So it's December... and another year is almost over. This year has gone by very quickly for me, so I find myself looking at "December" (12月) on my calendar and feeling a sense of disbelief. "..... Is it really December? It feels like I mistakenly tore off an extra page of the calendar. An entire year has passed since last year's holiday season? Really? ....."
Actually, last year (2011) was one with a number of changes, and it actually felt like it was a pretty long year - and I think that's the key. If there are a lot of new things in any given year, then it feels like a long year, but if a year is basically a continuation of the previous year's activities, then the brain doesn't need to do a lot of updating, and so when you get to the end of the year and look back, since the daily pattern is stored under the category/template of previous years, the current year gives the sensation of having a paucity of events, and thus "What?! A whole year has passed already?! Seriously!!? But where did the time go?"
Not to get too wrapped up in this line of thinking, but the issue of people saying that "Time seemed to slow down" when they encountered some momentous or dangerous event, is related, although for slightly different reasons. Since the brain allocates information processing resources in a variable manner - depending on where they are needed, when you are in danger, and being able to respond speedily to fast-moving objects can mean the difference between life and death, a lot more resources go into visual processing than usual in times of emergency.
And then you end up - when thinking back on an emergency situation - replaying events at the usual playback frame-rate, resulting in a perceived lengthening of time.
On to the videos! The main thing that stands out in the Ginza and Shinjuku views are all the seasonal lights installed along major roads, etc. I also spent some time exploring shotengai shopping streets in Ogikubo, and I'm afraid I came away with a reinforced feeling that times are hard and small businesses are not doing well. Most people either have less money to spend and/or are very worried about having enough money to spend in the future, and so the focus is on "Spend less! Spend less! Spend less!!" This being a prevalent reality for a lot of people spells disaster for small shops, who nearly always get undercut price-wise by larger stores.
Entering Shinjuku Station via East Entrance 新宿駅東口を入る (121217g)
http://youtu.be/0Mo93iOaye0
In nearly three decades of living in Tokyo, Shinjuku has always been part of my schedule for one reason or another. In the early days, I went there in order to get English language books at the Kinokuniya Bookstore on the east side, and it was a good place to meet friends for dinner and movies... and then there was the Dug jazz coffee shop, which was a great place to meet people to discuss whatever.
I really miss the Dug coffee shop - the following video is what it looked like late at night - when it functioned as a pub. I recently had to meet someone in Shinjuku, and we ended up going to a soulless and smokey coffee shop... too bad we couldn't have gone to the good-old Dug.
1990 Dug Jazz Coffee House (Original Dug, Bubble Shinjuku) 901122g
http://youtu.be/oBhlaX0G1hM
Tokyo Station - Typical Busy Evening いつもの忙しい東京駅 (121217g)
http://youtu.be/Cu7q2OhJxFE
Back when I first encountered Tokyo Station in the early eighties, it was sort of a sleepy station in a way. There was no Keiyo Line, the northern Shinkansen trains only went as far as Omiya, there was no Narita Express train to the airport, etc. So while it served as the gateway to the Marunouchi business area and was one of Tokyo's central hub stations (and was/is the terminal station for both the Tokaido Line and the Chuo Line), it seemed somewhat like a relic from the past in a way. Now that they've rebuilt so much of the Marunouchi area, made Tokyo Station basically into a shopping mall, and there are more train lines going there, etc., it feels like "The Central Station" for the city in a way similar to how I imagine it originally did. This video captures the atmosphere somewhat.
Ogikubo - South Side Evening Stroll (Shotengai Etc.) 荻窪南側散歩 (商店街) 121218g
http://youtu.be/Tp3iyM-dI1k
Kanda Station - Ride to Yurakucho 神田駅から有楽町駅まで (121218g)
http://youtu.be/hp_4Vf6B_T8
I began this clip (above) with the intent of just showing the transfer from the Chuo Line to the Yamanote Line, but since a train came fairly quickly, I left the camera on and recorded the ride to Yurakucho (stopping at Tokyo Station along the way). Also of note is how Kanda Station is under construction. Pay attention to that one quick glimpse up the stairs towards the middle platform, as that view is one that hasn't changed in decades, but will probably radically change in the not-too-distant future.
Personally, I think they'd be doing everyone a big favor to leave some parts/elements of the station alone as they rebuild/remodel the rest. It's disorienting and - dare I say - boring when everything is new-new-new! New next to new is just monotony, but new next to old accentuates both the old and the new and gives context to each. I really think there should be a little more effort in Tokyo not to eradicate everything old; and to stop building forever more roads and parking lots....
Exiting Yurakucho Station 有楽町駅を出る (121218g)
http://youtu.be/lx0TZxdPpXY
Yurakucho Under-Bridge Train Noises 有楽町橋下の電車音 (121218g)
http://youtu.be/7f75nPwOMCI
When I lived in San Francisco, I loved the sound of the fog horns emanating history and mystery into a foggy night - which were that much better if you were on a street with a cable-car cable moving along, making its metallic sounds in the street....
And since crossing the Pacific and living here in Tokyo, I find the metallic echoing sounds heard under old steel bridges in central Tokyo to be my favorite timeless/historical/time-slip/something symphony-of-noises. (The sound fidelity of the camera I used isn't all that wide, so some (low) elements of the symphony are missing, but you can get the general drift from this clip nonetheless.)
Ginza Chuo-Dori December Lights 銀座中央通の十二月夜光 (121218g)
http://youtu.be/36MntNlELDs
There are lights put up at various places all over the city every December (much more so since LED lights were invented, since they require so little power), but Ginza is one of the best places to see them. You get the ambiance of Ginza's interesting history, and the place still has class, although an awful lot of the area has gone over to low-class, overpriced "brand" stores that have thuggish looking men standing just inside the doors - looking out, projecting the impression that they own not only the bloody "brand" store/building, but the sidewalk and street outside and you're trespassing by walking past the building.
Personally? I think the world would be a vastly better place if all of those snooty over-priced "brand" companies went out of business. Those "brand" bags make me sick - they're hideously ugly for one thing.
Oops! Sorry to have gone off on that tangent, but unfortunately, that's also a part of what Ginza is today.
Yurakucho-SB - 1000PM 有楽町-SB (121218g)
http://youtu.be/p0js09cen0o
It's hoped that this scene can continue into the future, but watching one small shop after another being driven out of the area, it may get to a point where there are nothing but chain stores there. If that happens, Yurakucho will probably become a drab place. A sparkling clean, spiffy drab place, but a drab place nonetheless, because the small shops give the area its soul, so if they're driven out, then....
Takadanobaba Tozai Line (Platform Walk) 高田馬場東西線 (121215)
http://youtu.be/DLwDC7uYX9M
Otemachi to Nihonbashi (Tozai Line) 大手町から日本橋まで (東西線) 121215
http://youtu.be/nFExwGdN4ro
Iidabashi to Takadanobaba - Front Cab View (Tozai Line) 飯田橋から高田馬場まで (121215)
http://youtu.be/X7pDYkJ1tHE
Suburbs from Train Window (121215)
http://youtu.be/j-tTOa8Srto
Night View of Suburbs from Train Side Window (Vertical) 121215
http://youtu.be/yuNWr723hvo
Kodaira to Ogawa (Seibu Line) 小平から小川まで (西武線) 121215
http://youtu.be/lHH0xK63BqU
Entering Nihonbashi Station (Platform Walk) 日本橋駅を入る (121215)
http://youtu.be/ovDV6a9hu_g
Large Construction Site in Nihonbashi 日本橋の大きい工事現場 (121215)
http://youtu.be/647_wWHONTA
The construction industry never sleeps, and two of the areas being energetically rebuilt these days are Nihonbashi and Kyobashi. The above and below videos are a few glimpses of this construction fever.
Nihonbashi Construction 日本橋の工事 (121215)
http://youtu.be/_-4PTKizcns
Kyobashi Construction 京橋の工事 (121215)
http://youtu.be/epRoUJTK4Z0
Nihonbashi to Takebashi (Tozai Line) 日本橋から竹橋まで (121215)
http://youtu.be/3U2uWGozkko
Onodera Sumino Exhibition at GOBP-306 小野寺純乃 (銀座奥野ビル306号室) 121215
http://youtu.be/mZWYS6InA1Y
This installation had an interesting element - the artist used an old out-of-ink pen to write invisible things onto the white strips of paper. After she explained that, I contemplated what I would do if I were writing something that no one would ever read, and I said something to the effect of (I remember the concept of what I said very well, but not the exact wording), "If I did that, I would write the kind of things that I'd like to say to people, but cannot for whatever reason (desire for world peace, etc.). What did you write?", and she confirmed that she had indeed written the type of things that feel good to write, but not to have someone read!
Tozai to Ginza Transfer at Nihonbashi (Ride to Kyobashi Station) 121215
http://youtu.be/lCnkHpeqFV8
Takadanobaba Station (Saturday Night) 土曜日の夜の高田馬場駅 (121215)
http://youtu.be/oCuatC067Lg
Since Waseda University is just down the road from Takadanobaba (closest to Waseda Station on the Tozai Line, but walkable from Takadanobaba), there tend to be a lot of college students at the station - especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
Takadanobaba Saturday Evening 高田馬場駅あたり (121215g)
http://youtu.be/Tutl_CI6GqU
Seibu-Takadanobaba Station Platform Walk 西武高田馬場駅散歩 (121215)
http://youtu.be/kMkvumhzMyM
I would have preferred to have just gotten straight onto a train, but since I had to wait a few minutes before the next one arrived, I decided to walk the length of the platform while I waited. Ten train cars may not sound like much, but each one is fairly long and so it's a bit of a hike walking past ten long ones. Still, it's much easier than the 15 cars of some lines, like the Tokaido Line, the Joban Line, and the Yokosuka Line, etc.
Shinjuku Station - Lower Concourse and Chuo Line Platform (121217hd)
http://youtu.be/P37s9ixdxdU
Shinjuku - East Exit Plaza (Light December Rain and Wind) 121217hd
http://youtu.be/e9fw0WeNoVI
Arriving at Shinjuku Station (Chuo Line) 121217hd
http://youtu.be/ggubFcBdnqc
Outbound Chuo Line Train Arriving at Kokubunji Station (121217hd)
http://youtu.be/mT9WQ_nS2G0
Gallery Ginza-One Opening Party - December 17th, 2012A (121217hd)
http://youtu.be/xXkpYtIjAyw
Several clips of the opening party for a group exhibition at Gallery Ginza-One (taken with two different cameras).
Gallery Ginza-One Opening Party - December 17th, 2012B (121217hd)
http://youtu.be/_ChRWR1DeSM
Gallery Ginza-One December 2012 Exhibition (A) 銀座ワン展示会 2012年12月 (121217)
http://youtu.be/qYe6ifx7kko
Gallery Ginza-One December 2012 Exhibition (B) 銀座ワン展示会 2012年12月 (121217)
http://youtu.be/ELuhLTUHkeg
Gallery Ginza-One - December 2012 Exhibition Preview (121215)
http://youtu.be/ZWJMBHWezWI
Shinjuku Sidewalk Stroll (East Side) 121217hd
http://youtu.be/n1kw7GcpC8s
Some thirty years ago, this sidewalk was really narrow and it was hard to walk on this street, but they (very sensibly I think) did away with two of the fire-breathing machinery lanes and made the sidewalks wider.
Tokyo Station Construction Zone and Bus Area on Yaesu Side (121217hd)
http://youtu.be/4PZmOs6ND98
Tokyo Station Walkabout - Food Retail Section, Concourse, Etc. (121217hd)
http://youtu.be/PWtnwNORs_w
Tokyo Station as shopping mall! Thinking about how convenient the station has become for shopping, I find myself wondering what effect this has on local area businesses - who are at a real disadvantage logistically. Most people use the stations, so they're already there (no need to get people to come to the area). For businesses around the stations, people have to walk to them - through the weather and whatnot. Probably a lot of people never bother to even see what's available around the stations when they can get what they need in the stations. Work over - just go straight to the station, and once there you can eat, drink, shop for clothes, food, souvenirs, etc., and then walk another 60 seconds or so and get on your train.
Shinjuku Station East Ticket Gate Area (Lower Concourse) 新宿駅東口 (121217hdg)
http://youtu.be/vuIUEcXunh0
Ogikubo Bright Light Shotengai 荻窪北口駅前通商店街 (121218)
http://youtu.be/OODaCwO0dgo
Above and below - shotengai shopping streets in Ogikubo - not appearing to be doing a lot of business. I hope these small shops can stay in business, but having a tight budget myself, I also focus on how to not spend money... and then idly fantasize about making a pile of money so I can try out old-style coffee shops and shop wherever I want to, without worrying about going over-budget. In the meantime, I wander around and watch the decline of the once thriving streets of small shops and wonder about what kind of city Tokyo will become in the future....
Ogikubo-Ginza Shotengai (A) 荻窪銀座商店街(飲食など) 121218hd
http://youtu.be/JfvJhK40r7Y
Ogikubo Sanpo (Ome-Kaido, Etc.) 荻窪散歩 (青梅街道など) 121218hd
http://youtu.be/gWkqhYQsvaY
Exiting Kokubunji Station 国分寺駅のJR-改札口 (121219)
http://youtu.be/TnxPC5Q6DyU
Asakadai Station Platform View 朝霞台駅ホームビュー 武蔵野線 (121219hd)
http://youtu.be/KDhx-oyB6tc
Basically a transfer station - with the Musashino Line crossing the Tobu-Tojo Line here.
Kawagoeshi Station Platform View (Train Going Out of Service, Etc.) 川越市駅 (121219)
http://youtu.be/YGwvKeun8bc
1145 PM Waiting for a Train at Tokyo Station 東京駅 (中央線電車が遣って来る) 121218
http://youtu.be/FLZGN7fBZf0
11:45 p.m.... this is about as late as you can still catch a train to go home from central Tokyo. If you miss the last train, there are basically two main options: 1) Take a taxi home (if you're rich and/or your company will pay for the very expensive ride, or 2) Find somewhere (coffee shop, restaurant, pub, etc.) that's open until 5:00 a.m. - when the trains start up again. There is also the option of checking into a hotel, but that's for either rich people or people who need a hotel. Finally, there's the option of wandering around on the streets for four or five hours, which is a viable (although not recommended) option in the summer, but not a very good idea in the winter.
Late Night Chuo Line - Looking Around from Inside Train 夜遅く中央線 (121218hd)
http://youtu.be/OsM5xwru5Pg
Ginza Chuo-Dori Christmas Lights 銀座中央通の12月光 (121218)
http://youtu.be/OevD1pmrsx4
People Photographing Christmas Tree on Ginza Chuo-Dori (Ginza 4-Chome) 121218
http://youtu.be/-Sv6uZsO7xg
Inbound Chuo Line - Kokubunji to Mitaka 中央線国分寺から三鷹まで (121218)
http://youtu.be/yc0zF49kDdk
Inoue Baku (井上麦) Exhibition/Installation - Gallery Kobo (巷房) December 2012 (121217)
http://youtu.be/X0RX9jpyhJM
An interesting exhibition/installation consisting of stone artwork and the shadows the pieces cast (from a single spotlight placed on the floor near the door). This exhibition was (*is* actually - it's still taking place as I write this) in all three of Gallery Kobo's exhibition rooms, but I only the saw the two in the basement. (Hopefully I can check out the third-floor space before this exhibition is over.)
From Ogikubo Station to Kyokai-Dori 荻窪駅から教会通りまで (121218)
http://youtu.be/hm5JFCnqC5s
Kyokai-Dori is another shotengai shopping street - not far from Ogikubo Station.
Arriving and Departing from Yotsuya Station (Midnight Chuo Line) 121218
http://youtu.be/RGWlY6mSOs8
Inside Midnight Chuo Line Train at Shinjuku Station (121219)
http://youtu.be/llCvlqm4P_0
530 a.m. - Hachioji Station Platform (Narita Express) 成田エクスプレス (121219)
http://youtu.be/LAa957pzH5w
Shinjuku Evening Sidewalk Stroll (East Side) 新宿夕方散歩 (東口) 121217
http://youtu.be/aVLbiimSmYo
Mitaka to Ogikubo (Chuo Line) 三鷹から荻窪まで (中央線) 121218
http://youtu.be/5o2nOFxHymk
Symphony of Recordings in Empty Discount Shop (121219)
http://youtu.be/O_G4Bp_-UAs
This was a kind of weird experience - I was looking around in a discount store and going from floor to floor. When I got to this floor, I suddenly realized there were an amazing number of recordings all playing simultaneously! I stopped, listened and couldn't help but laugh. It was a bizarre atmosphere. Nobody there but me - me and an army of recorded voices....
Waiting for and Riding Inbound Chuo Line Train (121218)
http://youtu.be/AxBQQBuZtbk
Shinjuku Station - East Ticket Gate Area Walkabout 新宿駅東口改札 (121217)
http://youtu.be/SY_5LHCaMOo
Nakano to Shinjuku (Night Right-Side Window View) 夜の中央線中野-新宿 (121218)
http://youtu.be/QYhLkJxVTSQ
Yurakucho to Tokyo 夜中の京浜東北線 (有楽町から東京まで) 121218
http://youtu.be/07OA-g9ZBK0
Late Night Chuo Line Train - Tokyo to Kanda 夜中中央線 (東京-神田) 121218
http://youtu.be/3i3J_SeXpfE
Vertical Flags in the Wind 荻窪 (121218)
http://youtu.be/NFw7kQdltAY
Ogikubo Food Section Near Ticket Gates 荻窪駅にあるフードコート (121218)
http://youtu.be/6GhzOeBauPk
Yurakucho Under-Track Stroll (Small Shops Disappear) 121218
http://youtu.be/p18xqiMF5nc
Ginza Side Street Lights (A) 銀座横道の夜光 (121218)
http://youtu.be/ws-lr9A7eQQ
Ginza Side Street Lights (B) 銀座横道の夜光 (121218)
http://youtu.be/pptsWTrHDL4
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
"Yurakucho Twilight - 2012"
"Yurakucho Twilight - 2012"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"2012 Chuo Line, Kami-Nakazato, Etc.; 1990 Shinjuku, Hibarigaoka, Omiya, Etc."
This batch of video clips includes typical 2012 scenes of Tokyo, riding around on trains, etc., and I visited Kami-Nakazato for (I think) the first time ever, but after nearly three decades of going here and there in Tokyo, I'm not entirely sure. Being December, there are Christmas decorations here and there. And there are several views from 1990 - mostly taken around Shinjuku, although there are a couple of short clips from Omiya (in Saitama). In one clip, I visit the old Dug coffee shop and bar, which was going strong at the time, but has mostly disappeared (only the basement remains).
Tokyo to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 東京から新宿まで (中央線) 121211g
http://youtu.be/o-BNT3N_WKo
Looking out a side window (at night) of a Chuo Line train as it rolls from Tokyo Station to Shinjuku Station.
