"Shinjuku, Ochanomizu, Suidobashi, Odakyu Line, Train Scenes, Etc."

Other than a trip out to Yoyogi-Uehara on the Odakyu Line, I mainly focused on the Chuo Line - with scenes from Shinjuku, Ochanomizu, and Suidobashi - combined with (as usual) several in-motion scenes taken on various trains.

Ochanomizu to Tokyo - Kanda Under Construction 工事中神田駅など (130129g)
http://youtu.be/cM4Dj1QDL6g

This starts off with a platform view at Ochanomizu Station while waiting for the train to get underway.  I stayed mainly on the right side of the carriage in order to get a view of the remains of the Chuo Line's former terminal station, Manseibashi Station (万世橋駅).  You can see the old platform from about the 01:38 mark, then there's a big construction hole (at 01:44) where a section of the platform has been cut away, quickly followed by a quick view of exposed stairs leading to/from the platform.  As I mentioned previously, I have long known there were remains of a former station there, but had never looked up the history and didn't realize there was a big, interesting terminal station building there from 1912 until 1919, when the line was extended.  The cool looking big terminal building was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.  Anyway, I already went into that before, so more information is further down the page (in a previous post).  I mention it again, because suddenly that area seems much more interesting.  I wish I had known this history sooner.

When the train gets to Kanda, I transfer to a Yamanote Line train - walking through what feels like greatly intensified construction activity in Kanda Station (from about 03:24).  The construction at Kanda Station has been going on for quite a while, but this day the atmosphere felt quite different and it seemed as though it's on a verge of a great change - soon.

Speaking of construction - after getting on a Yamanote Line train, it passes another big construction hole just before the platform at Tokyo Station (at around 06:34).  Another big project, but I have no idea what this particular construction is for.  Basically Tokyo is in a permanent state of reconstruction.  If the city lasts for 300,000 years, it will probably be under construction for 300,000 years.  The video ends as I walk through one of the large under-track concourses at Tokyo Station.

Shinjuku Station 1130 p.m. Dash 新宿駅夜遅くのラッシュとダッシュ (130129g)
http://youtu.be/Er-5uq8FuNA

After walking through the direct-transfer gates between the Odakyu Line and the JR lines, I walk through the late-crowd, people rushing to get the last trains that still make connections to other lines further away out in the suburbs.  The last trains from Shinjuku run pretty close to 1:00 a.m., but for those who have distant transfers to make, they need to get on the system between 11:00 and 11:30 p.m., which is why you see people dashing about on the lower concourse at Shinjuku Station.  Hearing the "doors are about to close" sound, I run up a flight of stairs and jump on a train myself.

Shinjuku to Nishi-Shinjuku Crosswalk 西新宿 (元淀橋) に入る (130129ghd)
http://youtu.be/X585UekiLAI

Nearing Suidobashi Station (Political Van) 水道橋駅に近づく (130129ghd)
http://youtu.be/qQziLZnZ7fk

Typical winter street scene in Tokyo.  About the political van that drives by - the timing puzzles me, since there were elections quite recently.  I guess they're getting an early start aiming towards the next elections?

Shinjuku Platform Walk (Chuo Line) 新宿ホーム風景 (中央線) 130129ghd
http://youtu.be/BkBuDnUHN9s

Walking down a nighttime Chuo Line platform at Shinjuku Station.

Shinjuku Station Upper Concourse (South Exit) 新宿駅上の通路 (南口) 130129ghd
http://youtu.be/TbUiIbYgTpI

Walking over to and through the South Exit ticket gates.  People passing by in their winter clothing.  Since people tend to wear dark clothing in the winter, it's not exactly colorful.

Yoyogi-Uehara Station - Boarding Odakyu Line 夜遅く代々木上原で小田急線 (130129ghd)
http://youtu.be/m_Hfygx8lyc

Looking around on one of the platforms at Yoyogi-Uehara Station; then boarding a nearly empty local Odakyu Line train bound for Shinjuku and taking a quick look around inside the mostly empty train.

Ochanomizu - Walking South from Station 御茶ノ水駅から南へ (130129g)
http://youtu.be/RTpoG8zJIN4

Starting at one end of a bridge and then walking back past Ochanomizu Station and heading south down the main street (towards Meiji University).

Ochanomizu Walkabout - Outside Market 御茶ノ水道バザール (130129g)
http://youtu.be/hkJKtOITyEQ

The outside market this starts with appears to be a regular event - with basically the same type of things being sold each time.  I don't know what the exact arrangement is, but I remember this from eleven years ago, and I've seen it on and off since then.  Maybe it's a once-a-month event?  Once-a-week maybe?  Probably once-a-month (I need to research this...).

