Tie-dye and Taiko Drums

Before I start on today's adventure, I need to make one thing very clear. It's been brought to my attention that someone may not understand my comparisons to anime characters. That someone may construe that as suggesting the Japanese are cartoon characters and thereby take offense. I wish to dispel that notion right now.

In my opinion, some of the best artists in the world just happen to be Japanese anime artists. They manage elegance of line, sensitivity to design, and create sleek, very sexy people. I have always wondered whether their inspiration was from real life. Now I know it is. I think I've mentioned how stylish, graceful and beautiful the Japanese are. They are also gracious, helpful and kind to strangers. I wish to emulate them more.

Now - on to our intrepid heroine deciding to set out walking toward Shibuya, getting totally lost, finding her way to Yoyogi Park, Harajuku, and in the middle of a One Love Festival (minus the ganja) all in the space of 5 hours.

I'd already been to Yoyogi Park, checked out the various shrines, museums and such, and a big bit of greenery admist all the concrete seemed the place to be. The weather has been in the low 80s and the humidity is killer. So to cool off and have a leisurely Sunday, I stayed away from main thoroughfares and chose narrow streets with colorful little shops on either side. Somehow I managed to emerge more or less in the right place (several people later who all pointed in different directions) and an American walking to church took me in hand and made sure I got to Harajuku. Theoretically, young people gather on this one particular bridge to show off their finery and do a little cos-play. When I got there - no young people in costume. There was something much better.

Taiko drummers were giving a performance right at the entrance to the park off the bridge. If you have never experienced taiko drums, find some on YouTube. It is so amazing. The performance was to raise money for the tsunami victims. They attracted a large crowd of Westerners and Japanese alike. There were several groups ranging in age from young adults to 10 year olds. They appeared to be having as good a time as the audience. It was hard to break away from them, and as they took a break, I wandered over to teenage shopping heaven. Shops were definitely aimed toward young people - lots of cute or cos-play type stuff. Lots of food including a Wolfgang Puck Express (seriously!). I came upon one shop that AK would go ga-ga over. At first I thought it was a shop for very tiny infants who wear super frilly clothes. Not so. They were outfits for dogs.

A word about dogs in Tokyo. unlike my motley crew, they are adorable, incredibly well behaved, and not fazed by HUGE crowds of people, other dogs and loud noise. They are also as well-dressed as the guardians they are attached to. I have seen big dogs like Borzois, Australian Shepherds, even a pit bullish sort of dog, but most range from small to teensy weensy. The corgis are my favorite as they seem to recognize a dog lover and are only too happy to have a bit of a scratch by a total stranger.

All you dedicated shoppers out there will not understand how quickly I get bored by cute shops and very over-priced goods, but I do and so went to check out the festival sort of thing that was being set up as I passed by the Olympic Stadium on my way to Harajuku bridge. Past the huge Cirque de Soleil tents, there were smaller tents set up, the smells of wonderful food cooking and music blaring out over a sea of tie-dye. I haven't seen that much tie-dye in one place since the 60s.

The One Love Festival honors Bob Marley and Reggae. There were wonderful crafts, lots of flowing garments and outlandish hats. The place was packed. Young families parked themselves in front of the bandshell by spreading out small tarps. I saw dreadlocks and lots of beads. Incense was burning everywhere. No ganja that I could detect. It was so much fun to see people rocking out to the music. In front of the stage, a man was creating a mural. When I arrived it was a blank white wall. One half hour later it was half done. As I was leaving, he was putting on the finishing touches. That alone would've been worth the price of admission if there had been one.

Dark clouds were starting to blow in so I decided to hike back to the hotel. All went well until I got to an intersection I just couldn't remember. I had been asking people along the way just to make sure I was headed in the right general direction and again was pointed to totally different points of the compass. I was fairly confident in my choice of route until.... Fortunately there was a koban there (a small police station where incredibly helpful police are stationed - as far as I can tell more to assist hapless tourists than to prevent what seems like non-existent crime). Hatagaya - yes it's that way. Just keep going straight. That seemed about right. What seemed like miles later and no closer to anything I recognized, I asked two women who just happened to have a google map of the area (apparently they needed direction too). After serious consultation, it was decided I needed to go back the way I had just come. Well, for a spell at least. Then another narrow street - all uphill - and I found a Westerner who spoke English, clearly lived in the area and got very clear direction. Voila, just as the first warning drops of rain were falling, I was dashing into Gourmet City for a bite to eat. I made it to my room and the heavens opened up.

Timing is everything.