Tokyo on a work day

Here's some impressions on our second day in Tokyo on another hot humid day on a work day - yesterday was a holiday here. It seemed strangely quiet as we headed on our way to a local café while the locals made their way to work. People here seem to be soft spoken, at least in public. Most of the ladies were walking with sun umbrellas, and some were wearing masks to either protect themselves or others from colds I'm told. There is almost no smoking around and smoking is prohibited on the street - I would like to see that in Canada. I haven't seen many foreigners here. I'm told foreigners come in the spring for the cherry blossoms and the fall for the autumn leaves. The city streets are clean with no litter yet it's rare to spot any garbage cans. Apparently people bring their garbage home with them.

The subway is the best way to get around, as is often the case in large cities. We have yet to be on a packed train with the official pushers cramming us on. However we did see women-only cars for use during rush hour, which seems related.

We visited the Imperial Palace grounds in the morning and we spent the afternoon in a shopping complex, mainly to avoid the heat. John noted it seems strange that most of the fashion ads are with western models. I know next to nothing about fashion, but it seems that the higher-end fashion ads and brands are drawn from the west, although the teenage girls seem to do their own thing. Right now their fashion seems to be short princess dresses, platform shoes and socks. Quite odd but interesting.

Here's a rare family picture as we walked around outside the Imperial Palace grounds - do we look hot? We are.