"1991 Kawasaki, Yokohama, Etc; 2013 Monomiyama Park, Shinjuku, Hamamatsucho, Etc."

This batch of videos begins with views from November 1991 showing Kawasaki, Yokohama, and Hiyoshi.  After the 1991 views, are many views from 2013, including the usual views of central Tokyo (Shinjuku, Hamamatsucho, Ginza, etc.), as well as views from an area I've not covered before - Monomiyama Park, and the nearby Saitama Peace Museum (Peace Museum of Saitama).  In Hamamatsucho are views of the band Kiki performing live outside, near the station.  After other 2013 views, are several more views from November 1991, showing several train trips - mainly on the Yamanote Line, but also including two fairly detailed trips (outbound at night, and inbound in the daytime) on the Tokyu-Ikegami Line.

I've been a bit busy, and so haven't had time to get together photos for this batch of videos, so I'll just put one photo at the top of the page and the links below.  Looking over the titles, I may comment here and there, but there isn't much time....

1991 - Kawasaki Station Area 川崎駅辺り (911116)
http://youtu.be/Ojz0CSFhIq0

1991 - Kawasaki to Yokohama (Tokaido Line) 川崎駅-横浜駅 東海道線 (911116)
http://youtu.be/3gwKfPFKLjE

This is a nostalgic one for me, as I used to often ride in this type of train on the Tokaido Line (the current trains are of a different design).

1991 - Yokohama Station Area 横浜駅辺り (911116na)
http://youtu.be/Y7eXSoKUK98

1991 - Yokohama to Hiyoshi Etc 横浜駅-日吉駅-渋谷駅-池袋駅など (911116)
http://youtu.be/TT5pWHs7jUI

Shinjuku to Osaki (Yamanote Line) 新宿駅-大崎駅 山手線左右側 (131108)
http://youtu.be/9g7tP9XiV8o

Takahashi Keiko 高橋敬子 Exhibition at Gallery Kobo 巷房 (131107)
http://youtu.be/99I9jtia9vc

The artist explains (in Japanese) her art in this one, as the view goes from one painting to another at the exhibition.

Departing Koenji Late at Night 夜遅くの高円寺駅から出発 (131105n)
http://youtu.be/eO3bKyhzavE

新宿駅夜のホーム Waiting for Late Night Train at Shinjuku Station (131105)
http://youtu.be/9DKLFPUsvtM

Shinjuku to Ebisu (Shinjuku Construction) 新宿駅-恵比寿駅 新宿工事 (131107)
http://youtu.be/yNJxWYDH2lA

Walking by Tokyo Tower (131107)
http://youtu.be/c3I7NEldZ88

Tree Lighting in Kyobashi 京橋の夜光 (131107)
http://youtu.be/W4Vpysw_lF8

Boarding Tobu Line Train 東武線を乗る (131113)
http://youtu.be/iylEyZ06lgk

Ebisu to Hiro (Hibiya Line) 恵比寿駅-広尾駅 日比谷線 (131114)
http://youtu.be/iAFPp4SfY7E

Bug Theme Exhibition at Art Space Rondo - November 2013 (131114)
http://youtu.be/cg2L1g9Fu8M

Waiting for a Walk Light in Kyobashi 京橋でシグナルを待っている (131114)
http://youtu.be/Upzt_y3DVbs

Late Night Train Aisle 夜遅くの電車通路 (131114)
http://youtu.be/VMVbiL47KkM

Old Type Train - Outbound from Tachikawa 立川駅から下り電車 (131118)
http://youtu.be/B3Mb7jJgWgY

This train is of the same type (or nearly the same, I'm not sure it's actually the exact same model) as the old Tokaido Line train shown further up the page in a 1991 view.  I'm glad some of these are still on the rails, since they have so much more character than the newer types.

Outbound Chuo Line - Old Type Train 下り中央線 (131118)
http://youtu.be/soKDhu5JQzg

Entering Hamamatsucho Station 浜松町駅に入る (131107)
http://youtu.be/TPEyjGd5XW4

夜の浜松町駅ホーム Waiting for and Boarding Train in Hamamatsucho (131107)
http://youtu.be/-1Z7UKuWPfw

Yamanote Line Departing Yurakucho 有楽町駅の山手線出発 (131107)
http://youtu.be/iadmLPWgKFs

Evening Yurakucho Station Platform 有楽町駅ホームの夕方様子 (131107)
http://youtu.be/-62W4iUKSOY

Yamanote Line Train Passing Osaki Station 大崎駅を通る山手線 (131108)
http://youtu.be/LhM66nF14-c

