Day three
With no set goal today, I just started wandering the neighborhoods in the area of my hotel.
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f487be2a86923bc672cb3d-720.jpg)
Japan's zoning laws <a href="http://urbankchoze.blogspot.jp/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html">are pretty cool</a>. Explained very basic: they can only zone upwards and "higher" zones will always include all zones below. E.g. Low density > High Density > Commercial > Industrial. Basically the thing zoned is nuisance level. This makes for very interesting neighborhoods.
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f487d82a86923bc672cb41-720.jpg)
As space is scarce in Tokyo, every nook and cranny is used for something. For example the two shops under the train tracks.
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f487e72a86923bc672cb44-720.jpg)
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f487eb2a86923bc672cb47-720.jpg)
Just a stone's throw away from one of the highest structures in the world (The Tokyo SKYTREE) lies a calm residential neighborhood. You can see the SKYTREE structure in the background.
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f487fc2a86923bc672cb4b-720.jpg)
It's customary for new residents of a building to tear it down and replace it with their own (new) built home. This makes for a great mix of building ages.
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f488092a86923bc672cb4e-720.jpg)
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f4880f2a86923bc672cb50-720.jpg)
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f488182a86923bc672cb54-720.jpg)
Over time the number of passengers increased and the trains became longer and longer. Now they almost don't fit the station building anymore.
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f488212a86923bc672cb57-720.jpg)
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f4882a2a86923bc672cb5b-720.jpg)
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f488362a86923bc672cb5f-720.jpg)
![](https://cdn.matsimitsu.dev/trips/japan-2015/day-three/59f4883e2a86923bc672cb62-720.jpg)