Sunday, November 16, 2014

1990 Ueno, Tamachi, Shinjuku, Etc.; 2014 Ginza, Shinjuku, Etc.

This batch opens with views of 1990 Ueno Ameyokocho - an area that visually *looks* quite similar today, but *feels* a bit different.  The area has become a little more of a tourist destination for foreign tourists, and a little less of a shopping destination for local residents.  Or at least that's how it seems to me - I could be wrong.
After that is a trip to Omiya, trips to Tamachi, Machida, Shinjuku, Machida, etc.  Thinking back on this period of video recording, I think I had separated the use of the two cameras I had into using the one this batch was recorded with for daily around town stuff, and the other (newer and better) camera for video recording expeditions.

1990 上野のアメ横丁 Ueno Ameyokocho 900921
http://youtu.be/653zPA8vyao

1990 上野駅と上野駅辺り Ueno Station and Station Area 900921
http://youtu.be/LnjeZsW9cXM

1990 大宮駅の見回り Omiya Station Look-around 900921
http://youtu.be/gmAYlfrvzTs

1990 大宮散策散歩 Omiya Walkabout 900921
http://youtu.be/jzmBKHFzHlM

1990 ひばりヶ丘駅-田町駅 朝の通勤 Hibarigaoka to Machida Morning Commute 901001
http://youtu.be/UnASV9YEy1Q

1990 田町駅から仕事まで歩く Walking to Work in Tamachi 901001
http://youtu.be/YtD0k5Zng7k

1990 忙しくない月曜日 Slow Work Day in Tamachi 901001
http://youtu.be/5f5mE-oUKIM

1990 夕方田町 Evening Tamachi 901001
http://youtu.be/CBdGUyzUFOc

1990 Tamachi Rail Ticket Office 901001
http://youtu.be/a6qStdlnZ1I

1990 ひばりヶ丘駅-新宿駅 Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku 901002
http://youtu.be/15mavbFW6fU

1990 田町駅-ひばりヶ丘駅 Tamachi to Hibarigaoka 901001
http://youtu.be/w1N3mN2KQoo

1990 新宿彼方此方 Shinjuku Walkabout 901002
http://youtu.be/OczutMJTpwA

1990 夜西新宿から新宿駅まで散歩 Night Walk to Shinjuku Station 901002
http://youtu.be/2D1dlBeVfkc

1990 新宿駅-ひばりヶ丘駅 Shinjuku to Hibarigaoka 901002
http://youtu.be/mT29uNgZW1w

1990 ひばりヶ丘駅-新宿駅 Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku 901003
http://youtu.be/DDa0F_UpZzo

1990 Shinjuku Sky Angles 新宿角度空 901003
http://youtu.be/byscTSZAOU0

1990 小田急新宿駅 Odakyu-Shinjuku Station 901003
http://youtu.be/4l0sKgRZ3WU

1990 新宿駅-町田駅 Shinjuku to Machida 901003
http://youtu.be/_s0jLdt9u7A

1990 町田駅辺り一見 Machida Station Area Quick Look 901003
http://youtu.be/3a8ldnHYT-s

1990 町田駅-ひばりヶ丘駅 Machida to Hibarigaoka 901003
http://youtu.be/3l-kWBZIyfY

The following few views are basically the same category as the previous batch from 24 years ago in 1990.  Comparing how it felt to record video in 1990 with how it feels now in 2014, there was a novelty to it in 1990 and now it's just an ordinary thing....

飯田橋駅-御茶ノ水駅 中央線 Iidabashi to Ochanomizu - Chuo Line 141003
http://youtu.be/iUhiUDTYF7I

元万世橋駅-神田駅 中央線 Manseibashi to Kanda - Chuo Line 141003
http://youtu.be/ASUMCTtqjTQ

The Sound of Crickets Singing Away at Kanda Station 141003
http://youtu.be/TLijVcFZZek

田町駅-品川駅 山手線 Tamachi to Shinagawa - Yamanote Line FC-View 141003
http://youtu.be/S664fD-Hpak

大塚駅の山手線 Yamanote Line Train Arriving at Otsuka 141004
http://youtu.be/xnPrEZViCe4

And back to around town views - again showing Tamachi, Shinjuku, Hibarigaoka, etc.