Marunouchi Building Lobby and Area in Front of Building (121211g)
http://youtu.be/LgB4XW4mY4k
After walking through the Marunouchi Building and finding myself on the front sidewalk, I looked off to the left and had a flashback to visiting the original Marunouchi Building.... At the time, it seemed like such a solid piece of Tokyo that I never imagined that they would tear it down. When they did, I was busy with other things and didn't find out until it was gone. Looking down that same sidewalk today, almost all the buildings that were visible at the time have been demolished and new ones built in their place. Fortunately the Tokyo Station Building was repaired/rebuilt (some parts of the original structure remain) and the front part of the former Central Post Office was preserved, so in looking straight ahead and to the right there's some form of visual reference that ties the present to the past.
Actually, I can show you one of my 20th century visits to the original version of the building - here's a video I took back in 1991:
"Marunouchi Building - March 1991"
http://youtu.be/YS-18E0PN9Q
The point where I walk out onto the street in 1991 is the same spot I walk out onto the street in the 2012 video. So much has changed since then - and so the facade of the old post office building and rebuilt Tokyo Station are much appreciated! Without those, it would be disorienting/depressing for anyone who remembers how it was before. I think it's important to have at least a few links to the past.
Kanda Central Platform Stroll 神田駅真ん中ホーム散歩 (121211g)
http://youtu.be/Sif4_Qqgcp4
Walking around on the middle of Kanda Station's three platforms. The old platform roof pillars and beams are a welcome change from newer designs. It's hard to conceptualize the exact reason, but there's something quite nostalgic about the remaining old structures in Tokyo. Is it simply because there is so little of anything old in Tokyo, and/or is there something of the past that emanates from the old iron - providing a needed time reference and a kind of anchor to maintain balance while change swirls all around?
Kanda Station Under Construction 工事中の神田駅 (121211g)
http://youtu.be/_SxnBp-55XU
This construction has been going on for a long time... and seems to be related to the construction of new Shinkansen line tracks over the station, but (based on what has been done with other JR stations in Tokyo), they are probably converting the station into a mini-mall/restaurant complex. I've been told that JR makes more money from it's retail operations in the stations than it does from running the trains, and - judging from the way more and more stations are becoming mini-shopping malls - this may indeed be the case. In which case, Kanda Station may end up being completely transformed into something different than what it is now.
New Track Construction Beside Kanda Station (121211)
http://youtu.be/uJ0lUIJQu6E
1990 - A Night on the Town (Bubble Era Shinjuku) 新宿の夜 (901122)
http://youtu.be/0rbFWu-cgV8
Taken on Thursday, November 22nd, 1990 - towards the end of the "bubble" era, a time when a lot of money was being spent on after-work entertainment, etc. I was just recording my own evening, but a little of the atmosphere of the time is perceptible in this. There are also some scenes from inside the legendary Dug coffee shop and bar - from inside the above-ground section, which was closed some years ago, leaving only the basement as a bar. It was a great place to go for coffee, jazz music and conversation with friends.
1990 - Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku ひばりが丘から新宿まで (901122)
http://youtu.be/yLJI6vxsFGU
1990 - Omiya, Miyahara Car Ride 大宮市宮原 (埼玉県) 901121
http://youtu.be/o0TxrV1XaQ0
1990 - Bus Ride Near Omiya 大宮あたりのバス (901121)
http://youtu.be/3tve0TDgVH4
Historical now that they've introduced lower-riding buses and these old ones are off the roads (in Tokyo anyway).
1990 - Train Scenes from Trip to Saitama (901121)
http://youtu.be/nYsJC3O8dxc
1990 - Late Night Transfers and Trains, Etc. (901120)
http://youtu.be/jdP4wRrl8uU
1990 - Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (Saikyo Line) 埼京線 (901120)
http://youtu.be/P8kruZbp3_c
1990 - Saikyo Line Platform Walk (Under Construction) 901120
http://youtu.be/NbbzugztRj4
It was around this time that they began running Takasaki Line and Utsunomiya Line trains through to Shinjuku, and I think the signs of construction you can see on the Saikyo Line platform in this clip were connected with the extension of the platform to handle the 15-car trains from those two lines. Also they were working on the new exits (at Shinjuku Station) that are on the Shibuya side of the station - across the main road from the South Exit.
1990 - Shinjuku Station - Lower Concourse (Late at Night) 901120
http://youtu.be/bf4ib6NAjjk
1990 - Shinjuku Manual Ticket Gates 新宿手動改札口 (901120)
http://youtu.be/0AiKYn0mImU
Before they installed the automatic ticket gates, it was just a part of riding the trains in Tokyo to have a station employee manually punch your ticket at the ticket gates. Some other cities in Japan had automated ticket gates sooner than Tokyo - probably the vastness and complexity of Tokyo's rail system prevented it from becoming automated until computers caught up with the complexity.
1990 - Shinjuku Izakaya, Etc. 新宿居酒屋など (901120)
http://youtu.be/Fd5s-Ronfjo
1990 Walking Into Nishi-Shinjuku 西新宿に入る (901120)
http://youtu.be/DqODIMKDbiA
1990 - Shinjuku Station (South Exit) 新宿駅南口 (901120)
http://youtu.be/iKV2wLMls00
1990 - Hibarigaoka Station Area at Night (901119)
http://youtu.be/CpZ_iuW10wM
1990 - Hibarigaoka to Ikebukuro (901120)
http://youtu.be/UwDfL1Kng7s
1990 - Ikebukuro Station - Evening Rush 池袋駅 (901120g)
http://youtu.be/3GVsfpmLqME
Ikebukuro Station is similar to Shinjuku in that there are a number of train lines that converge on the station, and large numbers of people who use the station every day. This clip shows how the station is during a busy period.
1990 - Nishi-Ikebukuro 西池袋 (901120)
http://youtu.be/HTXOq4302uM
1990 - New Automatic Ticket Gates (Ikebukuro) 池袋新改札口 (901120)
http://youtu.be/wprvD_Drxrc
In 1990, they were just beginning to install the automatic ticket gates, and there were a lot of ticket types that couldn't be used in the machines, so they had people standing by the early installations to help people out - directing people without magnetic tickets to the window were a person manually checked tickets, and telling others to just insert their tickets into the machine, etc.
1990 - Ikebukuro to Shinjuku 池袋から新宿まで (901120)
http://youtu.be/lVP6KOxYe9Q
Small Park with Water Fountain Geyser (121211)
http://youtu.be/-Nzw2aZH0MY
The type of water fountain shown in these two clips (above and below) I really like, but there are fewer and fewer of them as they replace them with ones that only allow a very low flow rate. Aside from it being fun to crank one of these open and see the water shoot up high in the air, you can quickly get the hot water out of them in the summer and then drink cooler water.
Geyser Water Fountain Explanation (121211)
http://youtu.be/EqQ76T1XoPg
Kanda to Kami-Nakazato 神田から上中里まで (山手線と京浜東北線) 121211
http://youtu.be/CJvHdFxuoyM
In the non-rush afternoon hours, they run the Keihin-Tohoku Line trains as kaisoku (rapid) trains that skip several stations (meaning they are basically express trains), and so I took a Yamanote Line train to where I could transfer to the faster Keihin-Tohoku Line (and I needed to be on the Keihin-Tohoku Line anyway in order to get to Kami-Nakazato Station).
Kami-Nakazato Station (Afternoon) 上中里駅 (午後散歩) 121211
http://youtu.be/GDqUPoLowhI
Kami-Nakazato Station Area 上中里駅辺り (121211)
http://youtu.be/iriwjZHnJTg
Kami-Nakazato Residential Area (121211)
http://youtu.be/YaPrjhfCTg0
Hiratsuka Shrine Kami-Nakazato 平塚神社 (上中里) 121211
http://youtu.be/6Txvi_1G9Tw
Train Arriving at Kawagoeshi Station (Tobu-Tojo Line) 121212
http://youtu.be/7-N1kw9Knh8
Shinjuku Station South Exit 新宿駅南口 (121211)
http://youtu.be/f66TeLAyRgs
Outgoing Chuo Line Platform (Shinjuku) 中央線 (新宿) 121211
http://youtu.be/EdqCR0K7Jik
Nishigahara Side Street 西ヶ原横道 (121211)
http://youtu.be/N73EpLNOnhY
Walking to Kami-Nakazato Station 上中里駅に向かう (121211)
http://youtu.be/FNMRKKyQQF4
Kami-Nakazato to Tabata 上中里から田端まで (121211)
http://youtu.be/EQGyXTjHOM4
Tabata to Ueno (Keihin-Tohoku Line) 田端から上野まで (京浜東北線) 121211
http://youtu.be/QXBmjyAWv5M
Ueno to Tokyo 上野から東京まで (快速京浜東北線) 121211
http://youtu.be/fR55CAV01wA
Tokyo to Yurakucho (Elevator) 東京から有楽町まで (山手線) 121211
http://youtu.be/a0L364iGBRM
Normally I don't take elevators just one level down like this, but I had never used an elevator at Yurakucho Station before, so I wanted to try it out (there didn't use to be elevators or escalators at the stations).
Ginza Evening Side Streets 夕方の銀座 (121211)
http://youtu.be/bW0pFmkh2io
Yurakucho Lottery Ticket Line (121211)
http://youtu.be/Jk-Rvi99wAE
When they are selling lottery tickets, this location in Yurakucho tends to be crowded - I hear that lottery winners in the past are reported to have bought their lottery tickets here, and so people think it's a lucky place to buy the tickets? Something like that. In any case, it's often crowded like this.
Yurakucho Plaza - Evening of December 11th, 2012 (121211)
http://youtu.be/ctXr1Yv6cqg
Yurakucho Station (Waiting for a Train) 121211
http://youtu.be/HkWeapJNWQ0
Tokyo Station (Yamanote Platform and Concourse) 121211
http://youtu.be/e11I6x_9wYc
Ramen Stand Between Tokyo Station and Marunouchi Building (121211)
http://youtu.be/FEOmZMYnR2k
This kind of thing dates back to a completely different era. I hesitate to comment on what that era was, although I feel that I witnessed a tiny part of it when I first came here in the early eighties. Whatever it was, it's at least partly (maybe mostly?) a nostalgia trip now. As I walked by, I noticed a bowl of ramen was being sold for Y700 - which isn't the cheapest ramen out there... but you get the time-trip aspect and that makes it worth it probably. (I've always wanted to try out one of those portable restaurants, but have never actually done so...)
Marunouchi Illuminated Trees and Marunouchi Building Lobby (121211)
http://youtu.be/2eQWS7fKB04
Since both the Marunouchi Building and the Shin-Marunouchi Building were torn down and new buildings with the exact same names were constructed where the old ones were torn down, I've often visited the Shin-Marunouchi Building, but not the Marunouchi Building, so when I looked over and noticed that I was standing by the back side of the Marunouchi Building, I decided to walk through. The new one depresses me a little, because the old one had a lot of character and was one of those buildings in Tokyo that I wish was still here....
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Tokyo to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 東京から新宿まで (中央線) 121211g
http://youtu.be/o-BNT3N_WKo
Looking out a side window (at night) of a Chuo Line train as it rolls from Tokyo Station to Shinjuku Station.
Marunouchi Building Lobby and Area in Front of Building (121211g)
http://youtu.be/LgB4XW4mY4k
After walking through the Marunouchi Building and finding myself on the front sidewalk, I looked off to the left and had a flashback to visiting the original Marunouchi Building.... At the time, it seemed like such a solid piece of Tokyo that I never imagined that they would tear it down. When they did, I was busy with other things and didn't find out until it was gone. Looking down that same sidewalk today, almost all the buildings that were visible at the time have been demolished and new ones built in their place. Fortunately the Tokyo Station Building was repaired/rebuilt (some parts of the original structure remain) and the front part of the former Central Post Office was preserved, so in looking straight ahead and to the right there's some form of visual reference that ties the present to the past.
Actually, I can show you one of my 20th century visits to the original version of the building - here's a video I took back in 1991:
"Marunouchi Building - March 1991"
http://youtu.be/YS-18E0PN9Q
The point where I walk out onto the street in 1991 is the same spot I walk out onto the street in the 2012 video. So much has changed since then - and so the facade of the old post office building and rebuilt Tokyo Station are much appreciated! Without those, it would be disorienting/depressing for anyone who remembers how it was before. I think it's important to have at least a few links to the past.
Kanda Central Platform Stroll 神田駅真ん中ホーム散歩 (121211g)
http://youtu.be/Sif4_Qqgcp4
Walking around on the middle of Kanda Station's three platforms. The old platform roof pillars and beams are a welcome change from newer designs. It's hard to conceptualize the exact reason, but there's something quite nostalgic about the remaining old structures in Tokyo. Is it simply because there is so little of anything old in Tokyo, and/or is there something of the past that emanates from the old iron - providing a needed time reference and a kind of anchor to maintain balance while change swirls all around?
Kanda Station Under Construction 工事中の神田駅 (121211g)
http://youtu.be/_SxnBp-55XU
This construction has been going on for a long time... and seems to be related to the construction of new Shinkansen line tracks over the station, but (based on what has been done with other JR stations in Tokyo), they are probably converting the station into a mini-mall/restaurant complex. I've been told that JR makes more money from it's retail operations in the stations than it does from running the trains, and - judging from the way more and more stations are becoming mini-shopping malls - this may indeed be the case. In which case, Kanda Station may end up being completely transformed into something different than what it is now.
New Track Construction Beside Kanda Station (121211)
http://youtu.be/uJ0lUIJQu6E
1990 - A Night on the Town (Bubble Era Shinjuku) 新宿の夜 (901122)
http://youtu.be/0rbFWu-cgV8
Taken on Thursday, November 22nd, 1990 - towards the end of the "bubble" era, a time when a lot of money was being spent on after-work entertainment, etc. I was just recording my own evening, but a little of the atmosphere of the time is perceptible in this. There are also some scenes from inside the legendary Dug coffee shop and bar - from inside the above-ground section, which was closed some years ago, leaving only the basement as a bar. It was a great place to go for coffee, jazz music and conversation with friends.
1990 - Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku ひばりが丘から新宿まで (901122)
http://youtu.be/yLJI6vxsFGU
1990 - Omiya, Miyahara Car Ride 大宮市宮原 (埼玉県) 901121
http://youtu.be/o0TxrV1XaQ0
1990 - Bus Ride Near Omiya 大宮あたりのバス (901121)
http://youtu.be/3tve0TDgVH4
Historical now that they've introduced lower-riding buses and these old ones are off the roads (in Tokyo anyway).
1990 - Train Scenes from Trip to Saitama (901121)
http://youtu.be/nYsJC3O8dxc
1990 - Late Night Transfers and Trains, Etc. (901120)
http://youtu.be/jdP4wRrl8uU
1990 - Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (Saikyo Line) 埼京線 (901120)
http://youtu.be/P8kruZbp3_c
1990 - Saikyo Line Platform Walk (Under Construction) 901120
http://youtu.be/NbbzugztRj4
It was around this time that they began running Takasaki Line and Utsunomiya Line trains through to Shinjuku, and I think the signs of construction you can see on the Saikyo Line platform in this clip were connected with the extension of the platform to handle the 15-car trains from those two lines. Also they were working on the new exits (at Shinjuku Station) that are on the Shibuya side of the station - across the main road from the South Exit.
1990 - Shinjuku Station - Lower Concourse (Late at Night) 901120
http://youtu.be/bf4ib6NAjjk
1990 - Shinjuku Manual Ticket Gates 新宿手動改札口 (901120)
http://youtu.be/0AiKYn0mImU
Before they installed the automatic ticket gates, it was just a part of riding the trains in Tokyo to have a station employee manually punch your ticket at the ticket gates. Some other cities in Japan had automated ticket gates sooner than Tokyo - probably the vastness and complexity of Tokyo's rail system prevented it from becoming automated until computers caught up with the complexity.
1990 - Shinjuku Izakaya, Etc. 新宿居酒屋など (901120)
http://youtu.be/Fd5s-Ronfjo
1990 Walking Into Nishi-Shinjuku 西新宿に入る (901120)
http://youtu.be/DqODIMKDbiA
1990 - Shinjuku Station (South Exit) 新宿駅南口 (901120)
http://youtu.be/iKV2wLMls00
1990 - Hibarigaoka Station Area at Night (901119)
http://youtu.be/CpZ_iuW10wM
1990 - Hibarigaoka to Ikebukuro (901120)
http://youtu.be/UwDfL1Kng7s
1990 - Ikebukuro Station - Evening Rush 池袋駅 (901120g)
http://youtu.be/3GVsfpmLqME
Ikebukuro Station is similar to Shinjuku in that there are a number of train lines that converge on the station, and large numbers of people who use the station every day. This clip shows how the station is during a busy period.
1990 - Nishi-Ikebukuro 西池袋 (901120)
http://youtu.be/HTXOq4302uM
1990 - New Automatic Ticket Gates (Ikebukuro) 池袋新改札口 (901120)
http://youtu.be/wprvD_Drxrc
In 1990, they were just beginning to install the automatic ticket gates, and there were a lot of ticket types that couldn't be used in the machines, so they had people standing by the early installations to help people out - directing people without magnetic tickets to the window were a person manually checked tickets, and telling others to just insert their tickets into the machine, etc.
1990 - Ikebukuro to Shinjuku 池袋から新宿まで (901120)
http://youtu.be/lVP6KOxYe9Q
Small Park with Water Fountain Geyser (121211)
http://youtu.be/-Nzw2aZH0MY
The type of water fountain shown in these two clips (above and below) I really like, but there are fewer and fewer of them as they replace them with ones that only allow a very low flow rate. Aside from it being fun to crank one of these open and see the water shoot up high in the air, you can quickly get the hot water out of them in the summer and then drink cooler water.
Geyser Water Fountain Explanation (121211)
http://youtu.be/EqQ76T1XoPg
Kanda to Kami-Nakazato 神田から上中里まで (山手線と京浜東北線) 121211
http://youtu.be/CJvHdFxuoyM
In the non-rush afternoon hours, they run the Keihin-Tohoku Line trains as kaisoku (rapid) trains that skip several stations (meaning they are basically express trains), and so I took a Yamanote Line train to where I could transfer to the faster Keihin-Tohoku Line (and I needed to be on the Keihin-Tohoku Line anyway in order to get to Kami-Nakazato Station).
