Tiny Flea Market & a budding pop star

I was all set to head to Sendai for the day -- it only takes a couple of hours by Shinkansen. The trains are running and they skirt Fukoshima, but what the hey. So I tell the gentleman at the front desk and he nearly gasps and says -- no -- you don't want to go there. Everything is still a mess, it's hard to get around.... I took that to mean I would only be underfoot. So I scrapped that plan and to give me something fun to do, the gentleman at the desk suggested the Shinjuku Flea Market. Oh good, thought I. Maybe some nice antiques and other assorted goodies. So off to Shinjuku. Somehow, I ended up at a different station than I had before. Turned out to be a good thing because the exit deposited me out right where I needed to go. The Tokyo government office building complex loomed large. Taking a shortcut (from which I had to back track because of construction), I ended up in this sculpture garden of sorts. The public art in Tokyo rivals Chicago - maybe even surpasses it at this point. There are nooks and crannies with the most amazing art pieces just waiting to be discovered. Stumbled on Shinjuku Central Park almost by accident and came upon the Flea Market. It turned out to be mostly young people selling clothes from blankets on the ground. A couple of the groups selling were volunteers trying to raise money to go back North to help out with tsunami relief.

There were a couple of interesting things though and I couldn't resist. Mums the word til I get back.

I heard live music from one side of the park. A really fine singer was doing a sort of J-pop number. A young man saw me enjoying her performance, came over and introduced himself in English and explained she is a Korean trying to make it in Japan. He himself was from Singapore. Very cosmopolitan.

Later, a group of 5 a capella singers started in on -- of all things -- American pop classics. They did a very creditable job of Stand By Me.

After enjoying the music, watching people and admiring the very frou-frou little dogs panting in the heat and humidity, I left to find the Seiji Togo Memorial Sampo Japan Museum of Art. It's on the 42nd floor which gives a spectacular view of the city before you enter the gallery. What drew me to the museum, since I don't know Seiji Togo from Adam, was the Van Gogh Sunflowers. The painting was amazing. Well worth the trouble.

Shinjiku on the West side on a Saturday morning is almost empty compared to a work day. It was a joy just to wander around and gawk at architecture and shops. But as my package was getting heavy and it was only getter hotter, I finally hopped a train and headed back to the relative cool of the hotel.