1990 Tamachi Overcast Morning 朝の田町 901004
http://youtu.be/TTkZtgRMF5E

1990 Tamachi Late Afternoon 午後の田町 901004
http://youtu.be/0dBJ6m8e84o

1990 夕方田町駅 Evening Tamachi Station 901004
http://youtu.be/U6eYnrBvGXE

1990 田町駅-新宿駅 Tamachi to Shinjuku 901004
http://youtu.be/TdB3-Yzv3Lk

1990 夕方新宿駅南口から西新宿へ Evening Walk Into Nishi-Shinjuku 901004
http://youtu.be/HP6QfSY9Eh4

1990 夜の西新宿から新宿駅まで Nishi-Shinjuku to Shinjuku Station 901004
http://youtu.be/1Z6M6Sfmx6M

1990 新宿駅-ひばりヶ丘駅 Shinjuku to Hibarigaoka 901004
http://youtu.be/QA7RX6A_Fiw

1990 ひばりヶ丘駅-新宿駅 Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku 901005
http://youtu.be/HdYaA3atJ1Y

1990 新宿駅南口隣のお昼の様子 Noontime View of Shinjuku South Exit Street 901005
http://youtu.be/PZaLfsjOyIs

1990 Odakyu Shinjuku Station 小田急新宿駅ホームの様子 901005
http://youtu.be/XNdojDVV5Ow

And then the rest of the views in this batch of video views are all from 2014.  I've been busy this past month+ and so some time has passed since taking them (over a month!).  Ideally, I'd like to comment on these soon after taking them, or at least watch them again before commenting, but I really don't have the time at the moment to do that.

高田馬場駅隣土曜日お昼の様子 Takadanobaba Afternoon Stationside Scene 141004g
http://youtu.be/-ofN01NDpDI

有楽町駅-品川駅 雨の山手線 Yurakucho to Shinagawa - Yamanote Line 140925
http://youtu.be/RW3PT_edcJA

Arriving at Ochanomizu on the Chuo Line 中央線 総武線 御茶ノ水駅 140926
http://youtu.be/JApDNyELYFs

Quick 360 on a Tokyo Station Platform 東京駅ホーム360度 140926
http://youtu.be/82_cr53YWZc

田町駅-品川駅 左側の山手線 Tamachi to Shinagawa - Yamanote Line 140926
http://youtu.be/_DFiupROy7c

中村千代展 Nakamura Chiyo Exhibition - Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 140926
http://youtu.be/W0CMyk3xlow

駒込駅隣の360度 Afternoon Komagome Station Area 360 140930
http://youtu.be/nXs-oA6PGjY

駒込駅の山手線 Waiting for the Yamanote Line at Komagome Station 140930
http://youtu.be/PDyD8yx5aF0

西日暮里駅-上野駅 山手線の右側 Nishi-Nippori to Ueno - Yamanote Line 140930
http://youtu.be/UMBd8qyHE9c

御徒町駅-秋葉原駅 山手線 Okachimachi to Akihabara - Yamanote Line 140930
http://youtu.be/cyT4gaOQjDw

Rattling Vertical Signs in Akihabara 秋葉原電気街 140930
http://youtu.be/TSNDNZwDycg

Although this was taken back in September(!), I remember this one very clearly.  I was in Akihabara when I noticed an unusual rattling sound and looked up - discovering the source of the sound to be the many metal rollers inside the vertical metal frames for vertical display banners - being pushed back and forth in the metal frames by a fairly strong wind.

They used to have more of these on building sides, but they're much less common now.  Outside billboard-style advertising in general is becoming less and less common, since people are walking around looking down at their cell-phone-computer screens all the time and hardly ever bother to look around when they're outside.

