What a difference from yesterday: today is the start of the Golden Week, a cluster of Japanese holidays put into one week (albeit not necessarily starting from a weekend and ending on the next weekend). As an example, today is a day off for everybody, but tomorrow (Friday) is a work day. Then people are off again for few days in the next week. To me, this is like a mark into the summer season, much like the American Memorial Day is.
It is amazing how the usually busy Shinjuku falls silent around this time of the year. Make no mistake, there are still many people travelling in and out of the station, one of the major stations in Tokyo, but the number of people definitely decreases dramatically. In the vast public area a bridge away from the Takashimaya department store, one can walk freely without bumping into anyone, ever. The young people who usually sit around sipping their latte and checking their text messages are elsewhere.
There is a florist (La Palette) not too far from where I live. The staff work almost around the clock, catering to parties and businesses, and usually they close really late at night, seven days a week. It is therefore rather a new sight to see the business close for a few days. They, too, could use a break.
It is cool and sunny at the moment. I am thinking about going to Ueno or Asakusa...