Towards the end of the clip, I walk into Ochanomizu Station, at the entrance with the pleasantly old wooden structure that I hope is preserved.  This design has so much more character than the newer designs.  Both (together) are ideal actually - you can experience both modern designs and older designs by going from station to station.  The contrast from both ends enhances both new and old.

Ochanomizu to Suidobashi 御茶ノ水から水道橋まで Chuo Local Line (130129g)
http://youtu.be/NbpkAsoJQ2Y

Suidobashi Station is slightly unusual (for the Chuo Line) in that it has the twin tracks in the middle and the platforms on either side.  More commonly there is one platform in the middle and the tracks (one for each direction) are on either side of the platform.  This is more convenient for riders, since they can just climb the stairs to the platform without needing to verify which platform they need beforehand, and then take whichever train is going in their direction.  Thinking about it, I presume the arrangement at Suidobashi is so the rails are straighter, allowing express trains to go through at a higher speed.  With a center platform, the rails curve out to get trains on either side of it (since the platform is considerably wider than the space between the double tracks between stations).

Walking South from Suidobashi Station 水道橋駅から南へ (130129g)
http://youtu.be/ZGZ_LU7NTrU

Fairly typical central Tokyo scenery.  One comment - notice the yellow steel structure at around the 00:26 mark - they have strong steel structures like this in front of some bridges - the beams are slightly lower than the lowest point of the bridge, so if a truck that is too high to get under the bridge comes along, it hits this yellow barrier first, which stops the truck and prevents it from damaging the bridge.  It's a very effective way of preventing overly high trucks from hitting the underside of the bridge.

Tokyo Station Yaesu Construction Tunnel 工事中の東京駅八重洲口 (130129g)
http://youtu.be/Pt4zNouf3PM

These white-walled construction passageways are moved from place to place as the construction behind them progresses.

八重洲駐車場 (A) Yaesu Underground Parking (Street to B2) 130129g
http://youtu.be/-5HLVcl_Dk0

I have passed this underground entrance many times over the years, but it never occurred to me to go down the steps and have a look until the day I took these two videos (above and below).  I shouldn't have been surprised really, but I didn't realize just how much parking was down there.

八重洲駐車場 (B) Yaesu Underground Parking (B1 to Street) 130129g
http://youtu.be/zb97rnkSBPc

Six-Door (Per Side) Train Cars on Saikyo Line 埼京線六ドア車両 (130129g)
http://youtu.be/cvNSoum_UC0

I haven't had any particular fondness for this type of train car, but since they took them off of the Yamanote Line (to make all the carriages four-door per side in order to make it easier to install platform walls and doors), it seemed a little like discovering something that was familiar, but you thought had disappeared.

京橋のドゥ画廊に行く Going to Dou Gallery in Kyobashi (130129)
http://youtu.be/S6p3fxjVqDM

Showing the area immediately around the Dou Gallery in Kyobashi (next to Ginza) before heading inside.

臼木英之展示会 (ドゥ画廊) Usuki Hideyuki Exhibition (Dou Gallery) 130129
http://youtu.be/PNBip49ZDMs

A look around at an interesting exhibition of artwork - both paintings and directly painted clothing (each one a one-off, painted by hand).

Shinjuku East Side - Game Centers Etc 新宿東側 (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/xdCUlWFTm4s

Walking down a side street near Shinjuku Station - past game places, a pachinko parlor, restaurants, etc.

Shinjuku Shadow Street - Winter 2013 新宿影通り(冬) 130129
http://youtu.be/IVs3pTjle_Q

"Shadow Street" is not a proper name - I just called it that, because the angle of the winter sun was such that there was absolutely no sunlight on the street at all, so it felt like "Shadow Street".

Shadows - Shinjuku South-East Exit Plaza (130129)
http://youtu.be/0lEYVxi_WPU

I'm not a big fan of winter - but at least the long shadows in the afternoon are interesting.

Shinjuku - Walking West Towards South Entrance (130129)
http://youtu.be/drdGWYEkHKM

Shinjuku - Long Shadows by South Exit 新宿南口の長い影 (130129)
http://youtu.be/8Jl6zHy8pyY

People waiting for a walk light to change - casting long shadows near the South Entrance/Exit to Shinjuku Station.

Shinjuku Upper Concourse Walk, Etc 新宿駅上の通路散歩 (130129)
http://youtu.be/NDuxJEG-vVQ

Entering Shinjuku Station via the South Entrance and walking along the upper concourse.  At the end of this clip, notice how *wonderful* [heavy sarcasm] the English announcement sounds.  It's real English, but they obviously didn't use someone professional.  "PLAtfORm... NUmBer...... TEn."  Uh!  Yuck!  Man, I  hate those unprofessional announcements!  You'd think that since they're going to torment people with those recordings over-and-over-and-over again (forever more?), they'd try to get a decent recording of someone who doesn't sound like they're reading a children's book to preschoolers!  (And not even a professional preschool teacher at that!)

