Honors tokyo 2017
A Guide to Getting Lost in Tokyo
Shin-Okubo is commonly known as “Koreatown”, but after walking through it today, it’s clear that there’s way more than Korean bits in the city. On one hand, the main street is like wannabe Korea on steroids, but if you go even a couple feet into the smaller streets, immediately the setting changes to that of a suburban place rather than the urban street that Shin-Okubo is likely known for. As soon as I exited Shin-Okubo station, there were crowds of teenage girls, most still in their school uniforms, crowding toward the shops crammed with all features of stereotypical markers of Korean culture and products. Almost every shop had some aspect of Kpop (Korean pop music), whether it be playing music in the background, shamelessly blasting it at the front door, racks of merchandise, or even cardboard cutouts of idols advertising products. Alongside Kpop, there were also many shops with Korean beauty products, like face masks, or even combinations of these staples of pop culture. All this is to be expected, but it was very interesting to observe the community-ness and tightness of this mini-Korea. After squeezing my way through about a mile along this crowded road, I immediately noticed when the main portion of ‘Koreatown’ ended since people on the street became sparse. It wasn’t a gradual fading out of the bustle, but a very stark contrast, which signals a very defined space for the community of fans of the Hallyu wave (Korean media, i.e. Kpop, Kdrama). . . I was originally looking for a café to sit down and take notes at, but all the cafes and stores along the main bustling area of Shin-Okubo were extremely busy and fast-paced; instead of sitting down to enjoy a drink or some food, people bought the food to take out and left. Thus, I continued wandering, walking along the main road for fear of getting lost in the alleys, and eventually stumbled upon a sign proclaiming there to be a public library (Okubo library) nearby. This was way outside the proximity of ‘Koreatown’ though, so there were many larger buildings without vivid names on them. In this setting filled with institutions instead of small, crowded shops, the physical library building was more difficult to actually find. I followed the street sign and walked into an alley with vines climbing up fences on the side, which looked a lot less ‘modern’ than the main street. I circled the building that it was supposedly in three times, without ever seeing a sign on the building. The first floor of the building seemed to be some kind of hospital reception, with a lot of elderly ladies. Thus, being the confused and shy tourist that I was, I walked inside and immediately walked out five times, as if I would magically spot the library if I walked in and out more (I was tired). After walking around and through the first floor of the building so much, I decided to just suck it up and walk through the reception to the other end. I got many curious looks as I walked through, so it was probably not common for a younger person in tourist clothing to walk by. On the other side of the building, I found an elevator, and an inconspicuous sign stating that the library was on the second floor. I find it interesting that in Shin-Okubo, the library is a location of the suburban area; in contrast, most the libraries I know in the U.S. are in the middle of the city, surrounded by shops and business; this could speak to the demographics of people that use the public library. Usually, older people live in the suburbs, while younger, working people live in the city. Having the library located right amongst the houses in the suburban neighborhood, Japan’s libraries are likely used more by the older generations.
I sat in the library for about 45 minutes writing down my notes, and realized that there was very little traffic through the library. Most the patrons were elderly men, and there were no young children at all. The half of the library with children’s books was completely empty throughout the entire time I was there. I later found out that was because all the children were in school, when I walked deeper into the neighborhood and discovered the elementary school from which schoolkids were just leaving. In addition to the elementary school, I also saw a hospital, some construction sites in the housing area (suggesting that Shin-Okubo is still growing as a residence town, in addition to the expanding tourism), and many parks. The park I originally wanted to go to (Okubo Park) seemed to be hosting some kind of company party, since it was filled with younger people socializing and drinking. I walked around more and ended up staying in Nishi Okubo Park, which was nestled between houses and a more lively shopping street. There were Japanese people strolling around there, but also a surprisingly large amount of tourists, many of which had suitcases. With places like this, Shin-Okubo is a mixture of tourism, and regular people living their lives; though the two types of people are so starkly distinct, they are still able to intermix, while still each retaining their own differences. Even though Shin-Okubo is known for a touristy street that lasts maybe 2 miles, most of it is still just a regular neighborhood, with many people going about their daily lives. In big cities with lots of tourists, most people tend to forget that the city also is home to many people. This mapping assignment was very helpful for me in this aspect; I was reminded that in order to gain a deeper understanding of a region, it’s essential to visit there in person. There are many aspects of a place that the Internet and information sites aimed toward tourists do not communicate.
1 Comment
Ruohong
8/30/2017 09:00:47 am
Excellent account of what happened when you explore ! My question is why you didn't ask the receptionist where the library is ? Aren't you supposed to ask for directions ? Why go in and out of the 1st floor like a revolving door for numerous times instead of simply ask people where the library is ?
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