Kami-Nakazato Station (Afternoon) 上中里駅 (午後散歩) 121211
http://youtu.be/GDqUPoLowhI
Kami-Nakazato Station Area 上中里駅辺り (121211)
http://youtu.be/iriwjZHnJTg
Kami-Nakazato Residential Area (121211)
http://youtu.be/YaPrjhfCTg0
Hiratsuka Shrine Kami-Nakazato 平塚神社 (上中里) 121211
http://youtu.be/6Txvi_1G9Tw
Train Arriving at Kawagoeshi Station (Tobu-Tojo Line) 121212
http://youtu.be/7-N1kw9Knh8
Shinjuku Station South Exit 新宿駅南口 (121211)
http://youtu.be/f66TeLAyRgs
Outgoing Chuo Line Platform (Shinjuku) 中央線 (新宿) 121211
http://youtu.be/EdqCR0K7Jik
Nishigahara Side Street 西ヶ原横道 (121211)
http://youtu.be/N73EpLNOnhY
Walking to Kami-Nakazato Station 上中里駅に向かう (121211)
http://youtu.be/FNMRKKyQQF4
Kami-Nakazato to Tabata 上中里から田端まで (121211)
http://youtu.be/EQGyXTjHOM4
Tabata to Ueno (Keihin-Tohoku Line) 田端から上野まで (京浜東北線) 121211
http://youtu.be/QXBmjyAWv5M
Ueno to Tokyo 上野から東京まで (快速京浜東北線) 121211
http://youtu.be/fR55CAV01wA
Tokyo to Yurakucho (Elevator) 東京から有楽町まで (山手線) 121211
http://youtu.be/a0L364iGBRM
Normally I don't take elevators just one level down like this, but I had never used an elevator at Yurakucho Station before, so I wanted to try it out (there didn't use to be elevators or escalators at the stations).
Ginza Evening Side Streets 夕方の銀座 (121211)
http://youtu.be/bW0pFmkh2io
Yurakucho Lottery Ticket Line (121211)
http://youtu.be/Jk-Rvi99wAE
When they are selling lottery tickets, this location in Yurakucho tends to be crowded - I hear that lottery winners in the past are reported to have bought their lottery tickets here, and so people think it's a lucky place to buy the tickets? Something like that. In any case, it's often crowded like this.
Yurakucho Plaza - Evening of December 11th, 2012 (121211)
http://youtu.be/ctXr1Yv6cqg
Yurakucho Station (Waiting for a Train) 121211
http://youtu.be/HkWeapJNWQ0
Tokyo Station (Yamanote Platform and Concourse) 121211
http://youtu.be/e11I6x_9wYc
Ramen Stand Between Tokyo Station and Marunouchi Building (121211)
http://youtu.be/FEOmZMYnR2k
This kind of thing dates back to a completely different era. I hesitate to comment on what that era was, although I feel that I witnessed a tiny part of it when I first came here in the early eighties. Whatever it was, it's at least partly (maybe mostly?) a nostalgia trip now. As I walked by, I noticed a bowl of ramen was being sold for Y700 - which isn't the cheapest ramen out there... but you get the time-trip aspect and that makes it worth it probably. (I've always wanted to try out one of those portable restaurants, but have never actually done so...)
Marunouchi Illuminated Trees and Marunouchi Building Lobby (121211)
http://youtu.be/2eQWS7fKB04
Since both the Marunouchi Building and the Shin-Marunouchi Building were torn down and new buildings with the exact same names were constructed where the old ones were torn down, I've often visited the Shin-Marunouchi Building, but not the Marunouchi Building, so when I looked over and noticed that I was standing by the back side of the Marunouchi Building, I decided to walk through. The new one depresses me a little, because the old one had a lot of character and was one of those buildings in Tokyo that I wish was still here....
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Saturday, December 15, 2012
"1990 - Former Time-Slip Zone by Shinjuku Station (South Exit)"
This area is currently an open plaza, so it's hard to believe this even existed, but before they built the open plaza, there was a time-slip zone of old wooden buildings - which you can see a little of in this screen capture image from an analog video I took in November 1990.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"1990 - Former Time-Slip Zone by Shinjuku Station (South Exit)"
Copyright 1990 and 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Darwin's Time in Tahiti"
In reading "A Naturalist's Voyage Round the World" by Charles Darwin, M.A., F.R.S., which details Darwin's 1831-36 voyage around the world on the Beagle; I thought this section on Tahiti was interesting:
Chapter XVIII
Tahiti - Pass through the Low Archipelago—Tahiti—Aspect—Vegetation on the mountains—View of Eimeo—Excursion into the interior—Profound ravines—Succession of waterfalls—Number of wild useful plants—Temperance of the inhabitants—Their moral state—Parliament convened
October 20th.—The survey of the Galapagos Archipelago being concluded, we steered towards Tahiti and commenced our long passage of 3200 miles. In the course of a few days we sailed out of the gloomy and clouded ocean-district which extends during the winter far from the coast of South America. We then enjoyed bright and clear weather, while running pleasantly along at the rate of 150 or 160 miles a day before the steady trade-wind. The temperature in this more central part of the Pacific is higher than near the American shore. The thermometer in the poop cabin, by night and day, ranged between 80° and 83°, which feels very pleasant; but with one degree or two higher, the heat becomes oppressive. We passed through the Low or Dangerous Archipelago, and saw several of those most curious rings of coral land, just rising above the water's edge, which have been called Lagoon Islands. A long and brilliantly-white beach is capped by a margin of green vegetation; and the strip, looking either way, rapidly narrows away in the distance, and sinks beneath the horizon. From the mast-head a wide expanse of smooth water can be seen within the ring. These low hollow coral islands bear no proportion to the vast ocean out of which they abruptly rise; and it seems wonderful that such weak invaders are not overwhelmed by the all-powerful and never-tiring waves of that great sea, miscalled the Pacific.
November 15th.—At daylight, Tahiti, an island which must for ever remain classical to the voyager in the South Sea, was in view. At a distance the appearance was not attractive. The luxuriant vegetation of the lower part could not yet be seen, and as the clouds rolled past, the wildest and most precipitous peaks showed themselves towards the centre of the island. As soon as we anchored in Matavai Bay, we were surrounded by canoes. This was our Sunday, but the Monday of Tahiti: if the case had been reversed, we should not have received a single visit; for the injunction not to launch a canoe on the Sabbath is rigidly obeyed. After dinner we landed to enjoy all the delights produced by the first impressions of a new country, and that country the charming Tahiti. A crowd of men, women, and children, was collected on the memorable Point Venus, ready to receive us with laughing, merry faces. They marshalled us towards the house of Mr. Wilson, the missionary of the district, who met us on the road, and gave us a very friendly reception. After sitting a short time in his house, we separated to walk about, but returned there in the evening.
The land capable of cultivation is scarcely in any part more than a fringe of low alluvial soil, accumulated round the base of the mountains, and protected from the waves of the sea by a coral reef, which encircles the entire line of coast. Within the reef there is an expanse of smooth water, like that of a lake,
where the canoes of the natives can ply with safety and where ships anchor. The low land which comes down to the beach of coral-sand is covered by the most beautiful productions of the intertropical regions. In the midst of bananas, orange, cocoa-nut, and bread-fruit trees, spots are cleared where yams, sweet potatoes, the sugar-cane, and pine-apples are cultivated. Even the brushwood is an imported fruit-tree, namely, the guava, which from its abundance has become as noxious as a weed. In Brazil I have often admired the varied beauty of the bananas, palms, and orange-trees contrasted together; and here we also have the bread-fruit, conspicuous from its large, glossy, and deeply digitated leaf. It is admirable to behold groves of a tree, sending forth its branches with the vigour of an English oak, loaded with large and most nutritious fruit. However seldom the usefulness of an object can account for the pleasure of beholding it, in the case of these beautiful woods, the knowledge of their high productiveness no doubt enters largely into the feeling of admiration. The little winding paths, cool from the surrounding shade, led to the scattered houses; the owners of which everywhere gave us a cheerful and most hospitable reception.
I was pleased with nothing so much as with the inhabitants. There is a mildness in the expression of their countenances which at once banishes the idea of a savage; and an intelligence which shows that they are advancing in civilisation. The common people, when working, keep the upper part of their bodies quite naked; and it is then that the Tahitians are seen to advantage. They are very tall, broad-shouldered, athletic, and well-proportioned. It has been remarked that it requires little habit to make a dark skin more pleasing and natural to the eye of a European than his own colour. A white man bathing by the side of a Tahitian was like a plant bleached by the gardener's art compared with a fine dark green one growing vigorously in the open fields. Most of the men are tattooed, and the ornaments follow the curvature of the body so gracefully that they have a very elegant effect. One common pattern, varying in its details, is somewhat like the crown of a palm-tree. It springs from the central line of the back, and gracefully curls round both sides. The simile may be a fanciful one, but I thought the body of a man thus ornamented was like the trunk of a noble tree embraced by a delicate creeper.
Many of the elder people had their feet covered with small figures, so placed as to resemble a sock. This fashion, however, is partly gone by, and has been succeeded by others. Here, although fashion is far from immutable, every one must abide by that prevailing in his youth. An old man has thus his age for ever stamped on his body, and he cannot assume the airs of a young dandy. The women are tattooed in the same manner as the men, and very commonly on their fingers. One unbecoming fashion is now almost universal: namely, shaving the hair from the upper part of the head, in a circular form, so as to leave only an outer ring. The missionaries have tried to persuade the people to change this habit; but it is the fashion, and that is a sufficient answer at Tahiti, as well as at Paris. I was much disappointed in the personal appearance of the women: they are far inferior in every respect to the men. The custom of wearing a white or scarlet flower in the back of the head, or through a small hole in each ear, is pretty. A crown of woven cocoa-nut leaves is also worn as a shade for the eyes. The women appear to be in greater want of some becoming costume even than the men.
Nearly all the natives understand a little English—that is, they know the names of common things; and by the aid of this, together with signs, a lame sort of conversation could be carried on. In returning in the evening to the boat, we stopped to witness a very pretty scene. Numbers of children were playing on the beach, and had lighted bonfires which illumined the placid sea and surrounding trees; others, in circles, were singing Tahitian verses. We seated ourselves on the sand, and joined their party. The songs were impromptu, and I believe related to our arrival: one little girl sang a line, which the rest took up in parts, forming a very pretty chorus. The whole scene made us unequivocally aware that we were seated on the shores of an island in the far-famed South Sea.
17th.—This day is reckoned in the log-book as Tuesday the 17th, instead of Monday the 16th, owing to our, so far, successful chase of the sun. Before breakfast the ship was hemmed in by a flotilla of canoes; and when the natives were allowed to come on board, I suppose there could not have been less than two hundred. It was the opinion of every one that it would have been difficult to have picked out an equal number from any other nation, who would have given so little trouble. Everybody brought something for sale: shells were the main article of trade. The Tahitians now fully understand the value of money, and prefer it to old clothes or other articles. The various coins, however, of English and Spanish denomination puzzle them, and they never seemed to think the small silver quite secure until changed into dollars. Some of the chiefs have accumulated considerable sums of money. One chief, not long since, offered 800 dollars (about £160 sterling) for a small vessel; and frequently they purchase whale-boats and horses at the rate of from 50 to 100 dollars.
After breakfast I went on shore, and ascended the nearest slope to a height of between two and three thousand feet. The outer mountains are smooth and conical, but steep; and the old volcanic rocks, of which they are formed, have been cut through by many profound ravines, diverging from the central broken parts of the island to the coast. Having crossed the narrow low girt of inhabited and fertile land, I followed a smooth steep ridge between two of the deep ravines. The vegetation was singular, consisting almost exclusively of small dwarf ferns, mingled, higher up, with coarse grass; it was not very dissimilar from that on some of the Welsh hills, and this so close above the orchard of tropical plants on the coast was very surprising. At the highest point which I reached trees again appeared. Of the three zones of comparative luxuriance, the lower one owes its moisture, and therefore fertility, to its flatness; for, being scarcely raised above the level of the sea, the water from the higher land drains away slowly. The intermediate zone does not, like the upper one, reach into a damp and cloudy atmosphere, and therefore remains sterile. The woods in the upper zone are very pretty, tree-ferns replacing the cocoa-nuts on the coast. It must not, however, be supposed that these woods at all equal in splendour the forests of Brazil. The vast number of productions, which characterise a continent, cannot be expected to occur in an island.
From the highest point which I attained there was a good view of the distant island of Eimeo, dependent on the same sovereign with Tahiti. On the lofty and broken pinnacles white massive clouds were piled up, which formed an island in the blue sky, as Eimeo itself did in the blue ocean. The island, with the exception of one small gateway, is completely encircled by a reef. At this distance, a narrow but well-defined brilliantly white line was alone visible, where the waves first encountered the wall of coral. The mountains rose abruptly out of the glassy expanse of the lagoon, included within this narrow white line, outside which the heaving waters of the ocean were dark-coloured. The view was striking: it may aptly be compared to a framed engraving, where the frame represents the breakers, the marginal paper the smooth lagoon, and the drawing the island itself. When in the evening I descended from the mountain, a man, whom I had pleased with a trifling gift, met me, bringing with him hot roasted bananas, a pine-apple, and cocoa-nuts. After walking under a burning sun, I do not know anything more delicious than the milk of a young cocoa-nut. Pine-apples are here so abundant that the people eat them in the same wasteful manner as we might turnips. They are of an excellent flavour—perhaps even better than those cultivated in England; and this I believe is the highest compliment which can be paid to any fruit. Before going on board, Mr. Wilson interpreted for me to the Tahitian who had paid me so adroit an attention, that I wanted him and another man to accompany me on a short excursion into the mountains.
18th.—In the morning I came on shore early, bringing with me some provisions in a bag, and two blankets for myself and servant. These were lashed to each end of a long pole, which was alternately carried by my Tahitian companions on their shoulders. These men are accustomed thus to carry, for a whole day, as much as fifty pounds at each end of their poles. I told my guides to provide themselves with food and clothing; but they said that there was plenty of food in the mountains, and for clothing, that their skins were sufficient. Our line of march was the valley of Tia-auru, down which a river flows into the sea by Point Venus. This is one of the principal streams in the island, and its source lies at the base of the loftiest central pinnacles, which rise to a height of about 7000 feet. The whole island is so mountainous that the only way to penetrate into the interior is to follow up the valleys. Our road, at first, lay through woods which bordered each side of the river; and the glimpses of the lofty central peaks, seen as through an avenue, with here and there a waving cocoa-nut tree on one side, were extremely picturesque. The valley soon began to narrow, and the sides to grow lofty and more precipitous. After having walked between three and four hours, we found the width of the ravine scarcely exceeded that of the bed of the stream. On each hand the walls were nearly vertical; yet from the soft nature of the volcanic strata, trees and a rank vegetation sprung from every projecting ledge. These precipices must have been some thousand feet high; and the whole formed a mountain gorge far more magnificent than anything which I had ever before beheld. Until the mid-day sun stood vertically over the ravine, the air felt cool and damp, but now it became very sultry. Shaded by a ledge of rock, beneath a facade of columnar lava, we ate our dinner. My guides had already procured a dish of small fish and fresh-water prawns. They carried with them a small net stretched on a hoop; and where the water was deep and in eddies, they dived, and like otters, with their eyes open followed the fish into holes and corners, and thus caught them.
The Tahitians have the dexterity of amphibious animals in the water. An anecdote mentioned by Ellis shows how much they feel at home in this element. When a horse was landing for Pomarre in 1817, the slings broke, and it fell into the water; immediately the natives jumped overboard, and by their cries and vain efforts at assistance almost drowned it. As soon, however, as it reached the shore, the whole population took to flight, and tried to hide themselves from the man-carrying pig, as they christened the horse.
A little higher up, the river divided itself into three little streams. The two northern ones were impracticable, owing to a succession of waterfalls which descended from the jagged summit of the highest mountain; the other to all appearance was equally inaccessible, but we managed to ascend it by a most extraordinary road. The sides of the valley were here nearly precipitous; but, as frequently happens with stratified rocks, small ledges projected, which were thickly covered by wild bananas, liliaceous plants, and other luxuriant productions of the tropics. The Tahitians, by climbing amongst these ledges, searching for fruit, had discovered a track by which the whole precipice could be scaled. The first ascent from the valley was very dangerous; for it was necessary to pass a steeply inclined face of naked rock by the aid of ropes which we brought with us. How any person discovered that this formidable spot was the only point where the side of the mountain was practicable, I cannot imagine. We then cautiously walked along one of the ledges till we came to one of the three streams. This ledge formed a flat spot above which a beautiful cascade, some hundred feet in height, poured down its waters, and beneath, another high cascade fell into the main stream in the valley below. From this cool and shady recess we made a circuit to avoid the overhanging waterfall. As before, we followed little projecting ledges, the danger being partly concealed by the thickness of the vegetation. In passing from one of the ledges to another there was a vertical wall of rock. One of the Tahitians, a fine active man, placed the trunk of a tree against this, climbed up it, and then by the aid of crevices reached the summit. He fixed the ropes to a projecting point, and lowered them for our dog and luggage, and then we clambered up ourselves. Beneath the ledge on which the dead tree was placed, the precipice must have been five or six hundred feet deep; and if the abyss had not been partly concealed by the overhanging ferns and lilies my head would have turned giddy, and nothing should have induced me to have attempted it. We continued to ascend, sometimes along ledges, and sometimes along knife-edged ridges, having on each hand profound ravines. In the Cordillera I have seen mountains on a far grander scale, but for abruptness nothing at all comparable with this. In the evening we reached a flat little spot on the banks of the same stream which we had continued to follow, and which descends in a chain of waterfalls: here we bivouacked for the night. On each side of the ravine there were great beds of the mountain-banana, covered with ripe fruit. Many of these plants were from twenty to twenty-five feet high, and from three to four in circumference. By the aid of strips of bark for rope, the stems of bamboos for rafters, and the large leaf of the banana for a thatch, the Tahitians in a few minutes built us an excellent house; and with withered leaves made a soft bed.
They then proceeded to make a fire, and cook our evening meal. A light was procured by rubbing a blunt pointed stick in a groove made in another, as if with intention of deepening it, until by the friction the dust became ignited. A peculiarly white and very light wood (the Hibiscus tiliaceus) is alone used for this purpose: it is the same which serves for poles to carry any burden, and for the floating out-riggers to their canoes. The fire was produced in a few seconds: but to a person who does not understand the art, it requires, as I found, the greatest exertion; but at last, to my great pride, I succeeded in igniting the dust. The Gaucho in the Pampas uses a different method: taking an elastic stick about eighteen inches long, he presses one end on his breast, and the other pointed end into a hole in a piece of wood, and then rapidly turns the curved part like a carpenter's centre-bit. The Tahitians having made a small fire of sticks, placed a score of stones of about the size of cricket-balls, on the burning wood. In about ten minutes the sticks were consumed, and the stones hot. They had previously folded up in small parcels of leaves, pieces of beef, fish, ripe and unripe bananas, and the tops of the wild arum. These green parcels were laid in a layer between two layers of the hot stones, and the whole then covered up with earth, so that no smoke or steam could escape. In about a quarter of an hour the whole was most deliciously cooked. The choice green parcels were now laid on a cloth of banana leaves, and with a cocoa-nut shell we drank the cool water of the running stream; and thus we enjoyed our rustic meal.
