The first batch of video clips are from November 17th, 1990 - twenty-two years ago. All of the clips are from a single trip I took out to the tip of the Boso Peninsula. The batch starts with an early morning view of central Tokyo and continues through several train rides out to the end of the peninsula, and then ends after taking more trains to Kanaya, where I board a ferry to ride across Tokyo Bay to Kurihama in Kanagawa.
In 2012 I stumble upon the annual used book fair held in SL Plaza in front of Shinbashi Station. In years past I've bought some great reference books at good prices at this festival, but I have so little space in my apartment now that I'm reluctant to buy books these days, unless I think I really need to read them or have them as reference material. Of course, the Internet is what enables avoiding buying books, since there is so much material available to read on-line.
Incidentally - recently Shinbashi is often being spelled "Shimbashi", but I strongly feel that's a mistake, since "ん" in Japanese most closely corresponds with "n" in English. The theory is that the pronunciation changes to "m" when "ん" precedes certain sounds, but it sure doesn't sound that way to me, so I'm sticking with what I feel is the correct way to write (and pronounce) the name: "Shinbashi" - [新橋 しんばし shi-n-ba-shi].
1990 Sobu Line - Ochanomizu to Kinshicho 御茶ノ水から錦糸町まで (901117)
http://youtu.be/xOEH2Z3Vego
1990 Kinshicho to Tsudanuma 錦糸町から津田沼まで (901117)
http://youtu.be/XCQf_tlLlHg
1990 Tsudanuma Morning Rush 津田沼朝のラッシュ (901117)
http://youtu.be/x1ganmVpgoU
This was taken around 7:30 a.m. - and so the people running to catch the train are likely aiming for getting to Tokyo offices before 9:00 a.m. This video reminds me of the phrase the railways used a lot at the time urging people not to run for the trains: 駆け込み乗車を止めましょう (Kakekomi-josha-o-yamemasho) which is composed of 1) run to board a train, 2) stop/cease/not, and 3) let's. This could be translated in various ways, but I think a fairly close English equivalent-meaning sentence would basically be: "Don't run for the trains!", although that's a bit more direct than "Let's not run for the trains" which is closer (as a "direct" translation) to the Japanese original, although unnatural in English.
Always remember - when you read the popular lie "a direct translation" - that there is very nearly no such thing as a direct translation, just varying degrees between slavishly following word order and word-by-word (attempted) equivalences on the one hand, and aiming for the same end result/impression/image with free use of whatever words on the other. Both have their advantages and problems. (Once in a while there is something that can be directly translated, but that's usually just nouns.)
1990 Tsudanuma to Chiba 津田沼から千葉まで (901117)
http://youtu.be/C2EcDOxQbJk
1990 Chiba Station (Morning) 朝の千葉駅 (901117)
http://youtu.be/qmmlJnok41o
This is both further away from Tokyo and later in the morning - beyond the point where people would be able to get to Tokyo offices by 9:00 a.m., so it's a bit more relaxed than the 7:30 a.m. scene at Tsudanuma was.
1990 Chiba to Awakamogawa 千葉から安房鴨川まで (901117)
http://youtu.be/2YAXEQJhCxY
This reminds me of the pleasures of travel by rail in Japan before - on trains with windows that properly opened, rails in short sections that made the traditional clack-clack - clack-clack-clack sounds, passenger-controlled ceiling air vents, and booth seats. When you went out into the countryside on a train that wasn't crowded, it was a really pleasant ride.
1990 Awakamogawa in Chiba 千葉の安房鴨川 (房総半島) 901117
http://youtu.be/KuMVCEEm6rI
I exited the station at this stop and walked around the town a bit, taking videos. Watching it now, it looks like a different era - which it was, but it looks like it was from some distant time in the past - long-long-ago, etc. Change comes to large cities first, and so I guess this really is from the past in more ways than simply being from twenty-two years ago....
1990 Awakamogawa to Hamakanaya 安房鴨川から浜金谷まで (房総半島) 901117
http://youtu.be/dEXWChF_kWs
1990 Kanaya Walkabout 金谷散歩 (901117)
http://youtu.be/nc8AlzFxt8g
1990 Nokogiriyama Cable-car (Up) 鋸山ロープウェイ (上) 901117
http://youtu.be/VczTiMbXtOI
1990 Nokogiriyama Walkabout 鋸山散歩 (901117)
http://youtu.be/jDpoOKpGcrE
1990 Kanaya at Night 夜の金谷 (901117)
http://youtu.be/8E1qPhEeFuA
1990 Boarding Tokyo Bay Ferry 夜で東京湾フェリーを乗る (901117)
http://youtu.be/i3JrGFOV4AI
Kokubunji Night Streets (A) 121112
http://youtu.be/Ux3-DXH5obM
Kokubunji Night Streets (B) 121112
http://youtu.be/_TXcsrYuBK8
Kokubunji Night Streets (C) 121112
http://youtu.be/IfSStrrn6QM
Kokubunji Night Streets (D) 121112
http://youtu.be/QrbittI9m44
Yamanote Line Train Leaving Shinbashi (Book Festival) 121115
http://youtu.be/2fHg-btvpxI
Shinbashi Used Book Festival (A) 新橋古本まつり (新橋SL広場) 121115
http://youtu.be/JJyZ5OgfV-M
Shinbashi Used Book Festival (B) 新橋古本まつり (新橋SL広場) 121115
http://youtu.be/IdWmBIoLt3k
Shinbashi Used Book Festival (C) 新橋古本まつり (新橋SL広場) 121115
http://youtu.be/lHMD1297zTI
Shinbashi to Yurakucho (Twilight) 夕方新橋から有楽町まで (121115)
http://youtu.be/iKrn4SmlYg8
Between Ginza and Yurakucho (Twilight) 121115
http://youtu.be/KCgWwpc519I
Gallery Ginza-One November Exhibition (121115)
http://youtu.be/ftxGD-7HLnM
Evening Ginza Side Street Stroll (121115)
http://youtu.be/rJRhWyrpw9E
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
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