Stepping Out Again

Visually time traveling and looking at things mainly from a visual perspective (disregarding the content), things look interesting in different ways.  Modern scenes (from the standpoint of 2023/05) often have a sleek polished element to them.  Part of that is simply the color of the lighting.  With white and blue lighting, things seem sleek and modern?  That's what I'm thinking as I look at the above photo in any case.

Aside from the lighting issue I mention above, this photo has many elements that have carried forward over the decades.  One of many changes from past decades is tourism.  Japan has long been a popular tourist destination, but in decades past, tourists didn't have satellite navigation and micro-slab computers for translating the language, and so didn't dive into back streets popular with the locals so much.  Walking around in Nakano about a week ago, there were quite a few tourists there.

The people in a given area generate much of the atmosphere of the place, which is why a given place will have a different atmosphere just through time, even with the same age of locals there, since each new generation of young people is composed of, after all, different people, and different people generate different atmospheres.  From generation to generation, at least there's the constant flow of a common culture in the background, but tourists are much more disruptive... and disruptive in a very irritating way.  A few tourists in an area don't affect it much, but as the numbers grow, the tourists become a major generative force for the area's atmosphere and at a certain point, tourists destroy the original atmosphere of a place and replace it with a shallow amusement park atmosphere.  I don't think the politicians calling for more-more-more tourism comprehend how destructive it is to the local culture.

It's amazing how even just a little bit of plant life improves the atmosphere of a place!

I was sorry to see that the record and CD shop was longer in business....

- Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon - www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/ - youtube.com/lylehsaxon - lylehsaxon.blogspot.jp/

"1991 Okutama, Musashi-Itsukaichi, Kofu, Etc.; 2013 Kyobashi, Chuo Line, Etc."

There are a few views from 2013, but this batch is mainly several trips back to 1991 - with three destinations out in the summertime mountains - Okutama, Musashi-Itsukaichi, and the train ride to Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture.  It was one of a number of long-distance unplanned trips I took that year.  I would pick a train line to use and set off without any specific destination in mind.  When the train ride itself was interesting, I tended to end up going pretty far from Tokyo (far for a one-day out-and-back trip anyway), and the trip to Kofu was one such trip.  I took an early morning train and was planning to spend most of the day in Kofu, but not long into my wanderings in the city, the camera broke... more on that later.

Most notable for 2013 are views of a squeaky new high-rise office tower in Kyobashi (next to Ginza).  I tend not to like new office tower buildings very much, but this one is pretty cool, with retail shops and restaurants on the lower floors and a very nice elevated... maybe "terrace" is the right word?  Whatever the term, it is a bit like a nice little park sitting up on the side of the building.

With that - let's look at the clips one-by-one.

1991 Okutama Mountain Area Walkabout 奥多摩駅辺り散策散歩 (910622)
http://youtu.be/WftIcq0ltlA

At over 58 minutes, this is a long one.  I spent about six hours walking around in the area around Okutama Station, which is the last stop on one of the branches of the Chuo Line (the Okutama Line).  It was a rainy day, with mist in the mountains... looking a little like one of those pictures of misty mysterious mountains in old Chinese scrolls (said primarily because there's a rounded mountain near the station not really typical of Japan, but looking like those old Chinese prints).  Nothing exciting exactly, but it captures the atmosphere of a mountain town in Japan somewhat.  Strangely, this is still in Tokyo!  It's on the western edge, and the nearby lake is probably the reason this belongs to Tokyo (water control).  (In the same way, Sagamiko Lake (just past Takao on the Chuo Line) belongs to Kanagawa-ken.)

1991 奥多摩駅-拝島駅 青梅線 Okutama to Haijima (Ome Line) 910622
http://youtu.be/B0eRNzF38-s

1991 Haijima Station 1991年の拝島駅 (910622)
http://youtu.be/BGM1mgvXWE4

I got to Haijima Station just as middle school and high school students were headed home, and I ran into scores of them on the platform.  The trains all look very historical to me now.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the way the ordinary present becomes the nostalgic past....  Just a really ordinary thing on the one hand, but... when I watch old footage like this, I keep running into the feeling of "Wait... how can that have changed so drastically?  All those high school girls are now middle-aged women?  Really?"....

1991年 拝島駅-武蔵五日市駅 五日市線 Haijima to Musashi-Itsukaichi (910622)
http://youtu.be/s3UwbaQ1Yxg

Rolling away from central Tokyo, the Chuo Line branches at Tachikawa, and if you take the Ome Line branch of it, it again branches at Haijima, with one line going to Ome and then on to Okutama as the Okutama Line and the other called the Itsukaichi Line and going to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station.  Heading towards Tokyo on the Okutama Line (and then Ome Line), I got off at Haijima Station so I could head back towards the mountains via the Itsukaichi branch line... it was a busy day!

When I get to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (in 1991) it's a typical countryside style station that hasn't changed for decades.  Fast forward to 2013, if you go to this same station now, be prepared to discover no trace of anything shown in this video!  Nothing remains of the old station at all.  The new station is nice enough, but the old one had so much more character.

