At every turn in Japan I've been surprised by something new. No matter how outrageous or unusual an experience seems there is no end to what comes around the corner. Today we decided to explore Central Tokyo and its outlying areas, more specifically The Imperial Palace Gardens, the Ginza district and the fish auction/market along the river.
We started out fairly late so we missed almost all of the fish auction (5am-10am) and still had a 30-40 minute commute by rail so we gave up on the river for another time. We were starving and had our Hawaiian breakfast of white rice, spam, poached egg, salad and tea across the street at Royal Host. All the food is portioned much smaller than by western standards which makes sense why they are all slimmer in build and considering all the walking they do. Aaah those damn Gaijin with their oversized everything...homes, cars, food (Supersize please!) and waistlines.
Before we left our room I noticed an exhibition below across the street. After breakfast we decided to see what the hub bub was all about. The local art and design university were hosting outdoor furniture design exhibits. These were to be solutions to the parks and transportation stations lack of seating. The students hung out nearby to encourage people to try out the designs for themselves. All of them utilized clean, modern lines with innovative solutions. One in particular caught my eye. The student used cut tree stumps and bamboo limbs sanded down to a super smooth surface while still maintaining all the natural knots and imperfections in the wood. To me it reflected the traditional Japanese philosophy of incorporating all things without disrupting it's natural environment. I did enjoy all the other exhibits, but this particular one impressed me because of the student's ingenuity to maintain his culture's roots while solving his task.
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