View from the top

Over the weekend we had lunch at the top of Ebisu Garden Tower, on the 39th floor. The chinese food was mediocre but the view was spectacular. In truth, the beauty of Tokyo lies up close, when you wonder around the back streets and alleyways and experience the charming stores, smell the grilled chicken from a yakatori restaurant, see the traditional details of old wooden buildings and touch the intricate handicraft.

When you look at Tokyo all the way from the top... it looks like shit.

I've never used a GPS set in Singapore and never needed one (which makes me wonder about some Singaporean posers who have GPS systems in their cars, you know who you are...), but looking at this picture you can see why one would need a good in-car GPS system to navigate the crazy streets of Tokyo. This photo is but a small section of the city, imagine another 1000 similar photos pieced together and you can realize the maze in which we live in.

Furthermore, that's just above ground, now imagine the same amount of commuter traffic under the city and you'll have a clearer picture of the Tokyo train system. Throw in a quake or a godzilla attack and you have absolute chaos...