夕暮れの西新宿 元淀橋 Twilight Nishi-Shinjuku Stroll 140930g
http://youtu.be/I_GLjBfuyPQ

新宿工事現場 ホームの様子 Shinjuku Construction Symphony of Noise 141002g
http://youtu.be/6h1yrDayRrw

新宿駅-大崎駅 湘南新宿ライン東海道線直通特別快速 Shinjuku to Osaki SSLTCTK 141002
http://youtu.be/nVKMJMbojqM

Akihabara Plaza 360 秋葉原広場360度 141002
http://youtu.be/2CQ3M9WKmJE

Kawase Kazuyo A 河瀬和世展示会 和紙の世界-V2 Exhibition at Art Space Rondo 141003
http://youtu.be/4zC2eP-h1jU

Kawase Kazuyo B 河瀬和世展示会 和紙の世界-V2 Exhibition at Art Space Rondo 141003
http://youtu.be/JWAGqRVYGK8

駒込駅 夜ホームの様子 Nighttime Komagome Station Platform 141003
http://youtu.be/dps-d_-aeak

Yamanote Line Train Arriving Behind Platform Wall 山手線 高田馬場駅 141007
http://youtu.be/Re8L7hdMl4k

Akihabara Side Street 秋葉原横道 141007
http://youtu.be/U_RtghL-jqg

Looking Up and Down Late Afternoon Platform at Akihabara Station 秋葉原駅 141007
http://youtu.be/Jn5EGKvoBgE

秋葉原駅で総武線電車が遣って来る Sobu Line Trains at Akihabara 141007
http://youtu.be/PP7cBl8UTF0

大崎駅の夕暮れ電車など Twilight Trains Passing Osaki Station 141009
http://youtu.be/YNKsnfyjO8E

Twilight Osaki Residential Towers 夕暮れの大崎 141010
http://youtu.be/Pg6xzbhk_y0

Yurakucho Evening Street 夕方有楽町の道 141010
http://youtu.be/XAD1wtJ-htA

堀越千秋展示会 (ア) Horikoshi Chiaki Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 141010
http://youtu.be/P_Ol6YEAUTM

堀越千秋展示会 (イ) Horikoshi Chiaki Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 141010
http://youtu.be/Li8-5iXuDsg

堀越千秋展示会 (ウ) Horikoshi Chiaki Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 141010
http://youtu.be/797K_vXSjWE

堀越千秋展示会 (エ) Horikoshi Chiaki Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 141010
http://youtu.be/dgZWlW1koCY

Una Lee Exhibition at Ginza Art Space Rondo ウナ・リー展示会 銀座アートスペース・ロンド 141010
http://youtu.be/AoCqqrHztjI

In this view (above), the artist briefly explains a couple of her paintings.

横山光伸展示会 (ア) Yokoyama Mitsunobu Exhibition アートギャラリー石 141010
http://youtu.be/EKy53pMccRA

横山光伸展示会 (イ) Yokoyama Mitsunobu Exhibition アートギャラリー石 141010
http://youtu.be/JAmUup1oXdw

Asphalt Desolation 141010
http://youtu.be/JWIVuTqrNQA

With high-rise towers now being the standard form of new construction in Tokyo, there appears to be a requirement to have a certain amount of green that goes with each tower, so areas with no plant life whatsoever like this desolate late-night view are becoming rare (fortunately!).

有楽町ガード下の居酒屋 Yurakucho Under-Tracks-Izakaya 141010
http://youtu.be/bObExwn98Kg

Yurakucho Autumn Street Izakaya 有楽町秋道居酒屋 141010
http://youtu.be/tZnBxabc9ys

Yurakucho Autumn Street Izakaya 有楽町秋道居酒屋 141010
http://youtu.be/tZnBxabc9ys

有楽町ガード下スタンドバー居酒屋ストリートシーン Yurakucho-SB 141010
http://youtu.be/EfYAHAmedsQ

有楽町駅-東京駅 金曜日の夜十時山手線 10PM Yurakucho to Tokyo - Yamanote 141010
http://youtu.be/_B3UaYlYWY0

Chuo Line Arriving at Kunitachi Station 国立駅に中央線が遣って来る 141010
http://youtu.be/fvq8n0jf8pY

