeleteI notice many of Japan's bldgs seem built for advertising. Like a form of billboard. And whatever is contained inside is only secondary to what is on the outside.
ReplyDeletelike this street scene.
ReplyDeletevery Japanese. ^0^
and yes, the lines can be quite confusing. ^-^
about the crowd, we tried going to Harajuku on Christmas day and boy was it staggering.