I could not look on the surrounding plants without admiration. On every side were forests of bananas; the fruit of which, though serving for food in various ways, lay in heaps decaying on the ground. In front of us there was an extensive brake of wild sugar-cane; and the stream was shaded by the dark green knotted stem of the Ava,—so famous in former days for its powerful intoxicating effects. I chewed a piece, and found that it had an acrid and unpleasant taste, which would have induced any one at once to have pronounced it poisonous. Thanks to the missionaries, this plant now thrives only in these deep ravines, innocuous to every one. Close by I saw the wild arum, the roots of which, when well baked, are good to eat, and the young leaves better than spinach. There was the wild yam, and a liliaceous plant called Ti, which grows in abundance, and has a soft brown root, in shape and size like a huge log of wood: this served us for dessert, for it is as sweet as treacle, and with a pleasant taste. There were, moreover, several other wild fruits, and useful vegetables. The little stream, besides its cool water, produced eels and crayfish. I did indeed admire this scene, when I compared it with an uncultivated one in the temperate zones. I felt the force of the remark that man, at least savage man, with his reasoning powers only partly developed, is the child of the tropics.
As the evening drew to a close, I strolled beneath the gloomy shade of the bananas up the course of the stream. My walk was soon brought to a close by coming to a waterfall between two and three hundred feet high; and again above this there was another. I mention all these waterfalls in this one brook to give a general idea of the inclination of the land. In the little recess where the water fell, it did not appear that a breath of wind had ever blown. The thin edges of the great leaves of the banana, damp with spray, were unbroken, instead of being, as is so generally the case, split into a thousand shreds. From our position, almost suspended on the mountain-side, there were glimpses into the depths of the neighbouring valleys; and the lofty points of the central mountains, towering up within sixty degrees of the zenith, hid half the evening sky. Thus seated, it was a sublime spectacle to watch the shades of night gradually obscuring the last and highest pinnacles.
Before we laid ourselves down to sleep, the elder Tahitian fell on his knees, and with closed eyes repeated a long prayer in his native tongue. He prayed as a Christian should do, with fitting reverence, and without the fear of ridicule or any ostentation of piety. At our meals neither of the men would taste food, without saying beforehand a short grace. Those travellers who think that a Tahitian prays only when the eyes of the missionary are fixed on him, should have slept with us that night on the mountain-side. Before morning it rained very heavily; but the good thatch of banana-leaves kept us dry.
November 19th.—At daylight my friends, after their morning prayer, prepared an excellent breakfast in the same manner as in the evening. They themselves certainly partook of it largely; indeed I never saw any men eat near so much. I suppose such enormously capacious stomachs must be the effect of a large part of their diet consisting of fruit and vegetables which contain, in a given bulk, a comparatively small portion of nutriment. Unwittingly, I was the means of my companions breaking, as I afterwards learned, one of their own laws and resolutions: I took with me a flask of spirits, which they could not refuse to partake of; but as often as they drank a little, they put their fingers before their mouths, and uttered the word "Missionary." About two years ago, although the use of the ava was prevented, drunkenness from the introduction of spirits became very prevalent. The missionaries prevailed on a few good men who saw that their country was rapidly going to ruin, to join with them in a Temperance Society. From good sense or shame, all the chiefs and the queen were at last persuaded to join. Immediately a law was passed that no spirits should be allowed to be introduced into the island, and that he who sold and he who bought the forbidden article should be punished by a fine. With remarkable justice, a certain period was allowed for stock in hand to be sold, before the law came into effect. But when it did, a general search was made, in which even the houses of the missionaries were not exempted, and all the ava (as the natives call all ardent spirits) was poured on the ground. When one reflects on the effect of intemperance on the aborigines of the two Americas, I think it will be acknowledged that every well-wisher of Tahiti owes no common debt of gratitude to the missionaries. As long as the little island of St. Helena remained under the government of the East India Company, spirits, owing to the great injury they had produced, were not allowed to be imported; but wine was supplied from the Cape of Good Hope. It is rather a striking, and not very gratifying fact, that in the same year that spirits were allowed to be sold in St. Helena, their use was banished from Tahiti by the free will of the people.
After breakfast we proceeded on our journey. As my object was merely to see a little of the interior scenery, we returned by another track, which descended into the main valley lower down. For some distance we wound, by a most intricate path, along the side of the mountain which formed the valley. In the less precipitous parts we passed through extensive groves of the wild banana. The Tahitians, with their naked, tattooed bodies, their heads ornamented with flowers, and seen in the dark shade of these groves, would have formed a fine picture of man inhabiting some primeval land. In our descent we followed the line of ridges; these were exceedingly narrow, and for considerable lengths steep as a ladder; but all clothed with vegetation. The extreme care necessary in poising each step rendered the walk fatiguing. I did not cease to wonder at these ravines and precipices: when viewing the country from one of the knife-edged ridges, the point of support was so small that the effect was nearly the same as it must be from a balloon. In this descent we had occasion to use the ropes only once, at the point where we entered the main valley. We slept under the same ledge of rock where we had dined the day before: the night was fine, but from the depth and narrowness of the gorge, profoundly dark.
Before actually seeing this country, I found it difficult to understand two facts mentioned by Ellis; namely, that after the murderous battles of former times, the survivors on the conquered side retired into the mountains, where a handful of men could resist a multitude. Certainly half a dozen men, at the spot where the Tahitian reared the old tree, could easily have repulsed thousands. Secondly, that after the introduction of Christianity, there were wild men who lived in the mountains, and whose retreats were unknown to the more civilised inhabitants.
November 20th.—In the morning we started early, and reached Matavai at noon. On the road we met a large party of noble athletic men, going for wild bananas. I found that the ship, on account of the difficulty in watering, had moved to the harbour of Papawa, to which place I immediately walked. This is a very pretty spot. The cove is surrounded by reefs, and the water as smooth as in a lake. The cultivated ground, with its beautiful productions, interspersed with cottages, comes close down to the water's edge.
From the varying accounts which I had read before reaching these islands, I was very anxious to form, from my own observation, a judgment of their moral state,—although such judgment would necessarily be very imperfect. First impressions at all times very much depend on one's previously acquired ideas. My notions were drawn from Ellis's Polynesian Researches—an admirable and most interesting work, but naturally looking at everything under a favourable point of view, from Beechey's Voyage; and from that of Kotzebue, which is strongly adverse to the whole missionary system. He who compares these three accounts will, I think, form a tolerably accurate conception of the present state of Tahiti. One of my impressions, which I took from the two last authorities, was decidedly incorrect; namely, that the Tahitians had become a gloomy race, and lived in fear of the missionaries. Of the latter feeling I saw no trace, unless, indeed, fear and respect be confounded under one name. Instead of discontent being a common feeling, it would be difficult in Europe to pick out of a crowd half so many merry and happy faces. The prohibition of the flute and dancing is inveighed against as wrong and foolish;—the more than presbyterian manner of keeping the Sabbath is looked at in a similar light. On these points I will not pretend to offer any opinion, in opposition to men who have resided as many years as I was days on the island.
On the whole, it appears to me that the morality and religion of the inhabitants are highly creditable. There are many who attack, even more acrimoniously than Kotzebue, both the missionaries, their system, and the effects produced by it. Such reasoners never compare the present state with that of the island only twenty years ago; nor even with that of Europe at this day; but they compare it with the high standard of Gospel perfection. They expect the missionaries to effect that which the Apostles themselves failed to do. Inasmuch as the condition of the people falls short of this high standard, blame is attached to the missionary, instead of credit for that which he has effected. They forget, or will not remember, that human sacrifices, and the power of an idolatrous priesthood—a system of profligacy unparalleled in any other part of the world—infanticide a consequence of that system—bloody wars, where the conquerors spared neither women nor children—that all these have been abolished; and that dishonesty, intemperance, and licentiousness have been greatly reduced by the introduction of Christianity. In a voyager to forget these things is base ingratitude; for should he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on some unknown coast, he will most devoutly pray that the lesson of the missionary may have extended thus far.
In point of morality, the virtue of the women, it has been often said, is most open to exception. But before they are blamed too severely, it will be well distinctly to call to mind the scenes described by Captain Cook and Mr. Banks, in which the grandmothers and mothers of the present race played a part. Those who are most severe, should consider how much of the morality of the women in Europe is owing to the system early impressed by mothers on their daughters, and how much in each individual case to the precepts of religion. But it is useless to argue against such reasoners;—I believe that, disappointed in not finding the field of licentiousness quite so open as formerly, they will not give credit to a morality which they do not wish to practise, or to a religion which they undervalue, if not despise.
Sunday 22nd.—The harbour of Papiete, where the queen resides, may be considered as the capital of the island: it is also the seat of government, and the chief resort of shipping. Captain Fitz Roy took a party there this day to hear divine service, first in the Tahitian language, and afterwards in our own. Mr. Pritchard, the leading missionary in the island, performed the service. The chapel consisted of a large airy framework of wood; and it was filled to excess by tidy, clean people, of all ages and both sexes. I was rather disappointed in the apparent degree of attention; but I believe my expectations were raised too high. At all events the appearance was quite equal to that in a country church in England. The singing of the hymns was decidedly very pleasing, but the language from the pulpit, although fluently delivered, did not sound well: a constant repetition of words, like "tata ta, mata mai," rendered it monotonous. After English service, a party returned on foot to Matavai. It was a pleasant walk, sometimes along the sea-beach and sometimes under the shade of the many beautiful trees.
About two years ago, a small vessel under English colours was plundered by some of the inhabitants of the Low Islands, which were then under the dominion of the Queen of Tahiti. It was believed that the perpetrators were instigated to this act by some indiscreet laws issued by her majesty. The British government demanded compensation; which was acceded to, and a sum of nearly three thousand dollars was agreed to be paid on the first of last September. The Commodore at Lima ordered Captain Fitz Roy to inquire concerning this debt, and to demand satisfaction if it were not paid. Captain Fitz Roy accordingly requested an interview with the Queen Pomarre, since famous from the ill-treatment she has received from the French; and a parliament was held to consider the question, at which all the principal chiefs of the island and the queen were assembled. I will not attempt to describe what took place, after the interesting account given by Captain Fitz Roy. The money, it appeared, had not been paid; perhaps the alleged reasons were rather equivocal; but otherwise I cannot sufficiently express our general surprise at the extreme good sense, the reasoning powers, moderation, candour, and prompt resolution, which were displayed on all sides. I believe we all left the meeting with a very different opinion of the Tahitians from what we entertained when we entered. The chiefs and people resolved to subscribe and complete the sum which was wanting; Captain Fitz Roy urged that it was hard that their private property should be sacrificed for the crimes of distant islanders. They replied that they were grateful for his consideration, but that Pomarre was their Queen, and that they were determined to help her in this her difficulty. This resolution and its prompt execution, for a book was opened early the next morning, made a perfect conclusion to this very remarkable scene of loyalty and good feeling.
After the main discussion was ended, several of the chiefs took the opportunity of asking Captain Fitz Roy many intelligent questions on international customs and laws, relating to the treatment of ships and foreigners. On some points, as soon as the decision was made, the law was issued verbally on the spot. This Tahitian parliament lasted for several hours; and when it was over Captain Fitz Roy invited Queen Pomarre to pay the Beagle a visit.
November 25th.—In the evening four boats were sent for her majesty; the ship was dressed with flags, and the yards manned on her coming on board. She was accompanied by most of the chiefs. The behaviour of all was very proper: they begged for nothing, and seemed much pleased with Captain Fitz Roy's presents. The Queen is a large awkward woman, without any beauty, grace or dignity. She has only one royal attribute: a perfect immovability of expression under all circumstances, and that rather a sullen one. The rockets were most admired, and a deep "Oh!" could be heard from the shore, all round the dark bay, after each explosion. The sailors' songs were also much admired; and the queen said she thought that one of the most boisterous ones certainly could not be a hymn! The royal party did not return on shore till past midnight.
26th.—In the evening, with a gentle land-breeze, a course was steered for New Zealand; and as the sun set, we had a farewell view of the mountains of Tahiti—the island to which every voyager has offered up his tribute of admiration.
Chapter XVIII
Tahiti - Pass through the Low Archipelago—Tahiti—Aspect—Vegetation on the mountains—View of Eimeo—Excursion into the interior—Profound ravines—Succession of waterfalls—Number of wild useful plants—Temperance of the inhabitants—Their moral state—Parliament convened
October 20th.—The survey of the Galapagos Archipelago being concluded, we steered towards Tahiti and commenced our long passage of 3200 miles. In the course of a few days we sailed out of the gloomy and clouded ocean-district which extends during the winter far from the coast of South America. We then enjoyed bright and clear weather, while running pleasantly along at the rate of 150 or 160 miles a day before the steady trade-wind. The temperature in this more central part of the Pacific is higher than near the American shore. The thermometer in the poop cabin, by night and day, ranged between 80° and 83°, which feels very pleasant; but with one degree or two higher, the heat becomes oppressive. We passed through the Low or Dangerous Archipelago, and saw several of those most curious rings of coral land, just rising above the water's edge, which have been called Lagoon Islands. A long and brilliantly-white beach is capped by a margin of green vegetation; and the strip, looking either way, rapidly narrows away in the distance, and sinks beneath the horizon. From the mast-head a wide expanse of smooth water can be seen within the ring. These low hollow coral islands bear no proportion to the vast ocean out of which they abruptly rise; and it seems wonderful that such weak invaders are not overwhelmed by the all-powerful and never-tiring waves of that great sea, miscalled the Pacific.
November 15th.—At daylight, Tahiti, an island which must for ever remain classical to the voyager in the South Sea, was in view. At a distance the appearance was not attractive. The luxuriant vegetation of the lower part could not yet be seen, and as the clouds rolled past, the wildest and most precipitous peaks showed themselves towards the centre of the island. As soon as we anchored in Matavai Bay, we were surrounded by canoes. This was our Sunday, but the Monday of Tahiti: if the case had been reversed, we should not have received a single visit; for the injunction not to launch a canoe on the Sabbath is rigidly obeyed. After dinner we landed to enjoy all the delights produced by the first impressions of a new country, and that country the charming Tahiti. A crowd of men, women, and children, was collected on the memorable Point Venus, ready to receive us with laughing, merry faces. They marshalled us towards the house of Mr. Wilson, the missionary of the district, who met us on the road, and gave us a very friendly reception. After sitting a short time in his house, we separated to walk about, but returned there in the evening.
The land capable of cultivation is scarcely in any part more than a fringe of low alluvial soil, accumulated round the base of the mountains, and protected from the waves of the sea by a coral reef, which encircles the entire line of coast. Within the reef there is an expanse of smooth water, like that of a lake,
where the canoes of the natives can ply with safety and where ships anchor. The low land which comes down to the beach of coral-sand is covered by the most beautiful productions of the intertropical regions. In the midst of bananas, orange, cocoa-nut, and bread-fruit trees, spots are cleared where yams, sweet potatoes, the sugar-cane, and pine-apples are cultivated. Even the brushwood is an imported fruit-tree, namely, the guava, which from its abundance has become as noxious as a weed. In Brazil I have often admired the varied beauty of the bananas, palms, and orange-trees contrasted together; and here we also have the bread-fruit, conspicuous from its large, glossy, and deeply digitated leaf. It is admirable to behold groves of a tree, sending forth its branches with the vigour of an English oak, loaded with large and most nutritious fruit. However seldom the usefulness of an object can account for the pleasure of beholding it, in the case of these beautiful woods, the knowledge of their high productiveness no doubt enters largely into the feeling of admiration. The little winding paths, cool from the surrounding shade, led to the scattered houses; the owners of which everywhere gave us a cheerful and most hospitable reception.
I was pleased with nothing so much as with the inhabitants. There is a mildness in the expression of their countenances which at once banishes the idea of a savage; and an intelligence which shows that they are advancing in civilisation. The common people, when working, keep the upper part of their bodies quite naked; and it is then that the Tahitians are seen to advantage. They are very tall, broad-shouldered, athletic, and well-proportioned. It has been remarked that it requires little habit to make a dark skin more pleasing and natural to the eye of a European than his own colour. A white man bathing by the side of a Tahitian was like a plant bleached by the gardener's art compared with a fine dark green one growing vigorously in the open fields. Most of the men are tattooed, and the ornaments follow the curvature of the body so gracefully that they have a very elegant effect. One common pattern, varying in its details, is somewhat like the crown of a palm-tree. It springs from the central line of the back, and gracefully curls round both sides. The simile may be a fanciful one, but I thought the body of a man thus ornamented was like the trunk of a noble tree embraced by a delicate creeper.
Many of the elder people had their feet covered with small figures, so placed as to resemble a sock. This fashion, however, is partly gone by, and has been succeeded by others. Here, although fashion is far from immutable, every one must abide by that prevailing in his youth. An old man has thus his age for ever stamped on his body, and he cannot assume the airs of a young dandy. The women are tattooed in the same manner as the men, and very commonly on their fingers. One unbecoming fashion is now almost universal: namely, shaving the hair from the upper part of the head, in a circular form, so as to leave only an outer ring. The missionaries have tried to persuade the people to change this habit; but it is the fashion, and that is a sufficient answer at Tahiti, as well as at Paris. I was much disappointed in the personal appearance of the women: they are far inferior in every respect to the men. The custom of wearing a white or scarlet flower in the back of the head, or through a small hole in each ear, is pretty. A crown of woven cocoa-nut leaves is also worn as a shade for the eyes. The women appear to be in greater want of some becoming costume even than the men.
Nearly all the natives understand a little English—that is, they know the names of common things; and by the aid of this, together with signs, a lame sort of conversation could be carried on. In returning in the evening to the boat, we stopped to witness a very pretty scene. Numbers of children were playing on the beach, and had lighted bonfires which illumined the placid sea and surrounding trees; others, in circles, were singing Tahitian verses. We seated ourselves on the sand, and joined their party. The songs were impromptu, and I believe related to our arrival: one little girl sang a line, which the rest took up in parts, forming a very pretty chorus. The whole scene made us unequivocally aware that we were seated on the shores of an island in the far-famed South Sea.
17th.—This day is reckoned in the log-book as Tuesday the 17th, instead of Monday the 16th, owing to our, so far, successful chase of the sun. Before breakfast the ship was hemmed in by a flotilla of canoes; and when the natives were allowed to come on board, I suppose there could not have been less than two hundred. It was the opinion of every one that it would have been difficult to have picked out an equal number from any other nation, who would have given so little trouble. Everybody brought something for sale: shells were the main article of trade. The Tahitians now fully understand the value of money, and prefer it to old clothes or other articles. The various coins, however, of English and Spanish denomination puzzle them, and they never seemed to think the small silver quite secure until changed into dollars. Some of the chiefs have accumulated considerable sums of money. One chief, not long since, offered 800 dollars (about £160 sterling) for a small vessel; and frequently they purchase whale-boats and horses at the rate of from 50 to 100 dollars.