1991年の武蔵五日市駅から散策散歩 Musashi-Itsukaichi Station Area Walkabout (910622)
http://youtu.be/nyVxPaBf4PM

Similar to the long walkabout I did earlier in the day at Okutama, I spend a fair amount of time walking around in the area around the Musashi-Itsukaichi Station, much of it shown in this 46-minute video.  Personally, I like this one, if for no other reason than thanks to the deserted temple I stumbled upon.

There's nothing like walking around alone for picking up the faint radio waves a place gives off....

1991 - Ringing Temple Bell (910622)
http://youtu.be/dA6ACH74duA

Not recommended and in fact probably not possible - the ringer logs are generally locked when not in use so wandering tourists with cameras can't ring them at random times.  That said, this video gives a fairly good idea of the melodious sound this type of bell makes when struck.

1991 Temple Tea House (910622)
http://youtu.be/5YE2Eu-IP2U

1991年の武蔵五日市駅 Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (910622)
http://youtu.be/TFEiw3ENYcM

To cover the now vanished-in-the-mist-of-time version of this station as best as I can, I put together the footage I took both when arriving and when I came back a few hours later.  Fortunately I had some time before my train departed, so I captured images of the station office, a train arriving, etc.  If you knew this station before it was rebuilt, you might like this one.

1991 Musashi-Itsukaichi to Tachikawa 武蔵五日市駅-立川駅 (910622)
http://youtu.be/WKPcoDSwp-w

Some overlap with the previous video, but this one focuses on the train ride from Musashi-Itsukaichi Station to Tachikawa Station, beginning in the twilight of the day and ending when it's fully night.

1991 Tachikawa Station 立川駅 (910622)
http://youtu.be/ivhE02cA9yY

Tachikawa Station itself had already been recently rebuilt in a modern style, but the trains are all previous generation.  Looking at this now - the station looks squeaky-new, which it probably was at the time.  The station is still nice, but the large concourse as you come out of the ticket gates has a different feel to it now.

1991年の立川駅辺り Tachikawa Station Area (910622)
http://youtu.be/Nl-jpptWhSQ

The video above is the first half of my time in Tachikawa, and the one below the second half.  These would have been one file, but are on different tapes - I ran out of tape while taking the first half.

I suppose these narrow streets in Tachikawa I'm wandering around on have changed... I don't recognize most of them in comparison with what I've seen in Tachikawa recently.

1991 Tachikawa Nighttime Walkabout 夜の立川 (910622)
http://youtu.be/RI0iqTBw3l4

1991 Late Night Tachikawa Station 夜の立川駅 (910622)
http://youtu.be/8kxWGtX9fFg

1991 Tachikawa to Ikebukuro Etc 立川駅-池袋駅など (910622)
http://youtu.be/liQwBUPcBEA

Ogikubo to Shinjuku - Night Chuo Line 荻窪駅-新宿駅 夜中央線 (130625)
http://youtu.be/fbGHtxG6J38

By title, this looks like it would be another of my standing-by-the-door videos, but I stumbled upon a very rare thing - a Chuo Line train that was half empty!  I don't know how that happened, but I took advantage of the situation and recorded the view out one of the large side windows (instead of through one of the small door windows, which is what I usually have to do).  The other thing that prompted me to pull out the camera, is that the view looked so clean... possibly the window had just been washed?  In any case, it's a clear/clean view of a night train window.

New Multi-Speed Escalator (130627)
http://youtu.be/hwmuJcaS4Jo

There's been some confusion about these escalators, so I probably should explain how they work.  In contrast with the type often used in train stations that stop when not in use and automatically start up when someone trips a sensor, these don't completely stop when not in use, but slow to a barely moving crawl (probably to both show they are open for use and indicate direction) and then come up to speed when a sensor is tripped.

What I found interesting is how they don't jump from the crawl-speed to regular speed, but smoothly slide up to speed with no sudden change.  They change speed so smoothly that you can't feel the change, although on one of them, I was walking in full speed mode when I got on, and since it hadn't started accelerating yet, there was a different-from-expectations sensation when I stepped onto it.  A mild form of the feeling you get when you think you're going to be stepping onto moving stairs and discover that they're stopped.

Basement Gallery 地下画廊 (130627)
http://youtu.be/KwZEuYjIWw0

This gallery - unfortunately - will be closing in a few weeks.  The gallery owner gave me permission to record the space.  This space was originally a sento (communal bath) for the apartment building overhead (which this building originally was).  Apparently during WW-II the iron equipment for the steam heat and bath was removed (for the war effort) and never re-installed following the war, so the bath was only used for about ten years.

Tokyo New Building Stroll - Escalators Elevator Etc (130627)
http://youtu.be/KOdPJfPUXEw

Imitating Irritating Elevator Electronic Voice (130627)
http://youtu.be/zMpa_Aie_no

OK... I probably shouldn't mock the poor elevator machine lady, but I figure computer chips don't really care, and man - I really hate those over-pronounced horrible-sounding English recordings they torment passengers on the train system with, and now they're doing the same thing in the elevators!

