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« Monday in Tokyo
On to Kyoto »

A very big city

June 26, 2018 by Amy Welborn

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Tokyo, from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – a free alternative to seeing the city from above. It’s 45 floors up on a floor that has an almost 360 degree view, a gift shop and cafe.

As we were walking around taking in the views, I could sense a much older gentleman in a volunteer vest watching us. For several minutes, he didn’t take his eyes off us while we talked and took photos. At last he ventured forward and asked if we had any questions. No, not really. Even so, did we have a few minutes for him to point out some features? Ten – twenty – thirty? Well, if you insist – ten. Sure, we have ten minutes. I don’t know if the volunteers are observed in their work and have an interaction quota – but he did seem (politely) insistent.

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And it turns out – as these things always do – to be fruitful. I learned that a great deal of the land I was looking at had held nothing but a water filtration system until 1971, when the area began being developed. He showed us photos from his notebook, and it certainly was different. He pointed out the construction for the 2020 Olympics stadium and other sites. (In case you are wondering, it wasn’t rainy on Monday, but it was still far too hazy to see Mount Fuji)

And then he had a question for us.

He pointed to a building constructed of three towers in a row, staggered in height. He said that one housed the Tokyo Hyatt, and then flipped to a page in his book with photos of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – it was the locus of a lot of the filming of Lost in Translation of course. Then he said, “I have a question. Some people say that each of the towers represent either the past, present, or future. Which do you think is the future?” My oldest son answered, “The tallest.” I honestly didn’t care or have an opinion, but just said, “Sure. The tallest.” As did my younger son.

“Ah, just like Americans – always thinking the future is great in size. The right answer is – no one knows which tower represents the future, because no one knows the future!”

Well, that’s very Zen of you, Old Volunteer Guide Fellow. And also…true.

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Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Family, Family Travel, history, homeschooling, Japan 2018, Joseph Dubruiel, Michael Dubruiel, roadschooling, Travel, travel with kids, unschooling | Tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholicism, culture, family travel, history, Japan 2018, Michael Dubruiel, travel, travel with children, travel with kids |

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  • Today is the feast of St. Margaret Clitherow. Linked is a post on her, and attached are a couple of images -  from the entry on her from the Loyola Kids Book of Saints, and the others from her shrine in York, which I visited last summer: There is more than one kind of death, and there is more than one kind of tomb in which the dead parts of ourselves lie, dark and still. Jesus stands outside every one of those tombs. His power is stronger than the stone, stronger than any kind of death. He stands; he desires our freedom; and to each of us he calls, “Come out!   On Flannery O'Connor's 98th birthday, a post with photos of her home at @andalusiafarm  as well as links to much of what I've written about her over the years.  Images from the Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols, the Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories, and the new Loyola Kids Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations related to the #Annuncation.  From my 2020 Book of Grace-Filled Days. It's the Feast of the Annunciation - a few pages from my books related to the feast.  Most are published by @LoyolaPress. For more: Me on a certain element of John Wick 4. You can...probably guess which one.  Some thoughts on #solotravel and the #emptynest which of course turns into a Big Ol' Metaphor... "...as I get older, my position in this body seems to be shifting. Sitting in the front speaks of a life centered on quieting, teaching, forming and directing, of a time of life when molding and shaping other people is your job and actually seems possible.

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