After breakfast I went on shore, and ascended the nearest slope to a height of between two and three thousand feet. The outer mountains are smooth and conical, but steep; and the old volcanic rocks, of which they are formed, have been cut through by many profound ravines, diverging from the central broken parts of the island to the coast. Having crossed the narrow low girt of inhabited and fertile land, I followed a smooth steep ridge between two of the deep ravines. The vegetation was singular, consisting almost exclusively of small dwarf ferns, mingled, higher up, with coarse grass; it was not very dissimilar from that on some of the Welsh hills, and this so close above the orchard of tropical plants on the coast was very surprising. At the highest point which I reached trees again appeared. Of the three zones of comparative luxuriance, the lower one owes its moisture, and therefore fertility, to its flatness; for, being scarcely raised above the level of the sea, the water from the higher land drains away slowly. The intermediate zone does not, like the upper one, reach into a damp and cloudy atmosphere, and therefore remains sterile. The woods in the upper zone are very pretty, tree-ferns replacing the cocoa-nuts on the coast. It must not, however, be supposed that these woods at all equal in splendour the forests of Brazil. The vast number of productions, which characterise a continent, cannot be expected to occur in an island.
From the highest point which I attained there was a good view of the distant island of Eimeo, dependent on the same sovereign with Tahiti. On the lofty and broken pinnacles white massive clouds were piled up, which formed an island in the blue sky, as Eimeo itself did in the blue ocean. The island, with the exception of one small gateway, is completely encircled by a reef. At this distance, a narrow but well-defined brilliantly white line was alone visible, where the waves first encountered the wall of coral. The mountains rose abruptly out of the glassy expanse of the lagoon, included within this narrow white line, outside which the heaving waters of the ocean were dark-coloured. The view was striking: it may aptly be compared to a framed engraving, where the frame represents the breakers, the marginal paper the smooth lagoon, and the drawing the island itself. When in the evening I descended from the mountain, a man, whom I had pleased with a trifling gift, met me, bringing with him hot roasted bananas, a pine-apple, and cocoa-nuts. After walking under a burning sun, I do not know anything more delicious than the milk of a young cocoa-nut. Pine-apples are here so abundant that the people eat them in the same wasteful manner as we might turnips. They are of an excellent flavour—perhaps even better than those cultivated in England; and this I believe is the highest compliment which can be paid to any fruit. Before going on board, Mr. Wilson interpreted for me to the Tahitian who had paid me so adroit an attention, that I wanted him and another man to accompany me on a short excursion into the mountains.
18th.—In the morning I came on shore early, bringing with me some provisions in a bag, and two blankets for myself and servant. These were lashed to each end of a long pole, which was alternately carried by my Tahitian companions on their shoulders. These men are accustomed thus to carry, for a whole day, as much as fifty pounds at each end of their poles. I told my guides to provide themselves with food and clothing; but they said that there was plenty of food in the mountains, and for clothing, that their skins were sufficient. Our line of march was the valley of Tia-auru, down which a river flows into the sea by Point Venus. This is one of the principal streams in the island, and its source lies at the base of the loftiest central pinnacles, which rise to a height of about 7000 feet. The whole island is so mountainous that the only way to penetrate into the interior is to follow up the valleys. Our road, at first, lay through woods which bordered each side of the river; and the glimpses of the lofty central peaks, seen as through an avenue, with here and there a waving cocoa-nut tree on one side, were extremely picturesque. The valley soon began to narrow, and the sides to grow lofty and more precipitous. After having walked between three and four hours, we found the width of the ravine scarcely exceeded that of the bed of the stream. On each hand the walls were nearly vertical; yet from the soft nature of the volcanic strata, trees and a rank vegetation sprung from every projecting ledge. These precipices must have been some thousand feet high; and the whole formed a mountain gorge far more magnificent than anything which I had ever before beheld. Until the mid-day sun stood vertically over the ravine, the air felt cool and damp, but now it became very sultry. Shaded by a ledge of rock, beneath a facade of columnar lava, we ate our dinner. My guides had already procured a dish of small fish and fresh-water prawns. They carried with them a small net stretched on a hoop; and where the water was deep and in eddies, they dived, and like otters, with their eyes open followed the fish into holes and corners, and thus caught them.
The Tahitians have the dexterity of amphibious animals in the water. An anecdote mentioned by Ellis shows how much they feel at home in this element. When a horse was landing for Pomarre in 1817, the slings broke, and it fell into the water; immediately the natives jumped overboard, and by their cries and vain efforts at assistance almost drowned it. As soon, however, as it reached the shore, the whole population took to flight, and tried to hide themselves from the man-carrying pig, as they christened the horse.
A little higher up, the river divided itself into three little streams. The two northern ones were impracticable, owing to a succession of waterfalls which descended from the jagged summit of the highest mountain; the other to all appearance was equally inaccessible, but we managed to ascend it by a most extraordinary road. The sides of the valley were here nearly precipitous; but, as frequently happens with stratified rocks, small ledges projected, which were thickly covered by wild bananas, liliaceous plants, and other luxuriant productions of the tropics. The Tahitians, by climbing amongst these ledges, searching for fruit, had discovered a track by which the whole precipice could be scaled. The first ascent from the valley was very dangerous; for it was necessary to pass a steeply inclined face of naked rock by the aid of ropes which we brought with us. How any person discovered that this formidable spot was the only point where the side of the mountain was practicable, I cannot imagine. We then cautiously walked along one of the ledges till we came to one of the three streams. This ledge formed a flat spot above which a beautiful cascade, some hundred feet in height, poured down its waters, and beneath, another high cascade fell into the main stream in the valley below. From this cool and shady recess we made a circuit to avoid the overhanging waterfall. As before, we followed little projecting ledges, the danger being partly concealed by the thickness of the vegetation. In passing from one of the ledges to another there was a vertical wall of rock. One of the Tahitians, a fine active man, placed the trunk of a tree against this, climbed up it, and then by the aid of crevices reached the summit. He fixed the ropes to a projecting point, and lowered them for our dog and luggage, and then we clambered up ourselves. Beneath the ledge on which the dead tree was placed, the precipice must have been five or six hundred feet deep; and if the abyss had not been partly concealed by the overhanging ferns and lilies my head would have turned giddy, and nothing should have induced me to have attempted it. We continued to ascend, sometimes along ledges, and sometimes along knife-edged ridges, having on each hand profound ravines. In the Cordillera I have seen mountains on a far grander scale, but for abruptness nothing at all comparable with this. In the evening we reached a flat little spot on the banks of the same stream which we had continued to follow, and which descends in a chain of waterfalls: here we bivouacked for the night. On each side of the ravine there were great beds of the mountain-banana, covered with ripe fruit. Many of these plants were from twenty to twenty-five feet high, and from three to four in circumference. By the aid of strips of bark for rope, the stems of bamboos for rafters, and the large leaf of the banana for a thatch, the Tahitians in a few minutes built us an excellent house; and with withered leaves made a soft bed.
They then proceeded to make a fire, and cook our evening meal. A light was procured by rubbing a blunt pointed stick in a groove made in another, as if with intention of deepening it, until by the friction the dust became ignited. A peculiarly white and very light wood (the Hibiscus tiliaceus) is alone used for this purpose: it is the same which serves for poles to carry any burden, and for the floating out-riggers to their canoes. The fire was produced in a few seconds: but to a person who does not understand the art, it requires, as I found, the greatest exertion; but at last, to my great pride, I succeeded in igniting the dust. The Gaucho in the Pampas uses a different method: taking an elastic stick about eighteen inches long, he presses one end on his breast, and the other pointed end into a hole in a piece of wood, and then rapidly turns the curved part like a carpenter's centre-bit. The Tahitians having made a small fire of sticks, placed a score of stones of about the size of cricket-balls, on the burning wood. In about ten minutes the sticks were consumed, and the stones hot. They had previously folded up in small parcels of leaves, pieces of beef, fish, ripe and unripe bananas, and the tops of the wild arum. These green parcels were laid in a layer between two layers of the hot stones, and the whole then covered up with earth, so that no smoke or steam could escape. In about a quarter of an hour the whole was most deliciously cooked. The choice green parcels were now laid on a cloth of banana leaves, and with a cocoa-nut shell we drank the cool water of the running stream; and thus we enjoyed our rustic meal.
I could not look on the surrounding plants without admiration. On every side were forests of bananas; the fruit of which, though serving for food in various ways, lay in heaps decaying on the ground. In front of us there was an extensive brake of wild sugar-cane; and the stream was shaded by the dark green knotted stem of the Ava,—so famous in former days for its powerful intoxicating effects. I chewed a piece, and found that it had an acrid and unpleasant taste, which would have induced any one at once to have pronounced it poisonous. Thanks to the missionaries, this plant now thrives only in these deep ravines, innocuous to every one. Close by I saw the wild arum, the roots of which, when well baked, are good to eat, and the young leaves better than spinach. There was the wild yam, and a liliaceous plant called Ti, which grows in abundance, and has a soft brown root, in shape and size like a huge log of wood: this served us for dessert, for it is as sweet as treacle, and with a pleasant taste. There were, moreover, several other wild fruits, and useful vegetables. The little stream, besides its cool water, produced eels and crayfish. I did indeed admire this scene, when I compared it with an uncultivated one in the temperate zones. I felt the force of the remark that man, at least savage man, with his reasoning powers only partly developed, is the child of the tropics.
As the evening drew to a close, I strolled beneath the gloomy shade of the bananas up the course of the stream. My walk was soon brought to a close by coming to a waterfall between two and three hundred feet high; and again above this there was another. I mention all these waterfalls in this one brook to give a general idea of the inclination of the land. In the little recess where the water fell, it did not appear that a breath of wind had ever blown. The thin edges of the great leaves of the banana, damp with spray, were unbroken, instead of being, as is so generally the case, split into a thousand shreds. From our position, almost suspended on the mountain-side, there were glimpses into the depths of the neighbouring valleys; and the lofty points of the central mountains, towering up within sixty degrees of the zenith, hid half the evening sky. Thus seated, it was a sublime spectacle to watch the shades of night gradually obscuring the last and highest pinnacles.
Before we laid ourselves down to sleep, the elder Tahitian fell on his knees, and with closed eyes repeated a long prayer in his native tongue. He prayed as a Christian should do, with fitting reverence, and without the fear of ridicule or any ostentation of piety. At our meals neither of the men would taste food, without saying beforehand a short grace. Those travellers who think that a Tahitian prays only when the eyes of the missionary are fixed on him, should have slept with us that night on the mountain-side. Before morning it rained very heavily; but the good thatch of banana-leaves kept us dry.
November 19th.—At daylight my friends, after their morning prayer, prepared an excellent breakfast in the same manner as in the evening. They themselves certainly partook of it largely; indeed I never saw any men eat near so much. I suppose such enormously capacious stomachs must be the effect of a large part of their diet consisting of fruit and vegetables which contain, in a given bulk, a comparatively small portion of nutriment. Unwittingly, I was the means of my companions breaking, as I afterwards learned, one of their own laws and resolutions: I took with me a flask of spirits, which they could not refuse to partake of; but as often as they drank a little, they put their fingers before their mouths, and uttered the word "Missionary." About two years ago, although the use of the ava was prevented, drunkenness from the introduction of spirits became very prevalent. The missionaries prevailed on a few good men who saw that their country was rapidly going to ruin, to join with them in a Temperance Society. From good sense or shame, all the chiefs and the queen were at last persuaded to join. Immediately a law was passed that no spirits should be allowed to be introduced into the island, and that he who sold and he who bought the forbidden article should be punished by a fine. With remarkable justice, a certain period was allowed for stock in hand to be sold, before the law came into effect. But when it did, a general search was made, in which even the houses of the missionaries were not exempted, and all the ava (as the natives call all ardent spirits) was poured on the ground. When one reflects on the effect of intemperance on the aborigines of the two Americas, I think it will be acknowledged that every well-wisher of Tahiti owes no common debt of gratitude to the missionaries. As long as the little island of St. Helena remained under the government of the East India Company, spirits, owing to the great injury they had produced, were not allowed to be imported; but wine was supplied from the Cape of Good Hope. It is rather a striking, and not very gratifying fact, that in the same year that spirits were allowed to be sold in St. Helena, their use was banished from Tahiti by the free will of the people.
After breakfast we proceeded on our journey. As my object was merely to see a little of the interior scenery, we returned by another track, which descended into the main valley lower down. For some distance we wound, by a most intricate path, along the side of the mountain which formed the valley. In the less precipitous parts we passed through extensive groves of the wild banana. The Tahitians, with their naked, tattooed bodies, their heads ornamented with flowers, and seen in the dark shade of these groves, would have formed a fine picture of man inhabiting some primeval land. In our descent we followed the line of ridges; these were exceedingly narrow, and for considerable lengths steep as a ladder; but all clothed with vegetation. The extreme care necessary in poising each step rendered the walk fatiguing. I did not cease to wonder at these ravines and precipices: when viewing the country from one of the knife-edged ridges, the point of support was so small that the effect was nearly the same as it must be from a balloon. In this descent we had occasion to use the ropes only once, at the point where we entered the main valley. We slept under the same ledge of rock where we had dined the day before: the night was fine, but from the depth and narrowness of the gorge, profoundly dark.
Before actually seeing this country, I found it difficult to understand two facts mentioned by Ellis; namely, that after the murderous battles of former times, the survivors on the conquered side retired into the mountains, where a handful of men could resist a multitude. Certainly half a dozen men, at the spot where the Tahitian reared the old tree, could easily have repulsed thousands. Secondly, that after the introduction of Christianity, there were wild men who lived in the mountains, and whose retreats were unknown to the more civilised inhabitants.
November 20th.—In the morning we started early, and reached Matavai at noon. On the road we met a large party of noble athletic men, going for wild bananas. I found that the ship, on account of the difficulty in watering, had moved to the harbour of Papawa, to which place I immediately walked. This is a very pretty spot. The cove is surrounded by reefs, and the water as smooth as in a lake. The cultivated ground, with its beautiful productions, interspersed with cottages, comes close down to the water's edge.
From the varying accounts which I had read before reaching these islands, I was very anxious to form, from my own observation, a judgment of their moral state,—although such judgment would necessarily be very imperfect. First impressions at all times very much depend on one's previously acquired ideas. My notions were drawn from Ellis's Polynesian Researches—an admirable and most interesting work, but naturally looking at everything under a favourable point of view, from Beechey's Voyage; and from that of Kotzebue, which is strongly adverse to the whole missionary system. He who compares these three accounts will, I think, form a tolerably accurate conception of the present state of Tahiti. One of my impressions, which I took from the two last authorities, was decidedly incorrect; namely, that the Tahitians had become a gloomy race, and lived in fear of the missionaries. Of the latter feeling I saw no trace, unless, indeed, fear and respect be confounded under one name. Instead of discontent being a common feeling, it would be difficult in Europe to pick out of a crowd half so many merry and happy faces. The prohibition of the flute and dancing is inveighed against as wrong and foolish;—the more than presbyterian manner of keeping the Sabbath is looked at in a similar light. On these points I will not pretend to offer any opinion, in opposition to men who have resided as many years as I was days on the island.
On the whole, it appears to me that the morality and religion of the inhabitants are highly creditable. There are many who attack, even more acrimoniously than Kotzebue, both the missionaries, their system, and the effects produced by it. Such reasoners never compare the present state with that of the island only twenty years ago; nor even with that of Europe at this day; but they compare it with the high standard of Gospel perfection. They expect the missionaries to effect that which the Apostles themselves failed to do. Inasmuch as the condition of the people falls short of this high standard, blame is attached to the missionary, instead of credit for that which he has effected. They forget, or will not remember, that human sacrifices, and the power of an idolatrous priesthood—a system of profligacy unparalleled in any other part of the world—infanticide a consequence of that system—bloody wars, where the conquerors spared neither women nor children—that all these have been abolished; and that dishonesty, intemperance, and licentiousness have been greatly reduced by the introduction of Christianity. In a voyager to forget these things is base ingratitude; for should he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on some unknown coast, he will most devoutly pray that the lesson of the missionary may have extended thus far.
In point of morality, the virtue of the women, it has been often said, is most open to exception. But before they are blamed too severely, it will be well distinctly to call to mind the scenes described by Captain Cook and Mr. Banks, in which the grandmothers and mothers of the present race played a part. Those who are most severe, should consider how much of the morality of the women in Europe is owing to the system early impressed by mothers on their daughters, and how much in each individual case to the precepts of religion. But it is useless to argue against such reasoners;—I believe that, disappointed in not finding the field of licentiousness quite so open as formerly, they will not give credit to a morality which they do not wish to practise, or to a religion which they undervalue, if not despise.
Sunday 22nd.—The harbour of Papiete, where the queen resides, may be considered as the capital of the island: it is also the seat of government, and the chief resort of shipping. Captain Fitz Roy took a party there this day to hear divine service, first in the Tahitian language, and afterwards in our own. Mr. Pritchard, the leading missionary in the island, performed the service. The chapel consisted of a large airy framework of wood; and it was filled to excess by tidy, clean people, of all ages and both sexes. I was rather disappointed in the apparent degree of attention; but I believe my expectations were raised too high. At all events the appearance was quite equal to that in a country church in England. The singing of the hymns was decidedly very pleasing, but the language from the pulpit, although fluently delivered, did not sound well: a constant repetition of words, like "tata ta, mata mai," rendered it monotonous. After English service, a party returned on foot to Matavai. It was a pleasant walk, sometimes along the sea-beach and sometimes under the shade of the many beautiful trees.
About two years ago, a small vessel under English colours was plundered by some of the inhabitants of the Low Islands, which were then under the dominion of the Queen of Tahiti. It was believed that the perpetrators were instigated to this act by some indiscreet laws issued by her majesty. The British government demanded compensation; which was acceded to, and a sum of nearly three thousand dollars was agreed to be paid on the first of last September. The Commodore at Lima ordered Captain Fitz Roy to inquire concerning this debt, and to demand satisfaction if it were not paid. Captain Fitz Roy accordingly requested an interview with the Queen Pomarre, since famous from the ill-treatment she has received from the French; and a parliament was held to consider the question, at which all the principal chiefs of the island and the queen were assembled. I will not attempt to describe what took place, after the interesting account given by Captain Fitz Roy. The money, it appeared, had not been paid; perhaps the alleged reasons were rather equivocal; but otherwise I cannot sufficiently express our general surprise at the extreme good sense, the reasoning powers, moderation, candour, and prompt resolution, which were displayed on all sides. I believe we all left the meeting with a very different opinion of the Tahitians from what we entertained when we entered. The chiefs and people resolved to subscribe and complete the sum which was wanting; Captain Fitz Roy urged that it was hard that their private property should be sacrificed for the crimes of distant islanders. They replied that they were grateful for his consideration, but that Pomarre was their Queen, and that they were determined to help her in this her difficulty. This resolution and its prompt execution, for a book was opened early the next morning, made a perfect conclusion to this very remarkable scene of loyalty and good feeling.