Exiting Shinjuku Station via South Exit 新宿駅南改札口 (131112)
http://youtu.be/0Xn0LSSgxZE

Shinjuku Station Open Platforms at Night 新宿駅夜オープンホーム (131112)
http://youtu.be/x_AxwKdKbJY

夜新宿駅ホームの流れ Shinjuku Platform Flowing by Window (131114)
http://youtu.be/c7BInm5YSRE

Monomiyama Park A 物見山公園 秋 (131113)
http://youtu.be/S3Kz2AqETwU

Monomiyama Park B 物見山公園 秋 (131113)
http://youtu.be/lkS__6SYrNg

Monomiyama Park C 物見山公園 秋 (131113)
http://youtu.be/OPzj-qNo13c

Saitama Peace Museum Entrance 埼玉県平和資料館入り口 (131113)
http://youtu.be/oybfabJ91SM

Riding Elevator up Observation Tower at Saitama Peace Museum (131113)
http://youtu.be/XC_c69I2v7I

Trees in an Autumn Breeze (131113)
http://youtu.be/zZySVtZvrww

Night Train Side Window View 夜電車の横窓風景 (131113)
http://youtu.be/XWfY_6y-qRQ

Hamamatsucho Evening Sidewalk 浜松町散策散歩 (131114)
http://youtu.be/_Df0YmFhSs4

Late Twilight in Yaesu (Looking Over at Tokyo Station) 八重洲東京駅 (131114)
http://youtu.be/_iKX_WggBsw

Observation Tower View - Peace Museum of Saitama (131113)
http://youtu.be/Wrj_F29UcMk

夕暮れ時の浜松町 Twilight in Hamamatsucho (131107g)
http://youtu.be/b_jg9Dwqy38

Twilight Bridge Stroll 夕暮れの橋散策散歩 (131113g)
http://youtu.be/J7D45Jy4zGw

Kiki - キンモクセイ - 浜松町ライブ Hamamatsucho Live (Set-1 Song-2)  131121
http://youtu.be/Y6TsqFWobOM

Tokyo Station 730pm - Concourse Stroll - 東京駅コンコース散策 (131121)
http://youtu.be/vePg2kU_TKU

Nihonbashi Alley Stroll 日本橋小路散策散歩 (131121)
http://youtu.be/TIYN4LsWrWg

Tokyo Station 820pm - Concourse Stroll - 東京駅コンコース散策 (131121)
http://youtu.be/dSm1wxjj_Mw

Departing Shinjuku Station at Night 夜の新宿駅から出発 (131122)
http://youtu.be/I_AmieBGT_k

Kokubunji to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 国分寺駅-新宿駅 中央線左側 (131121)
http://youtu.be/2brD8fTi0Zg

Shinjuku to Osaki 新宿駅-大崎駅 湘南新宿ライン東海道線直通快速 (131122)
http://youtu.be/hXKfqfon5UI

Kiki - カテゴライズ (Categorize) - 浜松町ライブ Hamamatsucho Live (Set-1 Song-3) 131121
http://youtu.be/0Vs2rtxGrX0

Kiki - パスワード (Password) - 浜松町ライブ Hamamatsucho Live (Set-2 Song-1) 131121
http://youtu.be/IkaRO71bnbk

Kiki - 砂時計 (Hourglass) - 浜松町ライブ Hamamatsucho Live (Set-2 Song-4) 131121
http://youtu.be/7oc67IQT7sE

Kiki - ハッピーバースデー (Happy Birthday) 浜松町ライブ Hamamatsucho Live (Set-3 Song-3) 131121
http://youtu.be/J0zCBCNmOE4

Kiki - 誰も知らない小さな世界 - 浜松町ライブ Hamamatsucho Live (Set-4 Song-5) 131121
http://youtu.be/Get646FoC3c

Shinjuku to Ebisu (Yamanote Line) 新宿駅-恵比寿駅 山手線 (131121)
http://youtu.be/ZncPuuvmbGg

Evening Stroll in Hamamatsucho 浜松町の夕方散歩 (131121)
http://youtu.be/X3sMLmGq2pE

夕暮れの大崎 Twilight Osaki (131122)
http://youtu.be/FlTl9eMehlc

Chuo Line Night Window Reflections 中央線夜の反射 (131119g)
http://youtu.be/ZzcfXFm8jsU

Bus Ride Through Light and Shadow 光と影の走るバス (131120g)
http://youtu.be/nHuer0Gg0AA

Unusually, I was the only passenger on a bus I got on, so I sat in the very back and looked up the aisle, enjoying the light and shadows from the winter afternoon sun shining through the right side windows.

1991 - Hibarigaoka to Ikebukuro (Seibu Line) ひばりヶ丘駅-池袋駅 西武池袋線 (911123)
http://youtu.be/fzwY-EtvSQA

1991 - 新品自動改札口 西武池袋線 Seibu-Ikebukuro - New Ticket Gates (911123)
http://youtu.be/d-JXlxHLNaA

Regarding the automatic ticket gates and their implementation in Tokyo, there seems to be a lot of confusion recently about when they were installed (judging from comments I've received from viewers, as well as conversations I've had).  I had also begun to forget the precise timing, but in watching the (carefully dated) videos I took  in 1990 and 1991, what's evident is that there were no automatic ticket gates in Tokyo in early 1990 (not in the places I went to in any case), and then later in the year they began installing them.  But while they began installing them in 1990, it wasn't until late 1991 that most of the city (the major stations anyway) had them.

Also, they weren't uniformly installed at each station as they were implemented.  For example, they were first installed at the south exit of Shinjuku Station, but the other exits of the station remained manually run for some time (months I think - the evidence is in the videos somewhere!) after the south exit gates went automatic.

1991 - Ikebukuro (East Side) Walkabout 池袋 東口散策散歩 (911123n)
http://youtu.be/lYN3saJr2LQ

Fukuda Akio 福田璋夫 Woodblock Print Exhibition 木版展示会 (131128)
http://youtu.be/wb-JZyMD_bI

I've always been attracted to and interested in the old woodblock prints of Japan, so I found this to be a really fascinating exhibition (of new woodblock prints made with traditional techniques).  The artist explained the historically and artistically interesting process in some detail for me (and the camera).  It's in Japanese, but even if you don't understand the language, much of the process can be understood just from carefully watching, as he points to the areas on the actual wood blocks he hand carved and the printed results on washi-paper.  If you're interested in woodblock prints and the techniques involved, you may well want to see this one.

Thinking back, there was something he told me that I think might not be in this video - specifically, the way the paper must be kept a little damp, from the beginning of the process to the end, for two reasons.  One is that ink isn't absorbed well by dry paper (leading to uneven coloring) and the other is to keep the *size* of the paper the same, as paper shrinks when it dries.  (The reason it's important that the paper size not change during the multi-plate printing process is for registration purposes.)

中央線特別快速 三鷹駅-中野駅 Chuo Line Special Rapid - Mitaka to Nakano (131128)
http://youtu.be/toIdzdNhYME

Shinjuku to Ebisu Left Side View 新宿駅-恵比寿駅 左側の風景 (131128)
http://youtu.be/6zfrw1dxvVM

Yoshikawa Kiyoshi 吉川潔 (A) Exhibition at Ginza Hakko 木の香 (131128)
http://youtu.be/vUZMva8Nbag

Yoshikawa Kiyoshi 吉川潔 (B) Exhibition at Ginza Hakko 木の香 (131128)
http://youtu.be/ryXxVC-U1hs

Former Under-Bridge Area in Ginza 銀座元橋の下 (131128)
http://youtu.be/kmqlzYKigpU

Tokyo Station Yaesu Side Construction Zone Etc 東京駅八重洲口 工事など (131128)
http://youtu.be/I7WDemkmDqU

Trains Arriving at Kawagoeshi Station (Tobu-Tojo Line) 川越市駅電車 東武東上線 (131127)
http://youtu.be/iFIm01T0lcs

Autumn Woods 秋の森 (131127)
http://youtu.be/MDTp9JxzFTw

End-to-End Cabs on Tobu-Tojo Line 東武東上線社内部分 (131127)
http://youtu.be/ScdwD5q6EDQ

Chuo Line Window View on Way to Mitaka 中央線窓風景 三鷹駅向かう (131128)
http://youtu.be/fScKLBa5vEs

Ginza - Old Wooden Izakaya Area 銀座木造居酒屋 (131128)
http://youtu.be/Xu1rCx6aYmY

I don't think this area is long for this world - in fact, when I saw construction a block over, I at first thought it had already been eaten by the Godzilla construction industry, causing me to think "I wish I had recorded it in more detail while it was still there..." and then I walked over a block and "Oh! - There it is!  It *is* still there!", so I immediately acted on the urge to record it before GCI gets it.

