The Rain in Shinjuku

It was one of those rainy days today that makes Nishi Shinjuku comfortable and soothing for me. I generally hate winter rain because it means that not only am I cold but also wet, and then extra cold when the winds come. If it’s cold I’d rather walk in snow. But today was a light, light mist, the clouds hovering over the skyscrapers. You just wait a bit and pretty soon the mist comes a little lower, and before you know it the buildings are in the clouds, suddenly so tall that they’re disappearing, and I always want to run up to one of the rooftops so that I can be surrounded by nothing but white, white sky. Days like these remind me of my first winter in Tokyo.

I remember one of the Japan guidebooks said that while the Higashi (East) Shinjuku is grimy, seedy, and fascinating, Nishi (West) Shinjuku is kind of boring. . .I guess the reason being that the West side is a business district without a lot of flavor once you get past the novelty of massive skyscrapers. But to me, the West side was what I expected Tokyo to be before I got here. I thought it would be one massive maze of huge buildings, shining bright in the rain and even brighter in the sun, millions of people in suits flowing in and out of them. When most of Tokyo turned out to be not quite like that, there was good and bad in the disillusioning.

Anyway, these are the Tokyo Metropolitan Buildings. This picture doesn't do justice to their height (I need a deeper lens). Inside, there’s a pretty nice lookout floor, almost as good a panoramic view as the one from Tokyo Tower. And a cafeteria.






And just across the street, the wet streets of West Shinjuku.



A rainy day in Shinjuku always takes me back. . .it feels the same every time.