Upper Floor Lobby of New Building in Tokyo - Walk to Basement (130627)
http://youtu.be/CFJniG29cgY

Entering Kyobashi Subway Station 京橋駅を入る (130627)
http://youtu.be/vM3Qf7knU_U

Kyobashi to Kudanshita (Ginza-Tozai) 京橋駅-九段下駅 銀座線-東西線 (130627)
http://youtu.be/FsdSjHsI3RY

Subway all the way, there's not much to see outside the window while the trains are in motion - just the blurred motion of the subway tunnel walls.  This does include the transfer from the Ginza Line to the Tozai Line (at Nihonbashi Station) though.

Takadanobaba Tozai Line Platform Walk 高田馬場駅ホームの様子 (130627)
http://youtu.be/jnhdYnZboQo

Takadanobaba Night Street View 高田馬場夜ストリートビュー (130627)
http://youtu.be/2IL7jfSvpEE

Takadanobaba is basically a college student area and the students were out in force when I walked through - making energetic student noises.  It still looks like fun, but that level of overflowing energy isn't generally mine to tap into any more....

Shinjuku Station Lower Plaza at Night 夜新宿駅下の広場 (130625)
http://youtu.be/-VIrUtxFxPA

Much of Shinjuku Station has been renovated, but this area leading up to the west entrance ticket gates hasn't changed for a while.  It feels familiar to me at this point, so an alarm went off and I thought "Wait... it feels familiar?  Then its days are very probably numbered!  Better record it if you want to see it again some time in the future."  And that's what this video is.  Note to future-shock self (in the future): "Here it is dude.  What have they done with it in the future?"

Tokyo Station - Southwest Dome to Tokaido Line 東京駅西南ドーム-東海道線 (130626)
http://youtu.be/zswNP31o06E

Tokyo to Shinagawa - Tokaido Line 東京駅-品川駅 東海道線 (130626)
http://youtu.be/N6taO4AsaDY

Shinagawa Station Walkabout 品川駅内の様子 散策散歩 (130626)
http://youtu.be/-aFj0MNrnS0

Yurakucho to Tokyo (Keihin-Tohoku Line) 有楽町駅-東京駅 京浜東北線 (130626)
http://youtu.be/ft8SnBFbioI

Tokyo to Kanda - Nighttime Chuo Line 東京駅-神田駅 夜の中央線 (130626)
http://youtu.be/O23N7r0scaA

Chuo Line from Kanda - Into the Night 神田駅 中央線 (130626)
http://youtu.be/zEN6Sxf_CD0

Tokyo to Hamamatsucho (Yamanote Line) 東京駅-浜松町駅 山手線 (130627)
http://youtu.be/g2rP1vQK9k4

Shinbashi to Yurakucho FCV (Yamanote Line) 新橋駅-有楽町駅 山手線 (130627)
http://youtu.be/VjT8KC8IGEA

Yurakucho Station Afternoon Platform View 有楽町駅 午後の様子 (130627)
http://youtu.be/P3oPenWT6ew

Tokyo Square Garden B1 Restaurant Floor to Ginza Subway Kyobashi (130627)
http://youtu.be/4lrxuf95VpE

I like the way they have the open-to-the-sky section between the B1 level of the building and the entrance to the subway system (Kyobashi Station on the Ginza Line) - it's so much nicer than just walking through an underground tunnel from the building's basement to the train.

風中の七夕飾り物 (130703)
http://youtu.be/d2oh63FaWdE

TSG Elevated Tree Garden Stroll (130703)
http://youtu.be/_h9JJE4-m9E

The sensation from this balcony tree garden (my term - I hope it makes sense) feels very much like looking down on a city from a hill.

TSG Kyobashi Plaza 京橋TSG広場 (130703)
http://youtu.be/s8MwlhLEB0I

Tokyo Station Yaesu Side to Concourse 東京駅八重洲口と通路 (130703)
http://youtu.be/j2Z3i-fJmG0

Nishi-Shinjuku Side Street Stroll 西新宿夕方散歩 (130703)
http://youtu.be/zqHJkHMV-jM

Shinjuku - Boarding Late Night Train 新宿駅で夜の中央線電車を乗る (130703)
http://youtu.be/XN7kHVSC2PQ

1991 Ikebukuro Afternoon 池袋駅辺り (910715)
http://youtu.be/ft9kF8ua1IU

1991 Ikebukuro to Nishimagome 池袋駅-西馬込駅 (910715)
http://youtu.be/mIfZeRyjqV0

1991 Minamimagome Stroll 南馬込散策散歩 (910715)
http://youtu.be/NWkTsMnOwDs

1991 Gotanda と Otsuka Station と Suburbia Etc 五反田駅 大塚駅など (910715)
http://youtu.be/jCYM0NGP6sQ

1991 踏切 The Railroad Crossing (910627辺り)
http://youtu.be/BXOd4h4PCvs

A piece of Tokyo suburbia: street-level rail crossings.  At times, the number of people waiting grows to quite a crowd by the time the crossing opens.