Train Race to Shibuya 渋谷駅まで 山手線の隣 141011
http://youtu.be/LHW-0tsZxqo

渋谷駅-大崎駅 湘南新宿ライン Train Race with Yamanote Line from Shibuya 141011
http://youtu.be/_J-CiYs9yCI

大崎何とか祭り Walkway Event in Osaki 141011
http://youtu.be/ol_EbqhPxxo

Halloween Exhibition and Performance Art at Ginza Forest Gallery 141021
http://youtu.be/-EXB9PyeD5w

Interesting Visitors at Art Space Rondo 銀座アートスペース ロンドの不思議の客様 141021
http://youtu.be/7xaimDKJOCo

夕方新宿駅 Evening Shinjuku Station 141021
http://youtu.be/h1rw6MdBEp8

Welding Light Show in Nighttime Shinjuku 新宿南口 夜の工事現場 141021
http://youtu.be/1h2r_2mrMyU

新宿東口の夜道散策散歩 Shinjuku East Side Night Walkabout 141021
http://youtu.be/iKBWykMGCFw

田町駅-品川駅 山手線 Riding Past Former Shinagawa Rail Yards in October 2014 (141017)
http://youtu.be/v52IYQ5PFYY

Boarding Tozai Line at Nihonbashi 東西線 日本橋駅のホーム 141017
http://youtu.be/_8GlgSr8gVU

西武新宿線の夜高田馬場駅ホーム Seibu-Shinjuku Line Takadanobaba Station 141017
http://youtu.be/BCh8E2JO0Mw

夜の秋虫音 Insect Noises at Night 141017
http://youtu.be/XpZ9U3U3tik

Narrow Stairs 141021
http://youtu.be/N9NVydSp5WQ

有楽町駅夕方ホーム Evening Yurakucho Station Platform View 141014
http://youtu.be/IcRFpK_RjDM

新宿駅夕方ホーム Evening Shinjuku Station Platform View 141014
http://youtu.be/J2tbd8HDPB4

新宿駅南口前の様子 Shinjuku South Exit Night Sidewalk Scene 141014n
http://youtu.be/VX-VlYDVdlY

新宿駅南口の夜 Shinjuku Station Night South Side Quick Look-Around 141014n
http://youtu.be/tQ5bllggd6Q

Shinjuku South Side Pedestrian Overpass Look-Around 新宿南口の夜 141014
http://youtu.be/NztYOZ_1VGY

Shinjuku Southern Terrace at Night - Installing End-of-Year Lighting 141014
http://youtu.be/ZQpi4PJKiFQ

Riding Chuo Line into Kanda Station 中央線 神田駅 141017
http://youtu.be/CVrWKXamPbA

Yamanote Line Platforms at Kanda - Early Stage of Platform Wall Construction 141017
http://youtu.be/PSGB2ut8-kQ

有楽町駅-新橋駅 山手線 Yurakucho to Shinbashi - Yamanote Line 141017
http://youtu.be/9GIV3BrII8o

秋葉原駅山手線ホームの様子 Akihabara Station Platform View 141021
http://youtu.be/Q0qNV9UW-lQ

神田駅-有楽町駅 山手線 Kanda to Yurakucho - Yamanote Line 141021g
http://youtu.be/L_yAsu10FfY

Shinkansen Trains Passing Yurakucho 夕方新幹線が有楽町駅を通る 141021g
http://youtu.be/WyUWzsolNy8

Boarding Train in Shinjuku 141023
http://youtu.be/fRyF1lkJFP4

神田駅の電車 Watching Trains at Kanda Station 141024
http://youtu.be/DE5ScWMq48Q

Keio Line Side Window View 京王線 141025
http://youtu.be/I1j0-MrtG-0

Hachioji Station Elevated Plaza 八王子駅前広場 141025
http://youtu.be/Z7EH1KUJCr4

Twilight 141025
http://youtu.be/TTPHZbOW0o4

新宿駅-大崎駅 湘南新宿ライン東海道線直通特別快速 Shinjuku to Osaki SSLTCTK 141023
http://youtu.be/WrzSZmQUEDA