Shinjuku to Ochanomizu (Chuo Line) 新宿から御茶ノ水まで (中央線) 130129
http://youtu.be/kAYRzDy2URQ

Recently I don't buy much from the platform stores (00:14), but I always feel glad that they are there - something about the option to get a variety of things from most train station platforms being there is very welcome.  It makes the platform a more interesting place to be while waiting for the train to arrive.  And so it was on this day.  Once the train arrived, I climbed aboard (an expression I should change, as it's just a horizontal thing now - like walking onto an elevator) and looked out a left side window at the high contrast landscape flowing past under mid-winter sharp-angle January lighting.  The lighting was generally bad for pictures, but as the train pulled into Ochanomizu Station, the reflections on the river down below the left side of the train were quite nice, so after getting off the train, I hurried over to a spot next to the river to take a couple of videos of the cool reflections (following two videos) before the light changed.

River Reflections (A) Central Tokyo 水の反射 (中央東京) 130129hd
http://youtu.be/80RA1FvQH-8

River Reflections (B) Central Tokyo 水の反射 (中央東京) 130129hd
http://youtu.be/p0C42gHcW4w

Ochanomizu Station Area Stroll 御茶ノ水駅あたり散歩 (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/m1hoNDEQHl8

Walking along a narrow street that runs in parallel with the tracks from one entrance of Ochanomizu Station to the other - with both entrances located at an end of the ten-car platform.  Depending on how much time you have, and your perspective, the general ten car length of Tokyo trains is a pretty long distance (and some lines have 15!).

Ochanomizu Station Platform Views 御茶ノ水ホームビュー (130129)
http://youtu.be/JTR1IINepSY

Walking around on a platform at Ochanomizu while waiting for my train to come.  Looking around, it occurs to  me that this station is pretty remarkably intact in its Showa-Era construction and atmosphere.  For the sake of understanding history, I hope they leave at least a few stations like this alone (repainting them of course).

I go on about that a lot I know, but every time I'm at a station like this, it hits me again how much atmosphere and history is in the structure.

Suidobashi Station Afternoon Platform View 水道橋駅ホームビュー (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/WO6s2P9PUH0

The roof structure for this station is quite interesting I think.  And in this case, the combination of new roofing material over the platforms and old original railway rails (used for I-beams) still there as part of the overall structure works very well aesthetically I think.  This is good to see.

Suidobashi Station - Platform to Exit 水道橋駅_ホームから改札まで (130129)
http://youtu.be/RlOgjMsOpwk

Aside from the platform, this takes a look at the old wooden parts of the stairway while walking towards the ticket gates (wooden roof, etc.).

Suidobashi Station - Boarding Sobu Line 水道橋駅 - 中央線を乗る (130129)
http://youtu.be/18Ip9TVTVqM

After taking some pictures in the area around Suidobashi Station (further up the page - out of chronological order), I returned to the station and went to the other platform in order to go back to Ochanomizu (where I could catch a faster kaisoku train).

Suidobashi to Ochanomizu 水道橋から御茶ノ水まで (総武線) 130129
http://youtu.be/eBBDlvN2Tu0

Hachioji to Nishi-Hachioji - Snow on Ground (130128)
http://youtu.be/go_yMn11yXo

Kyobashi 1-Chome Side Street 京橋一丁目横道 (130129)
http://youtu.be/CdfY5rtUvqk

Approaching Shinjuku South-East Exit 新宿駅東南口向き (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/MmAOEVtw8TA

Walking down the upper concourse at Shinjuku Station - towards the South-East Exit.

Saikyo Line Train at Shinjuku Station 新宿駅に止まった埼京線電車 (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/RQZxAaJ66I4

Mainly walking down the platform beside the train as people board it, but with a quick look inside the train as well.  The departure time being a few minutes later, people are relaxed about boarding it (in contrast to jumping on a train that is going to close the doors and depart in a matter of seconds).

And... reviewing the next video, I see it's basically a continuation of the one above - although the second one shows a train arrive at the station, and another train depart.

Saikyo Line Late Night Platform Walk 埼京線夜遅くホーム散歩 (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/S2mu7ewFpws

Shinjuku Station Concourse to Platform 新宿駅通路からホームまで (130129hd)
http://youtu.be/2AZMXwoZbXE

At 00:38 - a view of many people standing in line on an open platform, waiting for their train to arrive.  I've always found this type of view to be fascinating, and so don't look forward to the platforms getting walls (although I must admit it's safer that way).  [01:20]: A man comes running up - on crutches(!).  They are forever telling people not to run for the trains, but it's a natural thing to want to do.  The doors are about to close... you have two or three seconds to get on the train, or be left behind.  The railways present it purely as "It's dangerous to run", while ignoring the natural feelings of "I don't want to be left behind!" and "I want to get where I'm going on time!".  Those two generally being heavier, people run, ignoring the ceaseless barrage of verbal warnings from the railways not to run.