There are several views of (mostly) the same crossing in this one.  Watch from around the 01:40 mark for an example of a large crowd being generated by the wait.  Even so, it was often much more crowded than that... but this set of different views of the same crossing shows how it was generally.

Off on the right is the empty space where they were beginning to build the combination Parco Store and apartment building.

1991 Early Morning Suburbia - Western Tokyo 朝早く東京の西側 (910629)
http://youtu.be/aGVU57IWGFg

I stumbled upon an area of housing with narrow walkways running between the houses - which is how it generally was done in old Tokyo - before the fire-breathing machinery came, and more and more land was buried under wide expanses of black asphalt.  It's true enough that if there's a fire, closely packed wooden housing is liable to all burn down, but when it's not on fire (most of the time, hopefully never) it's so much nicer to walk on a people-only path than it is to share space with the machines  with their noise, pollution, vibration, and danger.  Many more people die in traffic accidents than fire, after all.

I would put the address in here, but while I know the road I was walking down when I discovered this area, I'm  not sure which section of it exactly this was.

1991 Musashisakai Station 武蔵境駅 (910629)
http://youtu.be/08i2Xs3aow4

Yet another station that has been completely rebuilt.  Knowing what it looks like now, it's hard to believe that this is really the same station.

1991 Musashisakai to Kofu 武蔵境駅-甲府駅 (910629)
http://youtu.be/vDbZZLBYlO4

Another long one at 42-minutes, this has some (to me at least) great footage of the countryside well away from Tokyo as seen out an open window on a speeding train - the best way to see the countryside.  Fortunately the camera held up all the way to Kofu.

1991 Kofu-shi Yamanashi-ken 山梨県 甲府市 (910629)
http://youtu.be/ot35krE_NGs

This would have been much more extensive - having come so far from Tokyo, I had intended to spend most of the day having a good look at Kofu, but the camera part of my analog video camera broke.  It would play previously recorded material back with no problem, but something in the camera part (maybe the CCD sensor?) was broken.

I came really close to losing this tape actually - when the camera broke down, I went to a Sony store in the center of town to see if they might be able to fix it (they couldn't), and while the guy in the shop was trying to get the camera to work, at one point, when he ejected the tape, it hadn't properly re-spooled and some of the tape was out of its cassette and got crumpled a little (which shows up as damaged sound and horizontal lines in the picture).  Fortunately it didn't break though.  I lost at least one (maybe two?) tape(s?) that way before.  The tape physically broke in a jam, and while I didn't (I don't think...) throw the tape away, I gave up on it and it's sleeping in a box somewhere.  I lost somewhere between one and three hours of material that way (the more I think about it, the more I think there were two tapes that happened to).

Anyway, back to this footage of Kofu - at the time I remember thinking "After coming all this way!  And I was just getting started!", but in re-watching this as I write this, there's actually a bit more material than I had remembered being able to take.... and while the guy at the Sony shop was busy with my camera, he let try out a demo camera in the store, so I got some footage of the shotengai mall that the store was in, as well as a view of the Sony guy trying to figure out what was wrong with my camera.

Incidentally, I had been having a problem with the camera producing lines in the picture, that I was able to clear up by (gently?) whacking the side of the camera.  The service center was secretive about repair details (over a variety of break-downs, they always said that they changed the heads, even when that was clearly not the problem.  I'm pretty sure they replaced the CCD sensor and/or camera unit(?) to fix this.  Remember that playback was fine (sound and picture) even after it broke; there was just no picture information at all, but it was still recording sound (see around 11:22 for the moment when it broke).

Well, whatever they did to fix it, they did a proper repair job, because (after I got the camera back two weeks later) I was able to use the camera for many more hours of recording before performance began to deteriorate again (those analog 8mm cameras didn't like being used very heavily).

Anyway... more camera maintenance details than you wanted to hear about!  Sorry about that.  It was an important issue for me at the time, so it's still pretty clear in my memory and further forward than it should be.  Maybe by writing down the above details I can push it into the back archive vault of the mind and forget about it.  Strange how some things stick so vividly in mind for so long....

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

"Snow!, Shinagawa, Hamamatsucho, Ginza, Kokusai Forum, S47 Site, Chuo Line, Etc."

The two things that stand out (to me) in this batch of videos are the fairly heavy snowfall that Tokyo experienced and a visit to the 47-Ronin graves at Sengakuji Temple 泉岳寺.  I'm a bit shy on time right now, so there may not be much in the way of comments by the videos this time - hopefully the titles are self-explanatory.

