Double Ueno

I've been too busy to write! (by internet law, any amateur blog must post that at least once; with a 80% chance of it being the last thing ever posted).

So; I'm going slightly out of order. This post is of the two days I spent in Ueno and Yoyogi park, both of which are in Tokyo. The first time I went to the zoo, and to scout out the rest of the area. Ueno has a whole cluster of museums, art galleries, and park space... but everything closes around 5:00pm. Given the ~2 hours it takes from when I walk out of my hotel, till when I step foot inside Ueno... that means I can't get a ton of stuff done in a single day.

 Ueno Zoo entrance

 I'm not going to post a thousand animal pictures; but I really love owls. 

After the zoo closed, I hopped back on Tokyo's circular train line (the Yamanote), and made for Yoyogi park. I didn't get far in as people were mostly emptying out; but I did see some awesome lighting.

Round two! I head for the national museum. I don't know what I will find, but for 600 Yen (~$7.50) I figure I can't go wrong. 

 These are all Buddhas from around the 6th century. 

 The pottery on the far right is from the Jomon period - it dates to 10,000 BCE.  

10,000 BCE.

Those jars kinda blew my mind.

Anyway; tons of OLD stuff; amazing art, swords, paintings, scrolls. Good historic museum fare. Two different buildings were open, and I hit both of them. After, I wondered through the areas in between museums looking for food, and settled on a curry-pizza. It was boss.

 The park area surrounding Ueno.

After food, I went to the science museum. Sadly, very little was translated. I did attempt to look for their offerings on nuclear energy (since it's such a hot topic around here) - and either was unsuccessful, or it was conspicuously absent.

 I looked underneath for a potted plant. If it had been there... I would have lost it.

Then; round two at Yoyogi. It was an amazing day out, so I assumed people would be out in droves - and I was right. Everywhere, people just laid out blankets or tarps, and hung out with people. Lots of food, lots of alcohol, and lots of music. It actually feels a little backwards; about what's acceptable and where. America is rude just about everywhere, but parks are alcohol free and quiet. In Japan, open alcohol is acceptable just about everywhere, and people set up amps in the park to rock with their band. I do like Japan's version more, for the record.

I heard something that appeared to be ska at one point, and just started to follow the music. I ended up at a free outdoor concert series towards Shibuya. There was also a massive free trade bazaar going on... everything from candles to underwear.

Half the photos ... the other half.