An unusual Sunday afternoon in Tokyo

If you've been to Tokyo in Japan, you'll probably have heard of Ginza. It is regarded as Tokyo's most fashionable and luxury area. Many tourists go there to admire the luxury shops and skyscrapers. Today I will take you to Omotesando, the second most luxury and fashionable district in Tokyo.

I went there on a Sunday expecting it to be very busy as I have read so much about it. To my amazement, when I came out from the underground, the roads were empty. Not a single car or people was on it. But the sidewalks were very busy. How odd I thought.

Even though there were no cars on the road, people still waited at the pedestrian lights till they turned green before they crossed the road. I think this is a great virtue of the Japanese that they are always so obedient and orderly.

There were marshalls along the road, and when people tried to walk on the road they were politely asked to get back onto the sidewalk. I couldn't understand what was happening, so just followed everyone along the sidewalk and strolled around the area which was my intention anyway. After a while, I heard a lot of noises. Turns out there was some sort of march that day, and the roads were cleared for the protesters to come through. I didn't know what exactly they were protesting about, but I think it might be something to do with the economy. They were very peaceful though, not angry at all.

These two photos doesn't really reflect how busy it was that day, but it was really jam packed with people. It took me ages to get through the crowd, and eventually I reached a foot bridge, went up it to cross the other side of the road to get away from the protesting crowd. By this time, they were starting to let some cars come through on one side of the road.

After this interesting stroll along the beautiful tree lined Omotesando Avenue , I turned down a side road to walk towards Harajuku. This is quirky fashionable area, and a contrast from the luxurious Omotesando Avenue. The vibe here was very different. It was much more casual, younger and energetic.

But nothing amazed more than seeing this group of girls gathering at a little area by one of the intersections. They were all very young and trendy looking, and dressed in a particular shade of pastel cream colour, There were no signs or posters or anything, and it seems that they were all just hanging around chatting. I had no idea what was happening so could only imagine they were fans waiting for their idol to appear.

Anyway, both these experiences were quite unusual for me on a Sunday afternoon in Japan, as it wasn't what I was expecting. Or maybe this is a typical Sunday afternoon in Tokyo? Either way, it was a very pleasant walk around town.

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Location information
● Omotesando, 5 Chome-7 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan

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An unusual Sunday afternoon in Tokyo
This is posted on trips.teem