Yoyogi Park
If you close your eyes on a Sunday afternoon in Yoyogi Park, it sounds like a circus, a rock concert, a stadium, and a nature sanctuary. All at the same time. I spent my last Sunday in Tokyo walking the familiar paths of the park with my friend.
The grassy fields in Yoyogi were spotted with picnics: mom, dad, and a baby on a little tarp, with the tail of the family dog sticking out of the uncut grass nearby. Couples snuggled close under shady trees. High school track teams in matching uniforms jogged by, yelling in time with their encouraging coaches and captains. The Tai Chi and Falun Gong groups balanced serenely through the uproar.
The Goth Girls were lined up in Dracula and French Maid costumes, posing for amateur photographers. The Elvis Impersonators were in perfect style, wearing hot black leather even in the summer sun. The African drummers pounded away exciting rhythms in a sweaty extravaganza by the fountains. Jugglers spun sticks and flags, and rolled clear glass balls magically across their bodies.
The bands were out in full force, tactfully alternating their songs to prevent the inevitable clash of high-powered speaker systems. They played crazy j-pop and weird alternative music, to a background of singing birds and buzzing cicadas.
The grassy fields in Yoyogi were spotted with picnics: mom, dad, and a baby on a little tarp, with the tail of the family dog sticking out of the uncut grass nearby. Couples snuggled close under shady trees. High school track teams in matching uniforms jogged by, yelling in time with their encouraging coaches and captains. The Tai Chi and Falun Gong groups balanced serenely through the uproar.
The Goth Girls were lined up in Dracula and French Maid costumes, posing for amateur photographers. The Elvis Impersonators were in perfect style, wearing hot black leather even in the summer sun. The African drummers pounded away exciting rhythms in a sweaty extravaganza by the fountains. Jugglers spun sticks and flags, and rolled clear glass balls magically across their bodies.
The bands were out in full force, tactfully alternating their songs to prevent the inevitable clash of high-powered speaker systems. They played crazy j-pop and weird alternative music, to a background of singing birds and buzzing cicadas.