Evening Construction Cranes on Yaesu Side 八重洲口の夕方工事 (130129)
http://youtu.be/bGVIPMIZOO8

Waiting for the walk light to change to green, I looked around - including over and up at the construction cranes towering over the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station.  After that, I - shock and surprise - walk across the street when the light changes to green.

Gargantuan Metal Shutter Coming Down for the Night (130129)
http://youtu.be/4B71MjkCAYo

No big deal really, but this is one of the larger metal shutters I've seen, so when it started to come down right next to me, I pulled out my camera and took this video.

Kanda Lights - Seen from Chuo Line 神田の夜光 (130129)
http://youtu.be/kKK_8Iu9KSE

The businesses, signs, restaurants, etc. are so close to the railways here, that it's always kind of a nice light show when passing through this stretch at night.

Odakyu Line Departing Shinjuku 小田急線 - 新宿駅から出発 (130129)
http://youtu.be/ZjWVFO0zrJA

I don't use the Odakyu Line much these days, so I hadn't realized that they have platform walls up at Shinjuku now.

Nighttime Odakyu Line - Left Side Window View 夜の小田急線 (130129)
http://youtu.be/EPWmkYmCYfI

Looking out the window of an express train as it rolls towards Yoyogi-Uehara - enjoying the mixture of direct light and reflected light that nighttime views from a train afford.

Yoyogi-Uehara Station - Outbound Trains 代々木上原駅の下り電車 (130129)
http://youtu.be/G-tyqpCSN58

Watching a couple of outbound trains depart Yoyogi-Uehara Station after getting off of a train from Shinjuku.

Train-Watching at Yoyogi-Uehara (Romance Car, Etc) 小田急線ロマンスカーなど (130129)
http://youtu.be/AOIfuwmqbEs

While waiting for a train back to Shinjuku at Yoyogi-Uehara, I walk around on the platform and watch other trains passing, including one of the Romance Car (reserved seat express) trains.

Yoyogi-Hachiman to Shinjuku (Odakyu Line) 代々木八幡-新宿 (小田急線) 130129
http://youtu.be/FkLaLAgxRvk

The thing about getting on a nearly empty inbound train late at night, is that - after practically always riding in full trains - you suddenly feel like you have all this space to yourself and all this freedom (to move,etc.)... which is how I felt on this evening, so I wandered around a bit inside the train, looking out the windows, at the hanging advertisements inside the train, into the next carriages, etc.

At 04:26, you can see (at the top of the picture) a few illuminated trees up on a two-story high structure - that is the edge of Shinjuku Southern Terrace, which is basically a platform built by Odakyu over the Odakyu railway.  When on the Southern Terrace, even when you know, it's kind of hard to imagine that you're directly over all that train activity below (which is on the surface of the earth, not a subway).

At 04:36, the inbound local train I'm on begins going down to the lower level local train platform while an outgoing express train descends from the upper level platforms.  Odakyu runs a lot of trains, and so they stacked the platforms.

If I remember the history of the railway correctly, it was originally called "Odawara Kyuko 小田原急行" (Odawara Express), and that was shortened (by combining elements of the two words) to "Odakyu 小田急".  I remember reading an article (or was it a book?) about 26 years ago in which the author stated that the name "Odakyu" was initially resisted by the railway itself, but as it was in popular usage (starting with the term appearing in a song), they gave in and begin calling it Odakyu.

Looking on-line - I see there are three Wikipedia pages for the Odakyu Line train system.  I strongly recommend this one:

Odakyu Electric Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odakyu_Electric_Railway

Personally, I don't think there should be three pages for it - they should merge those other two pages into the one "Odakyu Electric Railway" page.

In any case, looking at the proper page for the railway, the first two paragraphs of the history section are as follows:

   "The 83 km line from Shinjuku to Odawara opened for service on April 1, 1927.  Unlike the Odawara line, rarely were pre-WWII Japanese private railways constructed with double-track and fully electrified from the first day of operation.  Two years later, April 1, 1929, the Enoshima Line was added.
   "The original full name of the railroad was Odawara Express Railway Co., Ltd. (小田原急行鉄道株式会社 Odawara Kyuko Tetsudo Kabushiki-gaisha), but this was often shortened to Odawara Kyuko (Odawara Express).  The abbreviation Odakyu was made popular by the title song of the 1929 movie Tokyo Koshinkyoku and eventually became the official name of the railroad on March 1, 1941."