After the main discussion was ended, several of the chiefs took the opportunity of asking Captain Fitz Roy many intelligent questions on international customs and laws, relating to the treatment of ships and foreigners. On some points, as soon as the decision was made, the law was issued verbally on the spot. This Tahitian parliament lasted for several hours; and when it was over Captain Fitz Roy invited Queen Pomarre to pay the Beagle a visit.
November 25th.—In the evening four boats were sent for her majesty; the ship was dressed with flags, and the yards manned on her coming on board. She was accompanied by most of the chiefs. The behaviour of all was very proper: they begged for nothing, and seemed much pleased with Captain Fitz Roy's presents. The Queen is a large awkward woman, without any beauty, grace or dignity. She has only one royal attribute: a perfect immovability of expression under all circumstances, and that rather a sullen one. The rockets were most admired, and a deep "Oh!" could be heard from the shore, all round the dark bay, after each explosion. The sailors' songs were also much admired; and the queen said she thought that one of the most boisterous ones certainly could not be a hymn! The royal party did not return on shore till past midnight.
26th.—In the evening, with a gentle land-breeze, a course was steered for New Zealand; and as the sun set, we had a farewell view of the mountains of Tahiti—the island to which every voyager has offered up his tribute of admiration.
---------------------------------------------------------
Monday, December 10, 2012
"Kawagoe - Kimonos and Wooden Buildings" (2012/09)
"Kawagoe - Kimonos and Wooden Buildings"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Saikyo Line (Itabashi, etc.), Hibiya Fall Colors, Ikebukuro, Kawagoe; 1990 Kurihama, Etc."
Another batch of video clips - views of stations on the Saikyo Line; fall colors in Hibiya Park; traditional performers in Yurakucho; a cool independent band (Kiki) in Hamamatsucho; the bridge-station Kita-Akabane; Ikebukuro; an art exhibition in Ginza; a stroll through Nishi-Shinjuku; a stroll through a part of Kawagoe that I hadn't been to for a long while (if ever); a ride on the Hibiya Line (the sounds being more important than the view of the tunnel wall going by); Shinbashi with the steam locomotive on display there set up with a Santa Claus in the driver's seat(!); and some 1990 views of Kurihama and views of going from Kurihama to Shinagawa, and then from Shinagawa to Ikebukuro, etc.
Itabashi to Akabane (Saikyo Line) 板橋から赤羽まで (埼京線) 121204g
http://youtu.be/lM-1ECpj9aE
Hamamatsucho to Shinbashi (Yamanote Line) 浜松町から新橋まで (山手線) 121206g
http://youtu.be/sdvb3CYTIpc
Shinbashi Evening Izakaya Walkabout 新橋夜居酒屋散歩 (121206g)
http://youtu.be/5n-AVw7xCdI
Hibiya Park Fall Colors 日比谷公園の秋風景 (121204g)
http://youtu.be/tJyOxkw5tEg
This year, I didn't go in search of a site to see the colors of autumn, but stumbled upon a couple of good places nonetheless - one an old Japanese garden and the other Hibiya Park (clip above and several below).
Hibiya Park Stroll (Late Fall) 日比谷公園散歩 (秋) 121204
http://youtu.be/5eM1M4-XOFc
Pond Reflections and Beautiful Sky (Hibiya Park) 日比谷公園 (121204)
http://youtu.be/4F5EQC70iIU
Hibiya Park Fountain Square Water Reflections 日比谷公園の噴水 (121204)
http://youtu.be/rj48mGPTlW0
Water Reflections and Clouds (Hibiya Park) 日比谷公園 (121204)
http://youtu.be/C1LjsJN49j4
Hearing Kiki Sound Check on Walk to Hamamatsucho Station (121206)
http://youtu.be/9LJyR-2urD0
As I approached Hamamatsucho Station, I turned my camera on in order to record the sequence of entering the station and walking up the stairs to one of the platforms, but just a few seconds after turning it on, I heard a beautiful voice on the December wind and changed direction - heading towards what turned out to be the group Kiki making a sound check for a later outside performance. Getting the information regarding when they would start, I came back later and took the following clips of two of their songs - one from their first performance that evening, and one from the second. They seem to be a nice, tight band, and the singer has a beautiful voice. The band's website is:
http://kiki-web.com/home.html
Kiki - Hamamatsucho Live (Set-1, Song-4) 121206
http://youtu.be/w2fQrrM0_EU
Kiki - Hamamatsucho Live (Set-2, Song-4, Tonight) 121206
http://youtu.be/YLnN7x98TGg
Stumbling Upon Kagura Performance in Yurakucho (121204)
http://youtu.be/BGCN2LVfS00
Introduction to Kagura Performance from Miyazaki in Yurakucho (121204)
http://youtu.be/zZHO2_zZCrg
Traditional Kagura (神楽) Performance in Yurakucho Square (121204)
http://youtu.be/gUFCGN6yCyU
Final Applause for Yurakucho Performance (121204)
http://youtu.be/8POnFX1Lkg8
Looking Up (Autumn) 121204
http://youtu.be/CT1UQS8SiEI
Chuo to Saikyo Transfer (Shinjuku) 中央線から埼京線までの乗り換え (121204)
http://youtu.be/FYVkqwxmPvA
Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (Saikyo Line) 新宿から池袋まで (埼京線) 121204
http://youtu.be/sjBfC-x6VWg
Ikebukuro to Itabashi (Saikyo Line) 池袋から板橋まで (埼京線) 121204
http://youtu.be/ujYE5SybNl8
Itabashi Station 板橋駅-2012 (121204)
http://youtu.be/seJXbW-LD18
I think this is the first time I've ever been to Itabashi Station. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it's a largely old-style station that hasn't been made boring-modern.
Itabashi Station - East and West Sides 板橋駅 - 東側と西側 (121204)
http://youtu.be/ftp6irsB8YU
Itabashi Station - West Side to Platform 板橋駅 - 西側からホームまで (121204)
http://youtu.be/FwDY1CzFQ2c
Departing Akabane 赤羽駅を出発 (121204)
http://youtu.be/1_nRLgQu_BE
Kita-Akabane Station 北赤羽駅 (121204)
http://youtu.be/0fUsV5fGdZg
This station is built on a bridge over a river. Exiting the station and crossing the river on a neighboring bridge (following videos) I was able to record what it looks like from the side.
Ukima Bridge (Next to Kita-Akabane Station 浮間橋 (北赤羽駅隣) 121204
http://youtu.be/CLXm67KrxeI
River Under Ukima Bridge 浮間橋下の川 (121204)
http://youtu.be/ECj2UlT2NDw
Walking to Southeast Entrance of Kita-Akabane Station (121204)
http://youtu.be/xrZw3OhgUHs
Kita-Akabane to Jujo (Saikyo Line) 北赤羽から十条まで (埼京線) 121204
http://youtu.be/YNDR9lscbBQ
Jujo Station (East and West Sides 十条駅_東側と西側 (121204)
http://youtu.be/3qJ1LKsdOfI
Kami-Ikebukuro Sidewalk Look-around 上池袋 (121204)
http://youtu.be/dFb4gy4Xmr0
Kami-Ikebukuro Stroll (East Side) 上池袋散歩 (東側) 121204
http://youtu.be/HH1oY0FmQvc
Ikebukuro Station (Walk to East Side) 池袋駅 (東口まで散歩) 121204
http://youtu.be/dnMDHViR7e4
Saikyo Line Window View (Winter Heat) 121204
http://youtu.be/yHiny2YP8zY
Another sauna ride. This train was extremely hot and uncomfortable - with the windows (and my camera lens at one point) fogged up with moisture.
Jujo - West Side Ticket Gates to Platform 十条駅 (121204)
http://youtu.be/SIZo5J7jbH8
Yamanote Line - Departing Ikebukuro Station 山手線_池袋駅 (121204)
http://youtu.be/1X622xK5oog
Tokyo to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 東京から有楽町まで (山手線) 121204
http://youtu.be/jQsbt3zY5To
Yamanote Line Departing Yurakucho Station (Platform View) 121204
http://youtu.be/qVI4jhcZovk
View from Platform Seats at Yurakucho Station (121204)
http://youtu.be/aqZVMhADgHk
I took the above clip to show the view from the platform seats on a Yurakucho Station platform where I sat down after getting off of a train in order to finish writing something in my notebook.
Exiting Yurakucho Station (Hibiya Side) 有楽町駅 (日比谷側) 121204
http://youtu.be/zvNs2UD4pAE
Yurakucho Under-Railway Izakaya Alley 有楽町ガード下居酒屋 (121204)
http://youtu.be/zk703GAxeGg
Ikebukuro - Seibu to JR Transfer 西武池袋線からJRまで (121204)
http://youtu.be/SNaGfjFKtGU
Shinjuku Station - South Exit to Inbound Chuo Line (Near 10:00 p.m.) 中央線 (121204)
http://youtu.be/hkk5wHUBfzE
Yokoyama Mitsunobu Exhibition at Art Gallery Ishi (B) よこやまみつのぶ アートギャラリー石 121204
http://youtu.be/zs1ly_Fsu3g
Yokoyama Mitsunobu Exhibition at Art Gallery Ishi (C) よこやまみつのぶ アートギャラリー石 121204
http://youtu.be/0pVDwPaqnwQ
Nishi-Kokubunji - Trains in the Night (Rail Bridge Noises, Etc) 西国分寺 (121204)
http://youtu.be/KOkPzxDmHmA
Midnight Chuo Line Train Arriving at Nishi-Kokubunji 西国分寺夜中の中央線 (121205)
http://youtu.be/ef4sp6PF8X0
Ginza Chuo-Dori - Santa Coca-Cola Truck at Night (121204)
http://youtu.be/GwlV0yzyIDk
Ginza Side Street - Headed Towards Yurakucho (121204)
http://youtu.be/yvzlZ3NTb9k
Entering Yurakucho Station 有楽町駅を入る (121204)
http://youtu.be/W6DSeiGKSpw
Yurakucho to Tokyo 有楽町から東京まで (121204)
http://youtu.be/xcTmdqNX1_s
Tokyo to Kanda (Chuo Line) 東京から神田まで (中央線) 121204
http://youtu.be/B44AZLdipv4
Shinjuku Chuo Line Platform Walk 新宿中央線プラットフォーム散歩 (121204)
http://youtu.be/o5uLmVEa8cI
Shinjuku Omoide-Yokocho 新宿思い出横丁 (121204)
http://youtu.be/LXa6BkO5ph8
Shinjuku - Walking Under Railway Bridge (Trains Passing Overhead, Etc) 121204g
http://youtu.be/Ardxh5F9ZVw
Someone asked me when this was taken - commenting that it seemed as if it were from another world. That's basically a commentary on how modernized and rebuilt Tokyo has become - since this sort of atmosphere used to be in more places. It's true now though, that the space under the rail bridge has a pretty radically different atmosphere than most parts of the city.
Shinjuku West-Side Nighttime Stroll (121204)
http://youtu.be/ZcAq76Y8q5g
Tokyo Station - Chuo Line to Shinkansen Area (Restaurants, Etc) 121204
http://youtu.be/Nm7edPNRQ2U
Passing Countryside (Saitama) 121205
http://youtu.be/lwPGkHbKHPU
Manual Transmission Bus (Interior View From Back of Bus) 121205
http://youtu.be/4mzbvVfZAUU
I liked the sounds of this bus. Increasingly the buses have automatic transmissions, but there are still some manual transmission ones running around. (Some bus lines use predominately one or the other. Every time I've used this bus line before, the bus was an automatic, so I was surprised that this one was a manual.)
Late Autumn (Trees and Bird Sounds) 121205
http://youtu.be/d_5SW7mLUSk
Kawagoe Temple Grounds (Fall Colors, Bare Trees, Birds, Aircraft) 川越 (121205)
http://youtu.be/rrjGBDmm-F0
I think... I've been to this complex of old temples in Kawagoe before, but I'm not certain. Kawagoe has a special role in the Tokyo area since it wasn't bombed in WW-II, resulting in it having just about the only pre-war wooden historical buildings (in the greater Tokyo area) that pre-date Japan's modernization.
Kawagoe - Temple on a Hill (Evening Melody) 川越 (121205)
http://youtu.be/zyiBrCpAD-o
Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (A) 川越 (Bridge to Island) 121205
http://youtu.be/T9xJHGHsAoM
Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (B) 川越 (Water, Reflections, Etc) 121205
http://youtu.be/8iWXimgGw1U
Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (C) 川越 (360, Construction Sounds) 121205
http://youtu.be/N1_7w5yd6ws
Shinjuku to Shibuya (Shonan Shinjuku Line) 湘南新宿ライン 新宿 渋谷 (121206)
http://youtu.be/KITFWtbRyB0
Shibuya Station - Tracks 3 and 4 Platform Walkabout 渋谷駅P3とP4の散歩 (121206)
http://youtu.be/iZC7fouabxs
Shibuya to Ebisu (Window View) 渋谷から恵比寿まで (121206)
http://youtu.be/g-mOVugZsO4
Ebisu Station - Upper Exit (Walk to Hibiya Line) 恵比寿駅 (121206)
http://youtu.be/cCIkompXUAs
Hibiya Subway - Ebisu to Hiro (Sounds, Lights, Etc) 日比谷線 (恵比寿, 広尾) 121206
http://youtu.be/HfaEkv34q00
Hamamatsucho Sidewalk Stroll 浜松町駅に向かう (121206)
http://youtu.be/Zivf-oK5ZVk
Keihin-Tohoku Line Train Departing Shinbashi (121206)
http://youtu.be/GVY-D-_BP9I
Shinbashi to Hamamatsucho 新橋から浜松町まで (京浜東北線) 121206
http://youtu.be/oFSuxaS1PC4
Shinbashi Plaza - Santa Train 新橋SL広場サンタの汽車 (121206)
http://youtu.be/gYYkceM34sU
Normally I wouldn't like this sort of thing very much, but the Santa and decorations they gave the old steam locomotive in Shinbashi's SL-Plaza turned out pretty cool. Somehow I like the idea of Santa coming via a steam locomotive better than a sleigh....
Shinbashi December Evening Stroll (Christmas-SL) 新橋12月雰囲気 (121206)
http://youtu.be/qwdfdXcHxqw
Hamamatsucho Station Platform 浜松町駅 (山手線が遣って来る) 121206
http://youtu.be/ConiI7cbYTY
Yurakucho Evening - Izakaya Bound Group 有楽町夜 (居酒屋に向かう人々) 121206
http://youtu.be/ILlKFF2lC0o
Yurakucho Station (Waiting for Train) 有楽町駅 (電車に来るまで待っている) 121206
http://youtu.be/82VSzHNCQFA
1990 - Late at Night (901117)
http://youtu.be/ATIFF9qFBRE
1990 - Ikebukuro Station 池袋駅 (901117)
http://youtu.be/0zR3xZXOX6Y
1990 - Bus (Ferry Terminal to Kurihama Station) フェリーから久里浜駅 (901117)
http://youtu.be/u23EHzTxLHI
1990 - Kurihama Station Area 久里浜駅あたり (901117)
http://youtu.be/Fnlltp-LiIE
1990 - Kurihama to Shinagawa (Keikyu Line) 久里浜から品川まで (京浜急行) 901117
http://youtu.be/K3YgoPrVa4I
1990 - Shinagawa Station Interior 品川駅内 (901117)
http://youtu.be/WSqPyNuap44
1990 - Shinagawa to Ikebukuro 品川から池袋まで (901117)
http://youtu.be/uupggBCGu6M
I've been thinking that I haven't been writing enough, so I wrote some things out (by hand into a notebook) on the train system - which I'll go to now. I was going to put this text at the top, but in reading it over, it seems pretty boring, so I'm putting it at the bottom instead.
2012/12/04 (火) [Inbound Chuo Line train.] Realizing that I haven't been writing much of anything, I leaned back from my computer and wordlessly asked myself why. Images of Facebook blurbs (ingoing an outgoing); walking around taking videos; and either looking out the windows of trains (or reading a magazine) came to mind.
The first verbal thought I had was "Facebook! - the early 21st century chat room! I should stay away from there and write something coherent!" But deeper reflection indicated that that wasn't the answer. Time and again, I've had a powerful urge to write about something while outside, but once I'm sitting at the computer hours (or days) later, the concept seems overly grandiose and I put it on hold, where it invariably fades away.
So what's left? Writing outside! Direct input to a computer would be nice, but more often than not, I have to stand up (as I am now) and so writing into a small notebook - old reporter style - is the only practical way to go.
As this train speeds towards Shinjuku, another realization/memory comes to me. Writing by hand takes time! The extra time helps for carefully thinking about something, but when you have a lot to say, it takes so long to say it!
Train note: It's HOT!! Just when everyone is wearing their warmest clothing - the trains are the hottest and stuffiest. They really should lower the temperature a bit!
[Shinjuku... transfer to the Yamanote Line] I'm finally on a train that isn't too crowded (I'm actually sitting down!) and isn't as hot as a sauna with the windows steamed up - just like a sauna! The old trains were much nicer in that they had ventilation independent from the train's air system. There are a few central windows that open in most of the newer trains, but as people hardly ever open them, the train cars are essentially sealed boxes, with the goldfish-like passengers at the mercy of the train's motor-driven air system.
Huh... the driver overshot the platform and had to back the train up. That doesn't happen very often - it must be a new driver.
The English-language announcements... are seriously irritating, although they improved them a little; at least the amateurish reading/announcement recordings don't include horribly mispronounced station names, the way they used to.
Heading for Ginza - so much to report on there and so little time. Practically speaking, video may be the only way to actually regularly do it, but artists (and most other people for the matter) don't like to be on-camera very much.
Not far from Yurakucho now... it's amazing how quickly time goes by when you're writing something!
At Yurakucho Station, sitting on a platform seat now. So much to do - while juggling photo, video, notebook, and pen, I find myself wishing I could clone myself and have a team of three working together - one to take photos, one to take videos, and one to write.
[Inbound Chuo Line] Back on the Chuo Line. "Interacting with people." The same thing happened today that typically happens when I spend several hours focusing on pictures and then re-enter the world of interacting with people verbally. The initial contacts are awkward and then - after I've spoken with a few people, I finally get back into interaction mode and wonder why it took so long.
I used to work with a guy about ten years older than I am, and he surprised me once when he said "I don't like young people", but now I'm getting closer to the age he was when he said that, I sometimes remember those words when I meet a young person who appears to be making fun of me because I'm old. I'm still working on figuring this one out, but in any case - I met two young people today (separately, in different locations) who were quite rude and nasty to me, and there seemed to be an age issue in the air....
