Tokyo - 173 very big

It's not just Thursday, but also Father's Day. I won't be going out with a cart, but at least I'll contact my father. There are things that can never be said enough. Spoiler, life has an expiration date. That's why I'm getting used to saying things instead of hiding them. ;)

It's time to go out again. A little late for the whole trip, but I find that the 'right' music helps me immerse myself in the city better. In this case, the 'right' music is J-Pop. I couldn't listen to it at home, but it fits perfectly here.

Sitting on the train, I'm fascinated by a little scene. A celery man is sitting at the end of a bench. A group of four schoolgirls enter, looking for a seat for everyone. A brief encounter of the five, a bow from the four. Then a casual conversation. Meanwhile, the man is busy with his two phones the whole time. Eventually, it 'clicks', he takes a photo of the group while sitting, then explains something afterwards. I don't know what, but it seems a little strange to me. For me, several aspects come together here:

• Posters proclaim 'No to groping'
• Many Japanese people have an erotic preference for schoolgirl uniforms
• The sound when taking a photo was explicitly introduced against 'upskirt photography'

After a while, I arrive in the Ariake district. It is a newly developed area that was created through land reclamation. Here you can get an impression of how much humans can change: Google Earth Timelapse

I'm going from the station to my destination; today I want to feel very big. I'm going to the Miniature Land. On the way there, I pass by numerous stadiums - Olympic is displayed on some signs.

Once I arrive at the destination, I pay tribute to a good friend first, he is an unpaid ambassador for 'Under Armour'.

After taking a few photos, I go inside, through the ticket area into the exhibition. Nice, it starts directly with space. On one side futuristic, on the other side Cape Canaveral. I completely forgot that places like these are basically lovingly designed hidden object puzzles like 'Where's Waldo?'. On one side, I discover a blue glowing button. 'I want to Pee'. I don't know what it's for. Will someone come and show me the way to the toilet? That was really my first thought. Until I see the other buttons and try them out. Aaaah, they trigger hidden object actions.

It's 1:00 PM, the Saturn V is being pushed out of the hangar and transported to the launch pad. Funny idea. Meanwhile, a suitable announcement is made.

'Now preparing for launch.' Saturn 5 Locket.' There it is again, the famous 'L'.

In a special exhibition, an anime is displayed, “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. I always liked the anime, even though it's been a decade since I last watched it. Seeing an exhibition of it is something special. It gets really cool when I hear familiar sounds from the speakers. An alarm and mechanical sounds. Just like in the cartoon, the buildings here sink into the ground. It's impressive.

On another floor of the facility, I have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the workshop. One nice thing about it is the offering for school classes.

That's something that I always notice: there are often school classes here doing cool activities.

After a while, I head to downtown Tokyo. When I think about it, the term "downtown" fits well with the population. Tokyo as an urban core is inhabited by 9 million people, more than Austria. And that on 690 km².

In the train station, I find another surprise; a dead track. Or rather, two. Where there should be two tracks, there are now walkable floor panels. It's somehow surreal.

After taking a train to another station, I notice a man doing something forbidden. And he's aware of it. Everywhere in the train, it is indicated that in crowded trains, mobile phones should be set to silent and talking on the phone is not allowed. The train is by no means crowded, but when the man enters, he holds his hand in front of his mouth as if he had to whisper a secret to someone. In my thousands of kilometers in Japan's trains, I experience exactly two times when a phone makes noise. Both times, it's foreigners. It's about respect and education again.

Judith once posted something like 'Kids who are not allowed to do anything become adults who can't do anything.' Yes, and 'Kids who are allowed to do anything become adults who take everything for themselves.' Yin and Yang. I wish for a little more Yang in the right places for Germany.

I go to another large park on the outskirts of the city to eat. It is located by the bay and has a long and deep history.

On the way back, I notice it.

Once, it's an incident.

Twice, it's a coincidence.

But three times?

A few days ago, I wrote about Chinese people. Now it's the Koreans' turn. How can you recognize a Korean? They look like Kim Jong Un. It's so shallow and dumb, but it catches the eye.