Also, here is Odakyu's own website:

Odakyu
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/

Which has (on February 2nd, 2013 anyway) the slogan "Odakyu has a Japan".  Um... Odakyu?  What exactly does that mean?  We weren't aware that there was more than one Japan.  Which one exactly is it that you have?  Time for a rant.  In this age of easy communication with nearly all countries on the planet, there is no excuse for putting embarrassing, idiotic English on a corporate website.  From past experience, probably some middle-management scum sent out a group e-mail to people within the company, including a few token foreigners, pretending to solicit feedback.  Then the middle-management scum ignored the feedback - especially the feedback from the native English speakers (what do they know), and then sent back a reply saying 色々な意見を聞きまして、以下の通りに決めました ("After going over feedback from everyone, we have decided on the following"), followed by this idiotic mutant English expression "Odakyu has a Japan".  When problems arise (only a matter of time), the middle-management scum can then point to the foreign names on the group e-mail send list and claim that they didn't say anything.  Of course, if they had, they would have been axed for doing the right thing and saving the company from worldwide embarrassment, but causing middle management scum to lose face (been there, done that, and was fired for doing the right thing - I won the battle [for the company] but lost the war).  Corporations would do well to get rid of at least half of their middle-management scum - they drag the whole corporation down performance-wise, and also bring shame to everyone working there... and (once you're publishing on the Internet) to the whole country.

All of that said, this English language (well, *mostly* English language) website of Odakyu's isn't all bad - it has maps, information, etc.  If I seem a bit harsh in the above paragraph, it's due to having had some very bad experiences helping companies I've worked at battle mutant English promoted by middle-management scum.  Anyway....

And that's all for now - sore-dewa, mata!

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

"1990 Komagome, Kagurazaka, Machida, Etc; 2012 Kawagoe, Komagome, Ochanomizu, Etc."

There are both 1990 and 2012 views from Komagome in this batch, although the 2012 views only show the area very near to the station.  In 1990 however, I spent most of September 14th, 1990 in the area, recording several areas (Nishigahara, Nakazato, Kaminakazato, etc.), including an interesting old shotengai shopping street.  Other 1990 views include Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Machida, Takadanobaba, Ikebukuro, and of course various train views.

There are a lot (and I do mean *a lot*) of separate views of Kawagoe - primarily in the old section of town with it's Edo style buildings.  Then there are morning views of Shinjuku and Ochanomizu; and various views of Ginza, Yurakucho, Kanda, Etc.

1990 Shimofuri-Ginza Shotengai 霜降銀座商店街 (900914)
http://youtu.be/NFkzeC63zNE

This is a good example of how the old shotengai shopping streets used to look.  I say "used to" because even the ones that remain are not quite the same as when this was taken in 1990.  Even in 1990 - as I note on-tape (in the longer version below) after walking into a fairly large (by shotengai standards) grocery store - the grocery store had a lot of customers, but many of the shotengai stores just down the street had very few.  I wondered at the time what would become of the shotengai shopping street, and over the years, a new term has come up, "shutter-gai" meaning not a street of open shops, but a street of closed shutters of former shops.  Many shotengai shopping streets soldier on, but business doesn't appear to be very good for them now.

1990 Komagome, Nishigahara, Etc. (900914) 駒込, 中里, 上中里, 西ヶ原
http://youtu.be/7UeYgI-VVho

This is a long video - just over an hour and a half, and it includes a fairly detailed look at the area on one side of Komagome Station.  (The shotengai clip above this one is a new edit - from the source tape - of part of this longer video.)  Time-wise, this includes views from the daytime, the evening, and at night - part of the time walking in the rain.

1990 Night Rain Walk Kagurazaka 神楽坂 (900907)
http://youtu.be/ujmxKyERdO0

1990 Shinjuku, Machida, Etc. (Here and There) 900914
http://youtu.be/orBq5lAKJT4

1990 Takadanobaba to Ikebukuro Rush Rides (900907)
http://youtu.be/oAonOOdS6s4

Trains in Ueno at Night (120905)
http://youtu.be/MPJM-2ENbKY

A lot of 15-car trains come into Ueno and dead-end there, since most platforms in central Tokyo can only accommodate 10-car trains.  The Chuo Line is the only major JR line that runs right through central Tokyo (via Shinjuku), and one consequence of that is Chuo Line trains are only 10-cars in length.

Kawagoe Bell Tower Area (120919) 川越 小江戸
http://youtu.be/Ri8GccVFpPI

Kawagoe Lookaround (while Bell Tolls) 120919 川越 小江戸
http://youtu.be/lM9mzkadJvU

At the time I took this, I didn't realize how close I was to where the bell was being rung, or I would hurried around the corner and recorded it being rung by hand (it's not automated).