1991 - Ikebukuro to Tabata (Yamanote Line) 池袋駅-田端駅 山手線 (911123)
http://youtu.be/JV6JmkojLkA

1991 - Tabata Walkabout 田端駅辺り散策散歩 (911123)
http://youtu.be/JGuVhMru2Uw

1991 - Tabata to Ikebukuro 田端駅-池袋駅 山手線 (911123)
http://youtu.be/KPQpcb5rjyk

1991 - Ikebukuro Brief Stroll 池袋ちょっとした散歩 (911123)
http://youtu.be/IQmw9EYr1sU

1991 - Ikebukuro to Shinjuku (Saikyo Line) 池袋駅-新宿駅 (911123)
http://youtu.be/fCQWvo1itlQ

1991 - 新宿花園神社の酉の市 Shinjuku Hanazonojinja Torinoichi Festival (911123)
http://youtu.be/_R10uT9RiFI

This is a fairly long video (about 20 minutes), that gets off to a slow start as I slowly walk within a slow crowd towards a shrine during a festival, but has some interesting scenes in the thick of it later on, watching people buying things from stalls on the grounds of the shrine.

1991 - Shinjuku to Shibuya (Yamanote Line) 新宿駅-渋谷駅 山手線 (911123)
http://youtu.be/WPXoRz8X3rY

1991 - Shibuya Evening Walkabout 渋谷夕方散策散歩 (911123)
http://youtu.be/FqG2l7D2L1M

1991 A Friends Apartment 友達のマンション 911124
http://youtu.be/pbF1n6Dv8cE

This is a good example of one of the nicer apartments in Tokyo, which my friend's company was paying for.  (The apartments I've lived in have been smaller and of a rather different design.)  The overseas corporate people tend to have it nice while they're here....

1991 Early Morning YukigayaOtsuka 朝早くの雪谷大塚町 日曜日 911124
http://youtu.be/wzCwquQ-RB8

1991 Gotanda to Meguro ll Yamanote Line 五反田駅 目黒駅 山手線 911124
http://youtu.be/KlJHfaryZcY

[File name note: I wanted a "-" between "Meguro" and "Yamanote" (Meguro - Yamanote), but YouTube performed an auto-filename-mutate function on the name and wouldn't allow me to fix the broken result, so - in desperation - I put the "ll" there to take the place of the eradicated "-".]

1991 Shibuya to Gotanda ll Yamanote Line 渋谷駅 五反田駅 山手線 911123
http://youtu.be/vCTkStXNUFE

1991 Yamanote to Ikegami Transfer at Gotanda 山手線 池上線乗り換え 五反田駅で 911123
http://youtu.be/6EoxeK5vKJc

1991 YukigayaOtsuka to Gotanda ll Ikegami Line 雪が谷大塚駅 五反田駅 東急池上線 911124
http://youtu.be/lpJkKUqjL0s

These two videos (above and below) show much of the Ikegami Line in some detail - one at night, and the other in daylight.

1991 五反田駅ー雪が谷大塚駅 東急池上線 Gotanda to YukigayaOtsuka ll Ikegami Line 911123
http://youtu.be/ZVcXxyEStko

1991 五反田駅散策散歩 東急池上線とJR線 Gotanda Station Walkabout 911124
http://youtu.be/cmXVPk4I_Ww

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/

"1990 Ikebukuro, Toyoko Line, Yokohama, Shinkansen Ride; 1991 Setagaya, 1949 Streetcar, Boroichi; Etc."

Time tripping to December 1990 and January 1991, as well as New Year's Day views from 2013 and a few train system views from later in the first week of 2013.  This batch of time-tripping views mainly consists of what are basically day-trips rather than just views from day-to-day life in Tokyo.  To go over the various views in order (with more details after some titles/links):

Beginning with an intensively for-video day I experienced/orchestrated/choose/time-invested-in/etc. on Saturday, December 8th, 1990.  The day (the version I recorded images and sounds of that is, but I had the camera running for nearly the entire day) begins with a look at the west side of Ikebukuro Station, and then shows the inside of always busy Ikebukuro Station; the ride via Yamanote Line to Shibuya; the transfer at Shibuya from the Yamanote Line to the Toyoko Line, and a seventeen-minute video of the (approximately) 30-minute ride to Yokohama, most of it a front-cab view.

In Yokohama are views of Yokohama Station and a long walk - going from one place in Yokohama to another - including views of work on the foundation for the yet-to-be-built Landmark Tower building and some time (too much time maybe) spent in an amusement park in the newly developing "Minato Mirai-21" zone.  After the amusement park, I walk to a subway station and take a train to Shin-Yokohama Station, from where I take a Shinkansen (a Hikari no less) to Tokyo Station.

I think at the time I was hoping to get on a new type Shinkansen, but from the perspective of 2013, I'm really happy my train turned out to be the original type Shinkansen, and I was able to record some views of the dining car, which modern Shinkansen trains no longer have.  There is one 65-minute video that covers nearly all of my time in Yokohama, with separate clips showing the Landmark Tower foundation work and several views of the amusement park (which are part of the long 65-minute video) and then separate (and not part of the 65-minute video) views of the trip back to Tokyo after that (subway, Shinkansen, etc.).

