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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Tokyo Thursday, Like Any Other Day

I went to Yoga in Setagaya-ku today. It seemed like any other day. The sidewalks were filled with pedestrians and the train stations we crowded with people.


I asked a policeman how the mood of the town was. He smiled and said, "Fine."


Life goes on in Tokyo; people are out, the shopping centers are full, few shops are closed.


To see how an American icon in Japan was faring, I went to the local McDonald's. I asked the clerk if they had closed during the crisis. She said, "No!" It was 2:44 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011. It was way past lunch time and still the McDonald's was full and there were no empty tables. Four people were waiting in line so I took a few photos and left.


When McDonald's says "Open 24 hours" they mean it.

Way past lunchtime and still 4 people waiting to order.

Every table has someone sitting at it.

Of course the smoking room is packed.

View from the front.

Shortly after leaving the McDonald's, I saw some first graders walking home from school. You can see the cars lined up for the signal to change and the policeman on his bike waiting to cross the street.




Just another typical day in Tokyo.
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3 comments:

  1. Guy JeanMarch 17, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    My relative in Tokyo says basic foods and bottled water are in short supply in shops and convenience stores in the centre of the city, but there's lots of food in the restaurants!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andy "In Japan"March 17, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    On St. Patty's Day even Japanese eyes are smiling. Look at 'em going out to one our Irish restaurants, McDonalds. Oh Danny Boy, the pipes the pipes....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rob CondeMarch 18, 2011 at 3:16 AM

    Good to see that the people of Japan are heeding the advice of the government (and Mike too) and remaining calm and going about their daily business as usual. No need to panic. Well, not yet anyway.

    ReplyDelete

Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."