Kawagoe Side Street Stroll (A) 120919 川越 小江戸
http://youtu.be/I0gNns0dNh0

Kawagoe Main Old Street (120919g) 川越 小江戸
http://youtu.be/4MPBKOgp9lc

Ginza 1-Chome Lookaround (120918)
http://youtu.be/eghP9IQ-mwk

Ginza Chuo-Dori Lookaround (120918)
http://youtu.be/_Byeaq2fNwY

Ginza Side Street (120918)
http://youtu.be/NSz7SCXn1VA

Komagome Trains (A) 駒込駅電車 (120918)
http://youtu.be/KGswx4XR5rE

Komagome Trains (B) 駒込駅電車 (120918)
http://youtu.be/YDk6InIOoFc

Kyobashi Lookaround (120918)
http://youtu.be/AtkKmHjpCxQ

Ochanomizu Bridge Scene (Morning Rush) 御茶ノ水 (120918)
http://youtu.be/HEOHaBfs_zA

Ochanomizu Morning Rush 御茶ノ水 (120918)
http://youtu.be/SHp811Xd5R4

Shinjuku Trains (A) 新宿電車 (120918)
http://youtu.be/-kuHObycGHQ

Shinjuku Trains (B) 新宿電車 (120918)
http://youtu.be/VBxgcPXGLTo

Tokyo Station - Newly Rebuilt (Evening) 120918
http://youtu.be/ekiFJiVReXU

The 1914 Tokyo Station building has been renovated/rebuilt - with (from appearances) more reconstruction work than renovation.  It looks pretty much like a squeaky-new building, which is slightly disappointing.  I think they could have kept a little more of the original structure, but that's just my opinion.  In any case, it looks pretty cool and it's styling from another era provides very welcome contrast in the Marunouchi area, which has been almost completely rebuilt with glass and steel high-rise office towers.

Three Door Seibu Train Departing Station (120911)
http://youtu.be/zEUl4kcfKU4

The more crowded the trains get, the more doors they put in them (to provide quicker loading and unloading).  I think this type of Seibu Line train is the last type in Tokyo to have three-doors (per side of each train car) - the standard is four, although there were some six-door train cars on the Yamanote Line before they decided it make it into a kind of horizontal elevator and needed all the train cars to have the same number of doors in order to match them up with platform wall doors (currently only at Ebisu, but platform construction for additional platform walls is evident at several other stations).

Chuo Line Train Departs Station (120912)
http://youtu.be/Fo5jg9UrOWs

Cicada Still at it in Mid-September (120918)
http://youtu.be/ViOBfHU_8cE

Morning Shinjuku Station (Central West Exit) 朝の新宿駅中央西口 (120918)
http://youtu.be/MSzigCozXVc

Shinjuku Morning - West Side Stroll (Odakyu Etc) 新宿朝の散歩小田急 (120918)
http://youtu.be/uyeB8dEF8_M

Shinjuku Station Morning Rush Etc 新宿朝の小田急線電車到着西口など (120918)
http://youtu.be/RaIZYdU9g74

Platform End at Shinjuku Station (120918)
http://youtu.be/LGO6242Spf4

Shinjuku to Ochanomizu (Morning) 120918
http://youtu.be/mIXztfh4j1o

Ochanomizu Magazine Handout (120918)
http://youtu.be/OoqKBbYNg5M

Ochanomizu Morning Stroll (A) 御茶ノ水朝散歩 (120918)
http://youtu.be/Y0lN-k2bSLc

Ochanomizu Side Street Stroll 御茶ノ水朝散歩 (120918)
http://youtu.be/D1BqWMKd0IY

Ochanomizu Morning Stroll (B) 御茶ノ水横道散歩 (120918)
http://youtu.be/z_JnHciZT0I

Ochanomizu Morning Exit 御茶ノ水駅朝出口 (120918)
http://youtu.be/QPKdg8IFIV4

Ochanomizu Side Exit Views (120918)
http://youtu.be/EWYzQNxxKCI

Ochanomizu Bridge View from Station (120918)
http://youtu.be/CBNaYCst2ok

Ochanomizu Side Exit Lookaround and Exit (120918)
http://youtu.be/wDzjJeMjhYg

Ochanomizu Stroll Past Construction Site (120918)
http://youtu.be/90vRTzm7Vnk

Ochanomizu Tissue Pack Advertising Handout (120918)
http://youtu.be/OVBs3nIp2oY

Shinjuku West Side Stroll (120911g)
http://youtu.be/yN8kHMoE-uQ

Ochanomizu to Shinjuku (Morning Chuo Line) 御茶ノ水から新宿までの朝中央線 120918
http://youtu.be/HPZ9cqtPucM

Shinjuku Station Chuo Line Platform Walk (120918)
http://youtu.be/z1Znraiakig

Shinjuku Morning Chuo Line Platform View (120918)
http://youtu.be/kq55X9qtMgM

Shinjuku - Waiting for Yamanote Line 新宿山手線を乗る (120918)
http://youtu.be/H3L__jEYJTI

