Tokyo Up Close

There's space everywhere if you look

Sleiman Azizi Oct 23, 2018 - 1 min read

Who would have expected to see an owl peeping out from behind a giant toad at a shrine dedicated to the beheaded samurai Taira no Masakado in Tokyo

There is a lot of movement beyond these bars in east Ikebukuro

Inside a display lantern, reflective of the mood at the shrine of General Nogi who, with his wife Shizuko, committed ritual suicide upon the passing of the Meiji Emperor

Bird in mid-motion during the cherry blossom season in Ueno

Roppongi is famous for its nightlife yet its subway station here is strangely silent

Up close and personal with Yokohama's 'Moku Moku' outdoor sculpture

Some of the architectural shaping of Roppongi's famous National Art Center

Tokyo: from monuments paying tribute to a bloody feudal past to the modern kitsch of consumerist hobbying, Tokyo is awash with noise.

Ironically, despite the city's massive population and energy, perhaps Tokyo's most abundant quality is its space. For a city that seems to be bursting at the seams, there is actually an awful lot of time to be had for oneself - if you can take it, that is.

From the modern styling of Roppongi's National Art Center to sombre reflections offered by monuments deifying the sacrifices of another time in Akasaka, from the free-wheeling creation of Yokohama's Moku Moku public sculpture to a natural moment within Ueno Park's cherry blossoms, these photos are a fingerprint of the space that Tokyo offers.

Whether you are there for ten days or ten years, do pause and look around. You may discover that Tokyo really is a city with room for all.

Sleiman Azizi @sleiman.azizi

I'm a Japanese Permanent Resident with over 650 published articles on Japan as well as 5 English language books inspired by traditional Japanese literature.I'm also a Japan Travel expert for Tokyo, so if you've anything to say about Japan's never ending capital - or just Japan in general - don't ...