TOKYO DAYS

Stumbling upon a cherub on the streets of Ginza is very Tokyo. Amid all the cool architecture and sleek design there’s a lot of cute. Or in this instance, whimsy. But back to cute for a minute... pooches never had it so good.

If you can stop for a minute and not be bowled over by the crowds...

...look to the sky.

Around Shinjuku, Ometsando Hills, Shibuya and Ginza, the skyscrapers are things of beauty. Ginza is Tokyo’s 5th Ave, with the luxury brands flaunting their prestige. The Hermes building (below) is entirely made from glass bricks,

and Abercrombie & Fitch, takes eight floors of teensy tiny shorts and crisp shirts, not to mention the scent of aftershave being pumped through the air con to waft over all the beautiful people, to say Tokyo, we've arrived. I've heard it said the scent is meant to be subliminal promotion. Allegedly you, and everyone you encounter till you next reach a shower, will be reminded of the A&F brand. For my money, the staircase makes the statement rather better. 

The department stores elevate merchandising to art.

And the food halls, too. The is Mitsukoshi department store before I was told to put down the camera.

And this is afternoon tea, courtesy of Isetan, one of Tokyo’s grandest department stores.

Sunday afternoon in Harujuku gives new meaning to pulling a crowd...

and the Harujuku girls are still flocking, though this time I saw none as grand as these I came across in 2009 (pardon the time travel, but you can see they are worthy of it).

For an afternoon of kicking back, we decided to go enjoy hanami (flower viewing) at Yoyogi park...

with a few thousand others. The first weekend of the season, and one week off its full glory, hanami is a huge event in the calendar year for the Japanese. Emerging from winter, the first burst of spring weather and the party is in full swing. But it's full bloom and its fleeting passage that everyone is holding their breath for. And no wonder because this, below, is merely the prelude.