Yurakucho - GXR A16

Want to really see Japan? Try wandering around the tracks some time. Some of the best restaurants and spots to find are buried under the train tracks.

Here are a few pics I took walking between Yurakucho and Shinbashi stations. This area, very near to the ritzy Ginza district, has a maze of teeny shops built into the first few floors of hotels and businesses, as well as old food stands carved into the open gaps under the Yamanote line. Some shops date back to just after the war or earlier (many places nearby were bombed into oblivion in WWII but the Yamanote tracks and shops hidden under and among the support columns were very resilient).

I am always amazed also at the nice people you can meet in this area. When I was in Osaka I was surprised at just how friendly a lot of people were, but you can find the same kind of atmosphere in Tokyo, too. You just have to dig down a little deeper.

Yes, Tokyo has a lot of good upscale dining and watering holes, but if that's the only kind of place you go to when you're here, you miss out on a lot.

To find something good, you only have to look around a bit. Go outside of your normal routine. Find the world around you.

Even if it's just a new place to hike, finding new paths and new sights is always worth it.

All pics taken with my GXR A16, as usual. I'm really liking the wide 24mm shots it allows.