夜の大崎 Nighttime Osaki 141023
http://youtu.be/Ad5khHx2kUw

Osaki Escalator Ride 大崎駅ホームまでのエスカレーター 141023g
http://youtu.be/Gl7S9E_cw0k

飯田橋駅-神田駅 中央線各駅と快速 Iidabashi to Kanda - Chuo Line Local and Rapid 141024
http://youtu.be/E6421m0rKHg

有楽町駅-浜松町駅-田町駅 山手線 Yurakucho to Tamachi - Yamanote Line 141024
http://youtu.be/EeQx14HSX2E

田町駅-品川駅 山手線 Tamachi to Shinagawa - Yamanote Line 141024
http://youtu.be/HkfYZrdVGJA

日本橋の夜 Nighttime Nihonbashi 141024
http://youtu.be/DyFknS0kHfU

Waiting for a Train at Keio-Takao Station 141025
http://youtu.be/YKQMpswzZI4

高尾駅-狭間駅 京王線 Takao to Hazama - Keio Line 141025
http://youtu.be/HtJk_J3R6Zc

北野駅ホームの様子 京王線 Kitano Station Platform View 141025
http://youtu.be/a3i8m-i9K3Y

北野駅-京王八王子駅 京王線 Kitano to Keio-Hachioji - Keio Line 141025
http://youtu.be/5aIpOF2n11M

The timing for this video was good and after pulling out of the station at the same time as the train on the other platform (and briefly running in parallel) a JR train comes alongside and then while passing under another JR line, a train is going by overhead while we pass underneath.  All in all, it was  a great ride for seeing other trains.

Twilight Akihabara Streets 夕暮れの秋葉原の道 141028
http://youtu.be/Ey0K8Ysmbuw

有楽町駅-東京駅 山手線 Yurakucho to Tokyo - Yamanote Line 141031
http://youtu.be/JqdlQkm5iR0

西武新宿線の窓情景 Seibu-Shinjuku Line Window View 141101
http://youtu.be/2YDWLdWFmIQ

Seibu-Shinjuku Line Window View 西武新宿線の窓情景 左側 141101
http://youtu.be/XyLqWhdmB60

池袋駅東口前 雨の日 Ikebukuro Rainy Day Sidewalk on East Side 141101
http://youtu.be/eRjZwQGUcuU

練馬駅-保谷駅 西武池袋線 Nerima to Hoya - Seibu-Ikebukuro Line 141101
http://youtu.be/U5BrheWPVRo

保谷駅-清瀬駅 西武池袋線 Hoya to Kiyose - Seibu-Ikebukuro Line 141101
http://youtu.be/Voe-cbV7rXU

所沢駅ホームの様子 Tokorozawa Station Platform View 141101
http://youtu.be/8J6ggrNZjWc

夕方東京駅内 Evening Tokyo Station 141028
http://youtu.be/paQNwULTdTU

東京駅八重洲口夜散策散歩 Tokyo Station Yaesu Side - Night Walkabout 141028
http://youtu.be/mmOZCYBWJZw

夜の高田馬場駅 Nighttime Takadanobaba Station 141028
http://youtu.be/mfq4I5pegns

西武高田馬場駅 夜ホームの様子 Evening Seibu Takadanobaba Platform View 141028
http://youtu.be/c_bYCfZAG0A

西武新宿線の夜窓ビュー 高田馬場駅-鷺ノ宮駅 Seibu-Shinjuku Line Night Window View 141028
http://youtu.be/o68eeufGqHk

東村山駅で西武拝島線を乗る Boarding Seibu-Haijima Line at Higashi-Murayama Station 141028
http://youtu.be/K6NcnQpSgqs

Evening Train Arriving at Osaki 夕方列車が大崎駅に到着 141030
http://youtu.be/_N6F8apW0EM

新宿駅中央線ホームからの左右の様子 Shinjuku Chuo Line Platform Left-Right View 141030
http://youtu.be/xnLwVQfiHC0

Osaki Station Area Night Walkway 大崎駅へ向かう 141031
http://youtu.be/CbLv10Dgcns

大崎駅辺り東側夜見回り Osaki Station Area - East Side Look-Around 141031
http://youtu.be/bMdu8efwuFs