[Outbound Chuo Line] If the trains ran 24 hours a day (they don't - the entire system in 30,000,000-people Tokyo (greater area, including Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba) shuts down every night between (roughly) 12:00 midnight and 1:00 a.m. I'd stay out a little later taking pictures, but with the (effective) curfew, it's time to either head home for the day or end up stranded in central Tokyo with about four hours to consume before going home on the first train in the morning.
[2012/12/05 (水) - Outbound Seibu Line train]
"Good to be Selfish"? I don't actually think so, but a couple of friendly acquaintances (separately and at different times yesterday) displayed a self-interest-first side that I (thinking about it silently) couldn't really condemn (people do need to look out for themselves after all) but it also made me think "Well okay, I'll remember this and the next time there's a point where my self-interest is different from something you would prefer I do - I think I'll cold-bloodedly look out for my self-interest in the same way you are now and not worry about how that makes you feel".
Mind you, this is just regarding relatively trivial things, but still, you have to make choices, and in the gray areas that could go either way, this sort of thing influences the decision-making process.
[Outbound Tobu-Tojo Line train]
What to write about now.... Less than wanting/needing to write something, I'm stuck standing and need something to say (since I decided to write something...).
I've been told before (by a local) that perceived-of-as-rude behavior seems much worse when the perpetrator is a foreigner (keep in mind how much non-Asian faces stand out here), but I didn't think about it much - until this morning, when I watched some different race bozo unnecessarily pushing to get off the train sooner. As I watched him, I thought, "You idiot! What are you doing that for? It's not going to get you off the train any sooner, and you look really rude!"
So... I guess it's true. As an outsider, you have to be - basically (in a way) - better behaved than the locals.
But speaking of the trains and disembarking at the end of the line - people have a rather irritating habit of fanning out and all walking slowly - at the same speed! If you're in a hurry, you can't help but wonder "Why does everyone need to walk at the same speed in parallel?", and conclude that the only way not to get stuck in the crowd is to be in front of everyone.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Itabashi to Akabane (Saikyo Line) 板橋から赤羽まで (埼京線) 121204g
http://youtu.be/lM-1ECpj9aE
Hamamatsucho to Shinbashi (Yamanote Line) 浜松町から新橋まで (山手線) 121206g
http://youtu.be/sdvb3CYTIpc
Shinbashi Evening Izakaya Walkabout 新橋夜居酒屋散歩 (121206g)
http://youtu.be/5n-AVw7xCdI
Hibiya Park Fall Colors 日比谷公園の秋風景 (121204g)
http://youtu.be/tJyOxkw5tEg
This year, I didn't go in search of a site to see the colors of autumn, but stumbled upon a couple of good places nonetheless - one an old Japanese garden and the other Hibiya Park (clip above and several below).
Hibiya Park Stroll (Late Fall) 日比谷公園散歩 (秋) 121204
http://youtu.be/5eM1M4-XOFc
Pond Reflections and Beautiful Sky (Hibiya Park) 日比谷公園 (121204)
http://youtu.be/4F5EQC70iIU
Hibiya Park Fountain Square Water Reflections 日比谷公園の噴水 (121204)
http://youtu.be/rj48mGPTlW0
Water Reflections and Clouds (Hibiya Park) 日比谷公園 (121204)
http://youtu.be/C1LjsJN49j4
Hearing Kiki Sound Check on Walk to Hamamatsucho Station (121206)
http://youtu.be/9LJyR-2urD0
As I approached Hamamatsucho Station, I turned my camera on in order to record the sequence of entering the station and walking up the stairs to one of the platforms, but just a few seconds after turning it on, I heard a beautiful voice on the December wind and changed direction - heading towards what turned out to be the group Kiki making a sound check for a later outside performance. Getting the information regarding when they would start, I came back later and took the following clips of two of their songs - one from their first performance that evening, and one from the second. They seem to be a nice, tight band, and the singer has a beautiful voice. The band's website is:
http://kiki-web.com/home.html
Kiki - Hamamatsucho Live (Set-1, Song-4) 121206
http://youtu.be/w2fQrrM0_EU
Kiki - Hamamatsucho Live (Set-2, Song-4, Tonight) 121206
http://youtu.be/YLnN7x98TGg
Stumbling Upon Kagura Performance in Yurakucho (121204)
http://youtu.be/BGCN2LVfS00
Introduction to Kagura Performance from Miyazaki in Yurakucho (121204)
http://youtu.be/zZHO2_zZCrg
Traditional Kagura (神楽) Performance in Yurakucho Square (121204)
http://youtu.be/gUFCGN6yCyU
Final Applause for Yurakucho Performance (121204)
http://youtu.be/8POnFX1Lkg8
Looking Up (Autumn) 121204
http://youtu.be/CT1UQS8SiEI
Chuo to Saikyo Transfer (Shinjuku) 中央線から埼京線までの乗り換え (121204)
http://youtu.be/FYVkqwxmPvA
Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (Saikyo Line) 新宿から池袋まで (埼京線) 121204
http://youtu.be/sjBfC-x6VWg
Ikebukuro to Itabashi (Saikyo Line) 池袋から板橋まで (埼京線) 121204
http://youtu.be/ujYE5SybNl8
Itabashi Station 板橋駅-2012 (121204)
http://youtu.be/seJXbW-LD18
I think this is the first time I've ever been to Itabashi Station. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it's a largely old-style station that hasn't been made boring-modern.
Itabashi Station - East and West Sides 板橋駅 - 東側と西側 (121204)
http://youtu.be/ftp6irsB8YU
Itabashi Station - West Side to Platform 板橋駅 - 西側からホームまで (121204)
http://youtu.be/FwDY1CzFQ2c
Departing Akabane 赤羽駅を出発 (121204)
http://youtu.be/1_nRLgQu_BE
Kita-Akabane Station 北赤羽駅 (121204)
http://youtu.be/0fUsV5fGdZg
This station is built on a bridge over a river. Exiting the station and crossing the river on a neighboring bridge (following videos) I was able to record what it looks like from the side.
Ukima Bridge (Next to Kita-Akabane Station 浮間橋 (北赤羽駅隣) 121204
http://youtu.be/CLXm67KrxeI
River Under Ukima Bridge 浮間橋下の川 (121204)
http://youtu.be/ECj2UlT2NDw
Walking to Southeast Entrance of Kita-Akabane Station (121204)
http://youtu.be/xrZw3OhgUHs
Kita-Akabane to Jujo (Saikyo Line) 北赤羽から十条まで (埼京線) 121204
http://youtu.be/YNDR9lscbBQ
Jujo Station (East and West Sides 十条駅_東側と西側 (121204)
http://youtu.be/3qJ1LKsdOfI
Kami-Ikebukuro Sidewalk Look-around 上池袋 (121204)
http://youtu.be/dFb4gy4Xmr0
Kami-Ikebukuro Stroll (East Side) 上池袋散歩 (東側) 121204
http://youtu.be/HH1oY0FmQvc
Ikebukuro Station (Walk to East Side) 池袋駅 (東口まで散歩) 121204
http://youtu.be/dnMDHViR7e4
Saikyo Line Window View (Winter Heat) 121204
http://youtu.be/yHiny2YP8zY
Another sauna ride. This train was extremely hot and uncomfortable - with the windows (and my camera lens at one point) fogged up with moisture.
Jujo - West Side Ticket Gates to Platform 十条駅 (121204)
http://youtu.be/SIZo5J7jbH8
Yamanote Line - Departing Ikebukuro Station 山手線_池袋駅 (121204)
http://youtu.be/1X622xK5oog
Tokyo to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 東京から有楽町まで (山手線) 121204
http://youtu.be/jQsbt3zY5To
Yamanote Line Departing Yurakucho Station (Platform View) 121204
http://youtu.be/qVI4jhcZovk
View from Platform Seats at Yurakucho Station (121204)
http://youtu.be/aqZVMhADgHk
I took the above clip to show the view from the platform seats on a Yurakucho Station platform where I sat down after getting off of a train in order to finish writing something in my notebook.
Exiting Yurakucho Station (Hibiya Side) 有楽町駅 (日比谷側) 121204
http://youtu.be/zvNs2UD4pAE
Yurakucho Under-Railway Izakaya Alley 有楽町ガード下居酒屋 (121204)
http://youtu.be/zk703GAxeGg
Ikebukuro - Seibu to JR Transfer 西武池袋線からJRまで (121204)
http://youtu.be/SNaGfjFKtGU
Shinjuku Station - South Exit to Inbound Chuo Line (Near 10:00 p.m.) 中央線 (121204)
http://youtu.be/hkk5wHUBfzE
Yokoyama Mitsunobu Exhibition at Art Gallery Ishi (B) よこやまみつのぶ アートギャラリー石 121204
http://youtu.be/zs1ly_Fsu3g
Yokoyama Mitsunobu Exhibition at Art Gallery Ishi (C) よこやまみつのぶ アートギャラリー石 121204
http://youtu.be/0pVDwPaqnwQ
Nishi-Kokubunji - Trains in the Night (Rail Bridge Noises, Etc) 西国分寺 (121204)
http://youtu.be/KOkPzxDmHmA
Midnight Chuo Line Train Arriving at Nishi-Kokubunji 西国分寺夜中の中央線 (121205)
http://youtu.be/ef4sp6PF8X0
Ginza Chuo-Dori - Santa Coca-Cola Truck at Night (121204)
http://youtu.be/GwlV0yzyIDk
Ginza Side Street - Headed Towards Yurakucho (121204)
http://youtu.be/yvzlZ3NTb9k
Entering Yurakucho Station 有楽町駅を入る (121204)
http://youtu.be/W6DSeiGKSpw
Yurakucho to Tokyo 有楽町から東京まで (121204)
http://youtu.be/xcTmdqNX1_s
Tokyo to Kanda (Chuo Line) 東京から神田まで (中央線) 121204
http://youtu.be/B44AZLdipv4
Shinjuku Chuo Line Platform Walk 新宿中央線プラットフォーム散歩 (121204)
http://youtu.be/o5uLmVEa8cI
Shinjuku Omoide-Yokocho 新宿思い出横丁 (121204)
http://youtu.be/LXa6BkO5ph8
Shinjuku - Walking Under Railway Bridge (Trains Passing Overhead, Etc) 121204g
http://youtu.be/Ardxh5F9ZVw
Someone asked me when this was taken - commenting that it seemed as if it were from another world. That's basically a commentary on how modernized and rebuilt Tokyo has become - since this sort of atmosphere used to be in more places. It's true now though, that the space under the rail bridge has a pretty radically different atmosphere than most parts of the city.
Shinjuku West-Side Nighttime Stroll (121204)
http://youtu.be/ZcAq76Y8q5g
Tokyo Station - Chuo Line to Shinkansen Area (Restaurants, Etc) 121204
http://youtu.be/Nm7edPNRQ2U
Passing Countryside (Saitama) 121205
http://youtu.be/lwPGkHbKHPU
Manual Transmission Bus (Interior View From Back of Bus) 121205
http://youtu.be/4mzbvVfZAUU
I liked the sounds of this bus. Increasingly the buses have automatic transmissions, but there are still some manual transmission ones running around. (Some bus lines use predominately one or the other. Every time I've used this bus line before, the bus was an automatic, so I was surprised that this one was a manual.)
Late Autumn (Trees and Bird Sounds) 121205
http://youtu.be/d_5SW7mLUSk
Kawagoe Temple Grounds (Fall Colors, Bare Trees, Birds, Aircraft) 川越 (121205)
http://youtu.be/rrjGBDmm-F0
I think... I've been to this complex of old temples in Kawagoe before, but I'm not certain. Kawagoe has a special role in the Tokyo area since it wasn't bombed in WW-II, resulting in it having just about the only pre-war wooden historical buildings (in the greater Tokyo area) that pre-date Japan's modernization.
Kawagoe - Temple on a Hill (Evening Melody) 川越 (121205)
http://youtu.be/zyiBrCpAD-o
Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (A) 川越 (Bridge to Island) 121205
http://youtu.be/T9xJHGHsAoM
Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (B) 川越 (Water, Reflections, Etc) 121205
http://youtu.be/8iWXimgGw1U
Kawagoe Temple Lookaround (C) 川越 (360, Construction Sounds) 121205
http://youtu.be/N1_7w5yd6ws
Shinjuku to Shibuya (Shonan Shinjuku Line) 湘南新宿ライン 新宿 渋谷 (121206)
http://youtu.be/KITFWtbRyB0
Shibuya Station - Tracks 3 and 4 Platform Walkabout 渋谷駅P3とP4の散歩 (121206)
http://youtu.be/iZC7fouabxs
Shibuya to Ebisu (Window View) 渋谷から恵比寿まで (121206)
http://youtu.be/g-mOVugZsO4
Ebisu Station - Upper Exit (Walk to Hibiya Line) 恵比寿駅 (121206)
http://youtu.be/cCIkompXUAs
Hibiya Subway - Ebisu to Hiro (Sounds, Lights, Etc) 日比谷線 (恵比寿, 広尾) 121206
http://youtu.be/HfaEkv34q00
Hamamatsucho Sidewalk Stroll 浜松町駅に向かう (121206)
http://youtu.be/Zivf-oK5ZVk
Keihin-Tohoku Line Train Departing Shinbashi (121206)
http://youtu.be/GVY-D-_BP9I
Shinbashi to Hamamatsucho 新橋から浜松町まで (京浜東北線) 121206
http://youtu.be/oFSuxaS1PC4
Shinbashi Plaza - Santa Train 新橋SL広場サンタの汽車 (121206)
http://youtu.be/gYYkceM34sU
Normally I wouldn't like this sort of thing very much, but the Santa and decorations they gave the old steam locomotive in Shinbashi's SL-Plaza turned out pretty cool. Somehow I like the idea of Santa coming via a steam locomotive better than a sleigh....
Shinbashi December Evening Stroll (Christmas-SL) 新橋12月雰囲気 (121206)
http://youtu.be/qwdfdXcHxqw
Hamamatsucho Station Platform 浜松町駅 (山手線が遣って来る) 121206
http://youtu.be/ConiI7cbYTY
Yurakucho Evening - Izakaya Bound Group 有楽町夜 (居酒屋に向かう人々) 121206
http://youtu.be/ILlKFF2lC0o
Yurakucho Station (Waiting for Train) 有楽町駅 (電車に来るまで待っている) 121206
http://youtu.be/82VSzHNCQFA
1990 - Late at Night (901117)
http://youtu.be/ATIFF9qFBRE
1990 - Ikebukuro Station 池袋駅 (901117)
http://youtu.be/0zR3xZXOX6Y
1990 - Bus (Ferry Terminal to Kurihama Station) フェリーから久里浜駅 (901117)
http://youtu.be/u23EHzTxLHI
1990 - Kurihama Station Area 久里浜駅あたり (901117)
http://youtu.be/Fnlltp-LiIE
1990 - Kurihama to Shinagawa (Keikyu Line) 久里浜から品川まで (京浜急行) 901117
http://youtu.be/K3YgoPrVa4I
1990 - Shinagawa Station Interior 品川駅内 (901117)
http://youtu.be/WSqPyNuap44
1990 - Shinagawa to Ikebukuro 品川から池袋まで (901117)
http://youtu.be/uupggBCGu6M
I've been thinking that I haven't been writing enough, so I wrote some things out (by hand into a notebook) on the train system - which I'll go to now. I was going to put this text at the top, but in reading it over, it seems pretty boring, so I'm putting it at the bottom instead.
2012/12/04 (火) [Inbound Chuo Line train.] Realizing that I haven't been writing much of anything, I leaned back from my computer and wordlessly asked myself why. Images of Facebook blurbs (ingoing an outgoing); walking around taking videos; and either looking out the windows of trains (or reading a magazine) came to mind.
The first verbal thought I had was "Facebook! - the early 21st century chat room! I should stay away from there and write something coherent!" But deeper reflection indicated that that wasn't the answer. Time and again, I've had a powerful urge to write about something while outside, but once I'm sitting at the computer hours (or days) later, the concept seems overly grandiose and I put it on hold, where it invariably fades away.
So what's left? Writing outside! Direct input to a computer would be nice, but more often than not, I have to stand up (as I am now) and so writing into a small notebook - old reporter style - is the only practical way to go.
As this train speeds towards Shinjuku, another realization/memory comes to me. Writing by hand takes time! The extra time helps for carefully thinking about something, but when you have a lot to say, it takes so long to say it!
Train note: It's HOT!! Just when everyone is wearing their warmest clothing - the trains are the hottest and stuffiest. They really should lower the temperature a bit!
[Shinjuku... transfer to the Yamanote Line] I'm finally on a train that isn't too crowded (I'm actually sitting down!) and isn't as hot as a sauna with the windows steamed up - just like a sauna! The old trains were much nicer in that they had ventilation independent from the train's air system. There are a few central windows that open in most of the newer trains, but as people hardly ever open them, the train cars are essentially sealed boxes, with the goldfish-like passengers at the mercy of the train's motor-driven air system.
Huh... the driver overshot the platform and had to back the train up. That doesn't happen very often - it must be a new driver.
The English-language announcements... are seriously irritating, although they improved them a little; at least the amateurish reading/announcement recordings don't include horribly mispronounced station names, the way they used to.
Heading for Ginza - so much to report on there and so little time. Practically speaking, video may be the only way to actually regularly do it, but artists (and most other people for the matter) don't like to be on-camera very much.
Not far from Yurakucho now... it's amazing how quickly time goes by when you're writing something!
At Yurakucho Station, sitting on a platform seat now. So much to do - while juggling photo, video, notebook, and pen, I find myself wishing I could clone myself and have a team of three working together - one to take photos, one to take videos, and one to write.
[Inbound Chuo Line] Back on the Chuo Line. "Interacting with people." The same thing happened today that typically happens when I spend several hours focusing on pictures and then re-enter the world of interacting with people verbally. The initial contacts are awkward and then - after I've spoken with a few people, I finally get back into interaction mode and wonder why it took so long.
I used to work with a guy about ten years older than I am, and he surprised me once when he said "I don't like young people", but now I'm getting closer to the age he was when he said that, I sometimes remember those words when I meet a young person who appears to be making fun of me because I'm old. I'm still working on figuring this one out, but in any case - I met two young people today (separately, in different locations) who were quite rude and nasty to me, and there seemed to be an age issue in the air....
[Outbound Chuo Line] If the trains ran 24 hours a day (they don't - the entire system in 30,000,000-people Tokyo (greater area, including Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba) shuts down every night between (roughly) 12:00 midnight and 1:00 a.m. I'd stay out a little later taking pictures, but with the (effective) curfew, it's time to either head home for the day or end up stranded in central Tokyo with about four hours to consume before going home on the first train in the morning.
