July 30, 2008

Travel Tips: The Quiet Street

In Tokyo there are many narrow streets. It is amazing to see how fast taxis and cars can drive along these streets without hitting each other head on. With so many thousands of people living in this city, I can guess how difficult it must be for you to imagine any quiet areas for someone to wander through. You would be mistaken.

While living there several years ago, I discovered that Tokyo had busy doris (streets), but it also had many quiet side streets that paralleled the larger thoroughfares. In Minami-Azabu, an area with lots of embassies and homes filled with expats and wealthy alike, there was a particular side street that I loved to use.

It started out as a diversion away from a tofu shop and public toilet, then made its way behind the Finnish Embassy going past beautiful old growth cherry trees outside of an elementary school before it popped you out next to the German Embassy.

It was a lovely walk whether I was returning home with groceries or heading down to the train to go out for dinner or shopping. Quiet streets in any major town are a treat to savor, whether it be a side canal in Venice or a cobblestone corridor in Prague.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails