On the quest to buy new furniture and house goods, my family headed to Shibuya for some shopping. We took the bus, which is nice since it's above ground and you can see part of the city. As soon as we arrived, I was hit with the lights and the noise. I wouldn't say it was chaotic by any means, it was just intense. In order to get to Nitori (the Japanese version of IKEA), we had to cross THE crosswalk - known as Shibuya Scramble. All the people made me nervous in a "if we lose my son we'll never find him" sort of way, so we clung to each other pretty tightly. (Also, he gets very upset if he loses sight of us in crowded places.) It struck me as we crossed the street, weaving around the vast number of people, that there were probably 20-50 cameras filming the street crossing at that very moment. People were standing on cement barriers and holding up selfie sticks to take videos, as well as so many people holding up their phones as they walked. Heck, I even snapped 2 photos just for this blog. But where else in the world is crossing the street such an event?
After we crossed the street, we walked down the street several blocks to Nitori. It is a very well organized store and my family made it through in record time. We picked out couches (one for the living room and a pull out for the guest bedroom/office), dining area furniture, kitchen cabinets, and even a desk. We then went to a couple other stores to purchase other necessities.
On the way back to the bus station, we once again crossed Shibuya Scramble and walked into the train station plaza. There, amongst all the people, we found the statute of Hachiko. Hatchiko was a devoted dog who met his owner at the train station every day. One day the owner did not return home from work, as he had died tragically from a cerebral hemorrhage. But Hachiko still came to the station to meet his owner. He kept coming back everyday for 9 years (or 10 years, depending on the source), until he, too, passed away. Although this happened back in the 1920's/30's, the story is still well known today and has even been made into several movies. If you ever want a good cry, watch one of these films.
There was a bit of a "line" to take your photo with Hachiko. As we stood there, I listened to all the various languages being spoken around me. It was really quite amazing. I got a little emotional thinking about how all these people, for some reason, chose to come to this very spot in the world and what a magical place it really is. I'm currently watching to Facebook show "Humans of New York: The Series" and I couldn't help but think what people would say about why they were there at that exact moment.
I made the comment to my husband that I couldn't imagine many people lived in this area and he chuckled. He told me that one of his friend's lives there as well as many other people. While I find it overwhelming and exhausting, others find it vibrant and energizing. For me, it will remain one of those places I can say I've been, but I'll never seek out unless I really need to go there. That said, I am really glad I was able to see the Hachiko statue as that dog brings me joy every time I think of him.
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