Bright Lights, Big City

Here's a quick hop through the heart of Shinjuku at night - wild sensory overload in every direction. It is amazing this controlled chaos even functions, but somehow it does with Japanese efficiency. Pictures don't begin to convey the experience of it, where your first impulse is to look up, but of course if you do, expect to be plowed over by the teaming mass of humanity moving through the neon maze.

Like Times Square on steroids, the east side of Shinjuku has giant video screens on almost every block, crazy sounds, lights and music(?) blasting from pachinko palors, and people, seemingly talking to themselves, and thrusting ad-covered packages of tissues at passersby.

There are actually a few trees (see pic below with Pete -he is holding library books we checked out from the branch nearby, with a good selection of english language books). Also, watch for an upcoming episode on Shinjuku-gyoen - a peaceful expanse of green that somehow coexists with all this, just a few blocks away.