You Brade Runner?

Day 7 - Akihabara

Think of the busiest, craziest place in your city then multiply it until it covers an area with a 70km diameter. Have you seen Blade Runner? How about The Fifth Element? Have you seen any film set in the future? Well I can tell you now; they got all their ideas from Tokyo. From the police sirens to the architecture, this is the source for the west'€™s view of what the future might be. This explains why Japanese cinema is so cool. Personal space is at a minimum and most of the relaxation time is spent out on the town. Subsequently this means people nod off in coffee shops and on the train, people eat out more and karaoke joints occupy ten storey buildings. Music from cartoons and video games blare out of huge speakers on a regular basis at train station and shopping districts. There is one JR train station that plays the theme from Astroboy ever time a train arrives. As the trains are as regular as breathing, you could see how this could get irritating after a while. Walkmans / iPods play a larger role in this place than back in Australia. With all this external noise and huge crowds it'€™s easy to see why the Japanese want to disappear into their own little worlds. You are not allowed to answer you mobile phone on public trains and it must be switched to silent or off depending on which part of the carriage you are standing in. However, it is perfectly fine to use the phone for text messaging, listening to music or watching television.