Ebisu-Shinagawa Side Window and Cab Views 恵比寿-品川 電車からの景色 (130117g)
http://youtu.be/REhjaVLcmns

For several stations, I looked out a side window (on the right), but I moved to the front of the train and looked out the front cab for the last hop of the trip, going from Osaki to Shinagawa.  It's an interesting part of the Yamanote Line, as it makes a fairly sharp turn to the left that starts the train heading north towards Shinagawa, Yurakucho, Tokyo, Akihabara, Ueno, etc.  At the top of the loop, the line runs west for a little before heading south (basically making two 90-degree turns), so the bottom part of the loop is the only place where it takes that sharp of a turn (more than 90-degrees) between stations.

Shinagawa to Hamamatsucho (Yamanote Line) 品川-浜松町 (山手線) 130117g
http://youtu.be/G0ieQo1FjBg

Hamamatsucho to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 浜松町-有楽町 (山手線) 130117g
http://youtu.be/UGaQCTNSirs

Looking Around Inside of Kokusai Forum 国際フォーラム内を見回る (130117g)
http://youtu.be/oZoX7B89B6o

The Kokusai Forum is quite visually interesting... of the two videos, I like the way the first part of the video taken while exiting the space (below) turned out.

Exiting Kokusai Forum 国際フォーラムを見ながら出る (130117g)
http://youtu.be/vfhBPN8EG5U

Departing Shinjuku Station (Late Night) 夜遅く新宿駅から出発 (130117g)
http://youtu.be/OfAnc4_RDpw

I keep saying this, but take a good look at how the Yamanote Line platform looks, because it won't look this way for very much longer.  The next step is it will be under construction for some time and then they'll put in the platform walls...

Chuo Line Snow - Kokubunji to Kichijoji 中央線雪, 国分寺-吉祥寺 (130115)
http://youtu.be/tTfBdRtNj6o

These side window pictures from the Chuo Line (three - together covering one trip from Kokubunji to Kanda [and then a fourth video covers Kanda to Tokyo and Yurakucho]) were taken the day after the big January 14th snow, so a lot of the snow had already melted, but since so much had fallen the day before, a fair amount remained and the whiteness of the landscape is unusual for Tokyo.  Since the train wasn't crowded at all, I went back and forth between the left and right sides of the train - with most of the first part of the trip being recorded on the left, but then the Nakano to Shinjuku part on the right and the rest of the trip more evenly on both sides.

Chuo Line Snow - Kichijoji to Koenji 中央線雪 - 吉祥寺-高円寺 (130115)
http://youtu.be/grS4-xhbKkA

Chuo Line Snow - Koenji to Kanda 中央線雪 - 高円寺-神田 (130115)
http://youtu.be/Nn_gk69L-sw

This a long one, with the Nakano to Shinjuku part of the trip (as I mentioned above) being recorded on the right side of the train, so you can see the high-rise buildings of Shinjuku gradually get bigger on the horizon as the train speeds towards Shinjuku.  After Shinjuku, I went back and forth more evenly, recording from both sides of the train.

Kanda to Yurakucho via Chuo and Yamanote Lines 神田-有楽町 - 東京駅で乗換え (130115)
http://youtu.be/EFUcLYPHIdk

I had been planning to transfer to the Yamanote Line at Kanda, but ended up staying on the Chuo Line and riding it to its terminal stop Tokyo Station, where I transferred to the Yamanote Line and rode the one stop down the line to Yurakucho Station.

Ebisu Station Platform - Sights and Sounds 恵比寿駅 (130117hd)
http://youtu.be/96cwUHsXvIs

A major (*the* major?) part of this video is its audio.  While I waited for a train to arrive, there was nearly a symphony of competing noises - from the slightly obnoxious repeating message about the escalator being under construction (being repaired actually, but they use the term 工事中 [koji-chu - under construction] in Japanese), to the various typical platform announcements.  It's in stereo, so if you want to know how the station sounds, hook this one up to a stereo (or better yet, play it through headphones) and play it loud - it'll give you a very good idea of how it sounds to be waiting for a train at Ebisu!

Snowing in the Woods - January 14th, 2013 林の雪 (130114)
http://youtu.be/aIpObItwybY

Tokyo Big Snowstorm - January 14th, 2013 - (130114)
http://youtu.be/xij9qfIg-Ls

Very Snowy Tokyo Park (130114)
http://youtu.be/LYzD1C-T8DM

Heavy Snow - White Tree Branches 雪雪雪 (130114hd)
http://youtu.be/WZKQ40TFTNA

Snow Along Tamagawa-Josui 雪雪雪 (130114hd)
http://youtu.be/8cfQUi2r2Hw

Heavy Snow in Tokyo - January 14th, 2013 雪雪雪 (130114hd)
http://youtu.be/l9GcDIUeTeo

Looking Around on the West Side of Shinagawa Station 品川駅西側 (130117hd)
http://youtu.be/tpHfPLEZcbw

Light Clouds Drifting by Tokyo Tower (130117hd)
http://youtu.be/y9OTUs1IbxM

サロンど東京春秋展 Ginza-One (銀座ワン) January 2013 Group Exhibition - (130115hd)
http://youtu.be/PkVq5UeO89g

Tobu-Tojo Line Side View to Kita-Sakado (Snow) 東武東上線北坂戸まで (雪) 130116
http://youtu.be/IgUxM45kZwQ

Seibu-Shinjuku Line Front Snow View to Hon-Kawagoe 西武新宿線 - 本川越駅まで (130116)
http://youtu.be/6p8jkMsj6P8

Personally, I think this video is a bit boring.  It does show the snow on the railway through the front cab - but it would have been better to have taken pictures out a side window.  Actually, I wanted to do both, but the train was so crowded, that I couldn't get to either side of the train, so I was stuck in that one position - looking through the front cab.

