Ethnography, Parts I & II

Hello again! This time I'll be posting about my observances of Yoyogi Park. I went Monday, June 1, and today (Tuesday, June 2). Both times I sat by a field of clovers on a park bench that provided a good view of the surrounding areas, and I sat on the bench from around 3-4 pm. On Monday, I did not take notes, but rather just observed. It was quite a relaxing experience. Anyhow, the weather was not bad, but there were some light sunshowers (my favorite kind of precipitation). Numerous people passed through on the path in front of me, but I mostly concentrated on the people who remained in the area for the whole time/most of the time I was there. I noticed those who weren't passing through tended to stay in the same area for the duration of their time, claiming there own little spaces in a way. I was mostly interested in the area to my left, where a few homeless men slept underneath a line of trees. Meanwhile, two children played by the men while their grandmother sat nearby. I felt a little bit like Humbert Humbert watching children at play, but I suppose that's neither here nor there. The children didn't really pay any heed to the homeless men. The men mostly slept the whole time, but one of them did get up briefly to look through the trash (he didn't take anything, though). Anyway, there was a lot going on besides this, and my general observation was that the demographics were very mixed -- young/old, natives/tourists, impoverished/privileged, that sort of thing.

So, on to the next day! As per the assignment, this time I took notes detailing my observations. They're a little cursory, but I'll try to transcribe them verbatim nonetheless (for authenticity and what have you):

Time: 3:15-4:15
Location: Yoyogi Park, by clover fields
Weather: Clear, very sunny - temperature is lovely (not that humid -- a miracle!), light breeze.

The park is somewhat more crowded today (probably because of the weather). My bench is occupied by a salaryman reading, so I moved slightly to a picnic table with a similar view. Homeless are here again, sleeping. There are 5 today; 4 sleep by trees lining the path, each under a different tree. Another sleeps farther away out in the open. The general set-up of their "homes" is the same -- sleeping on tarp mats surrounded by duffle bags. Shoes are outside by sides of tarp. There are more lackadaisical youth here today as one might expect. By homeless, a guy is playing guitar while a high school girl wearing skirt and leggings and carrying shopping bags sends text messages. Another guy is sitting on picnic table with guitar but not playing. He sits with a young mother. They aren't talking much. They leave now.

On the bench in front of me are two young people (one is male, the other androgynous). On the same bench sits a businessman, so perhaps because of his presence they are not talking. He leaves shortly after I get there. A women (in her 50's, wearing floppy hat, T-shirt, blazer, slacks, and big bag) approaches and starts talking to them. Two of her friends are nearby; one is dressed very similarly to her, the other is wearing striped sweater with backpack. The young people reply -- okay, the androgynous one is a guy. By the way, he's dressed like Diane Keaton in Annie Hall -- fedora, vest over white shirt:



His friend is wearing polo shirt, khakis, and boots. They're talking with the old ladies, but I can't really hear -- something about butts, I think. Ah -- my bench is free again -- I reclaim it. I'm closer to them now. Anyway, the ladies and Keaton are doing some stretches now for some reason, while khakis guy takes pictures with cell phone. Very weird. Toy dog suddenly runs over and they pet it, but master quickly comes over and takes dog away. Ladies and Keaton are posing for a picture now; one of the women puts her arms over him without actually touching him while the third women is doing some kind of weird movement with her arms. What on earth? Guy has a mildly entertained expression. They mention Kansai (wish I could hear them better/knew more Japanese).

Over to homeless -- a teenage boy and girl are pitching/catching a baseball by the men. Neither group pay seach other heed. Across the street a little boy and girl are playing with bushes (they're sort of smacking them). I think the kids are part of a nearby picnic (all women).

Back to scene next to me. The ladies are rolling their heads (like a theater warm-up) with khakis guy now. They start taking pictures again from a different angle (their backs are towards me) and with khakis guy now, but doing the same weird pose/movements. Even after Keaton is done taking pictures, they keep doing the movements. A gust of wind comes through, and one of the ladies starts flapping her arms like a bird. Now they're stretching again. More pictures.

3:45
The guys sit down and light up cigarettes; they hold the cigarettes by their knees and stay still while one of the ladies leans over them; they look like statues. At 3:46, ladies leave. Boys stay on bench, look at pictures on cell phone. They are laughing. The ladies move over behind me to the picnic table I was at before; it's now occupied by a girl wearing a red & white striped shirt, red baseball hat, overalls, and two big round spots of rouge on her cheeks (she looks like either a rag doll or a clown, I can't decide), and her friend who is wearing a striped shirt and jeans. They do the same poses and talk to the girls. They ask some questions - rag doll girl keeps saying "hai" quite loudly. They leave, bowing (arigatou gozaimashita). They start walking down the path away from the field and out of sight.Boys are done looking at pictures now -- they start imitating the ladies and laugh. One of them comments that it was omoshiroi. Couple playing baseball leaves.

Girl with striped shirt gets up and leaves, walks towards wooded area; rag doll stays.

4:00
Picnic with small children is still going on, guys still on bench talking, girls still at picnic table, homeless still asleep. In a new development, there is a small group behind me at another picnic bench:P three college-aged people (two male, one female) practice lines in a play while middle-aged man and women watch (the directors, perhaps?). The older woman gets up and demonstrates some kind of jumping movement for the guy.

Khakis guy gets up off the bench, walks two feet or so, and crouches down. He's watching a woman doing martial arts in the distance, I think; Keaton is still on the bench. Khakis goes back to bench. Girl with striped shirt returns. She hands something to her friend who gets up and heads over in the direction from whence the other girl just came. Meanwhile her friend starts to text and smoke. A couple in their 20's sits down at another picnic table; they have a picnic, man smokes.

One of the homeless men wakes, puts on his shoes. He walks over towards the bathroom; no one really looks at him (at one point the police had also come through on their bikes, but just ignored them). Rag doll returns and starts texting too.