"Drifting Clouds" - Copyright 2011 by LHS
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 28, 2011
"Drifting Clouds" - (110419-1359)
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Night Bus, Hachioji, Ginza Exhibitions, Midnight Kokubunji, Takadanobaba, Etc."
More video clips, but first a comment on something I'm continually experiencing in these post 311 days.
"What did you think of the earthquake?", followed by "Are you leaving Japan?" is something I've been asked by far too many people. Apparently there's been a lot of writing and talking in the media about how foreigners have fled the northern part of Japan post 311, combined with low coverage of the locals who have fled south to Osaka, etc., so when people see a non-native face, they seem to feel the urge to ask "So - what's your story? Why are you still here?", but since that would be rude, they (with unnerving regularity and uniformity) give me the one-two punch of, 1) "What did you think of the earthquake?", followed by 2) "Are you leaving Japan?" I've been answering as though those are normal questions, but I think I was asked them one too many times yesterday, so the next time someone asks me "What did you think of the earthquake?", I think I'll try jumping right to the heart of the matter by saying, "Well - that wasn't exactly fun, was it? What do you think of Fukushima?"
Or not... I don't know. I'll see how it goes. Maybe people will stop asking me those two questions.
This batch of video clips begins with a bus ride at night to Hachioji Station, and then there are a couple of clips showing an exhibition by Matsumoto Tomoko (and the venue); a ride from Ogawa to Kodaira on a Seibu Line train; subway sounds on the Tozai Line; Nihonbashi to Kyobashi on the Ginza Line; a look at old tiles in the 1930's Meijiya Building; a quick listen to a midnight guitarist in Kokubunji; a look in a small park in Ginza 1-chome with its sakura trees in bloom; views of the Chuo Line; road scenes taken while waiting for a bus; Hachioji Station area; waiting for a Tozai Line train at Takadanobaba; walking down a side street in Ginza; two clips from art exhibitions; Yurakucho; Takadanobaba, and a few other things.
Night Bus Ride to Hachioji Station - (110420-1916)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhEjbeFgPA
Riding a bus through the night to Hachioji Station.
Matsumoto Tomoko (松本智子) Exhibition at Y's Arts (A) - (110419-1544)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3hxbnOvaYU
Matsumoto Tomoko (松本智子) Exhibition at Y's Arts (B) - (110419-1741)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5bpxnL1TDw
Matsumoto Tomoko (松本智子) exhibition at Y's Arts in Room 508. (B) This exhibition is from April 18-23, 2011. The two prints are from the artist's past - taken a few decades apart....
The artist's website is:
http://tomokomatsumoto.cho-chin.com/
Y's Arts website is:
http://www.ysarts.net/
Ogawa to Kodaira (Low-Energy Mode) - (110419-1247)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNHHwm_NWwc
Riding a Seibu Line train from Ogawa to Kodaira during post 311 low energy mode (note stopped escalators and lights off in train).
Arrival of Express Train at Kodaira Station - (110419-1255)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldn5C_dRFDw
Watching an express train arrive at Kodaira Station.
Subway Sounds (Tozai Line) - (110419-1341)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzqV2_EDpKU
Listening to subway sounds on the Tozai Line while looking out into the dark tunnel.
Nihonbashi to Kyobashi (Ginza Line) - (110419-1343)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMS5hRVqrDE
Looking around at Nihonbashi Station and then taking a Ginza Line train to Kyobashi Station.
1930s Meijiya Building Tiles - (110419-1349)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuYRH4G5ccM
A look at the wall tiles in the 1930s Meijiya Building.
Kokubunji Midnight Guitarist - (110419-2338)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EslaRpYWmc0
Listening to a street musician singing while playing the guitar in midnight Kokubunji.
Ginza 1-Chome Park - (110419-1419)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMamXyKo2GA
Looking at sakura trees in a park in Ginza 1-Chome.
Arriving at Takao via Chuo Line - (110420-1416)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hucFaivISTk
Arriving at Takao Station via a Chuo Line train.
Walking Along Old Type JR Train - (110420-1421)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohuJM95DHDk
Walking along an old type JR train - listening to the different noises it makes compared with newer types.
Somewhere Near Hachioji - (110420-1820)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcVOTCkYoDI
Looking around on a lonely road somewhere near Hachioji.
Waiting for a Bus Somewhere Near Hachioji - (110420-1910)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6CKkDY8OUs
Waiting for a bus (somewhere near Hachioji) one evening.
Night Road Shadows and Noises - (110420-1913)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v3v0XBfEnw
Watching shadows and listening to noises on a night road.
Elevated Plaza at Hachioji Station - Night View - (110420-1935)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjOBZg7kPus
Looking around at a new elevated plaza at Hachioji Station one windy evening.
Elevated Walkways at Hachioji Station - (110420-1939)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkAixHlsdhM
Walking/looking around on elevated walkways at Hachioji Station.
Walking up to Ticket Gates at Hachioji Station - (110420-1942)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_xiarJJsM
Walking up to the ticket gates at Hachioji Station at night.
Hachioji Station - Ticket Gates to Platform - (110420-1943)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDUIOeIKCTI
At Hachioji Station - walking from the ticket gates to the platform.
Inbound Chuo Line Train Arriving at Hachioji - (110420-1945)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqVYVIQMwbc
Watching an inbound Chuo Line train arriving at Hachioji.
Waiting for Tozai Line Train at Takadanobaba - (110426-1438)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4muadmqX2hM
Looking around on the platform while waiting for a Tozai Line Train at Takadanobaba Station.
Walking Down Ginza 1-Chome Side Street - (110426-1510)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reqkPpljWV0
Walking down a side street in Ginza, 1-Chome.
Cobra Chair - Kondo Masaki (近藤正樹) Y's Arts, Room-508 - (110426-1632)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuvX3pizEoM
Kondo Masaki (近藤正樹) at Y's Arts, Room-508, explaining his creation, the Cobra Chair.
Y's Arts website is:
http://www.ysarts.net/
Seino Yu (清野融) at Ono Gallery-2 (小野画廊-II) - (110426-1929)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD6PfWiv9to
Seino Yu (清野融) at Ono Gallery-2 (小野画廊-II), explaining part of his exhibition (in Japanese).
