"1990 Urawa, Ueno, Etc; 1991 Korakuen, Shinjuku, Tokyo Monorail, Etc; 2013 Manseibashi Station, Shinjuku, Hamamatsucho, Etc"

[A quick note about the photos - I've tried to match photos with the videos, and most of them match, but some of the photos are not an exact match with the content of the video they are near.]  Out and about, here and there in Tokyo in 1990, 1991, and 2013.  a couple of things that stand out in this batch for me personally are:

- The former Manseibashi Station platform (the one that remains) has reopened (as a shopping and restaurant complex) with much of a couple of its old staircases (one dating back to 1912) intact (I think both passageways are from 1912, but the stone *steps* of one were apparently replaced with concrete some decades ago).

Watching construction on the platform while passing the site on the Chuo Line, I had been worried about whether they were going to preserve the original remaining elements of the old Manseibashi Station, so I was quite happy to see they had, and spent a bit of time looking the place over, having a coffee on the platform (now a cafe by day and pub by night), and going back later that evening to have a beer (see "Manseibashi" videos below).

- Riding my Hi8 time machine back to 1991 and riding on the Marunouchi Line.  I have posted views of the old type Marunouchi Line trains coming into various stations before, but I don't think I've ever recorded the inside as extensively as I did on Friday, April 19th, 1991.  It was during the late morning and it wasn't crowded, so the conditions were good, and the sounds of the old trains are possibly more interesting even than the visual elements.  (It's a strange thing about sound - it's a huge part of atmosphere, but is easily forgotten... until heard again, when so many memories come back upon hearing long-forgotten sounds.)

1990 - Urawa Bus Rides Etc 浦和バスなど (900926)
http://youtu.be/d_LKBSMT7sY

1990 - Urawa to Ueno 浦和駅-上野駅 (900926)
http://youtu.be/PXrPlh26ts4

1990 - Ueno Station (Evening) 夕方の上野駅 (900926)
http://youtu.be/aJWkBn8lXeY

1990 - Ueno to Hibarigaoka 上野駅-ひばりヶ丘駅 (900926)
http://youtu.be/1O6iJVy9QOI

1990 - Ikebukuro to Tamachi (Morning) 朝の池袋駅-田町駅 (900927)
http://youtu.be/ilMnwyg42Q8

1990 - Shiba Walkabout 芝散策散歩 (900927)
http://youtu.be/8tevRuWC2fE

1990 - Tamachi to Shinjuku 田町駅-新宿駅 (900927)
http://youtu.be/HFSeLZp2B9Q

1990 - Night Out in Shinjuku Etc 夜の新宿など (900927)
http://youtu.be/q3hCnL9B4AM

The bubble era is much overrated by young people today, but there was an optimism about the time that is definitely different from the worrisome times we now live in....  A little of that optimistic atmosphere can be seen and heard (somewhat) in this 1990 video.

Musashikogane to Mitaka 武蔵小金井駅-三鷹駅 中央線 (130926)
http://youtu.be/8t1F5KyGJak

Mitaka to Nakano (Chuo Line) 三鷹駅-中野駅 中央線 (130926)
http://youtu.be/PtGZMkpL7D0

Nakano to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 中野駅-新宿駅 中央線 (130926)
http://youtu.be/9r7-GguoZnU

End of Platform Bound (Shinjuku) ホームの様子 (130926)
http://youtu.be/qbxB8Y_jUiE

A ten (or eleven, or fifteen) carriage long train is fairly long, and depending on where the exit is where you want to get off and how much time you have, it's sometimes important to get on the train towards one end or the other.

アートギャラリー石 グループ展 Art Gallery Ishi Group Exhibition (130926)
http://youtu.be/tMvhN5JOJSc

Ginza Main Street Bound 銀座横道から中央通りまで (130926)
http://youtu.be/geHpCWO_LXc

Yurakucho Izakaya Street (Quick View) 有楽町居酒屋道の一見 (130926)
http://youtu.be/mSxVVgS66qM

EF 64 37 八王子駅 Hachioji Station (131002)
http://youtu.be/tBRTuAcMYwo

A quick look at a freight locomotive from the window of a passing Chuo Line train at Hachioji Station.

