Asia Part II – Ginza in Tokyo

Time to post a few more thoughts about my recent travels.  For this second trip through Vietnam and Japan I packed both my Panasonic FZ18 and my Canon EOS 350D with the 50mm F1.8 lens.  This was so that I still had the overall flexibility of the Panasonic whilst adding the ability to shoot at night and in low light without flash. I am so glad I did, as shooting at night with much less camera noise was a joy.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

I’ve already posted the shots from southern Vietnam, so now it’s time to catch up with Tokyo.  Today we have Ginza. This is shopper’s paradise – assuming you’re from a rich country and have a very large credit card limit.  Whilst I didn’t go overboard on shopping I was entranced by the brands, colours, lights, people, and general intoxicating aroma of credit card plastic.  The watch zone consisted of six conicular elevators full of watches, that took you to their specific brand store.  I got into the Swatch lift, as it was too colourful to resist.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

I happened to be doing my Ginza thing on a national holiday, which coincided with the opening of a new fashion/department store named H&M.  I’ve never heard of it, and I couldn’t understand why there was a queue circling the very large city block to get in.  Police were managing entry into the store, and only allowing two people every two minutes to enter. This was clearly going to be a long day for the waiting Japanese, but it didn’t seem to bother any of them.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

To make the day into even more of an event, the streets were closed to cars, and outdoor settings were placed along the roads so people could sit and pamper their pooches under cover.  Taking small annoying dogs for “walks” (meaning carrying them in designer pooch pouches) seems to be the done thing on a Ginza sunday.  I spied this cute dad and daughter ensemble playing with Lego in the middle of the street as if this was a normal day for them.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

Heading towards the sunset to see what garish neon signs I could find I looked back to see a sight that only need Paul, John, George & Ringo in frame to complete it. Happily, this thoughtful businessman stepped into the breach.

From Asia II – Tokyo, Ginza

Next time we travel to the Tsujiki Fish Market – the largest fish and seafood market in the world.