Ginza Chuo-Dori to Ginza Line - (110426-2018)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQNXZeZFdk
Walking from Chuo-Dori in Ginza to the Ginza Line.
Shinkansen Rolling Through Yurakucho Night - (110426-2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPzLLMERXAs
Watching an outbound Shinkansen train going by Yurakucho in the late evening.
Takadanobaba Plaza Evening - (110426-2045)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_8FBhyju68
Walking around in Takadanobaba Plaza late one evening....
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"What did you think of the earthquake?", followed by "Are you leaving Japan?" is something I've been asked by far too many people. Apparently there's been a lot of writing and talking in the media about how foreigners have fled the northern part of Japan post 311, combined with low coverage of the locals who have fled south to Osaka, etc., so when people see a non-native face, they seem to feel the urge to ask "So - what's your story? Why are you still here?", but since that would be rude, they (with unnerving regularity and uniformity) give me the one-two punch of, 1) "What did you think of the earthquake?", followed by 2) "Are you leaving Japan?" I've been answering as though those are normal questions, but I think I was asked them one too many times yesterday, so the next time someone asks me "What did you think of the earthquake?", I think I'll try jumping right to the heart of the matter by saying, "Well - that wasn't exactly fun, was it? What do you think of Fukushima?"
Or not... I don't know. I'll see how it goes. Maybe people will stop asking me those two questions.
This batch of video clips begins with a bus ride at night to Hachioji Station, and then there are a couple of clips showing an exhibition by Matsumoto Tomoko (and the venue); a ride from Ogawa to Kodaira on a Seibu Line train; subway sounds on the Tozai Line; Nihonbashi to Kyobashi on the Ginza Line; a look at old tiles in the 1930's Meijiya Building; a quick listen to a midnight guitarist in Kokubunji; a look in a small park in Ginza 1-chome with its sakura trees in bloom; views of the Chuo Line; road scenes taken while waiting for a bus; Hachioji Station area; waiting for a Tozai Line train at Takadanobaba; walking down a side street in Ginza; two clips from art exhibitions; Yurakucho; Takadanobaba, and a few other things.
Night Bus Ride to Hachioji Station - (110420-1916)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhEjbeFgPA
Riding a bus through the night to Hachioji Station.
Matsumoto Tomoko (松本智子) Exhibition at Y's Arts (A) - (110419-1544)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3hxbnOvaYU
Matsumoto Tomoko (松本智子) Exhibition at Y's Arts (B) - (110419-1741)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5bpxnL1TDw
Matsumoto Tomoko (松本智子) exhibition at Y's Arts in Room 508. (B) This exhibition is from April 18-23, 2011. The two prints are from the artist's past - taken a few decades apart....
The artist's website is:
http://tomokomatsumoto.cho-chin.com/
Y's Arts website is:
http://www.ysarts.net/
Ogawa to Kodaira (Low-Energy Mode) - (110419-1247)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNHHwm_NWwc
Riding a Seibu Line train from Ogawa to Kodaira during post 311 low energy mode (note stopped escalators and lights off in train).
Arrival of Express Train at Kodaira Station - (110419-1255)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldn5C_dRFDw
Watching an express train arrive at Kodaira Station.
Subway Sounds (Tozai Line) - (110419-1341)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzqV2_EDpKU
Listening to subway sounds on the Tozai Line while looking out into the dark tunnel.
Nihonbashi to Kyobashi (Ginza Line) - (110419-1343)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMS5hRVqrDE
Looking around at Nihonbashi Station and then taking a Ginza Line train to Kyobashi Station.
1930s Meijiya Building Tiles - (110419-1349)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuYRH4G5ccM
A look at the wall tiles in the 1930s Meijiya Building.
Kokubunji Midnight Guitarist - (110419-2338)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EslaRpYWmc0
Listening to a street musician singing while playing the guitar in midnight Kokubunji.
Ginza 1-Chome Park - (110419-1419)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMamXyKo2GA
Looking at sakura trees in a park in Ginza 1-Chome.
Arriving at Takao via Chuo Line - (110420-1416)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hucFaivISTk
Arriving at Takao Station via a Chuo Line train.
Walking Along Old Type JR Train - (110420-1421)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohuJM95DHDk
Walking along an old type JR train - listening to the different noises it makes compared with newer types.
Somewhere Near Hachioji - (110420-1820)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcVOTCkYoDI
Looking around on a lonely road somewhere near Hachioji.
Waiting for a Bus Somewhere Near Hachioji - (110420-1910)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6CKkDY8OUs
Waiting for a bus (somewhere near Hachioji) one evening.
Night Road Shadows and Noises - (110420-1913)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v3v0XBfEnw
Watching shadows and listening to noises on a night road.
Elevated Plaza at Hachioji Station - Night View - (110420-1935)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjOBZg7kPus
Looking around at a new elevated plaza at Hachioji Station one windy evening.
Elevated Walkways at Hachioji Station - (110420-1939)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkAixHlsdhM
Walking/looking around on elevated walkways at Hachioji Station.
Walking up to Ticket Gates at Hachioji Station - (110420-1942)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_xiarJJsM
Walking up to the ticket gates at Hachioji Station at night.
Hachioji Station - Ticket Gates to Platform - (110420-1943)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDUIOeIKCTI
At Hachioji Station - walking from the ticket gates to the platform.
Inbound Chuo Line Train Arriving at Hachioji - (110420-1945)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqVYVIQMwbc
Watching an inbound Chuo Line train arriving at Hachioji.
Waiting for Tozai Line Train at Takadanobaba - (110426-1438)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4muadmqX2hM
Looking around on the platform while waiting for a Tozai Line Train at Takadanobaba Station.
Walking Down Ginza 1-Chome Side Street - (110426-1510)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reqkPpljWV0
Walking down a side street in Ginza, 1-Chome.