Shinjuku to Ebisu - Shonan-Shinjuku Line 新宿駅-恵比寿駅 湘南新宿ライン (131003)
http://youtu.be/0sb6SfwUiwE

These trains tend to be quicker to Ebisu than the Yamanote Line (depending on how long you have to wait to board the train in the first place), but you have to be careful about what type of train it is, as not all of them stop at Ebisu.

Hamamatsucho to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 浜松町駅-有楽町駅 山手線 (131003)
http://youtu.be/bi4hahr-LOE

Kawase Kazuyo (A) 河瀬和世 Exhibition at Art Space Rondo (131003)
http://youtu.be/Lqcoojmm_cE

Kawase Kazuyo (B) 河瀬和世 Exhibition at Art Space Rondo (131003)
http://youtu.be/obCfZBDyFHQ

Kikuchi Megumi キクチメグミ Tsutsumi Yoshihiko つつみよしひこ Y's ARTS-508 (131003)
http://youtu.be/eDZFeCikKC4

Yurakucho to Tokyo (Yamanote Line) 有楽町駅-東京駅 山手線 (131003)
http://youtu.be/6yDD25MfszA

Shinjuku Construction Site 新宿駅隣工事現場 (130926)
http://youtu.be/D5PEH5-9MwQ

At the moment, there's a pretty spectacular view of a large construction project right next to Shinjuku Station.  With the unusual condition of the railway forming a barrier, there's a clear view from the Saikyo Line platform of the project and it looks quite amazing, considering this kind of thing is usually out of sight behind high white construction walls.

Shinjuku to Ebisu (Yamanote Line) 新宿駅-恵比寿駅 山手線 (130926)
http://youtu.be/xfH7sdolm78

Hamamatsucho Street Corner 浜松町の角 (130926)
http://youtu.be/OpAIziaFhEQ

Evening Yurakucho Station 夕方有楽町駅ホーム (130926)
http://youtu.be/VvLaIXDq36I

Bridge Dance Yurakucho 橋踊り 有楽町 (130926)
http://youtu.be/yWqxvM-dO_0

Meaning looking around *under* a rail bridge, not *on* it.  The steel bridges make the coolest sounds when trains go by overhead....

ある有楽町の夜 Windy Evening in Yurakucho (130926)
http://youtu.be/hQKigsZ8MLA

Yurakucho Station - Ticket Gates to Platform 夜の有楽町駅 (130926)
http://youtu.be/EkaD96SLW98

有楽町駅-東京駅 中央線 Yurakucho to Tokyo (Yamanote Line) 130926
http://youtu.be/BowYVqz4fhY

東京駅-御茶ノ水駅 中央線 Tokyo to Ochanomizu (Chuo Line) 130926
http://youtu.be/7t0FSKjebWM

Departing Shinjuku - Chuo Line Window View 新宿駅から西へ (130926)
http://youtu.be/R2GrS5efa-w

Platform View of Chuo Line Departing Hino Station (130926)
http://youtu.be/RKmnG65we7k

Platform views at elevated Hino Station late at night on a warm night.  This kind of platform can be really cold on a cold and windy night in the depths of winter, but is... (well... can be) an interesting experience when the temperatures are warm.

[Photo note (below): The original photo is properly exposed, but the exposure has been ruined by some bloody auto-mutate "feature" in Blogger that has ruined the picture as it appears here.  I'm leaving it in as an example of why auto-mutate is Evil.  Hello Google?  Can I somehow turn off auto-mutate?  I very sincerely, honestly, passionately hate it.  It ruined this picture and seams to be designed to ruin any picture that has some area of black in the frame.  The picture was taken at night, alright?  The sky is *supposed* to be black!  Sorry for the rant, this kind of evil auto-mutate "feature" is ruining my night pictures!  Please enable an option to de-mutate pictures that have been ruined like this one.]

