Like many transport hubs, Tokyo station is in constant motion - a nucleus centre of transport lifelines winding seamlessly through the spaces and filled with people who all seem to know exactly where to go.
The workers gotta work, the tourists gotta tourist and if you don't know your north from south (yet), you better get out of the way or at least head on purposefully to the information booths to find out.
Be prepared to pay attention and do some emergency sidestepping. And perhaps practice the art of gracefully maneuveuring your giant, awkward suitcase (with large soft bag on top) in all directions without running into people too often.
What's more is that practicality and convenience is designed to bleed seamlessly into retail. Before you know it, you're moving from a souvenir shop selling beautifully designed chopsticks to gigantic, brightly lit basements of fresh food and delicatessens and then detouring into a flower shop - all inside the one complex.
An excursion out to see M and S to the airport line a week earlier than our own departure turned into a half day of wandering and bookmarking souvenir shops to return to when we left a week later.
Oh man, there was a lot of food.
You'll have to forgive the not-so-brilliant phone camera photos, borne from not wanting the now familiar 1.5kg weight of my 5D on my shoulders.
Pro-tip: the green station lockers are magical and stored my large 75cm suitcase plus a second check-in bag and my shoulder bag. You cannot imagine the relief of not having to push around two giant suitcases in the place. Dump your luggage and go forth to explore.
(☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞ JAPAN 2013 MASTERPOST
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