Fireworks

On our way to the station this morning we found a neat white hoarding completely screening off the cute statues of iconic Japanese cartoon characters on the turfed verge. At first we thought that a new building would be erected in this vacant lot in due course. Then we recalled that we had not seen any vacant lot here before. And, wasn't this where the cartoon statues stood, at this street junction? A peek through the adjoining building's glass walls revealed that the statues were still there, behind the hoarding. Perhaps some repairs were to be carried out, we thoght.



We had a full day out in Akihabara market and shops, the old Japanese neighbourhood in Yanaka and the hectic Den Den electric town. In a station to return to our hotel in Asakusa, we found it filled with thousands of people, mostly young adults, in pairs and groups, many women in beautiful kimonos, wooden sandals and all, waiting for and boarding our train. The queues kept forming, 6 to 8 persons wide, merging to 4 abreast embarking after passengers had alighted.

We wait; the wife was not one for queues and adventure. Especially after noting kimono bows being caught out between closed train doors. And, blue-capped young strong attendants helping to pack the travellers into the carriages. It was wonderful to see commuters not the least perturbed receiving the pushing, and for all we know appreciating the assistance to ensure being fully and safely inside.

The trains now came like less than a minute apart. And the hordes kept coming in, a continuous stream of colourful people, happy, chattering; everyone with a handphone, reading smses, speaking into it, single-handed dialling (or smsing?!), or just dangling with tiny teddy bears, pokemons, godzillas, flowers etc from wrists, slingbags or belts. I know that last sentence is grammatically terrible.

Afer just over an hour we went to some young people sitting on a bench to find out what's going on. Fireworks in Akasuka! Along the riverside, one road parallel to our hotel street. Oh, oh. Commencing 7pm. And it was only 4pm or thereabouts now!!

Why are you sitting here then? Oh, waiting for some friends; we are meeting here; no worries, they'll find us. How about that? Do they have high pitched recognisable calls like bats and such? to want to meet here amongst the moving mass of millions?

Well, bohpian for us; we HAD to take the train; not going to wait till after 7pm. So we queued up, braced ourselves and were swept along and pushed along and packed into the train and swooshed along our way.

It wasn't bad being sardine-packed. No one nearby had body odour; perfumes and after-shaves weren't suffocating, and the aircon was working perfectly. There was a shortage of hanging straps (the train was very likely packed beyond its capacity!) but no worries, we were all so fully packed together we were one solid block that couldn't fall over! I told Penny I heard a crackling sound, like someone pressing against my bottle of minereal water in my backpack. Found out later in the hotel that it was my sunnies, crushed to bits in my backpack. Cost me A$50, bought in the Garden City Shopping Centre in Booragoon, Perth, WA, aaargh!

There was no chance to choose an exit from the station. They had roped the way out through the best exits to go towards the river and our street. These ropes and staff shooing us the way extended outside the station and for a good distance along the sidewalks. Talk about effective evacuation.

We had to sidestep bodies, legs and feet wending our way back to the hotel. People sat on doorsteps, kerbs, stools, mats, and their nice kimonos.





We couldn't resist asking to be photographed with some young ladies, and were pleasantly surprised with their cheerful alacrity to oblige. The Ms on the far left quickly put the chicken wing she was chewing into her plastic bag, licked fingers clean and gave the "V".



And there's our hotel verendah deck loaded with foodpacks, tidbits and refreshments for sale. All the foodpacks went before the fireworks started.



Here's one fireworks shot. The rest didn't turn out well.




The next day, everything was cleaned up by early morning and the statues lit up again at night.

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