Shinjuku to Komagome (Yamanote Line) 新宿から駒込まで (山手線で) 120918
http://youtu.be/RTVg2HZrFKQ

Komagome Platform Walk 駒込駅ホームからの見回り 120918
http://youtu.be/dDWHHiHSi24

Komagome Station - Hot September Day 駒込駅暑い九月の日 120918
http://youtu.be/Y-bdUH9PHKA

Exiting Komagome Station 駒込駅 120918
http://youtu.be/Bt6ObfoQICU

Bicycles Beside Komagome Station 駒込駅隣の自転車 120918
http://youtu.be/3l_aztKIxo0

They have people watch over bicycle parking areas like this and very neatly align the bicycles after people have hurriedly parked them in the morning.  This one seemed especially neatly aligned to me.

Komagome Shotengai (A) 駒込商店街 120918
http://youtu.be/ZbmEddsAYBk

Komagome Shotengai (B) 駒込商店街 120918
http://youtu.be/h_-6_7uq_Hk

Komagome Station Old Type Ticket Price Board (120918)
http://youtu.be/auR-IyXviZM

Entering Komagome Station 駒込駅を入る 120918
http://youtu.be/io3aTbPFfIA

Komagome to Nippori (Yamanote Line) 駒込から日暮里まで_山手線 120918
http://youtu.be/2bqmm2isGXk

Ikeda Tatsuo Exhibition 池田龍雄展 Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 2012年9月 (120918)
http://youtu.be/ivEKxo3ybhI

Shibuya Eiichi Exhibition at Lixil Gallery 渋谷英一展 (120918)
http://youtu.be/2UM-oMbq7Jk

Nippori to Ueno (Yamanote Line) 日暮里から上野まで (山手線) 120918
http://youtu.be/3aU82yn4nuc

Ueno to Tokyo (Yamanote Line) 上野から東京まで (山手線) 120918
http://youtu.be/MYMDAQ1MsCU

Tokyo Station Afternoon Platform 東京駅お昼のホーム (120918)
http://youtu.be/LOBot6bJWx8

Short Glimpse of Rebuilt Tokyo Station (120918)
http://youtu.be/K6haPaoV9KA

Tokyo to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 東京から有楽町まで (山手線) 120918
http://youtu.be/N7l3I8VQ9hg

Yurakucho Walking Towards Ginza (120918)
http://youtu.be/tL84Cq1k-ms

Ginza Pomegranate Tree 銀座柘榴木 (120918)
http://youtu.be/tN7zGbLPUYM

This is probably the only pomegranate tree in all of Ginza....

Yaesu Construction Cranes by Tokyo Station 八重洲 (120918)
http://youtu.be/HhsL82Uk1rE

This view of the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station will likely be radically different when they finish the construction project the large cranes are there for.

Tokyo Station Newly Reconstructed (Ground Level View) 120918
http://youtu.be/hZxC-LI6NWY

Tokyo Station Twilight View (Newly Reconstructed) 120918
http://youtu.be/5jEc-iWYyRA

Marunouchi Night Terrace (120918)
http://youtu.be/Jbt-zVha-DE

Tokyo Station Night View (Marunouchi Side) 東京駅丸の内側 (120918)
http://youtu.be/3VrvIB86QZw

Marunouchi Evening Beautiful Lights 丸の内夜の美光 (120918)
http://youtu.be/U7Z1cxs-RMg

Marunouchi Night Street View 丸の内夜道ビュー (120918)
http://youtu.be/Vl3Y6B3IH9M

Entering Tokyo Station (Marunouchi Side) 120918
http://youtu.be/zFs0jsW5Bco

Tokyo Station Platform View (120918)
http://youtu.be/HgcrLnud1MM

Tokyo to Kanda - Keihin-Tohoku Line 東京から神田まで (京浜東北線) 120918
http://youtu.be/a6HxYPkVH9g

Kanda Night Stroll 神田夜散歩 (120918)
http://youtu.be/8Sj8c8V6DfU

Entering Kanda Station (Under Construction) 工事中神田駅を入る 120918
http://youtu.be/bDyVQVKfoac

Tokyo to Kanda (Chuo Line) 東京から神田まで (中央線) 120918
http://youtu.be/Pdbi_sH9O-Q

Lights and Reflections (Departing Kanda via Chuo Line) 120918
http://youtu.be/MuqCfp-x6Lo

Tree Walk (Shinjuku Southern Terrace) 120918
http://youtu.be/q3yTYNW-1Ek

White Three-Door Seibu Line Train Departs Station (120919)
http://youtu.be/GeMPTbuk7go

This is not the usual color scheme for Seibu Line trains - so it really stands out.

