"Yurakucho 2-chome & Marunouchi 3-chome"

A few Yurakucho videos, including some that are near Yurakucho Station and considered to be part of Yurakucho, but are actually in Marunouchi (strictly going by the address). The major JR stations tend to become district names, which is fine, but what is confusing is that they are generally first named after a place name, so you end up with overlapping meanings - partly meaning the actual address and partly meaning a loosly defined area around stations that denotes a district.

"Yamanote Line Leaving Yurakucho Station" (100108-1630)

4:30 p.m. Yamanote Line train leaving Yurakucho Station, bound for Tokyo and Ueno stations.

有楽町駅の山手線が出発 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 4:30 p.m.)

"Walking Towards Ginza from Yurakucho" (100108-1635)

Walking through Yurakucho 2-chome on the way to Ginza at around 4:30 p.m. in early January. Notice how dark it is already (Tokyo is in the wrong time zone).

有楽町駅から銀座へ向かう 有楽町二丁目 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 4:35 p.m.)

"Lights Still Up on January 8th, 2010" (100108_1848)

Looking down a street in Yurakucho 2-chome at lighting still up from the Christmas/New Year's holiday. Possibly due to the low electricity costs of new LED lighting, several places in Tokyo have left lighting like this up for longer than used to be the case (I think... it could be that I've forgotten how long they left lighting up in past years, but I don't think it was this long...).

有楽町駅の近く 有楽町二丁目 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 6:48 p.m.)

"6:49 p.m. - People Yurakucho Station Bound" (100108-1849)

First looking down the street that runs between Marunouchi 3-chome and Yurakucho 2-chome, and then down a cross street (that runs parallel with the Yamanote Line tracks) towards Yurakucho Station, as people head for home after getting off work.

仕事が終わって、駅に向かう人々 丸の内三丁目と有楽町二丁目の道路と有楽町駅向かう道 有楽町駅の近く 有楽町二丁目 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 6:49 p.m.)

"Tilted World - Banzai Gravity!" (100108-1903)

View of street running between the elevated tracks on the left and Kokusai Forum on the right. (Interesting how people stay glued to the surface of the planet even when it's got them at a tilt.) A train goes by... a woman answers her cell phone... somehow night seems to be the natural state for Tokyo.

Without looking at a map, I think most people would consider this to be part of Yurakucho, and indeed the nearest JR station is Yurakucho, but the address is actually Marunouchi 2-chome.

地球が曲がっても、堕ちない 有楽町駅の近く 丸の内三丁目 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 7:03 p.m.)

"Marunouchi 3-chome Cooking Smoke Under Tracks" (100108-1905)

Seamless with the Yurakucho drinking area around and under the tracks, the proper address for this video is Marunouchi 3-chome, although I suspect this is like "Shinjuku" Southern Terrace, which is near the south entrance/exit of Shinjuku Station, but is (address wise) actually in Shibuya.

From the middle of the video where I walk down the narrow path beneath the tracks, the arched part is under the Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku, Tokaido etc. lines, and where the roof suddenly is very high is under the much newer (relatively speaking - completed in 1964) Shinkansen tracks.

The smoke that fills the arched passageway is from grilling chicken (and other things) - yakitori.

丸の内三丁目のガードの下の居酒屋 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 7:05 p.m.)

"Yurakucho Kokusai Forum Entrance at Night - January 2010" (100108-1910)

Entering the open area between two buildings of the Kokusai Forum complex. Being right next to several main railway lines, they put up a long narrow building shaped something like a boat next to the tracks, and the concert hall spaces are on the other side of the empty space between the boat-shaped building and concert hall spaces. In this way, the noise from the railways is blocked by the boat-shaped building.

Like the nearby under-the-tracks izakaya, this is also thought of as being in Yurakucho, although the address is Marunouchi 3-chome. Yurakucho Station is right on the very corner of Yurakucho, so the street between the station and Kokusai Forum is the dividing line between Marunouchi and Yurakucho.

国際フォーラム 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 7:10 p.m.)

"Yurakucho Station Framed by Seasonally Lit Kokusai Forum" (100108-1913)

Looking towards Yurakucho Station from the middle of the open plaza between the two Kokusai Forum buildings. (Vertical view)

国際フォーラム 有楽町駅の近く 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 7:13 p.m.)

"Yurakucho Bipedal Navigation" (100108-1914)

Walking out of Kokusai Forum in Marunouchi 3-chome, across the street, and into Yurakucho 2-chome.

People in LA are used to cars moving about everywhere all the time, and people in Tokyo are used to people walking about everywhere all the time. This video is a good example of how it feels to navigate pedestrian traffic in Tokyo.

有楽町の歩いている人々 有楽町駅 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 7:14 p.m.)

"Headed for Yurakucho SB - January 2010" (100108-1915)

Walking mainly against the flow of people, most of whom are going towards Yurakucho Station.

有楽町の人々 有楽町駅 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 7:15 p.m.)

Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon