Dazed and jetlagged, I look down at Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing. From my vantage point in the train station a couple of storeys up, I watch hundreds of pedestrians (it’s thought that up to 3,000 cross at once) rush over the world’s busiest intersection in a hasty ‘scramble’ that’s illuminated by the flashing neon lights above.
It’s unsurprising that I’m slightly overwhelmed. After a 14-hour flight and braving the city’s remarkably efficient, yet fast-paced and crowded subway system, I’m at the centre of one of the busiest cities in the world. It’s where 37 million people live and work (and many millions more visit as tourists), the beating heart of Japan’s economy, and home to a blur of anime, manga, Pokemon, pachinko parlours, vending machines and pet cafes.