Cobra Chair - Kondo Masaki (近藤正樹) Y's Arts, Room-508 - (110426-1632)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuvX3pizEoM
Kondo Masaki (近藤正樹) at Y's Arts, Room-508, explaining his creation, the Cobra Chair.
Y's Arts website is:
http://www.ysarts.net/
Seino Yu (清野融) at Ono Gallery-2 (小野画廊-II) - (110426-1929)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD6PfWiv9to
Seino Yu (清野融) at Ono Gallery-2 (小野画廊-II), explaining part of his exhibition (in Japanese).
Ginza Chuo-Dori to Ginza Line - (110426-2018)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQNXZeZFdk
Walking from Chuo-Dori in Ginza to the Ginza Line.
Shinkansen Rolling Through Yurakucho Night - (110426-2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPzLLMERXAs
Watching an outbound Shinkansen train going by Yurakucho in the late evening.
Takadanobaba Plaza Evening - (110426-2045)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_8FBhyju68
Walking around in Takadanobaba Plaza late one evening....
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
"Spring Has Arrived" - (110408)
"Spring Has Arrived" Copyright 2011 by LHS
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Gotanda, Sakura Trees in Nihonbashi, Akasaka, and Yotsuya, Etc."
Once the sakura tree blossoms come out, soon followed by green leaves, then you know that spring has arrived. The cold weather isn't quite past, but some days are pleasantly warm, and the days get warmer overall. I love spring, although early spring pollen allergies have taken a lot of the fun of the season away from me in recent years, and this 2011 spring of earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster in Japan isn't exactly the most conducive to optimism - still, you have to turn everything off even at the worst of times and just focus on the beauty of spring for at least one day out of the year....
This batch of video clips includes a trip to Gotanda, typical train views, and views of sakura trees. The most pleasant sakura tree experience I had this year was walking along the top of the Yotsuya rampart one fine afternoon with a very blue sky overhead and perfectly pleasant temperatures.
Shinjuku to Gotanda via Yamanote Line - (110412-1444)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNeGyQYTuYg
Riding the Yamanote Line from Shinjuku to Gotanda.
Gotanda Station - Dark Mode - (110412-1509)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY8zm6YcXqI
Looking around the area by and inside Gotanda Station during post 3/11 dark mode.
Gotanda Station - Platform Over Road View - (110412-1513)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twjll7WYb_s
Standing on the JR Yamanote Line platform at Gotanda Station, looking out over the main road that passes under the platform.
Gotanda to Yurakucho via Yamanote Line - Front View - (110412-1515)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs5CW657tQU
Riding in the front of a Yamanote Line train from Gotanda to Yurakucho.
Yurakucho Station - Platform and Exit - (110412-1532)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I00BR-lcF_k
From the platform to the Ginza-side exit at Yurakucho Station.
Moriya Kennichiro (森谷謙一郎) Installation in 306 and 303 - (110412-1714)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RK8o2S2DHM
A look at two parts of Moriya Kennichiro (森谷謙一郎)'s three-part installation in Room-306, Room-303 (Kobo), and in the basement under-stairs Kobo space.
Project-306
http://306project.web.fc2.com/
Kobo Gallery
http://www.spinn-aker.co.jp/kobo.htm
Walking Through Tokyo Station - (110412-1922)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7SyVhi8v9c
Walking through Tokyo Station in the evening rush in post 3/11 semi-dark mode.
Shinjuku Station - Upper Level - (110412-1942)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDv5MYJC1M
Walking through the upper level of Shinjuku Station in post 3/11 semi-dark mode.
Tokyo to Shinjuku via Nighttime Chuo Line - (110412-1925)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqLHHfNyqs0
Riding a Chuo Line train from Tokyo to Shinjuku in the evening.
Okuno Building Stroll - (110414-1713)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9qUIT_86n0
Exploring passageways in the Okuno Building.
Nihonbashi Sakura Trees-B - (110414-1605)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLKOMWNhWOk
Looking around on a sakura tree-lined street in Nihonbashi. (B)
Nihonbashi Sakura Trees-A - (110414-1600)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzKdpSvcLwQ
Looking around on a sakura tree-lined street in Nihonbashi. (A)
Moat Near Akasaka - (110414-1440)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PgFX1W5j3g
A look at a moat Near Akasaka.
Yotsuya to Ochanomizu - Afternoon Chuo Line - (110414-1542)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGY_cFJ9ffs
Riding an afternoon Chuo Line train from Yotsuya to Ochanomizu.
Ochanomizu to Tokyo - Afternoon Chuo Line - (110414-1548)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SdXbtTFPI
Riding an afternoon Chuo Line train from Ochanomizu Station to Tokyo Station.
Yotsuya Chuo Line Platform - (110414-1540)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snO4cO8wCwM
Looking around on the Yotsuya Chuo Line platform while waiting for a train.
Exiting Tokyo Station via Daimaru Department Store - (110414-1555)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFUCDr8rS7Q
Exiting Tokyo Station and walking through part of Daimaru department store on the way out.
Former Akasaka Prince Hotel Sakura Trees - (110414-1449)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RO9YsieOTs
Former Akasaka Prince Hotel sakura trees. Apparently this hotel was closed on March 31st, 2011 and is now being used as a refugee site after the March 11th earthquake.
Yotsuya Rampart Sakura Stroll - (110414-1506)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvthshNqoQA
Walking along the top of the old rampart at Yotsuya, checking out the sakura trees there on a nice day.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
This batch of video clips includes a trip to Gotanda, typical train views, and views of sakura trees. The most pleasant sakura tree experience I had this year was walking along the top of the Yotsuya rampart one fine afternoon with a very blue sky overhead and perfectly pleasant temperatures.
Shinjuku to Gotanda via Yamanote Line - (110412-1444)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNeGyQYTuYg
Riding the Yamanote Line from Shinjuku to Gotanda.
Gotanda Station - Dark Mode - (110412-1509)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY8zm6YcXqI
Looking around the area by and inside Gotanda Station during post 3/11 dark mode.
Gotanda Station - Platform Over Road View - (110412-1513)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twjll7WYb_s
Standing on the JR Yamanote Line platform at Gotanda Station, looking out over the main road that passes under the platform.