After views of 1990 Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, I jump to this year - 2013 - for a few views from a shrine, taken on New Year's Day.  After that, I go back again - still 22 years ago, but this time to January 1991.

On January 12th, 1991, I visited Setagaya, and while buying a pen in an old store, the shopkeeper (the daughter of the owner) told me that there was going to be a big street market in the area on the 15th and 16th (you can see her writing down the name of it for me in the video I took in the old store), so I returned on the 15th to have a look and found myself in some pretty intense crowds!  Since that area is reached by one of the last two remaining streetcar lines in Tokyo, I also got to experience riding the cool old 1949 streetcars (which have since been retired unfortunately).

And then there are the usual train scenes - from the Keio Line, the Setagaya Line (the streetcar I mentioned), the Saikyo Line, one of the Seibu lines, etc.  And finally, jumping back to 2013, there are a few scenes from one of the Seibu lines.

1990 - Ikebukuro - West Side 池袋 (901208)
http://youtu.be/_awfo4nS9a8

Walking along on the west side of Ikebukuro Station, and then entering the station and beginning to walk down the concourse outside the JR and Tobu ticket gates.

1990 - Ikebukuro Station 池袋駅 (901208)
http://youtu.be/FDwSVJj9Y98

Looking closely at the people rushing by in Ikebukuro Station, one of the more striking differences between 1990 and 2013 is that the women in 1990 still had undyed hair and eyebrows (also black).  The overwhelming majority of 2013 Tokyo women dye their hair some shade of off-black (is that a word?) or brown (drug stores sell hair dye in 759 shades of brown) and have removed most of their eyebrows - leaving just a thin line.  It's not for me to say which is better - I'm just commenting that a big change has come about over the past 23 years!

After walking through the crowds in the under-tracks concourse, I go through the ticket gates (using a strip of kaisuken tickets), and up the stairs to catch a Yamanote Line train.  The model of train that arrives was only used on the Yamanote Line for about ten years I think, after which it was replaced with the type of train currently being used.  Since ten years is a short time for a railway carriage, I think they moved the version shown in this video over to anther line - maybe the Saikyo Line?  (Or the Musashino Line?)  In any case, many of the current Saikyo Line (and Musashino Line) trains appear to be the type that was on the Yamanote Line in 1990.  (The clip ends just as I'm boarding a train - the continuation with views of the inside of the train continues with the next video of Shibuya Station.)

1990 - Shibuya Station 渋谷駅東横線 (Toyoko Line) 901208
http://youtu.be/JA5tWwLmJTY

This begins inside a Yamanote Line train as it pulls out of Ikebukuro Station, and then shows the transfer from the Yamanote Line to the Toyoko Line - walking through always busy Shibuya Station.  (Manual ticket gates for JR and automated for Toyoko - it wasn't long after this that all the ticket gates in Tokyo were automated.)

1990 - Toyoko Line - Cab View to Yokohama 東横線横浜 (901208)
http://youtu.be/RGRju21J1A4

Notice that the train is bound for Sakuragicho Station 桜木町駅, a station the Toyoko Line no longer goes to, since it was diverted to line up with a subway line that goes through Yokohama with the terminal stop near Chinatown.  Sakuragicho Station is historically interesting as it was the Yokohama side of Japan's first rail line that ran from Sakuragicho (then called Yokohama Station) to Shinbashi Station in Tokyo.

From Wikipedia:

"Sakuragicho is one of Japan's oldest stations. It opened on June 12, 1872 as Yokohama Station when the service between Shinagawa and Yokohama provisionally started. The station was renamed Sakuragicho Station on August 15, 1915 when the next Yokohama Station opened (near Takashimacho Station)."
   Between March 31, 1932 and January 30, 2004, Sakuragicho Station was the terminus of the Tokyu Toyoko Line.

"Shinbashi is the original terminus of Japan's first stretch of railway, the Tōkaido Main Line, and is one of Japan's oldest
stations (the oldest station being Shinagawa, a few kilometres down the line). The original Shinbashi Station, opened on October 10, 1872, was built some way to the east of the modern-day structure and was known as Shinbashi Teishajo (新橋停車場)."

Hmm... for 30 years, I've been reading sentences similar to: "Shinbashi is the original terminus of Japan's first stretch of railway" and hadn't heard anything about Shinagawa.  And regarding that name mentioned: "Shinbashi Teishajo (新橋停車場)" - that means "Train stopping place [in] Shinbashi"!  I guess they didn't use the word 駅 ('eki' - station) back then?

Incidentally, when I came to Japan, JNR (Japan National Railways) correctly I feel, spelled 新橋 (しんばし) "Shinbashi".  At issue is the character "ん" which is basically "n", but in one of the many competing forms of romanization of Japanese, there are (idiotic in my view) rules for converting the (unchanging in Japanese) character ん (n) into "m" depending on what comes after the ん.  I think it's totally wrong (both in concept and actual pronunciation) and refuse to go along with it, so I always write ん as "n" and correct incorrectly spelled "Shimbash" to correctly spelled "Shinbashi" when I come across it.

1990 Yokohama Station 横浜駅 (901208)
http://youtu.be/yNNCLCBIhV0

This starts with me getting off the Toyoko Line and going downstairs to the manual ticket gates (which were already automated at Shibuya Station at the time) and walking out into the concourse and then out in front of the station where a couple of young men did what was was fairly popular (for young people) at the time - they jumped up in front of my camera (instead of the traditional ducking down).  Back in 1990 and 1991, this happened to me fairly often.  Since it's not really the sort of thing a lot of people would naturally do on their own, I suspect some comedy show on TV did it and enough people thought it was funny that several of them started doing it too?  The awesome/terrible/horrible influence of television...

1990 - Yokohama Walkabout 横浜散歩 (901208)
http://youtu.be/kxYHz5MTi-k

This - at 65 minutes - is the longest of this batch of videos.  It's not a standard "See the sights of Yokohama" type of video.  Rather, I started walking from Yokohama Station, and basically just kept walking all day long - stumbling into an amusement park that I hadn't even known existed, and also stumbling into foundation work for the Landmark Tower.  Watching this video now, I would say that I probably should have slowed down while recording the various street scenes that I saw, but the material is historically interesting for the large number of street scenes it covers.  Just watch it with quick reflexes and pause it here and there if you want to have a longer look at some of the street scenes.  While out walking, I didn't hold the camera still anywhere for long, although by the time I got to the amusement park, I was a little more relaxed and holding the camera on scenes slightly longer.  Anyway, just remember "the pause button is your friend" and there's a lot to see in this video.

Early on (at about 4:03), I did what I usually did at the time when I went somewhere outside Tokyo (in the era prior to electronic maps on cell phones), I went to the first bookstore I could find and bought a street map of the area - Yokohama City in this case.  With map in hand, I would walk around and periodically check the map (matching area names on utility poles with area names on the map) to keep track of where I was.  I would also change course when something on the map looked interesting.

Hmm.... I'm watching the video now as I type this.  Scenes of food being cooked in a department store restaurant, trucks being loaded... later on there are scenes from a park; a vertical parking garage with electric turnstile, several trains passing at a large crossing (with several train lines running in parallel), the entrance to Minato Mirai-21 (みなとみらい-21), etc. etc.  Well, considering that I basically just kept moving while recording things, there is a lot in this video (I originally typed "a lot on this tape" - which would apply to the original [analog] source tape).  Too much to go over in detail here, so I'll jump to the next video.  Anyway - if you're interested in what the streets of Yokohama looked like in 1990 - this could be of interest.  [Note: the next five videos are isolated parts re-edited from the same stretch of tape that contains this longer 65-minute sequence.]

1990 Yokohama Landmark Tower Under Construction 工事中横浜ランドマークタワー (901208)
http://youtu.be/H54FO7vN7tM

1990 - Yokohama Amusement Park 横浜遊園地 (901208)
http://youtu.be/cTelMjHuHCY

This covers most of my visit to the Yokohama Cosmoworld amusement park (よこはまコスモワールド遊園地) - where I rode (with my camera rolling most of the time) on several rides.  I've isolated three specific rides and made individual videos of them (see below).  The one I've entitled "Yokohama Cycle-Monorail Ride" I don't remember the actual name of, and since it appears to no longer exist at the Cosmoworld amusement park, I'm not sure how to find out the name of it.  The other two rides are still there.

1990 - Yokohama Cycle-Monorail Ride ペダルモノレール乗り物 (901208)
http://youtu.be/gS6lM2GTmsY

I went on this one twice.  Once in the evening, and the second time just before leaving the amusement park after dark.  The second time I got on the self-powered ride, since I was the only one on the ride, I figured it would be okay to go slowly and take some pictures, but a couple of the young men running the ride (after shaking it to make it harder to take pictures) jumped on one of the cycle-powered things and rode over and rammed me, and made rude gestures, etc. to hurry me off of the ride for some reason (I wasn't on it for a particularly long time before they came out to harass me - I just stopped a few times to take pictures, which people were doing in the daytime anyway, even with a lot of people on the ride).  I've cut out almost all of that unpleasant aspect of the ride from this version, but several elements of that incident are in the overall "Yokohama Amusement Park" video further up the page.  It was a weird experience - the three of us were all pretending it was fun and games, but there was something else going on below the surface....

