Big city streets

We live in one of Tokyo's major central districts: Ikebukuro. 
I've just explained to Lia, who's looking over my shoulder, that "central district" is something like a downtown, and that Tokyo has many, many of them.
Anyway.  As a central district, with multiple universities and colleges, lots of nightlife, the world's two largest department stores, and many other stores, hundreds of restaurants, and so on, you can imagine that there are some pretty interesting characters around.  Since we live on the west side of the main train station, and the kids' school is on the east side, we walk through the district everyday.  Here's some of what we've been noticing, some things happy, others less so, but all interesting.
I've been enjoying the steady stream of high school and university students dressed in black and white, carrying instruments on their back as they head to classes at the Tokyo College of Music (Ondai).  I'm looking forward to heading over there to see what kinds of concerts and performances we could listen to.
Less happy: we walk thru an underpass, which always has several homeless people sleeping on cardboard boxes, morning and afternoon.  Lia and Evan were talking this morning about how guilty they feel, having so much and seeing others who have so little.  I agreed with them, of course, and I think we'll have to look to see if we can't do some sharing with groups that help them, while we live there.
On the alarming side: A drunk man from the neighborhood, and a "macho" dad from the kids' school ended up in a shoving match this afternoon, as parents gathered to walk their kids home.  The drunk was muttering about people crowding the sidewalks, and the feisty father got into his face.  Sigh.  Mothers and teachers got the kids all inside while others tried to get the two of them to stop it.  Much discussion from me about big cities, and characters, and the evils of alcohol....
Amusing: a woman pulled us aside on the way home to offer the kids' Japanese classes, to offer me a job teaching English, to offer to sell us English novels... my! and to guess that the kids' father is Japanese (after looking at me, and listening to me answer her in Japanese).  Reminded me of all the silly conversations that I've had and will have, once Steve comes to visit and people encounter us, and have me talk to them in Japanese while he stands by grinning quietly.
Just plain friendly: In Shiinamachi, which is our neighborhood shopping district, and apparently known historically for being home to many important artists and writers, we made one acquaintance yesterday, while buying fruit.  After I chatted with the storekeeper a bit, she switched to English and asked where I'm from - perfect accent, she graduated from U of Oregon.  She was very friendly, and then today, I saw a scooter with an Oregon license plate on it, which made me think that she might also live quite near.