Gotanda to Yurakucho via Yamanote Line - Front View - (110412-1515)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs5CW657tQU
Riding in the front of a Yamanote Line train from Gotanda to Yurakucho.
Yurakucho Station - Platform and Exit - (110412-1532)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I00BR-lcF_k
From the platform to the Ginza-side exit at Yurakucho Station.
Moriya Kennichiro (森谷謙一郎) Installation in 306 and 303 - (110412-1714)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RK8o2S2DHM
A look at two parts of Moriya Kennichiro (森谷謙一郎)'s three-part installation in Room-306, Room-303 (Kobo), and in the basement under-stairs Kobo space.
Project-306
http://306project.web.fc2.com/
Kobo Gallery
http://www.spinn-aker.co.jp/kobo.htm
Walking Through Tokyo Station - (110412-1922)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7SyVhi8v9c
Walking through Tokyo Station in the evening rush in post 3/11 semi-dark mode.
Shinjuku Station - Upper Level - (110412-1942)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDv5MYJC1M
Walking through the upper level of Shinjuku Station in post 3/11 semi-dark mode.
Tokyo to Shinjuku via Nighttime Chuo Line - (110412-1925)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqLHHfNyqs0
Riding a Chuo Line train from Tokyo to Shinjuku in the evening.
Okuno Building Stroll - (110414-1713)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9qUIT_86n0
Exploring passageways in the Okuno Building.
Nihonbashi Sakura Trees-B - (110414-1605)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLKOMWNhWOk
Looking around on a sakura tree-lined street in Nihonbashi. (B)
Nihonbashi Sakura Trees-A - (110414-1600)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzKdpSvcLwQ
Looking around on a sakura tree-lined street in Nihonbashi. (A)
Moat Near Akasaka - (110414-1440)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PgFX1W5j3g
A look at a moat Near Akasaka.
Yotsuya to Ochanomizu - Afternoon Chuo Line - (110414-1542)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGY_cFJ9ffs
Riding an afternoon Chuo Line train from Yotsuya to Ochanomizu.
Ochanomizu to Tokyo - Afternoon Chuo Line - (110414-1548)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SdXbtTFPI
Riding an afternoon Chuo Line train from Ochanomizu Station to Tokyo Station.
Yotsuya Chuo Line Platform - (110414-1540)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snO4cO8wCwM
Looking around on the Yotsuya Chuo Line platform while waiting for a train.
Exiting Tokyo Station via Daimaru Department Store - (110414-1555)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFUCDr8rS7Q
Exiting Tokyo Station and walking through part of Daimaru department store on the way out.
Former Akasaka Prince Hotel Sakura Trees - (110414-1449)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RO9YsieOTs
Former Akasaka Prince Hotel sakura trees. Apparently this hotel was closed on March 31st, 2011 and is now being used as a refugee site after the March 11th earthquake.
Yotsuya Rampart Sakura Stroll - (110414-1506)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvthshNqoQA
Walking along the top of the old rampart at Yotsuya, checking out the sakura trees there on a nice day.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Sunday, April 17, 2011
"Early Morning Shinjuku" - (101224-0732)
"Early Morning Shinjuku" Copyright 2010 by LHS
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 15, 2011
"Takaoka (タカオカ) Shoe Store" - (110307-1626)
Takaoka (タカオカ) Shoe Store
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://ginzalyle.blogspot.com/
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
"Yurakucho, Sakura Blossoms, Hibiya Park Sakura, and 1991 Shinagawa and Ginza"
As people go about their daily lives a month since the March 11th, 2011 9.0 earthquake and tsunami disaster, the radiation leaking from the broken nuclear reactors at Fukushima has shifted slightly into the background of people's thinking, but it's a persistent dark cloud in people's consciousness nevertheless, and reading today that the government has expanded the exclusion zone around the broken reactors isn't exactly cause for optimism.
It affects daily actions in what is becoming a new routine, a new "normal": when it rains, you automatically assume that the rain is at least partly radioactive, and so always carry an umbrella to keep the contaminated rain(!) from coming in contact with your body. I would have taken some sakura pictures yesterday in a light rain, but decided not to in order to minimize exposure to radioactivity. Some will say that I have nothing to worry about, and they might even be right, but nevertheless, this way of thinking in Tokyo now is not unusual.
On to the videos - which are a mix of April 2011 Tokyo and 1991 Tokyo. The last two clips in this batch - one showing 1991 Shinagawa, and the other showing 1991 Ginza, may well be interesting to anyone wanting to see what typical street scenes in those areas looked like at that time. Anyone familiar with the current east exit (東口) of Shinagawa Station (品川駅) may be shocked at how radically different it was in 1991. I recorded the scene with my own two hands, and I was still shocked when I watched the video 20 years after taking it - I was thinking "What's that rustic station I entered the train system at?" and then rewound the tape to listen to the bus announcement saying the station name and discovered/remembered with a shock that it was Shinagawa Station! The west side of the station in 2011 looks much the same from the outside as in 1991, but the east side, which is in this video, is ultra-radically different!
The 2011 videos are of Yurakucho; a late-night view of Tachikawa Station; sakura trees in bloom at a temple; an empty (and long) escalator at Tokyo Station; a quick view of the construction on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station; and a few views in and near Hibiya Park, including of the sakura trees in the park. The park doesn't have a particularly large number of them, but the ones it does have look nice, and since it's less crowded due to there not being a lot of sakura trees there, it actually ends up being a better place to view them than the typical popular spots where there are long rows of sakura trees - unless you want to see the crowds more than you want to see the trees!
Walking Towards Yurakucho Station - (110408-1729)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grMHVXvZ0ow
Walking towards Yurakucho Station in the evening.
Yurakucho Plaza and Stealth Speaker Car - (110408-1745)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXOZjydJyug
Walking across Yurakucho Plaza and by a stealth speaker car painted as a taxi....
Tachikawa Station Platform Late at Night - (110408-2346)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7B--R3WZU
Looking around a Tachikawa Station platform late at night.