夜の日野駅 Waiting for a Train at Hino Station (130926)
http://youtu.be/ifTlL8J2ioU

Kokubunji to Nakano (Chuo Line) 国分寺駅-中野駅 中央線 (131003)
http://youtu.be/htXhWnbii2I

Nakano to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 中野駅-新宿駅 中央線 (131003)
http://youtu.be/_Fwl_vZHZDw

Evening Hamamatsucho 夕方浜松町 (131003)
http://youtu.be/T8sVsvU_oGo

Twilight Walk to Hamamatsucho Station 夕暮れの浜松町駅 (131003)
http://youtu.be/twP-71Ui-WM

Hamamatsucho to Yurakucho FCV 浜松町駅-有楽町駅 山手線 (130926g)
http://youtu.be/2XsjIIr40KA

1990 - Tokyo Here and There 東京の彼方此方 (900928)
http://youtu.be/tdQ4wkTlrs8

There's a lot to see in this 1:11:19 (one hour, eleven minute, and nineteen second) video (taken Friday, September 28th, 1990).  From waiting for a Saikyo Line train in Ikebukuro, to a rare view of people tightly packed together inside the train (including myself) at around the 00:50 mark (rare, because I almost never *attempted* to take pictures under those conditions inside the trains), continuing on to a look at the south exit area at Shinjuku Station, and then a relaxing ride on a reserved seat express train from Shinjuku to Machida.

After that, a trip to Harajuku (via the Chiyoda Line); a view of a passing right-wing group in a parade of trucks and cars; many more train scenes; walking scenes, etc.; culminating in a visit to the old 1935 haunted hotel in Ryogoku (near the Ryogoku Bridge), which has since been demolished and replaced with a large condominium residence building.

Most of the old hotel part of the video I've posted before, and I posted a video combining a little less of what is shown at the end of this long clip with material from the next tape.  Just covering the hotel (with a little leading into it) is this older clip (combining material from two different tapes):

Old 1935 Ryogoku Hotel - Haunted in 1990 - (900928) - １９３５年の両国ホテル
http://youtu.be/2mtv5rjecwA

The following is (edited) text I previously posted in the "Description" section of that video post of the old hotel:

I was walking around recording images & sounds of the area along the river and soon after crossing over the Ryogoku Bridge (Ryogoku-bashi) and arriving on the Ryogoku Station side of the river not far from Ryogoku Station (just upriver), I noticed unusual-looking doors in an old building....

Taking a closer look, I peered through the glass doors and saw what looked like a hotel front desk, although there was no one in sight and it was clearly not being used as a hotel as I stood there, in September 1990.  I walked in (not something I would do now, in the security-conscious 21st century, but at the time, it wasn't so outrageous), and after looking around the halls a little, and seeing what I thought were vacant apartment rooms on the top floor, I ran into a tenant who told me that the hotel was built in 1935, and was a luxury hotel at the time, with nice views of the river (now obscured by the expressway).

He went on to explain that the building had been requisitioned by the US military following the end of WW-II and used as a residence for US military women.  It used to have high-ceilinged hallways, but fake ceilings had been put in (with florescent lights).

There were plans to tear the building down, but the last ten (or so) tenants were resisting.  Apparently the building had been used in some old movies as well.  He told me it was alright to take pictures in the halls, but to be careful of the second floor, as a few people lived there.  That building is long gone now, but I'm still hoping to find out more about it.  I did see one photo taken from across the river that shows it looking modern at the time (1930's).

1991 Korakuen Amusement Park 後楽園遊園地 (910223)
http://youtu.be/2menw30vK1w

Korakuen Amusement Park has since been extensively rebuilt, so this may be of some historical interest as it shows how it used to look.  [Photo note: Most of the following photos from 1991 are bleached out - this is the result of an evil auto-mutate "feature" in Blogger that destroys photographs by dumping electronic bleach over them.  Evil - with a capital E... Evil.  Google - please stop destroying my photos with this horrible auto-mutation "feature".]

1991 Korakuen to Ikebukuro Etc 後楽園駅-池袋駅など (910223)
http://youtu.be/sNajbGY-XrI

1991 Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku Etc ひばりヶ丘駅-新宿など (910226)
http://youtu.be/sKhOJrNry6E

1991 Shinjuku Bookstore Visit Etc 新宿本屋など (910226)
http://youtu.be/Q6A7LdiTfdo

A fairly long look inside a large bookstore in Shinjuku - mainly on the foreign books floor.  Now that most foreigners nearly always buy books on-line, it's more difficult to find English books in (physical) bookstores than it used to be, although the large stores of Kinokuniya and Maruzen still carry them.  I don't buy nearly as many books as I used to (too much reading on-line material...), but it's nice to look at real books and pick one out in person now and then (as opposed to clicking on pictures on the screen).

