above and beyond

above and beyond

For hanami 花見, it's common to lay down a tarpaulin to reserve a place for viewing and picnicking, with some people camping in advance to secure the best spots for themselves or businesses.

Even with the crowds the atmosphere of the park was always relaxed. Maybe this is something that can only exist in Japan, and maybe saying as much is cliché, but it's hard to imagine anywhere else.

solar

solar

Nearby, the recently restored Ueno Tōshō-gū 上野東照宮, shining at the end of an army of lanterns.

temporal

temporal

Slightly to the north where food vendors crowd the arbors along paths and gates, the Kan'ei-ji five storey pagoda 旧寛永寺五重塔, almost four hundred years old, casts your eyes to the sky.

From afar, a time traveller would see the pagoda like a beacon on the landscape, fixed and unchanging as the metropolis exploded.