Sakura Blossoms at Temple - (110408-0712)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5luXBeNIZp8
Watching sakura pedals blowing in the wind at a temple.
Empty Escalator at Tokyo Station - (110408-1435)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWZXff2i6o
Looking up and down an empty Chuo Line escalator at Tokyo Station.
Construction Around Tokyo Station - Marunouchi Side - (110408-1441)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ZU7E9vb3A
A brief look at construction around Tokyo Station on the Marunouchi Side.
Hibiya Park Sakura Blossoms 2011-A - (110408-1616)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1_MAsVwq4
Looking at some sakura blossoms in Hibiya Park (2011-A).
Sakura Blossoms with Chainsaw Background - (110408-1623)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hy9-jfdMaY
Looking at some sakura blossoms with chainsaw noise in the background.
Hibiya Park Sakura Blossoms-2011-C - (110408-1641)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsAq2Sv5GNc
Looking at sakura blossoms in Hibiya Park. (2011-C)
Yurakucho Reflections, Sakura, Etc. - (110408-1726)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STBgHqXcIWg
Looking around on streets in Yurakucho at reflections, sakura blossoms, etc.
1991 Shinagawa Pachinko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBwc1W-po9I
A look into a 1991 Shinagawa pachinko place, with traditional mechanical machines on the ground floor and new (at the time) electronic machines on the second floor.
Shinagawa to Yurakucho - August 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bLoyPyDXnE
Riding a Keihin-Tohoku Line train from Shinagawa to Yurakucho in August 1991. This opens on a bus as it approaches the east exit side of Shinagawa Station. The appearance of the east exit in 1991 may be shocking to anyone who is only familiar with the current east exit - it's almost unbelievably different.
Ginza - December 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WohyWrVj5s
Walking around in Ginza in December of 1991 - way back in the 20th century.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://ginzalyle.blogspot.com/
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
It affects daily actions in what is becoming a new routine, a new "normal": when it rains, you automatically assume that the rain is at least partly radioactive, and so always carry an umbrella to keep the contaminated rain(!) from coming in contact with your body. I would have taken some sakura pictures yesterday in a light rain, but decided not to in order to minimize exposure to radioactivity. Some will say that I have nothing to worry about, and they might even be right, but nevertheless, this way of thinking in Tokyo now is not unusual.
On to the videos - which are a mix of April 2011 Tokyo and 1991 Tokyo. The last two clips in this batch - one showing 1991 Shinagawa, and the other showing 1991 Ginza, may well be interesting to anyone wanting to see what typical street scenes in those areas looked like at that time. Anyone familiar with the current east exit (東口) of Shinagawa Station (品川駅) may be shocked at how radically different it was in 1991. I recorded the scene with my own two hands, and I was still shocked when I watched the video 20 years after taking it - I was thinking "What's that rustic station I entered the train system at?" and then rewound the tape to listen to the bus announcement saying the station name and discovered/remembered with a shock that it was Shinagawa Station! The west side of the station in 2011 looks much the same from the outside as in 1991, but the east side, which is in this video, is ultra-radically different!
The 2011 videos are of Yurakucho; a late-night view of Tachikawa Station; sakura trees in bloom at a temple; an empty (and long) escalator at Tokyo Station; a quick view of the construction on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station; and a few views in and near Hibiya Park, including of the sakura trees in the park. The park doesn't have a particularly large number of them, but the ones it does have look nice, and since it's less crowded due to there not being a lot of sakura trees there, it actually ends up being a better place to view them than the typical popular spots where there are long rows of sakura trees - unless you want to see the crowds more than you want to see the trees!
Walking Towards Yurakucho Station - (110408-1729)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grMHVXvZ0ow
Walking towards Yurakucho Station in the evening.
Yurakucho Plaza and Stealth Speaker Car - (110408-1745)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXOZjydJyug
Walking across Yurakucho Plaza and by a stealth speaker car painted as a taxi....
Tachikawa Station Platform Late at Night - (110408-2346)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7B--R3WZU
Looking around a Tachikawa Station platform late at night.
Sakura Blossoms at Temple - (110408-0712)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5luXBeNIZp8
Watching sakura pedals blowing in the wind at a temple.
Empty Escalator at Tokyo Station - (110408-1435)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWZXff2i6o
Looking up and down an empty Chuo Line escalator at Tokyo Station.
Construction Around Tokyo Station - Marunouchi Side - (110408-1441)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ZU7E9vb3A
A brief look at construction around Tokyo Station on the Marunouchi Side.
Hibiya Park Sakura Blossoms 2011-A - (110408-1616)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1_MAsVwq4
Looking at some sakura blossoms in Hibiya Park (2011-A).
Sakura Blossoms with Chainsaw Background - (110408-1623)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hy9-jfdMaY
Looking at some sakura blossoms with chainsaw noise in the background.
Hibiya Park Sakura Blossoms-2011-C - (110408-1641)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsAq2Sv5GNc
Looking at sakura blossoms in Hibiya Park. (2011-C)
Yurakucho Reflections, Sakura, Etc. - (110408-1726)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STBgHqXcIWg
Looking around on streets in Yurakucho at reflections, sakura blossoms, etc.
1991 Shinagawa Pachinko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBwc1W-po9I
A look into a 1991 Shinagawa pachinko place, with traditional mechanical machines on the ground floor and new (at the time) electronic machines on the second floor.
Shinagawa to Yurakucho - August 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bLoyPyDXnE
Riding a Keihin-Tohoku Line train from Shinagawa to Yurakucho in August 1991. This opens on a bus as it approaches the east exit side of Shinagawa Station. The appearance of the east exit in 1991 may be shocking to anyone who is only familiar with the current east exit - it's almost unbelievably different.
Ginza - December 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WohyWrVj5s
Walking around in Ginza in December of 1991 - way back in the 20th century.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://ginzalyle.blogspot.com/
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 07, 2011
"Old Type Train" (110315_0042)
"Old Type Train" - Copyright 2011 by LHS
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Radioactive Tokyo 2011? / 1991 Kyojima, 1991 Shinkansen, 1991 Ginza Side Streets, Etc."
