Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Tokyo, Land of the Five Cs

There are 160 teachers in my June Cohort group, and today we all traveled in, I believe, five or six buses touring just a few Tokyo attractions. Our tour guide told us Tokyo is known as the "City of Four Cs." Here is what the Cs stand for: Congestion, Confusion, Construction, Contradiction, and Coca Cola. From my very brief time here I definitely disagree with the congestion. Even during rush hour there are far fewer cars and trucks on the streets than even Spokane. But I discovered their secret--the subway. Below street level are layers and layers of shops and subways. Imagine a sky scraper going underground rather than stories into the sky, and this is what Tokyo is built upon.

I've included a few photos today, including some of Hachiko's statue, which I traveled to via the Ginza Line all the way to Shibuya (a part of Tokyo).

quick quiz: what kind of dog is Hachiko? There is a prize for the first student to correctly answer this question, with the correct spelling, but the winner will have to wait until school starts to receive it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

A Hachiko is the most faithful dog in Japan. Nestled amid hoards of harried commuters, a variety of shops and department stores, and a giant television screen that covers half a skyscraper, a life sized bronze statue of a dog can be found at Tokyo's busy Shibuya Train Station. Millions of Tokyoites have been meeting at the landmark since 1934 and continue to do so today. It's a white dog and is kind of small but not big.

-Keilyn

Rachel said...

Hi Keilyn, thanks for your post! Did you read the book? Let me know. I'm really enjoying my time here. The food is so yummy!

Anonymous said...

Rachel,
When my mom called Barnes and Noble about the book, Hachiko Waites, the man she talked to had just gotten back from Japan and had seen the statue and told her it was a very popular story. It was cool to actually see a picture of you with the statue.
-Anna