Albeit being a metropolis of roughly 37 million people in the whole metropolitan region, Tokyo has so many quiet and traditional spots that provide a nice, calm balance to the craziness of it all.

Yesterday I went back to the Meiji shrine again and witnessed another traditional Japanese wedding.

While certainly not alone (the guards had to clear a path for the couple to walk over the main court), it’s such a nice, quiet  procedure, emanating so much… dignity? For lack of a better word. The brides look like they’re not from this world.

A few days back, we walked through the Yanaka area and several quiet cemeteries. The houses are small, sometimes even still wooden. Tokyo as it used to be. There’s no traffic, and it’s all somehow serenely quiet.

 

To make the picture complete, visit Shinjuku Gyoen. In the heart of Tokyo, in walking distance to Shinjuku, and with the Empire-State-like NTT building towering over it, Shinjuku Gyoen is a tranquil paradise.

I walked around for ages, and would nearly have been looked in over night… without me realizing, people had left and I was alone in there, until the hectic movements of a guard signaled me it was time to leave.