4 Tokyo - One of 40 Million
Table of contents:
- 4.1 Cemeteries
- 4.2 Construction Workers
- 4.3 Poor Living
- 4.4 Elderly
- 4.5 Going home from work in Ginza
- 4.6 In the train
- 4.7 Waiting for something/sitting for no reason
4.1 Cemeteries
The burial of the death became a struggle in the populous city with such a scarce space. Grave plots are hardly affordable for ordinary people. Thats why the city recently got it's very first vertical cemetery tower in a modern temple high rise. The sacred temple grounds can be found in old residential districts as well as between modern skyscrapers. The sound of the cicadas is a constant concomitant of these places.
4.2 Construction workers
The holes appear in the middle of the streets, filled with workers and a warm light. Sometimes a lonely man waves a red light sober to warn the slight traffic of the construction site. Sometimes there are blinking LED-signs with the depiction of a man waving a red light.
4.3 Poverty and Livability
4.4 Elderly
4.5 Going home from work in Ginza
Karōshi means "death by work". For many western countries this is what Japan stands for. Per day 12 hours in an office; no breaks; 90 overtimes a month; sunday is free and relatively low waged compared to the high living expenses in Tokyo. Coming home – into a tiny apartment – energy for doing something else is rarely available.
4.6 In the train
"Please refrain from talking to the phone" announces a voice in the train. Talking, eating and the sounds of a smartphone are unpleasant for the other passengers. So even during the rush hours, the fully packed trains are quiet: people sleep, read, chat or play games on their smartphones.
Exceptions are the trains on the way and away from Shibuya Station in the evening. Then the young and more western oriented people as well as tourists make up the majority of the passengers.