1991 Shinjuku Here and There 新宿の彼方此方 (910226)
http://youtu.be/3AWT5W6JhyQ

1991 Shinjuku to Shibuya Etc 新宿駅-渋谷駅など (910226)
http://youtu.be/PK05X91GHUk

1991 東急田園都市線 Riding the Denentoshi Line (910226)
http://youtu.be/8dYB3A9Lfd0

This video is important among my material from 1990-93 in that I didn't use the Denentoshi Line very often, and so this footage recording an outbound trip during the evening commute is fairly rare (among my own material in any case).

1991 Out Late in Suburban Tokyo 終電車を間に合わない時 (910226)
http://youtu.be/7lH5uwSHwfA

1991 東急田園都市線 / Denentoshi Line

1991 東急田園都市線 / Denentoshi Line

1991 彼方此方と新宿駅新改札口物語 Manual Ticket Gates in Shinjuku (910228)
http://youtu.be/fnN50NQNTcg

This shows part of the transition process they went through in converting from manual ticket gates to automatic (machine) ticket gates.

1991 Walking Around in Ikebukuro Etc 池袋の彼方此方とか (910301)
http://youtu.be/rCxyYn5vyiY

1991 Tokyo Monorail Heiwajima-AF Etc 東京モノレールーで平和島へ (910302)
http://youtu.be/3g3nqgQjUL8

While riding the Tokyo Monorail out to an antique fair, I stood in the middle of the carriage and recorded video out both sides of the train - looking to the right, then to the left, back to the right, etc.

1991 Tokyo Monorail Heiwajima-AF Etc / 東京モノレール

1991 Tokyo Monorail Heiwajima-AF Etc / 東京モノレール

1991 Tokyo Monorail Heiwajima-AF Etc / 東京モノレール

1991 Tokyo Monorail Heiwajima-AF Etc / 東京モノレール

Shinjuku to Ebisu (Shonan-Shinjuku Line) 新宿駅-恵比寿駅 湘南新宿ライン (131004)
http://youtu.be/js8KDddTZUg

Shinjuku to Otsuka (Yamanote Line) 新宿駅-大塚駅 山手線左側 (131005)
http://youtu.be/qEn7T9pvHhc

Asagaya to Shinjuku (Chuo Line-UD) 阿佐ヶ谷駅-新宿駅 中央線 上下 (131011)
http://youtu.be/oMVQmabgIxg

The "UD" in the title stands for "upside down".  You might want to skip this one.  I was experimenting with a steep angle and the result isn't particularly good.  If you *do* watch it, keep in mind that the world is round and "up" is just a state of mind....

Shinjuku to Kanda (Chuo Line) 新宿駅-神田駅 中央線 (131011)
http://youtu.be/9hng2iYGloM

御茶ノ水駅に総武線が到着 Sobu Line Train Arriving at Ochanomizu (131011)
http://youtu.be/-DNoUoYqqtk

Descending Stairway at Ochanomizu Station 御茶ノ水駅の階段 ホームに向かう (131011)
http://youtu.be/Xjj4vvoX7Rk

Twilight Train Arriving at Osaki Station (131004)
http://youtu.be/o9iy2SKjmXs

Descending Osaki Narrow Escalator 大崎駅エスカレーター (131004)
http://youtu.be/bSPQ40TAZlU

Tokyo Yaesu-Side Big Roof Look Around 東京駅八重洲口新しい屋根 (131004)
http://youtu.be/Aqw1IaHcxjI

The big roof on the Yaesu Side of Tokyo Station has been unveiled and looks fairly interesting.  Not being a big fan of form over function though, I'm not overly enthusiastic about it.

