Tokyo is a city with a soundscape like no other — it seems everything here with an electrical circuit can sing a
song. This is the largest urban area on Earth, and silence is as scarce a commodity as space, so do like the locals
do and seek out green and serene spots to savour the silenceTokyo
A quiet guide to Earth’s biggest city
YOYOGI PARK
The green expanse of Yoyogi Park is all
the more remarkable when you consider
its location in Tokyo: there’s hedonistic
Shinjuku to the north, Shibuya Crossing
to the south, and the teenage hangout of
Takeshita Street to the east. The setting
for the 1964 Olympics, today Yoyogi is the
principal playground for citizens of central
Tokyo. Crowds descend at the weekends
for picnics, frisbee and cosplay gatherings.
Arrive early on a weekday for maximum
serenity, to see locals practicing tai chi and
yoga on its rambling lawns.MEIJI JINGU
To the north of Yoyogi Park is the shrine of
Meiji Jingu, dedicated to the eponymous
emperor who transformed Japan into a
modern, industrial nation in the 19th century.
One of the main Shinto shrines in the capital,
it’s entered through giant torii gates, which
symbolise the threshold between the mortal
and spiritual worlds. Walking through the
surrounding gardens is also like crossing
into another realm; its meandering woodlandtrails, at the very heart of the city, are quiet
enough in places to allow visitors to hear the
sound of a falling leaf. meijijingu.or.jpHAPPO-EN GARDEN
This tiny pocket of greenery was once the
private garden of a Japanese nobleman,
enduring as a serene and green sanctuary
for three centuries as a megacity erupted
around it. Today, it’s connected to a modern
conference centre and is a popular haunt
for wedding photographers, but it remains a
great place to get to grips with the Japanese
formal garden tradition. Branches of maple
and cherry trees lean out over a little pond,
with teahouses perched on the shore. The
garden occupies a sunken hollow, so the
sounds of the city are muted; instead, you can
hear churning waterfalls and the ripple of koi
in the ponds — and the occasional click of
wedding a photographer’s camera. Try a green
tea experience here, from £8. happo-en.comINOKASHIRA PARK
Inokashira Park was first opened in 1917 — a
gift from Emperor Taishō to his subjects.Today, it’s western Tokyo’s primary green
lung, huddled around a long, thin lake. A
shrine to the goddess Benzaiten is set on a
little island — legend has it that if a couple
hires a swan pedalo for a trip around the
lake, they’ll soon break up, as the deity is
notoriously jealous. Visitors can also wander
beneath the cherry trees lining the shore.YANAKA CEMETERY
The Yanaka district is a vestige of bygone
Tokyo, an unscathed survivor of the 1923
earthquake and Second World War bombing
that destroyed so much of the city. Catch
an echo of Tokyo’s Edo era among its
narrow alleyways, especially when lanterns
illuminate at dusk. Amble among its temples
and shrines, and pass fishmongers and
butchers, teahouses and stands serving
sizzling octopus tentacles. Its quietest corner
is probably Yanaka Cemetery — famous for
its resident cats — where tombstones rise
against a backdrop of skyscrapers and all is
quiet but for the ding of cyclists’ bells. OSKawaakari
Translated, it means ‘the last
light reflected on the
river at dusk’Inokashira Park, which was
a gift from the Japanese
emperor to his subjectsIMAGE: GETTY For more information, visit gotokyo.org
May/Jun 2020 65JAPAN