Crowded. Lucky to find a seat and even luckier if the stops are reduced. Who would have thought that the overly crowed subway and rail lines of Tokyo would be the calm. Densely packed, the smooth thunder of the rail lines holds the occupants.
Lights, signs, its too much.
The contrast: a sweet reward.
Maybe my ears are growing older. Or I am tuned in differently, but the loudness of Japan’s cities comes in multiple forms. The crowds blare presence in quantity. The streets’ decibels rise in overwhelming signage. The constant fight for attention over the noises blares in disruption. The spaces are squeezed to an almost audile level through thinnest and height. Oddly, with most of it intangible to me, there is a lull in all of the noise. It becomes background. Background with energy. Steps are faster, eyes move quickly, heart races, and ears just give up. The noise comes in everywhere.