Ginza Side Street 銀座の横道 (130115)
http://youtu.be/KssSoNJZoN4

Yurakucho Platform Walk and Ride to Tokyo 有楽町駅など (130115)
http://youtu.be/F-JYmztEzfE

Alley Stroll in Ginza 銀座の裏道 (130115)
http://youtu.be/YuCI2FeaCTk

Waiting for the Next Train at Tokyo Station 東京駅で待っている (130115)
http://youtu.be/7S8McKaqMIM

Looking into the Night - Chuo Line Side Window View 夜の中央線 (130116)
http://youtu.be/FXyKJZ5rxD8

A night view of snow on the ground as seen out a side window of a speeding train.

Saitama Countryside in Snow 埼玉の雪景色 (130116)
http://youtu.be/uf8Ey6Gpbl8

Tobu-Tojo Line to Asakadai (Snow) 東武東上線朝霞台駅まで (130116)
http://youtu.be/3lSe6HAP0a0

Departing Shinjuku via Shonan-Shinjuku Line (Snow) 湘南新宿線 130117
http://youtu.be/7GDdWvUbluA

Shinjuku to Ebisu - Shonan-Shinjuku Line 新宿-恵比寿 - 湘南新宿線 (130117)
http://youtu.be/92VHO_GVU-g

Exiting Shinagawa Station via Takanawa Side 品川駅高輪口から出る (130117)
http://youtu.be/1-rKiPHgDgg

Walking Towards Takanawa Area from Shinagawa Station (130117)
http://youtu.be/fTw0E4ePwWg

Area Under Construction in Takanawa 高輪工事 (130117)
http://youtu.be/S4hqU_EnhnU

Spot Midway to S47 - Takanawa, Minato-ku (130117)
http://youtu.be/xTv7ixCNZ38

Visiting S47 Site at Sengakuji Temple 泉岳寺 - 雪あり (130117)
http://youtu.be/kLtubFkjkYc

Not the first time to visit the graves of the 47 samurai/ronin, but the first time to go there when there was snow on the ground.  The story is that the event took place on a day with a big snowfall, so it seemed appropriate to see Sengakuji Temple with snow on the ground.

Looking Around at S47 Site at Sengakuji Temple 泉岳寺 (雪あり) 130117
http://youtu.be/UA9iQWWdb6E

Leaving S47 Site at Sengakuji Temple 泉岳寺 (雪あり) 130117
http://youtu.be/WSrHZJx0cWU

Approaching Takanawa Entrance to Shinagawa Station 品川駅高輪口 (130117)
http://youtu.be/ERg-lVYPnIU

Entering Shinagawa Station from Takanawa Side 品川駅高輪口から入る (130117)
http://youtu.be/9fPBQPTXf1A

Shinagawa Yamanote Platform Walk 品川駅ホーム散歩 (130117)
http://youtu.be/RW42Xbx5j_I

Hamamatsucho Station (Platform to Exit) 浜松町駅ホームから出口まで (130117)
http://youtu.be/nhVWMzrGPxU

Hamamatsucho - Building Being Demolished 浜松町工事 (130117)
http://youtu.be/KzbnaYdSv8c

Shibadaimon Walkthrough 芝大門散歩 (130117)
http://youtu.be/YA9FDs_NgsM

Looking Up at Tokyo Tower 東京タワーを上に見る (130117)
http://youtu.be/SxgLlpeIgnU

Under the Bridge in Yurakucho 夕方有楽町橋の下 (130117)
http://youtu.be/NajWyUIBdME

Walking into Ginza in the Twilight 夕方銀座に入る (130117)
http://youtu.be/96rLwnvfQZw

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

"Shinjuku, Kokubunji, Ginza, Machida, Fujisawa, Hiratsuka, Mt. Takao, Etc."

There are a lot of things in this batch of video clips - from typical Shinjuku and Ginza scenes, to train views (Chuo Line, etc.), walkabout views of Machida (a local city within Tokyo), Fujisawa, and the Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri.  Yes - it's full-fledged summer now, along with the typical sounds, smells, activities, etc. that Tokyo and surrounding Japan offer - all in the July heat and humidity.

Street Singer/Guitarist - Live in Shinjuku - (110705-2210)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6GFwwCfiI

Listening to a street singer/guitarist perform live in front of Shinjuku Station (on the west side).

