One Saturday recently, there was a group handing out flyers related to the abduction of Japanese citizens by agents of the North Korean government, which according to Wikipedia happened between 1977 and 1983. One gentleman even had a pamphlet in English. He began talking to me in my native tongue, which was appealing, but I was distracted by a man in military uniform standing near us on a makeshift platform. He was giving an impassioned speech (subject unknown) and wore dark green fatigues with a red star stitched above the left breast, which made me uneasy. Isn’t that the symbol of some stridently communist nation or other? No one else seemed to care, but I was happy when the crossing light finally changed in favor of escape from his vicinity.
All the folks with views to impart locate themselves strategically to take full advantage of a captive audience – the throng congregating to wait for the “walk” signs at the main Shibuya intersection. This intersection, where 5 major roads meet, is purported to be the largest in the world in terms of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. To get people from one side to another, an “exclusive pedestrian phase” is used. This system is called a scramble or a Barnes Dance (after a guy named Barnes who first used it) because all traffic stops and people can cross in any direction – even diagonally – at once (see photo). The Japanese like the pedestrian scramble, which is used at more than 300 intersections across the country. I like it, too – it’s liberating to walk however you want through the middle of the world’s busiest intersection.
Experience has taught me how to negotiate Shibuya’s seriously crowded sidewalks, deftly passing dawdlers while avoiding collisions with oncomers. I’ve also learned that the sound of a bell means any sudden moves would be best avoided because a bicyclist (also on the sidewalk) is approaching from somewhere outside my field of vision. I’ve come to appreciate being in a place where crossing the street makes you feel like you’re at the center of the universe – part of a mass movement (literally) dedicated to shopping and dining. How could that not be fun?
