Wandering in Tokyo

Tokyo is amazing in that there are little pockets of relative quiet amongst the absolute madness of this many people packed together over hundreds of square miles.

Tokyo is a crowded city. Tokyo Metropolitan prefecture, with a total area of 2,168 square kilometers (837 square miles), has a population of about 12 million, or about 14,339 people per square mile. Many who work in Tokyo commute from neighboring prefectures, such as Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa, making the population of "greater" Tokyo, the area within a 30 mile radius of the city center, around 30 million. This is one-quarter of the entire population of Japan.

Today I wandered over to Hamarikyu Gardens. It is a classic Japanese garden of the Edo period located along a tidal basin off Tokyo Bay. One minute you a walking along surrounded by tall buildings and hundreds of people and then when through the gate you are surrounded by quiet and cool and green. It was a nice stroll and convenient enough to my hotel so I could walk. I would rank it as a must see if you visit Tokyo. I even got a chance to see some street performers at the gate doing some impressive juggling and balancing with everyday things like china tea pots.
I think tonight is an attempt to take night photos along the Ginza. We'll see.