The nuclear emergency in Fukushima continues to overshadow daily life. I look around my apartment and ponder what I would put into a backpack to carry off on a probable one-way exodus from Tokyo if a worst-case scenario becomes reality and Tokyo is converted from a thriving city of (metropolitan figure including suburbs) 30,000,000 people, into a toxic no-go land of radioactivity. And what then? Can 30,000,000 people actually relocate to southern Japan? Probably not all - many millions would likely die....
And so looking back at old video clips from 1991, the pre-Fukushima Disaster era seems like a kind of paradise - with people walking around looking for restaurants at lunchtime, not worrying about the invisible destructive force of radiation threatening the viability of the entire country, and the health of the planet in general. Now it's different - there's an edge in the air as people go about their daily tasks, perhaps looking back on pre-tsunami/nuclear-disaster times with nostalgia.
The batch of videos this time opens with a look at 1991 Kyojima - which is a narrow bit of land between two rivers which luckily escaped the fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. In the 1991 view, there were still pre-WW-II wooden structures remaining:
March 1991 - Kyojima (in Shitamachi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OawQ8KaEGXE
Walking around in the Kyojima area of Shitamachi in March of 1991.
Another trip back to 1991 - I walk around on the Shinkansen super-express platforms at Tokyo Station and onto waiting Shinkansen trains to have a look inside - including a look at private rooms on the lower level of one of the first-class "Green Cars":
1991 - Tokyo Station Shinkansen Tour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRAGHilhjM4
Walking through Shinkansen trains at Tokyo Station in 1991.
In this video from 1991, I do something that I don't think you can do now - I walk through a pachinko parlor recording the scene of people playing the game. Almost all of the machines in this view from two decades ago are mechanical - with little ball bearings bouncing around. More and more, the machines are electronic versions of slot machines, with more electronic noises than the mechanical noises recorded in this video:
Ginza Pachinko - May 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLA3vzA_og
Having a look at a 1991 pachinko place in Ginza.
The atmosphere of this May 1991 lunchtime view of Ginza has such a different feel to it compared to current Ginza. Things were more relaxed in a way then. By May 1991, when this was taken, the "bubble economy" was already on its way down, but there was still belief that it would rebound sooner rather than later, and overall, this was basically still part of the "bubble era". At this point, with a depressed economy going back about two decades now, and with the tsunami/nuclear disaster pulling things further down, people are not as optimistic as they were when this clip was recorded:
Ginza Side Streets - May 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-fq9eEpzyk
Walking around on lunchtime side streets in Ginza in May 1991. The video opens on a Yurakucho Line train on the way there and closes on a Marunouchi Line train leaving. (All rights reserved by Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon. 1991, 2011)
Back to 2011 - post March 11th, 2011 - with half the lights turned off in the station to conserve power in suddenly insufficient-electricity Tokyo. And when I climbed on a Chuo Line train, the internal lights were all off - although they were turned back on as the train neared Shinjuku:
Darker than Usual - Kokubunji Station and Chuo Line - (110404-1316)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wNqTJ0GFRI
A look at a darker than usual Kokubunji Station and Chuo Line train.
Many parts of the Tokyo Station complex are under construction, but this walk is primarily though the areas where construction has been completed, coming out by the newly built Daiichi Department Store:
Tokyo Station Stroll - (110404-1404)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZdpZT3Amy4
Walking around in Tokyo Station - exiting near the Daiichi Department Store.
Shinkansen Passing by in Yurakucho - (110404-2235)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnZYJpiVglg
Watching a Shinkansen train passing by in Yurakucho late at night.
Yurakucho to Tokyo via Yamanote Line - (110404-2322)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajWkMVXBv8w
Riding from Yurakucho to Tokyo via the Yamanote Line late at night.
Chuo Line Train Departing from Tokyo Station - (110404-2326)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xnqi4JmHAc
Watching a Chuo Line Train Departing from Tokyo Station.
Yotsuya to Shinjuku on the Chuo Line - (110404-2341)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA87Z5Mv2dc
Riding from Yotsuya to Shinjuku on the Chuo Line.
Night Chuo Line - Outbound from Shinjuku - (110404-2344)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEc6Pi_RzLQ
Riding a nighttime Chuo Line outbound from Shinjuku.
Exiting Seibu Shinjuku Station - (110405-1920)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF682rvfYJ0
Exiting the ticket gates of Seibu Shinjuku Station.
From Seibu-Shinjuku Station to Street - (110405-1922)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI12HCntnys
Walking from Seibu-Shinjuku Station to the street.
Shinjuku - Near Kabukicho - (110405-1924)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCQqGeuEWXc
Walking down the street in Shinjuku - near Kabukicho.
Walking Towards and then into Shinjuku Station - (110405-1926)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7hz8ollhOQ
Walking down the evening streets of Shinjuku towards - and then into Shinjuku Station.
This being April, it's the season of new hires joining companies out of university, and fist-year students of high schools and universities breathing a sigh of relief as they join their new schools - past the grueling and infamous entrance exams. And so the atmosphere by the east exit gates of Shinjuku Station was optimistic feeling, with people meeting, talking, going off somewhere with friends, etc. - with the scene under half the number of lights usually used. Actually, this amount of lighting is probably just about right - most spaces are over-lit with banks of EFT (Evil Florescent Tubes), so cutting back doesn't even seem dark really:
Shinjuku Station - Looking Around at the East Exit - (110405-1937)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42w7OntdSM8
Looking around at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku - Omoide Yokocho - (110405-2157)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdze7UTJfnw
Walking through Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku.
Shinjuku Station - South Exit - (110405-1946)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzkqQmTsVo
A look at the South Exit of Shinjuku Station.