Tokyo Yaesu-Side Construction Site Viewed from 2nd Level Under Big Roof (131004)
http://youtu.be/QCADPbVNdRY

Otsuka Station Platform to Exit 大塚駅の様子と通る成田エクスプレス (131005)
http://youtu.be/OxP9B5OAQmM

Chuo Line at Speed 中央線のドア窓の風景 (131005)
http://youtu.be/xQ-aprU3cVw

Shinjuku Evening ST-Construction (Pedestrian Bridge Etc) 夕方の新宿南口 (131008g)
http://youtu.be/_6LgSt9Qn8o

The "ST" in this title is for "Southern-Terrace" as in "Shinjuku Southern Terrace" (I should have called it SST...).  The construction is *next to* the terrace - not on the terrace itself.  (But the terrace is actually in Shibuya-ku, so maybe it's best to just call it "Southern Terrace" after all.  On the other hand, the "southern" part of that refers to the fact that it's south of Shinjuku Station, by the Shinjuku Station exit that is... in Shibuya....)

Shinjuku Omoide-Yokocho Etc 新宿思い出横丁など 夜の散策散歩 (131008)
http://youtu.be/cNFP7rt2qlQ

Old Houses in Toranomon 虎ノ門の古い家 (131010)
http://youtu.be/P9GmGK_VcCQ

Walking about in Tokyo, you used to see old houses like these here and there all over the city, but they are becoming extremely rare (in central Tokyo in any case).

Hamamatsucho - Ticket Gates to Platform 浜松町駅 改札口-ホームまで (131010)
http://youtu.be/R-jxSY1LTqQ

Hamamatsucho to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line FCV) 浜松町駅-有楽町駅 山手線 (131010)
http://youtu.be/BYoIvX-uvK0

Yamanote Line Train Departing Yurakucho Station 有楽町駅 夕方山手線 (131010)
http://youtu.be/sCGsnxQJkz8

Inner-Outer Ginza Barrier Road (131010)
http://youtu.be/d9Gllg9PnKU

My term - I find this huge expanse of asphalt to be the barrier between the walkable Ginza I know and love and the outer Ginza I don't know very well and usually don't feel motivated to cross all this asphalt and machine noise to get to.

Tokyo would be a much nicer city if personal cars were outlawed and the focus shifted back to pedestrians and mass transit....

Yurakucho Overhead Trackside October Evening 有楽町ガードの隣 (131010)
http://youtu.be/tB_4Ff0a2o0

Hmm... not a good title!  If the rails were on the ground, it would have just been "Yurakucho Trackside" and I probably should have just stuck with that, regardless of the rails being elevated.  In any case, this video (above) shows the area next to the elevated tracks in Yurakucho.

Yurakucho to Tokyo (Yamanote Line) 有楽町駅-東京駅 山手線 (131010)
http://youtu.be/rGPKW2Hd8pU

Kanda Station Under Construction 工事中の神田駅 (131011)
http://youtu.be/JZ03INcLUCU

North Side of Kanda Station 神田駅北口から散策散歩を出発 (131011)
http://youtu.be/k8y-qykQbYM

Kanda-Sudacho 1-Chome Construction 神田須田町一丁目工事現場 (131011)
http://youtu.be/WdGlbq_Mgd0

Former Manseibashi Station Platform Stairs 元万世橋駅階段とホーム (131011)
http://youtu.be/0n_BIskfhjE

After watching the construction work on the old Manseibashi Station platform over the past year or so, when I looked out the right side window of an inbound Chuo Line train on this particular day and suddenly noticed people sitting at tables on the old platform, I jumped off the train at Kanda and hurried back to have a look (better to have walked there from Akihabara though).

Later - sitting at the glassed in, but open air (no roof) area on the platform while drinking an ice-coffee ("iced coffee" I guess, but I'm used to the local term), it was fun to watch the Chuo Line trains going by and to think of the history of the platform I was sitting on.

風と草 元万世橋駅ホームカフェ Wind in the Grass - Manseibashi Station Cafe (131011)
http://youtu.be/RMeQl27eEnk

Twilight in Osaki 大崎の夕暮れ (131011)
http://youtu.be/fidC0nod8yY

Osaki Reflections and Station Entrance 大崎夜の反射と駅入り口 (131011)
http://youtu.be/zJzhu2buvIM
[Photo note: I had a great picture for this, but Blogger's auto-mutate, eradicate-all-quality-from-night-pictures "feature" destroyed it, so I had to delete it.  Hello, Google?  Can you please stop destroying my night pictures (by dumping electronic bleach all over them)?]