1990 - Cosmoworld Galaxy コスモワールド ギャラクシー (901208)
http://youtu.be/WaScs5TNncc

This is a surprisingly entertaining ride that I've enjoyed at other amusement parks as well, for example in this clip (below) from Toshimaen Amusement Park (としまえん遊園地) - also taken in 1990, but a few months earlier (in September), when the weather was basically still summer:

Toshimaen Swing-Around - (1990) としまえん スイングアラウンド
http://youtu.be/bCEi4CUej-s

The ride is the same, but the surroundings are quite different!  One of Toshimaen's attractions is all the green within the park.  It's quite a nice space when the weather is nice.  For Cosmoworld, the bayside location is a different kind of attraction - one that can be quite nice in the evening.

1990 - Cosmoworld Super Planet コスモワールド スーパープラネット (901208)
http://youtu.be/_YZuggb37tM

This comment applies equally to all the rides at 1990 Cosmoworld:  Take a good look at the area around the amusement park - it's mainly empty space in these 1990 views.  In 2013, there are a lot of new buildings in and around this area.  As I walked up to the area in 1990, there was a big sign saying "みなとみらい-21" (Minato Mirai-21), announcing the area as a new development project for the coming 21st century.  And now here we are - in the 21st century, and the area is pretty well fully developed.

A comment on how this ride looks to me now (when watching the 1990 video) - it seems a little like how a propeller airplane pilot might have seen the world while buzzing around in an airplane?  Not having ever been in that type of aircraft, I'm not sure, but it reminds me of some movie footage I've seen from old planes with open cockpits.

1990 - Isezaki-Chojamachi to Shin-Yokohama 伊勢佐木長者町駅-横浜駅 (901208)
http://youtu.be/9Hg95kd_e-E

There's some overlap in this video with the 65-minute Yokohama video, but only at the beginning within the first minute.  After that, it's the trip from Isezaki-Chojamachi Station to Shin-Yokohama Station (via subway).

1990 - Type-0 Shinkasen Ride (Yokohama to Tokyo) ０型新幹線 (新横浜-東京) 901208
http://youtu.be/gf2DyxslWLM

A ride in a Hikari Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo.  The fast Hikari Shinkansen trains are scheduled so that if you time it right, you can take one to just about any of the Shinkansen stations.  I don't think so many Hikari Shinkansen trains stop at Yokohama, so it was lucky timing (since it's more interesting to be on a Hikari than it is to be on a local train - even though there is no difference in speed between them when running between Shin-Yokohama and Tokyo [the Shinkansen didn't stop at Shinagawa in 1990]).  One of the things I like about this video are the noises the train makes in the dining car - noises that remind me of passenger trains I rode in as a kid.  Newer trains don't sound like that.

1990 - Tokyo Station - Shinkansen to Chuo Line Transfer (901208)
http://youtu.be/CMhES9uW2HY

1990 - Chuo Line, Saikyo Line, and Seibu Line Views (901208)
http://youtu.be/t9CufnEUtfM

1990 - Ikebukuro and Ride to Shinjuku (901213)
http://youtu.be/NnqHKBat6PU

Jumping back to this year - to January 1st, 2013 for a look at New Year's Day at a Tokyo shrine.

New Year's Day 2013 - Okonomiyaki お好み焼 (130101)
http://youtu.be/zfHvNGbXy9Y

New Year's Day 2013 - Food Stall Banners (130101)
http://youtu.be/8vhOmeOfNCo

New Year's Day 2013 - Walking by Food Stalls (130101)
http://youtu.be/UN6gsdUXw_0

New Year's Day 2013 Shrine Visit - Waiting in Line (130101)
http://youtu.be/fcVxXFQ4lxA

New Year's Day 2013 Shrine Visit - Looking Around (130101)
http://youtu.be/AAfx2WrUexk

And back to 22 years ago - this time to Saturday, January 12th, 1991, and then Tuesday, January 15th, 1991.

1991 - Old Store in Setagaya 世田谷の古い店 (910112)
http://youtu.be/EI4kp8D4fgE

This old type of store used to be the norm - a small store in front, with the owners of the store living in the rear of the building.  The shopkeeper allowed me to take pictures and I recorded a little while talking with her.