Water heaters now are - while still of the instantaneous type - generally externally mounted and hooked up to multiple sinks, but in 1991, older apartments usually had small instantaneous gas-fired water heaters mounted directly over kitchen sinks. In this 1991 video, I walk around in an empty apartment building that has been mostly gutted in preparation for demolition, but still has many of the old water heaters mounted on the kitchen walls, so I explain how the different types work (different types because each household was responsible for buying their own water heater, so there was no standardization of what type the building used):
Old Apartment Water Heaters, Etc. (Before Demolition) - June 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Xvipvk22Y
Walking around in an old concrete apartment building in June 1991 - which was just about to be smashed to rubble - checking out the various types of water heaters left behind, etc.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
And so looking back at old video clips from 1991, the pre-Fukushima Disaster era seems like a kind of paradise - with people walking around looking for restaurants at lunchtime, not worrying about the invisible destructive force of radiation threatening the viability of the entire country, and the health of the planet in general. Now it's different - there's an edge in the air as people go about their daily tasks, perhaps looking back on pre-tsunami/nuclear-disaster times with nostalgia.
The batch of videos this time opens with a look at 1991 Kyojima - which is a narrow bit of land between two rivers which luckily escaped the fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. In the 1991 view, there were still pre-WW-II wooden structures remaining:
March 1991 - Kyojima (in Shitamachi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OawQ8KaEGXE
Walking around in the Kyojima area of Shitamachi in March of 1991.
Another trip back to 1991 - I walk around on the Shinkansen super-express platforms at Tokyo Station and onto waiting Shinkansen trains to have a look inside - including a look at private rooms on the lower level of one of the first-class "Green Cars":
1991 - Tokyo Station Shinkansen Tour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRAGHilhjM4
Walking through Shinkansen trains at Tokyo Station in 1991.
In this video from 1991, I do something that I don't think you can do now - I walk through a pachinko parlor recording the scene of people playing the game. Almost all of the machines in this view from two decades ago are mechanical - with little ball bearings bouncing around. More and more, the machines are electronic versions of slot machines, with more electronic noises than the mechanical noises recorded in this video:
Ginza Pachinko - May 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLA3vzA_og
Having a look at a 1991 pachinko place in Ginza.
The atmosphere of this May 1991 lunchtime view of Ginza has such a different feel to it compared to current Ginza. Things were more relaxed in a way then. By May 1991, when this was taken, the "bubble economy" was already on its way down, but there was still belief that it would rebound sooner rather than later, and overall, this was basically still part of the "bubble era". At this point, with a depressed economy going back about two decades now, and with the tsunami/nuclear disaster pulling things further down, people are not as optimistic as they were when this clip was recorded:
Ginza Side Streets - May 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-fq9eEpzyk
Walking around on lunchtime side streets in Ginza in May 1991. The video opens on a Yurakucho Line train on the way there and closes on a Marunouchi Line train leaving. (All rights reserved by Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon. 1991, 2011)
Back to 2011 - post March 11th, 2011 - with half the lights turned off in the station to conserve power in suddenly insufficient-electricity Tokyo. And when I climbed on a Chuo Line train, the internal lights were all off - although they were turned back on as the train neared Shinjuku:
Darker than Usual - Kokubunji Station and Chuo Line - (110404-1316)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wNqTJ0GFRI
A look at a darker than usual Kokubunji Station and Chuo Line train.
Many parts of the Tokyo Station complex are under construction, but this walk is primarily though the areas where construction has been completed, coming out by the newly built Daiichi Department Store:
Tokyo Station Stroll - (110404-1404)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZdpZT3Amy4
Walking around in Tokyo Station - exiting near the Daiichi Department Store.
Shinkansen Passing by in Yurakucho - (110404-2235)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnZYJpiVglg
Watching a Shinkansen train passing by in Yurakucho late at night.
Yurakucho to Tokyo via Yamanote Line - (110404-2322)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajWkMVXBv8w
Riding from Yurakucho to Tokyo via the Yamanote Line late at night.
Chuo Line Train Departing from Tokyo Station - (110404-2326)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xnqi4JmHAc
Watching a Chuo Line Train Departing from Tokyo Station.
Yotsuya to Shinjuku on the Chuo Line - (110404-2341)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA87Z5Mv2dc
Riding from Yotsuya to Shinjuku on the Chuo Line.
Night Chuo Line - Outbound from Shinjuku - (110404-2344)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEc6Pi_RzLQ
Riding a nighttime Chuo Line outbound from Shinjuku.
Exiting Seibu Shinjuku Station - (110405-1920)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF682rvfYJ0
Exiting the ticket gates of Seibu Shinjuku Station.
From Seibu-Shinjuku Station to Street - (110405-1922)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI12HCntnys
Walking from Seibu-Shinjuku Station to the street.
Shinjuku - Near Kabukicho - (110405-1924)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCQqGeuEWXc
Walking down the street in Shinjuku - near Kabukicho.
Walking Towards and then into Shinjuku Station - (110405-1926)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7hz8ollhOQ
Walking down the evening streets of Shinjuku towards - and then into Shinjuku Station.
This being April, it's the season of new hires joining companies out of university, and fist-year students of high schools and universities breathing a sigh of relief as they join their new schools - past the grueling and infamous entrance exams. And so the atmosphere by the east exit gates of Shinjuku Station was optimistic feeling, with people meeting, talking, going off somewhere with friends, etc. - with the scene under half the number of lights usually used. Actually, this amount of lighting is probably just about right - most spaces are over-lit with banks of EFT (Evil Florescent Tubes), so cutting back doesn't even seem dark really:
Shinjuku Station - Looking Around at the East Exit - (110405-1937)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42w7OntdSM8
Looking around at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku - Omoide Yokocho - (110405-2157)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdze7UTJfnw
Walking through Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku.
Shinjuku Station - South Exit - (110405-1946)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzkqQmTsVo
A look at the South Exit of Shinjuku Station.
