Brussels: July 29-31, 2016 (off off Tokyo)

Brussels had a series of shocks this year.

In March, it had a serious terrorist attack. In June, the "EU capital" city was politically shaken with the UK’s decision to leave EU, known as “Brexit”.

I visited the city for the first time in seven years. I found various changes.

They introduced stricter security -check measures the attack. I found soldiers and policemen in many places, including at the South Station and in the airport building. It was not often seen before the terrorist attack.

At the airport, we cannot access by cars to the entrance of the departure floor. I needed to carry my travel bags from the parking space through concrete block walls to the check-in floor.

I visited Molenbeek-St.-Jean district, where members of terrorist attacks in Brussels in 2016 and in Paris in 2015 had stayed.

The Schuman district hosts many European Union institutes including the headquarters of European Commission. There are 28 flag polls in front of the building. I wondered when it would become 27, instead of 28, with the UK's leave from the EU (see the top photo).

The Grand Palace was elegant as usual. The place was full of tourists. Some of they were sitting on the ground made of stones. Some were lying themselves down on the ground and using their smart phones. (see also the 2nd photo from the top)

Other attractive places include:

Manneken Pis

The Magritte Museum

Art Nouveau buildings

Brussels as well as Belgium is famous for its cartoon culture. There are various cartoons painted in the walls of the buildings.

Like other major cities in Europe, Brussels introduced pubic bicycle sharing scheme. I happened to see an officer moving the bikes from a station to others.

There are many restaurants of the mussel and other Belgium sea foods. I enjoyed it at a restaurant near Grand Place.

London (after Brexit): July 27-29, 2016 (off Off Tokyo)

I visited London for the first time in seven years. It was about a month after the referendum which supported to leave EU, known as Brexit.

The metropolis looked as it had been. The towns were crowded and busy. The streets were full of foreign tourists. The river Themes was full of tourist boast.

The hotels raised the EU flag with other nations’ flags. The Financial Times raised the EU flag, not the UK flag, with the company’s flag.

People enjoy the summer evening in the Primrose hills. (see the second photo from the top)

There were some changes behind. The business persons I met worried about the negative impacts of the Brexit in the future. They also made complaints about additional tasks they have to do because of Brexit.

The bookshops displayed various kinds of European books, including a book titled “EU Obituary".

There were more bicycles than several years ago. There is a bicycle lane in the Victoria Embankment, which runs along the Thames River. I found many cyclists enjoy cycling there.

The cyclists were waiting a green signal in front of the Big Ben (see the top photo).

I also found bicycle lanes in the Bloomsbury, near the British Museum and University College London.

There are many bike-share stations in the towns.

The number of joggers are also increasing. Some business persons were running to with their business suits in their backpacks to their homes.

The East end of London used to be a rough are. The 2012 London Olympic Games were hosted there and the area was redeveloped.

The Olympic site has turned to a memorial park. Kids were playing in the summer wind.

A shopping center opened around the the Stratford station. There were various shops along the road to the park. 

I felt the towns were full of energy. The residents include many Asian, Arabic and African immigrants and there are many children.

Last summer of old Baji Park: July 10, 2016

Baji Park (Equestrian Park) is a place I often visit. It was open in 1940 and used for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 for equestrian competitions.

The park has many green-rich places in addition to hippodromes and equestrian fields.

They have ponds.

Flower gardens.

Picnic places.

The park will be again used in the Olympic Games in 2020 and the renovation works will begin soon. Consequently, it will be temporally closed.

This is the last summer for the old park.

The competition fields will be scrapped and new ones will be built.

The buildings will also be redeveloped.

The gardens and open spaces will be also renewed.

Some forests are expected to be preserved, but how?

There is a open space in front of the park. 

Families were enjoying the summer day.

New Shinjuku: June 5, 2016

Shinjuku is the largest shopping center in Japan and is changing every day.

The southern part of the JR station was renovated this spring. A new bus terminal and related facilities were open. 

New walkways were built, which made it easier to move from the station to the shopping centers in the southern areas.

The new bus terminal building is called “Busta Shinjuku”. About 800 buses leave here to many cities throughout the nation every day. The information boards, ticket vending machines and other facilities are new.

They also have tourist information center in the building.

There are sitting spaced in the roof terrace. 

The trains run below. The scene was impressive.

Kanazawa: May 28-29, 2016

I visited Kanazawa, a historical city of Hokuriku area, which faces the Sea of Japan. 

The city had been felt far away from Tokyo before the operation of the Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) last year. Now, it is felt nearer.

It took only two hour and half to arrive in Kanazawa from Tokyo. The bullet train went through seven prefectures – Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Niigata, Toyama and Ishikawa – before stopping at Kanazawa station. 

The scenes of the Northern Alps from Kurobe area in Toyama Prefecture was especially impressive.

Kanazawa was the home town of Maeda family, the largest daimyo (feudal load) except Tokugawa shogun family, in the Edo era. Local culture flourished.

Historical areas remain in the city.

The site of Kanazawa Castle was once used as a campus of Kanazawa University. Now, it is a park. Several castle buildings have been rebuilt.

Kenroku-en is a Japanese garden which locates next to Kanazawa Castle. Is was developed by the Mada Family in the 17^th century. The garden is counted as one of the three great gardens in Japan. (see the 2nd photo from the top)

There were many Japanese and foreign tourists there. They enjoyed the scene.

Among the local cultural activities flourished in Kanazawa, noh is especially famous. I visited a nho museum in the center of the city. Various kinds of masks as well as costumes were displayed. I saw foreign tourists enjoying nho experience -- wore masks and costumes and took some steps – assisted by the guides. (see the 3rd photo from the top)

I also had the opportunity to have a lecture of noh from a master. It was interesting.

Some samurai houses are reserved. 

The houses of ashigaru (lower-rank samurai) is as large as the houses used today.

The house of upper-rank samurai has a beautiful garden.

Kanazawa has many artificial waterways. The water was affluent and beautiful. (see the top photo)

The city is trying to encourage cultural activities in various fields. One of them is music. I enjoyed jazz played by boys and girls in a park near Kanazawa Castle.

Kanazawa has a sister city relations with Belgium’s Gent and the Belgium Beer Weekend Festival was held there.

The JR station was renewed recently. The design is drastic.

I also visited Uchinada Town in the suburb of Kanazawa. There is a big sand hill in the seashore.

The place was used as an exercise field of the U.S. military in the early 1950s, when the Korean War occurred. There arose a big resistance move of the local people. It is recorded as one of important social moves in Japanese history.

I found no signs of the exercise or of the struggle. There flow a hung glider over the shore.

The container yards occupied large parts of the Kanazawa port. The lumbers from the Soviet Union (not Russia) were piled here decades ago, according to a local driver, who carried the lumbers to Shizuoka prefecture in his truck.