1991 - Setagaya Line to Shimotakaido 世田谷線の下高井戸駅 (910112)
http://youtu.be/ZqcQRkIvJBo

Shimotakaido is the station where the Setagaya Line terminates and is a transfer point to/from the Keio Line.  It's also an interesting area with narrow streets full of old shops (more so in 1991 than in 2013, but still it's an interesting area).

1991 - Shimotakaido Station 下高井戸駅 (Setagaya and Keio Lines) 910112
http://youtu.be/jdMFo3r7opI

1991 - 1949 Setagaya Streetcar 世田谷線の市電 (910112)
http://youtu.be/SsKYXItaAeU

I ride a cool old (1949 - 昭和24年) streetcar with a wooden floor, much of the interior also made of wood, and with interestingly/artistically shaped cast-iron pieces supporting the hand grips, etc.  These old streetcars which were still in use in 1991, have unfortunately all been replaced with functional, but soulless new ones.

1991 - Keio Line - Shimotakaido to Shinjuku 京王線下高井戸から新宿 (910112)
http://youtu.be/mj09WeJdMco

1991 - Shinjuku Station - Keio, Odakyu, Mosaic-Dori, JR 新宿モザイク通り (910112)
http://youtu.be/Bt0PBjvIhjI

1991 - Shinjuku Mosaic-Dori 新宿 モザイク通り (910112)
http://youtu.be/n-hDcSn9ljM

By way of contrast, here is what this street/alley/shopping mall looks like now (video from December 2012 - I enter the street from the opposite direction at about 0:55):

Shinjuku - South Exit to Odakyu Illumination Area 新宿光 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/T_4zEmmuSk4

Hmm... I didn't notice the change until comparing the two videos, but the old tile sidewalk that probably gave the street its name (Mosaic) has been replaced with something that isn't a mosaic any longer.  So if you were wondering (from the 2012/13 version of the street) where it got its name, here's the answer!

1991 - Saikyo Line - Shinjuku to Ikebukuro 埼京線 新宿から池袋まで (910112)
http://youtu.be/RYPQJgSrgoE

1991 - Ikebukuro Station - Winter Night Scene 池袋駅冬の夜 (910112)
http://youtu.be/UDRYWL0DVYQ

On January 12th, 1991, the woman in the old shop had told me about the big Setagaya Boroichi street market that was to take place on Tuesday, January 15th, so I went back for a look:

1991 - Hibarigaoka to Boroichi in Setagaya 世田谷ボロ市までの旅 (910115)
http://youtu.be/es0FQI49h48

1991 - JR Orange Card Booth (Ikebukuro) オレンジカード販売中 (池袋駅) 910115
http://youtu.be/p6R4r9OCBEs

I had completely forgotten about the "orange card" that JR sold for a short while!  It was sold at a time when all the railways had similar type cards, and each railway's card could only be used in its own machines.  JR had the "Orange Card", and I think (if I remember correctly) Seibu's card was the "Leo Card", etc.  I've forgotten what the others were called.  This system (where the card could only be used to buy tickets,  not as a ticket itself) didn't last long.

1991 - Shimokitazawa Station 下北沢駅 (910115)
http://youtu.be/uxsBMDe4q4g

Shimokitazawa is the point where the Odakyu and Inokashira lines cross each other - sharing the same station, which is a convenient transfer point from one to the other.

1991 - 1949 Street Cars - Daytime View (Setagaya) 1949年の市電 (世田谷) 910115
http://youtu.be/VOW81sahEX4

Putting these daytime views of the 1949 streetcars together (above and below) with the night views I took on January 12th, 1991 (see links further up the page), you can get a pretty good idea of how these streetcars looked and sounded (the end of the following video, from around 21:00 has some fairly good views from the ride away from the street market).

1991 - Setagaya Boroichi Street Market 1991年の世田谷ボロ市 (910115)
http://youtu.be/G531RsoYQsc

The street market was incredibly crowded.  It's a bit too popular for its own good.  When the crowds get really intense, you can't really shop - about all you can do is struggle through the intense crowds.  When I visited a few years ago, it was still like that - particularly on weekends (the event takes place on December 15th and 16th and January 15th and 16th, regardless of what day of the week those dates fall on).

And back to 2013:

Seibu-Shinjuku Line - Tokorozawa to Higashi-Murayama (130105)
http://youtu.be/wxY_F9zKieU

Higashi-Murayama Station Platform at Night (130105hd)
http://youtu.be/W0o8-3FU160

Seibu Line Trains Arriving at Tokorozawa Station (130105hd)
http://youtu.be/YDqX1YSHt1w

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