門谷純 - ストリートライブ/路上 in Shinjuku (Kadotani Jun) - (110705-2237)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrluz_JwlI

Looking around while listening to Kadotani Jun (門谷純) perform live (ストリートライブ / /路上) in Shinjuku.  I really liked the songs I heard in Shinjuku last night - and bought one of the singer's CD's - which has a slightly different feel to it than the live performance - which I liked best.

Street Singer/Guitarist - Shinjuku (Two Songs) - (110705-2240)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kswUIMdh_p8

Looking around (a bit too much...) while listening to a street singer/guitarist - with a really nice voice, performing in front of Shinjuku Station.

Seibu Line Arrives at Kokubunji - (110702-1515)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtoeYnplSII

Watching both a Chuo Line train and a Seibu Line train arrive at Kokubunji Station.

Semi-Dark Kokubunji Station - (110704-1937)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwCtWsLcV2s

Walking through semi-dark Kokubunji Station.

Tanabata Decoration - Kokubunji Station (七夕) - (110704-1941)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2UMBs8okV0

Watching a Tanabata (七夕) decoration in Kokubunji Station being blown about with the wind.

Inbound Chuo Line - Lights-Out Power-Save Mode - (110705-1227)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq5TYxqDRbY

Saving power on an inbound Chuo Line train by turning the interior lights out for much of the run.

Lights Out Chuo Line Train Departing Musashisakai Station - (110705-1230)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di-6HB3Ysbo

Watching a Chuo Line train with it's internal lights out departing Musashisakai Station.

Musashisakai Station - Still Under Construction - (110705-1232)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW1MTJ9AUOY

Walking through Musashisakai Station, which is still under (re)construction.

Musashino Noontime Stroll - (110705-1237)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYOfIjCyOVM

Walking down a nondescript street in Musashino-shi one hot July afternoon....

Approaching Musashisakai Station - Still Under Construction - (110705-1257)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ftDzEpZz2E

Walking up to Musashisakai Station, which is still under construction.

Inbound Platform at Musashisakai Station - (110705-1259)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV5oGfo7Wxw

Looking around on the inbound platform at Musashisakai Station.

Boarding Inbound Chuo Line at Musashisakai Station - (110705-1301)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJYDylU1dJk

Boarding an inbound Chuo Line train at Musashisakai Station.

Chuo Line to Yamanote Line - Tokyo Station - (110705-1336)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrS31lu3Mic

Transferring from the Chuo Line to the Yamanote Line at Tokyo Station.

Afternoon Yurakucho Platform - (110705-1346)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMgmbrtNtgc

A view from a Yurakucho Station platform one hot July afternoon.

Yurakucho Station to Ginza 4-Chome Intersection - (110705-1347)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXKEOcLld58

Walking from Yurakucho Station to the Ginza 4-Chome intersection.

Ginza Chuo Dori - Hot Afternoon Stroll - (110705-1356)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X0TXhy4d8s

Walking down Ginza Chuo-Dori on a hot July afternoon.

Shinjuku Walkabout - West Side - (110705-2248)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uET8X-Afol4

Walking past the west side of Shinjuku Station.

Tokyo Yurakucho Trains - 1:40 p.m. - (110705-1340)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f6V6Z9MqNs

Watching trains from a platform at Yurakucho Station.

Kokubunji to Hachioji (Chuo Line) - (110708-1457)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p5BgaUn4fc

Riding an outbound Chuo Line train from Kokubunji to Hachioji - looking out the front cab and through the side windows near the front cab.

Hachioji to Hashimoto (Yokohama Line) - (110708-1517)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH_wEdP1Glk

Riding the Yokohama line from Hachioji to Hashimoto - looking out the front cab and side windows.

Hashimoto to Machida (Yokohama Line) - (110708-1534)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBcExlZU9FQ

Going from Hashimoto Station to Machida Station on the Yokohama Line.

Exiting JR-Machida Station - (110708-1549)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY1omKzkSWk

Exiting JR-Machida Station and looking around in Machida.

Machida - Between JR and Odakyu - (110708-1552)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM1z1EhEeA

Walking between the JR and Odakyu stations in Machida.

Machida Shotengai Stroll - (110708-1554)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOOT60wPTJY

Walking down some of the many shotengai streets in Machida.

Machida Back Alleys - (110708-1603)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGhWZur2T4s

Exploring some back alleys in Machida.

Machida Side Streets - (110708-1630)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlMQxEIDNTE

Looking around on side streets in Machida.

Machida RR-Crossing (Odakyu Line) - (110708-1639)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_ncQQ1zhMI

Looking around in Machida by the station-side railroad crossing by the Odakyu Machida Station.

Boarding Outbound Odakyu Line Train at Machida - (110708-1645)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=---kXpBH-fc

Boarding an outbound Odakyu Line train at Machida Station.

Odakyu Line - Outbound Side-Window View - (110708-1656)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4_LIm8-9SY

Looking out a side window of an outbound Odakyu Line train.

