Cycling in the Tokyo Rain

東京の冬雨に自転車が動く

Outside of Ueno Park in the old downtown area of Tokyo many cyclists were out and about in awful winter weather.

After seeing the El Greco exhibit at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, we wandered over to SCAI, an old public bath that was converted into an art gallery.

There was a free installation that involved light and sound that echoed off the old walls.

A slow stroll through the temple-filled neighborhood was the plan.

Rain and cold, however, made us rethink that.

Besides, Cafe Kayaba is just down the street from SCAI, and coffee and some warmth were called for.


Information

“El Greco’s Visual Poetics” (Painting)

Jan. 19-April. 7

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum; (03) 5405-8686; 8-36 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo; Ueno Station, JR Yamanote Line. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Fri. till 8:00 p.m.). ¥1,500. Closed Mon. (except Feb. 11),

“Haroon Mirza” (Installation)

Jan. 18-Feb. 23

Scai The Bathhouse; (03) 3821-1144; Kashiwayu-Ato, 6-1-23 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo; Nippori Station, JR Yamanote Line. 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Free admission. Closed Sun., Mon., holidays.


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Cycling Around Ueno Tokyo

東京上野を自転車で

Tokyo's Ueno is many things.

For many decades it was the entry point for economic refugees from Japan's impoverished north who flooded the capital in the pre- and post-War years.

Many enka ballads can be heard to this day that capture the fear and hopes of those alighting at Ueno Station and entering Tokyo.

Ueno has also long been part of the city's "downtown," or shitamachi. This is the old working-class section of the city close to the Sumida River.

It is also home to several national museums, the nation's oldest zoo - all in Ueno Park - Tokyo University of the Arts, and of course Tokyo University.

Recently, the area has been the target of some redevelopment. Tokyo Skytree was completed earlier this year, and was built not too far from Ueno. It is the tallest structure in Japan, and serves as a broadcasting and observation tower.

For cyclists, Ueno Park is a open expanse with plenty of paths. The streets over towards Skytree are straight and empty and great for riding. For those with a bit of time, nearby Yanaka and Sendagi are also worth a slow easy ride. Many temples and shops dot the neighborhood.


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Cycling Ueno Tokyo

東京上野を自転車で楽しむ

The Ueno area of Tokyo is many things.

Ueno Park is home to the city's zoo, a handful of great museums, Shinobazu Pond, a collection of cherry trees that draw thousands of revelers every spring, and Japan's most prestigious arts university.

Across the street from Shinobazu Street is Tokyo University, or Todai, which is home to privileged youth and future bureaucrats.

To the northeast, beyond Tokyo Geidai (Arts University) is the quaint area Yanaka.

Ueno is also a working class neighborhood that was the arrival point for many refugees from Japan's northeast. Following World War II - and prior to that as well - Ueno Station was the first view of the capital for hundreds of thousands of migrants from the rural north who moved to the big city for work.

The working class area today is primarily to the east of the large JR station.

The bike lane pictured above is along Asakusa Dori, which runs from JR Ueno Station to Asakusa, across the Sumida River, and farther into the old working class downtown area known as "shitamachi."

It is a great place to ride a bike. The side streets are slow moving, a world away from the manic energy of Shinjuku and Shibuya and the parts west in the "high" city.

The area is also undergoing a revival of sorts. Tokyo Skytree was built nearby, and young people are moving in because rents are lower than in other parts of the city.

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