Water heaters now are - while still of the instantaneous type - generally externally mounted and hooked up to multiple sinks, but in 1991, older apartments usually had small instantaneous gas-fired water heaters mounted directly over kitchen sinks. In this 1991 video, I walk around in an empty apartment building that has been mostly gutted in preparation for demolition, but still has many of the old water heaters mounted on the kitchen walls, so I explain how the different types work (different types because each household was responsible for buying their own water heater, so there was no standardization of what type the building used):
Old Apartment Water Heaters, Etc. (Before Demolition) - June 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Xvipvk22Y
Walking around in an old concrete apartment building in June 1991 - which was just about to be smashed to rubble - checking out the various types of water heaters left behind, etc.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
"Old Railway Sign" - (110329)
"Old Railway Sign" Copyright 2011 by LHS
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Saturday, April 02, 2011
"Tokyo Station" - (110329)
"Tokyo Station" Copyright 2011 by LHS
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Chuo, Ginza, and Tozai Lines, Old Door, Tokyo Station, and Shinjuku - West Side"
Riding about in a tenser and less crowded Tokyo. With rolling blackouts (mostly canceled with the recent warm weather), economic problems, and radioactive fallout from the broken nuclear reactors of Fukushima, people are not working much overtime, and are mostly rushing straight home - trying to spend as little time as possible out in the radioactive air, and also wanting to get home before erratic train schedules leave them stranded in central Tokyo.
Fukushima - it's astonishing to me how after Chernobyl and now Fukushima, there is this loud chorus from various sources saying "nuclear energy is safe" - particularly when I read things like this:
"Only trace amounts of the toxic substance [plutonium] have been detected. The highest level found so far - 0.54 becquerals per kg of soil - is not considered harmful. Most people have some plutonium in their bodies from atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests and some pacemakers are powered by plutonium.
"Plutonium-239, the type of plutonium most abundant in reactors, has a half-life of 24,200 years. It is not readily absorbed by the body but what is absorbed, stays put, irradiates surrounding tissue and is carcinogenic."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/japan-plant-idUSL3E7ES10P20110401?pageNumber=1
Okay - so they haven't found much of it - but I would prefer none of that very nasty material at all! Anyway - I sure hope the toxic mess at Fukushima will be brought under control and cleaned up soon!
Here are a few video clips from earlier in the week:
Tokyo to Shinjuku at Night - Chuo Line Right Side - (110329-1950)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPrfaG8iqWA
Riding a Chuo Line train from Tokyo to Shinjuku at night - looking out the right side of the train.
Darker than Usual Takadanobaba Station - (110329-1445)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgVy0JS6CxM
A look at a darker than usual Takadanobaba Station - Seibu, JR, and Tozai lines.
Boarding Tozai Line at Takadanobaba Station - (110329-1452)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPp2SfNTvqU
Boarding a Tozai Line train at Takadanobaba Station - which has many of its usual lights turned off.
Otemachi to Ginza via Nihonbashi (Tozai and Ginza Lines) - (110329-1507)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A45s1Ewb9oQ
Going from Otemachi to Ginza via Nihonbashi Station on the Tozai and Ginza Lines.
Walking Along Ginza Chuo-Dori - (110329-1516)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vhAYcnluJA
Walking along Chuo-Dori (the main street) in Ginza.
Opening an Original Door in the Okuno Building - (110329-1831)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAdUIi2SZU
Opening an original door in the Okuno Building and listening to the sound/music it makes.
At Machida Masayuki Exhibition (町田昌之 at 小野画廊) - (110329-1923)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI_G9QMK1RA
Looking around while at Machida Masayuki's (町田昌之) exhibition at Ono Gallery (小野画廊).
Walking Through Tokyo Station - (110329-1947)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJVkRQz6OoY
Looking around while walking through Tokyo Station.
Shinjuku Street Musicians - Omoide-Yokocho, Etc. - (110329-2149)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ76d_xTuUs
Walking along beside the west side of Shinjuku Station - stumbling upon a pair of street musicians, and then having a look at Omoide-Yokocho, etc.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Fukushima - it's astonishing to me how after Chernobyl and now Fukushima, there is this loud chorus from various sources saying "nuclear energy is safe" - particularly when I read things like this:
"Only trace amounts of the toxic substance [plutonium] have been detected. The highest level found so far - 0.54 becquerals per kg of soil - is not considered harmful. Most people have some plutonium in their bodies from atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests and some pacemakers are powered by plutonium.
"Plutonium-239, the type of plutonium most abundant in reactors, has a half-life of 24,200 years. It is not readily absorbed by the body but what is absorbed, stays put, irradiates surrounding tissue and is carcinogenic."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/japan-plant-idUSL3E7ES10P20110401?pageNumber=1
Okay - so they haven't found much of it - but I would prefer none of that very nasty material at all! Anyway - I sure hope the toxic mess at Fukushima will be brought under control and cleaned up soon!
Here are a few video clips from earlier in the week:
Tokyo to Shinjuku at Night - Chuo Line Right Side - (110329-1950)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPrfaG8iqWA
Riding a Chuo Line train from Tokyo to Shinjuku at night - looking out the right side of the train.
Darker than Usual Takadanobaba Station - (110329-1445)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgVy0JS6CxM
A look at a darker than usual Takadanobaba Station - Seibu, JR, and Tozai lines.
Boarding Tozai Line at Takadanobaba Station - (110329-1452)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPp2SfNTvqU
Boarding a Tozai Line train at Takadanobaba Station - which has many of its usual lights turned off.
Otemachi to Ginza via Nihonbashi (Tozai and Ginza Lines) - (110329-1507)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A45s1Ewb9oQ
Going from Otemachi to Ginza via Nihonbashi Station on the Tozai and Ginza Lines.
Walking Along Ginza Chuo-Dori - (110329-1516)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vhAYcnluJA
Walking along Chuo-Dori (the main street) in Ginza.
Opening an Original Door in the Okuno Building - (110329-1831)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAdUIi2SZU
Opening an original door in the Okuno Building and listening to the sound/music it makes.
At Machida Masayuki Exhibition (町田昌之 at 小野画廊) - (110329-1923)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI_G9QMK1RA
Looking around while at Machida Masayuki's (町田昌之) exhibition at Ono Gallery (小野画廊).
Walking Through Tokyo Station - (110329-1947)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJVkRQz6OoY
Looking around while walking through Tokyo Station.
Shinjuku Street Musicians - Omoide-Yokocho, Etc. - (110329-2149)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ76d_xTuUs
Walking along beside the west side of Shinjuku Station - stumbling upon a pair of street musicians, and then having a look at Omoide-Yokocho, etc.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
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