Exiting Odakyu Line at Fujisawa Station - (110708-1716)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgQ_wXh_BaY

Exiting an Odakyu Line train at Fujisawa Station and looking around.

Women in Yukata at Fujisawa Station - (110708-1719)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErJnhN-jf2w

Women in Yukata at Fujisawa Station - probably going to or from the matsuri in Hiratsuka.

Fujisawa Walkabout - (110708-1721)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HNS3PF3o8Q

Walking around in Fujisawa.

Fujisawa Station Area Walkabout - (110708-1728)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81UI5U_gPyw

Looking around the Fujisawa Station area.

JR-Fujisawa Station - Platform Stroll - (110708-1739)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_E2XbWLoMc

Walking down a platform at JR-Fujisawa Station.

Fujisawa to Hiratsuka - Side Window View - (110708-1746)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIxf4iskQJs

Looking out a right-side window of a Tokaido Line train as it speeds from Fujisawa to Hiratsuka.

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - A) - (110708-1803)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf4z0Q6QnMs

The 61st Shonan-Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (第61回の湘南平塚七夕祭り - A), July 8th, 9th, and 10th - this clip recorded on July 8th, 2011.

(Note: The exact way the name of the festival is written in an event handout I received is: 第61回 湘南ひらつか七夕まつり - I guess they're using ひらつか instead of 平塚, and まつり instead of 祭り for stylistic reasons.)

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - B) - (110708-1814)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHEtxmhfTK8

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - C) - (110708-1824)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyIlb6KClY

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - D) - (110708-1828)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyeKLfHbH8w

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - E) - (110708-1837)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiQBxYnxVtc

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - F) - (110708-1851)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh45UsIOpw0

Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (61st湘南平塚七夕祭り - G) - (110708-1921)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNfG2W8ACuU

Boarding Tokaido Line at Hiratsuka Station - (110708-1929)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miQGgjUMORk

Boarding a Tokaido Line train at Hiratsuka Station after seeing a festival.

Night Run - Hiratsuka to Tsujido - (110708-1939)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr_TLx7pw9k

Riding an inbound night Tokaido line train from Hiratsuka to Tsujido.

Tsujido - Old End of Platform Exit - (110708-2005)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnEf8S48Bo8

Looking at the last traces of the original old Tsujido platform by the end-of-platform exit.

Tsujido - Outbound Tokaido Line - (110708-2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu2CdP39ti8

Watching an outbound Tokaido Line train at Tsujido Station.

Tsujido Station - Main Entrance at Night - (110708-2019)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tFKSAoWWCo

Looking at the main entrance of the new (mostly) rebuilt Tsujido Station at night.

Chigasaki - Lonely Rail Crossing - (110708-2042)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSAbh6S-ptM

Watching a late night freight train pass by a lonely rail crossing in Chigasaki.

Tsujido Station Old Bits - Ride to Fujisawa - (110708-2051)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv8bLDuGjiE

Looking at the few old parts of Tsujido Station still remaining, and then boarding an inbound Tokaido Line train and looking out a window on the ride to Fujisawa.

Night Inbound Tokaido Line - Window View (to Shinbashi) - (110708-2143)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QkdRYsjUjM

Looking out a window of an Inbound Tokaido Line train - getting off at Shinbashi Station.

Night Shinbashi and Yurakucho Station Views - (110708-2156)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Q-1Hgkwec

Walking around in Shinbashi Station, riding a train to Yurakucho Station, and looking around at Yurakucho Station.

Night Yurakucho to Tokyo, Etc. - (110708-2243)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGulKUONYHk

Walking to Yurakucho Station, and then taking a train to Tokyo Station.

Mt. Takao Cable Car Assent (高尾山ケーブルカー上り) - (110711-1829)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hybkd0UVH28

Riding the cable car up part of Mt. Takao (高尾山ケーブルカー上り).

Mt. Takao Evening - (110711-1848)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHe7KCJIwxw

Looking around on Mt. Takao in the evening.

Revelers in the Night at Mt. Takao - (110711-1927)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmD2RsoyG88

Listening to revelers in the Night at Mt. Takao.

Boarding Cable Car at Top of Mt. Takao - (110711-2039)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkPq4h-roqA

Boarding the Mt. Takao cable car at the top.

Mt. Takao Cable Car Descent (高尾山ケーブルカー下り) - (110711-2045)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hvT1_qC2ho

Riding the Mt. Takao cable car down the mountain. (高尾山ケーブルカー下り)

Lonely Area Below Mt. Takao Cable Car Station - (110711-2056)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rJGBwLRMsI

Looking around in the lonely area near the lower Mt. Takao cable car station.

Train Dancing - (110711-2105)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bich2dm2fIE

Train dancing on the Keio Line.

Nighttime Takao Station - (110711-2121)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfuZqUTrkwA

Looking around Takao Station one Monday evening.

Inside Inbound Nighttime Chuo Line - (110711-2136)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9TmNuijQE0

Looking around inside an inbound nighttime Chuo Line train.

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