大崎夜回る情景など Osaki Spinning Night View Etc 141031
http://youtu.be/KiJtvCrBmDQ

大崎駅夜山手線ホーム Osaki Station Night Yamanote Platform 141031
http://youtu.be/ObSUomowEFY

山手線が大崎駅に遣って来る Yamanote Line Arriving at Osaki 141031
http://youtu.be/n7OHYsm5dMw

有楽町金曜日の夜 駅辺り Yurakucho Friday Night 141031
http://youtu.be/RlL7UmyS614

夜の有楽町スタンドバー辺り Yurakucho-SB - Passing Night Train 141031
http://youtu.be/nKJgVehqn7E

有楽町駅の方に走るなど Elevated Keihin-Tohoku Line at Yurakucho Etc 141031
http://youtu.be/NI2q1_NlnYg

東西線車内移動 早稲田駅-高田馬場駅 Evening Tozai Line Interior 141028g
http://youtu.be/XsftAr6bbQo

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/

Sunday, November 09, 2014

Teaching/Learning English

Verbal communication - not the same as written.  Superb writers are often poor speakers; and smooth talkers often can't write properly....

Context - very often missing from general studies of a foreign language.

Logistics - Verbal communication best taught one-to-one - there is only so much a teacher can do when the ratio is 35-1.

Deep-Brain Automatic Responses - Necessary for true communication, but largely missing with students of a radically different language - such as between eastern and western languages.

Vocabulary - Not exchangeable on a word-by-word basis, but this fluid concept takes a lot of time to sink in.

Foundation of Basic Grammar - Important, but difficult to mesh smoothly with the moving and imperfect targets that languages are.

Group Repeat - Logistically useful, but many in a large group fail to get it right or even to participate.

A-B-A-B-A-B Chain Practice - Maximum speaking time for students (outside of pair work that is), but with the drawback that the students are talking with each other and not with a native speaker (who can, however, correct pronunciation and intonation while monitoring the conversation practice as it progresses through a group of students - best not much larger than about 15.  (Around six or seven students is much better of course.)

Teacher and Student One-to-One Practice - Opportunity for students to speak directly with/to a native speaker, but with the drawback that students can only practice half of a conversation at a time.

Reading - Reading stories and other interesting material that is.  Textbooks are often clinical and devoid of the magic of interesting conversations.

Listening - Fairly easily done with modern technology (electronic files played back on cell phones, etc.), but students need to push on even when much of what they're listening to is (at first) flying by with little comprehension.

Pair Practice - Logistically wonderful in that a large group can all be practicing a language simultaneously, but dangerous in that the students don't fully know if what they're doing is accurate in content, pronounced correctly, or with sensible intonation.

Culture - Vitally important, but often missing from textbooks which tend to use Frankenstein text with the context and life stripped from it.

Reset-Return to Pre-Word Thinking - Non-Verbal Pure Thought Utilization of Target Language Vocabulary - Words, at their best, are clumsy tools to express non-verbal thought processes.  Non-comprehension of this vital element of language and communication (not the same thing) leads to losing the meaning and then mechanically using words, resulting in nonsensical usage and sophistry.  Ironically, this is more of an issue for native speakers of English than foreign students of the language....

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/

"Passing On the Dim Torch" (Ranting...)

I remember when I was in my mid-twenties (23-26), I would see an older person (40's, 50's, etc.) and think "You're on the way down - now it's my turn...".  Fast forward three decades and I'm (in my fifties) having some very frustrating/irritating encounters with people in their mid-twenties.  Whether they're right or they're wrong, they are always (to themselves) Right by virtue of being Wonderful and Young.  When they're right, I try to recognize it and kind of shake my head at myself, thinking: "Try not to be too rigid...", but when they are Very Clearly Wrong, their arrogance and General Nastiness are no joy to behold.

The older I get, the more amazed I am at how Truly Amazingly Stupid so many people are, and - being a humanoid biped myself, I realize I'm not exempt from this criticism.  Humans appear not to be equipped with much in the way of CPU power....

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/