Akihabara Station at 800PM 午後八時の秋葉原駅 (131011)
http://youtu.be/EzMSg0BxEA4

Manseibashi Station Area 元万世橋駅辺りの散策散歩 (131011)
http://youtu.be/31EGs1HJh6s

Making a mental note of the fact that the Manseibashi platform cafe becomes an izakaya at night, I returned in the evening to see what it was like to have a beer on the open part of the platform (where I had earlier had a cup of coffee).  Thinking back on it - I can't say one is better than the other - they are both interesting and good experiences; warm and sunny in the afternoon, and slightly mysterious and moody at night with the many reflections of the lights of the passing trains on the glass walls.

Incidentally, some signs at the entrance refer to the newly developed part of the platform as the "2013 Platform", but it's the 1912 platform with a 2013 section built onto/into the middle.  The reason for this confusion is probably the same cause of the railways calling one side of a single platform - for example - "Platform One" and the other side of the very same platform "Platform Two" (rather than more correctly saying "Track One" and "Track Two").  With the import of the word, unfortunately its meaning as a single item was lost and it has some fuzzy meaning in Japanese ("area" maybe?), thus a new cafe/izakaya built atop an authentically old 1912 platform gets named "2013 Platform".  It's unfortunate, as people will misunderstand the fuzzy terminology and not realize the fascinating history of that platform - mistaking the 1912 platform (with the new 2013 part built onto the middle of the 1912 structure - and with the old 1912 passageways used for access) as having been built in its entirety (save the passageways) in 2013....

I mean... I *do* understand the thinking behind the name "2013 Platform" and there is a logic to it, but only if you ignore the actual meaning of the English word, so it would probably be best not to write the name in English (using katakana instead).  I wish they had called it "Platform 1912" which would be - in my view - a vastly better name.  So - here's my recommendation: Just *imagine* that the name is "Platform 1912" and enjoy the cool experience of having a beer on the old platform in the new izakaya *called* "2013 Platform".  1912... two years before the opening of the 1914 Tokyo Station building.

元万世橋駅散策散歩 夜の様子 Manseibashi Station Site Night Walkabout (131011)
http://youtu.be/9aHy3S4bT3A

Chuo Line Trains Passing Manseibashi Station Cafe 中央線と万世橋駅カフェ (131011)
http://youtu.be/Gtl5bMLnuK0

Manseibashi Station Platform Night Stroll 万世橋駅ホーム散歩 (131011)
http://youtu.be/zs2kggRM3kI

Water Reflections by Manseibashi Bridge 夜の万世橋 (131011)
http://youtu.be/YXCh4APC1KY

夜の昌平橋 Nighttime Shoheibashi Bridge Area (131011)
http://youtu.be/rLuXTlIGbyc

Restaurants Near Former Shoheibashi Station 元昌平橋駅辺りのレストラン (131011)
http://youtu.be/Syo47hnjWZY

Windy Railside Near Ochanomizu Station 風のある夜 御茶ノ水駅へ向かう (131011)
http://youtu.be/nj6T8zXRH2Q

1991 - Marunouchi Line Etc 丸ノ内線 赤坂 彼方此方 (910419)
http://youtu.be/XN_oUx6u8jw

Friday, April 19th, 1991 - This is one of the things I mentioned at the top of this post.  Within this 39-minute video are some fairly detailed looks at the inside of the old type of Marunouchi Line trains, including the many distinctive noises they made.  All of the Marunouchi Line trains that appear in the video are of the old type, save one, which shows that they were just starting to phase the much-liked old type of Marunouchi Line trains out.

In addition to street views in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, I walk around in noontime Akasaka as well.

Osaki Station Area - Copyright 2013 by Lyle H Saxon

Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://lylehsaxon.blogspot.jp/
http://lookback1997.blogspot.jp/
http://tokyoht.blogspot.jp/