When walking on the streets of Tokyo in October last year, I came across several public clocks.
Most had a dedicated tower housing them.
This one in the Ginza area was a public clock mounted on a wall.
However, like a humble local guide, it was doing its work - helping others without being asked.
The clock was ordinary. But the streets around it were extraordinary.
Especially compared to those in Pune where I live.
The streets of the Baner area in Pune are of international standards but those in Ginza are several notches better.
Here, for example, is a street corner, that looks exceptionally clean.
The boundaries are marked with a white band.
Here’s another photo of a street in Tokyo.
Water bottle vending machines are everywhere, and they accept coins, currency notes, and cards.
Note the manhole cover in the photo above.
They have interesting designs on them, and none repeats for several miles.
Here is a collage of such wonderful manhole covers.
Such interesting manhole covers are found on the streets of Pune in India as well.
I love them all and often click the photos.
Here’s another corner view that shows residential and commercial budlings are intermixed in Japan.
This is true of India as well.
Business parks and residential apartments are intertwined in Pune, where I live.
So, people can simply walk or take a bus or metro to reach the office.
On the way back home, they can also buy groceries or snacks from streetside vendors.
Finally, here’s another corner view of an ordinary street in Japan.
They have corner mirrors to alert oncoming vehicles before taking a turn.
Parking slots are limited but marked.
Above all, the cleanliness is impeccable.
Here’s the street view at night.
What looks silent and dull during the day comes alive at night, with virtually every shop having a small or big glow sign to attract customers.
Major streets like the Akihabara have high-rise buildings glowing with neon taking you into a Japanese wonderland.
As a daily walker, I am always curious to know how the streets and sidewalks are.
Unlike Pune, sidewalks and footpaths are non-existent in Japan.
But the most enjoyable part of walking on the streets of Tokyo is the cleanliness and quiet.
Here are my previous clock tower visits:
Jai Hind 