Countryside Side Window View (120919)
http://youtu.be/dEMhNSd_1ec

Kawagoe Station 川越駅 (120919)
http://youtu.be/gAchNKyaitY

Kawagoe Shotengai 川越商店街 (120919)
http://youtu.be/AySvsC3jhoY

Temple in Kawagoe (120919)
http://youtu.be/bFw99mYfazk

Ramen Place in Kawagoe (120919)
http://youtu.be/WteYAJFZBHw

Kawagoe Mystery Zone (120919)
http://youtu.be/-_BKBZ9GI2I

A space I stumbled upon accidentally.

Tea Machine (Three Types) 120919
http://youtu.be/Dfnov7V4wIY

This is a pretty cool machine.  It offers three types of tea, each either hot or cold (thus the twin buttons) and also plain hot water or plain cold water.

Kawagoe Lookaround (A) 120919
http://youtu.be/98gNFHwf1Yw

Kawagoe Lookaround (B) 120919
http://youtu.be/GOXwM0ia40Q

Kawagoe Museum (A) Cool Stairs (120919)
http://youtu.be/Mgx6uYl3kxo

Kawagoe Museum (B) Old Fire Fighting Equipment (120919)
http://youtu.be/O5DCpPWzZKc

Kawagoe Museum (C) Old Fire Fighting Equipment (120919)
http://youtu.be/YBCSID-yx6E

Kawagoe Museum (D) Secret Staircase (120919)
http://youtu.be/aLzpABdh2QQ

Kawagoe Museum (E) Old House (1st Floor) 120919
http://youtu.be/3XAGJMaVObU

Kawagoe Museum (F) Old House (Exterior) 120919
http://youtu.be/dvxYbsmM68s

Kawagoe Museum (G) Old House (1st to 2nd Floor) 120919
http://youtu.be/xB5wazr79LI

Kawagoe Museum (H) Old House (2nd Floor) 120919
http://youtu.be/gZRGyloTI7U

Kawagoe Museum (I) Old House (2nd to 1st Floor) 120919
http://youtu.be/GmT2GFYmfys

Kawagoe Museum (J) Street Side Store (2nd Floor-A) 120919
http://youtu.be/Frn1FBnjz-U

Kawagoe Museum (K) Street Side Store (2nd Floor-B) 120919
http://youtu.be/maCvQ3W4mGs

Old Kawagoe Street Scene (120919)
http://youtu.be/YVML4UWeub4

Old Kawagoe Side Street Scene 川越市横道 120919
http://youtu.be/e37t7SQWHSU

Walk to Back of Temple in Kawagoe (120919)
http://youtu.be/HJB4dw1V2_A

Kawagoe Lookaround (C) 120919
http://youtu.be/0GSStewr6vw

Kawagoe Evening Lookaround (A) 120919
http://youtu.be/Lkbvrv85fyA

Kawagoe Evening Lookaround (B) 120919
http://youtu.be/i2-xV29FGFE

Kawagoe Retro Style Tourist Bus (120919)
http://youtu.be/2hRafta3Yi4

Kawagoe Evening Lookaround (C) 120919
http://youtu.be/g0t8dE6kqZ0

Kawagoe Department Store Near Station (120919)
http://youtu.be/PbnWwhukgbU

Kawagoe Bookstore and Street Outside 川越市本屋さん 120919
http://youtu.be/I6fPge0h2_o

Cars and a Temple (Kawagoe) 120919
http://youtu.be/kTdgMfKjt1k

Kawagoe Temple in the Evening (120919)
http://youtu.be/fST1J_RG38s

Kawagoe Evening Window Reflections (120919)
http://youtu.be/oDPRz2BZoH0

Kawagoe Evening (Shop Closing for the Day) 120919
http://youtu.be/Q-mPegvo1gA

Kawagoe Twilight (Cars Drifting By) 120919
http://youtu.be/Ia9f0FvLT94

Kawagoe Night Walk to Station (120919)
http://youtu.be/X2dIwAfm5Ss

Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (September) 120919g
http://youtu.be/Ge-UFSF6dvY

Kawagoe Side Street Details (120919g)
http://youtu.be/R20lk38D-48

Kawagoe Side Street Diving 川越横道探検 (120919g)
http://youtu.be/4-aGepPH8Qw

Kawagoe Twilight 川越夕方 (120919g)
http://youtu.be/uOC8tay9OMY

Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (September) 120919g
http://youtu.be/Ge-UFSF6dvY

Kawagoe Side Street Details (120919g)
http://youtu.be/R20lk38D-48

Kawagoe Side Street Diving 川越横道探検 (120919g)
http://youtu.be/4-aGepPH8Qw

Kawagoe Twilight 川越夕方 (120919g)
http://youtu.be/uOC8tay9OMY

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