blog-LyleInTokyo: 1991モザイク通りと山手線 2021品川区の裏道

Friday, April 07, 2023

1991モザイク通りと山手線 2021品川区の裏道

(2021) Narrow walkways like this are increasingly rare in Tokyo, but I always enjoy them, as they are a refuge from the fire-breathing machinery on most of the roads in the city. Something I'd really like to experience is walking around in Tokyo (Edo) before the advent of automobiles.

(2021) It used to be that people generally put living plants around their residences, even when there was very little space to do so. Unfortunately, many now opt to bury the ground around houses in concrete, which must be easy - no watering or trimming to do, but spaces are so much better with living plants.

(1991) Shinjuku Station... waiting for a train. Certainly platform walls make it much safer, but there was something quite interesting about looking down the railway tracks, like in the picture above, with everyone standing in full view on the open platforms.

(1991) Notice the dotted white line. That used to be the only line, and the platform announcements asked people to stay behind the white line. Then they installed the broad yellow strips for braille walking behind the yellow line. Since the yellow strips were intended for walking on, the white line kept its original purpose... until they did away with the white line and began telling people to stay behind the broad yellow braille line. Sensible enough I suppose, except that for certain parts of the platform, the only way to walk down the platform is to walk on or inside the braille line.

(平成三年) 新宿モザイク通り... I first walked down this oasis-like diagonal lane in 1984... and have always enjoyed using it to get to and from the west and south exits of Shinjuku Station. Sadly it was closed last month since they are tearing down the department stores in the area to make way for larger buildings.