[2012/12/05 (水) - Outbound Seibu Line train]
"Good to be Selfish"? I don't actually think so, but a couple of friendly acquaintances (separately and at different times yesterday) displayed a self-interest-first side that I (thinking about it silently) couldn't really condemn (people do need to look out for themselves after all) but it also made me think "Well okay, I'll remember this and the next time there's a point where my self-interest is different from something you would prefer I do - I think I'll cold-bloodedly look out for my self-interest in the same way you are now and not worry about how that makes you feel".
Mind you, this is just regarding relatively trivial things, but still, you have to make choices, and in the gray areas that could go either way, this sort of thing influences the decision-making process.
[Outbound Tobu-Tojo Line train]
What to write about now.... Less than wanting/needing to write something, I'm stuck standing and need something to say (since I decided to write something...).
I've been told before (by a local) that perceived-of-as-rude behavior seems much worse when the perpetrator is a foreigner (keep in mind how much non-Asian faces stand out here), but I didn't think about it much - until this morning, when I watched some different race bozo unnecessarily pushing to get off the train sooner. As I watched him, I thought, "You idiot! What are you doing that for? It's not going to get you off the train any sooner, and you look really rude!"
So... I guess it's true. As an outsider, you have to be - basically (in a way) - better behaved than the locals.
But speaking of the trains and disembarking at the end of the line - people have a rather irritating habit of fanning out and all walking slowly - at the same speed! If you're in a hurry, you can't help but wonder "Why does everyone need to walk at the same speed in parallel?", and conclude that the only way not to get stuck in the crowd is to be in front of everyone.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 03, 2012
"Takadanobaba (2011/10)"
"Takadanobaba (2011/10)"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Yumenoshima Greenhouse, Tonogayato Gardens, Kasairinkai-koen Park, Shin-Kiba, Etc."
There are three parks I visited this past week: The Kasairinkai-koen Park (葛西臨海公園, 1989), Yumenoshima Park (and greenhouse - 夢の島公園, 夢の島熱帯植物間), and Tonogayato Gardens (殿ヶ谷戸庭園). Of the three, only Tonogayato Gardens could be said to be historical (the other two are built on reclaimed land). Tonogayato Gardens dates back to 1913-15, when the garden was first constructed. It was a privately owned garden until 1974, when Tokyo bought it and made it a public garden. Other videos include scenes from the Keiyo Line, the Chuo Line, Shinjuku; art exhibitions in Ginza, etc.
Shin-Kiba Station (Platform Cafe Etc) 新木場駅ホームカフェなど (121127g)
http://youtu.be/nyKpH8SIdUQ
Entering Yumenoshima Greenhouse 夢の島熱帯植物間を入る (121127g)
http://youtu.be/StVqQ-dVkIc
Ginza Passageway (Side Street to Chuo-Dori) 121127g
http://youtu.be/4Ouw-wQYHa0
Shinjuku Station (Chuo Line and Upper Concourse) 新宿駅 (121127g)
http://youtu.be/IVCtbKVNUVs
Bus Ride in Western Tokyo 東京の西側のバスを乗る (121129g)
http://youtu.be/UH8FXiiUGJo
Entering Tonogayato Gardens 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を入る (121129)
http://youtu.be/80FFCI5a1zg
Tonogayato Gardens (A) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/c4Wqj-EEhOc
Tonogayato Gardens (B) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/AtsnJs3YMa4
Tonogayato Gardens (C) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/_zQszazTGwg
Tonogayato Gardens (D) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/FFqlTom7WJs
Tonogayato Pond Reflections 殿ヶ谷戸庭園の池 (121129)
http://youtu.be/ZrNFuDO7zdY
Tonogayato Gardens (A) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129)
http://youtu.be/aEMtQNnRZnU
Tonogayato Gardens (B) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129g)
http://youtu.be/nCFtv7mZSAQ
Tonogayato Gardens (C) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129)
http://youtu.be/-UImGTCXhn8
Tonogayato Gardens (D) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129g)
http://youtu.be/mudRy9jhbA8
Tonogayato Gardens (E) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129)
http://youtu.be/vzOhTPiQyJY
Ebisu Station (JR to Hibiya Transfer) 恵比寿駅 (JRから日比谷線まで) 121129g
http://youtu.be/rlJze-HHqIU
Tokyo Station (Busy Late Night Chuo Line Platform) 東京駅夜遅くの中央線ホーム (121129g)
http://youtu.be/BOET3BAYL5E
Lines and Shadows at Kasairinkaikoen 葛西臨海公園での線と影 (121127g)
http://youtu.be/0VfBldweLhg
Kasairinkai-koen Park Bus-Train 葛西臨海公園バストレイン (121127)
http://youtu.be/jIWA7-9OsCM
Yume-no-Shima-Koen Park (Autumn) 夢の島公園 (121127)
http://youtu.be/pK5w_JwqIa4
Yumenoshima Marina and Greenhouse 夢の島マリーナと熱帯植物間 (121127)
http://youtu.be/aAdbnICgnVk
Yumenoshima Greenhouse HD-Stroll 夢の島熱帯植物間 (121127)
http://youtu.be/nPcpY1qEXd4
Yellow Leaves in the Wind (121127)
http://youtu.be/4iqC7K9fvvY
Chuo Line Arriving at Kokubunji Station (121127)
http://youtu.be/g5nNcsmjKuY
Kanda to Tokyo (Chuo Line) 神田から東京まで (中央線) 121127
http://youtu.be/oQPzyv4fevk
Chuo Line to Keiyo Line Transfer (Tokyo Station) 中央線から京葉線まで (121127)
http://youtu.be/mD296WBrASM
Keiyo Line Departing Tokyo 東京駅から京葉線が出発 (121127)
http://youtu.be/xvra4OOrapo
Keiyo Line Hatchobori and Etchujima 京葉線の八丁堀駅と越中島と潮見 (121127)
http://youtu.be/HMbnotfaqm8
Ride to Kasairinkaikoen Station (Keiyo Line Cab View) 葛西臨海公園駅まで (121127)
http://youtu.be/Gz85y1BK4-o
Kokubunji to Nakano (Chuo Line) 国分寺から中野まで (中央線) 121129
http://youtu.be/tRRA1c4_Teo
Kasairinkaikoen Station (Afternoon Platform View) 葛西臨海公園駅 (京葉線) 121127
http://youtu.be/MXJwhtgoQFk
Kasairinkaikoen Station (Inside) 葛西臨海公園駅内部 (京葉線) 121127g
http://youtu.be/sA1tTJG9NYE
Kasairinkaikoen Station (Daylight in Front of) 葛西臨海公園駅の前 121127
http://youtu.be/_bxK-dpLUCY
Kasairinkai-Koen Park Entrance 葛西臨海公園入口 (121127)
http://youtu.be/PIDCCQWfxrc
Kasairinkai-Koen Bus-Train (Umi-Go) 葛西臨海公園 (観光バスうみ号) 121127
http://youtu.be/s-3JHt7c4AU
360-View by Tokyo Bay at Kasairinkaikoen 葛西臨海公園 (東京湾の隣) 121127
http://youtu.be/0OmwnQPzd7Y
Tokyo-2020 Candidate City Flags in Wind (121127)
http://youtu.be/ZbyoWIBW5HY
Dry Fountain by Kasairinkaikoen Station 葛西臨海公園駅隣の空噴水 (121127)
http://youtu.be/BRQ2zOvQ2Pg
Kasairinkaikoen to Shin-Kiba 葛西臨海公園駅から新木場駅まで (121127)
http://youtu.be/VY3cxXfCPfQ
Shin-Kiba Station - Looking Out onto Platform 新木場駅店からホームを見る (121127)
http://youtu.be/BKKJUj1bRkA
Cafe in Middle of Platform (Shin-Kiba) 新木場駅店からホームの真ん中の店 (121127)
http://youtu.be/sK5fc9AayD8
Shin-Kiba Station 新木場駅 (121127)
http://youtu.be/MOAsOM6kknc
Truck Road (Shin-Kiba) トラック通り (新木場駅前) 121127
http://youtu.be/yqB9pSA2VsM
Blades of Grass in the Afternoon Sun 午後の公園の草 (121127)
http://youtu.be/mA6DAD3EPI0
Yumenoshima-Koen Park Stroll 夢の島公園散歩 (121127)
http://youtu.be/vBZGMfJfoxM
Yumenoshima Greenhouse (Detailed Stroll) 夢の島熱帯植物間の散歩 (121127)
http://youtu.be/3gpkG95jqiw
Shin-Kiba (Twilight Platform View) 新木場駅 (夕方) 121127
http://youtu.be/JNEotDtqzxQ
Hamamatsucho to Yurakucho (Front Cab View at Night) Yamanote Line (121129)
http://youtu.be/tBRxwgROHcA
MIZU December 2012 Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 (121127)
http://youtu.be/Bb5k7QhMoro
Kammer December 2012 Exhibition at Gallery Camellia ギャラリーカメリア (121129)
http://youtu.be/EazcAnB1yNo
Kawara Akira 河原明 2012 Sculpture Exhibition at Gallery Kobo 巷房 (121129)
http://youtu.be/Es3deb63G70
Art Exhibition at Ishi Gallery in December 2012 (121129)
http://youtu.be/IwmJyqLnaWo
Tokyo to Yurakucho (Side Window View) 東京から有楽町まで (121129)
http://youtu.be/nq-6mRNaQAg
Yurakucho Plaza in a Light Rain (121129)
http://youtu.be/WhHHMCUKwn0
Yurakucho to Tokyo (Yamanote Line) 有楽町から東京まで (山手線) 121129
http://youtu.be/4C7-YgFn7oA
Tokyo Station at 5:00 p.m. (Yamanote Line and Station Concourse) 121129
http://youtu.be/0PmY_9Lsry4
Greenhouse Stream (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/kKxdgNfwMIg
Greenhouse Movie Theater (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/3a110MJYymM
Greenhouse Cafe (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/r38XF4sOozE
Yumenoshima Greenhouse Side Entrance Stroll 夢の島熱帯植物間 (121127)
http://youtu.be/tLGjkY_AuQY
Greenhouse Late Afternoon Stroll (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/o6qlDC_WZC8
Subsection of Greenhouse (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/EhQbfvpiTOU
Yumenoshima Marina 夢の島マリーナ (貯木場) 121127
http://youtu.be/Yv65Q64y9o0
Evening Truck Road Intersection Near Shin-Kiba 新木場駅隣のトラック通り (121127g)
http://youtu.be/N6K2DY4pPlg
Entering Shin-Kiba Station (Evening 夕方の新木場駅) 121127
http://youtu.be/iafNh1UeoCM
Twilight Sanpo on Shin-Kiba Platform 夕方の新木場駅 (121127)
http://youtu.be/ABwZSZAX8No
Tokyo to Kanda (Chuo Line) 東京から神田まで (中央線) 121127
http://youtu.be/mgH1ynRNsK4
Ochanomizu to Yotsuya (Chuo Line) 御茶ノ水から四ッ谷まで (中央線) 121127
http://youtu.be/TQyfB_s1F-c
Exiting Shinjuku Station via South Exit (121127)
http://youtu.be/GcWyYMkWZbw
Nakano to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 中野駅から新宿駅まで (中央線) 121129
http://youtu.be/sCSD-8uy6mw
Departing Shinjuku via Tokaido Line Train 新宿から東海道線で出発 (121129)
http://youtu.be/w1lFDm5yVMQ
Tokaido Line (From Near Shinjuku to Ebisu) 東海道線 (新宿から恵比寿まで) 121129
http://youtu.be/cX-RSDx2TT8
Empty Train Passes Through Ebisu Station (121129)
http://youtu.be/q-p8tMc86XA
Children's Play Area Beside Tokyo Tower (121129)
http://youtu.be/YNGn-jooglU
Shibakoen Park (Twilight) 夕方の芝公園 (121129)
http://youtu.be/L0js7i_4-LY
Entering Hamamatsucho Station 浜松町駅を入る (121129)
http://youtu.be/he17IF1Ms4M
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Shin-Kiba Station (Platform Cafe Etc) 新木場駅ホームカフェなど (121127g)
http://youtu.be/nyKpH8SIdUQ
Entering Yumenoshima Greenhouse 夢の島熱帯植物間を入る (121127g)
http://youtu.be/StVqQ-dVkIc
Ginza Passageway (Side Street to Chuo-Dori) 121127g
http://youtu.be/4Ouw-wQYHa0
Shinjuku Station (Chuo Line and Upper Concourse) 新宿駅 (121127g)
http://youtu.be/IVCtbKVNUVs
Bus Ride in Western Tokyo 東京の西側のバスを乗る (121129g)
http://youtu.be/UH8FXiiUGJo
Entering Tonogayato Gardens 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を入る (121129)
http://youtu.be/80FFCI5a1zg
Tonogayato Gardens (A) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/c4Wqj-EEhOc
Tonogayato Gardens (B) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/AtsnJs3YMa4
Tonogayato Gardens (C) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/_zQszazTGwg
Tonogayato Gardens (D) Autumn 殿ヶ谷戸庭園 (秋) 121129
http://youtu.be/FFqlTom7WJs
Tonogayato Pond Reflections 殿ヶ谷戸庭園の池 (121129)
http://youtu.be/ZrNFuDO7zdY
Tonogayato Gardens (A) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129)
http://youtu.be/aEMtQNnRZnU
Tonogayato Gardens (B) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129g)
http://youtu.be/nCFtv7mZSAQ
Tonogayato Gardens (C) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129)
http://youtu.be/-UImGTCXhn8
Tonogayato Gardens (D) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129g)
http://youtu.be/mudRy9jhbA8
Tonogayato Gardens (E) Looking Around 殿ヶ谷戸庭園を見回る (121129)
http://youtu.be/vzOhTPiQyJY
Ebisu Station (JR to Hibiya Transfer) 恵比寿駅 (JRから日比谷線まで) 121129g
http://youtu.be/rlJze-HHqIU
Tokyo Station (Busy Late Night Chuo Line Platform) 東京駅夜遅くの中央線ホーム (121129g)
http://youtu.be/BOET3BAYL5E
Lines and Shadows at Kasairinkaikoen 葛西臨海公園での線と影 (121127g)
http://youtu.be/0VfBldweLhg
Kasairinkai-koen Park Bus-Train 葛西臨海公園バストレイン (121127)
http://youtu.be/jIWA7-9OsCM
Yume-no-Shima-Koen Park (Autumn) 夢の島公園 (121127)
http://youtu.be/pK5w_JwqIa4
Yumenoshima Marina and Greenhouse 夢の島マリーナと熱帯植物間 (121127)
http://youtu.be/aAdbnICgnVk
Yumenoshima Greenhouse HD-Stroll 夢の島熱帯植物間 (121127)
http://youtu.be/nPcpY1qEXd4
Yellow Leaves in the Wind (121127)
http://youtu.be/4iqC7K9fvvY
Chuo Line Arriving at Kokubunji Station (121127)
http://youtu.be/g5nNcsmjKuY
Kanda to Tokyo (Chuo Line) 神田から東京まで (中央線) 121127
http://youtu.be/oQPzyv4fevk
Chuo Line to Keiyo Line Transfer (Tokyo Station) 中央線から京葉線まで (121127)
http://youtu.be/mD296WBrASM
Keiyo Line Departing Tokyo 東京駅から京葉線が出発 (121127)
http://youtu.be/xvra4OOrapo
Keiyo Line Hatchobori and Etchujima 京葉線の八丁堀駅と越中島と潮見 (121127)
http://youtu.be/HMbnotfaqm8
Ride to Kasairinkaikoen Station (Keiyo Line Cab View) 葛西臨海公園駅まで (121127)
http://youtu.be/Gz85y1BK4-o
Kokubunji to Nakano (Chuo Line) 国分寺から中野まで (中央線) 121129
http://youtu.be/tRRA1c4_Teo
Kasairinkaikoen Station (Afternoon Platform View) 葛西臨海公園駅 (京葉線) 121127
http://youtu.be/MXJwhtgoQFk
Kasairinkaikoen Station (Inside) 葛西臨海公園駅内部 (京葉線) 121127g
http://youtu.be/sA1tTJG9NYE
Kasairinkaikoen Station (Daylight in Front of) 葛西臨海公園駅の前 121127
http://youtu.be/_bxK-dpLUCY
Kasairinkai-Koen Park Entrance 葛西臨海公園入口 (121127)
http://youtu.be/PIDCCQWfxrc
Kasairinkai-Koen Bus-Train (Umi-Go) 葛西臨海公園 (観光バスうみ号) 121127
http://youtu.be/s-3JHt7c4AU
360-View by Tokyo Bay at Kasairinkaikoen 葛西臨海公園 (東京湾の隣) 121127
http://youtu.be/0OmwnQPzd7Y
Tokyo-2020 Candidate City Flags in Wind (121127)
http://youtu.be/ZbyoWIBW5HY
Dry Fountain by Kasairinkaikoen Station 葛西臨海公園駅隣の空噴水 (121127)
http://youtu.be/BRQ2zOvQ2Pg
Kasairinkaikoen to Shin-Kiba 葛西臨海公園駅から新木場駅まで (121127)
http://youtu.be/VY3cxXfCPfQ
Shin-Kiba Station - Looking Out onto Platform 新木場駅店からホームを見る (121127)
http://youtu.be/BKKJUj1bRkA
Cafe in Middle of Platform (Shin-Kiba) 新木場駅店からホームの真ん中の店 (121127)
http://youtu.be/sK5fc9AayD8
Shin-Kiba Station 新木場駅 (121127)
http://youtu.be/MOAsOM6kknc
Truck Road (Shin-Kiba) トラック通り (新木場駅前) 121127
http://youtu.be/yqB9pSA2VsM
Blades of Grass in the Afternoon Sun 午後の公園の草 (121127)
http://youtu.be/mA6DAD3EPI0
Yumenoshima-Koen Park Stroll 夢の島公園散歩 (121127)
http://youtu.be/vBZGMfJfoxM
Yumenoshima Greenhouse (Detailed Stroll) 夢の島熱帯植物間の散歩 (121127)
http://youtu.be/3gpkG95jqiw
Shin-Kiba (Twilight Platform View) 新木場駅 (夕方) 121127
http://youtu.be/JNEotDtqzxQ
Hamamatsucho to Yurakucho (Front Cab View at Night) Yamanote Line (121129)
http://youtu.be/tBRxwgROHcA
MIZU December 2012 Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki 画廊香月 (121127)
http://youtu.be/Bb5k7QhMoro
Kammer December 2012 Exhibition at Gallery Camellia ギャラリーカメリア (121129)
http://youtu.be/EazcAnB1yNo
Kawara Akira 河原明 2012 Sculpture Exhibition at Gallery Kobo 巷房 (121129)
http://youtu.be/Es3deb63G70
Art Exhibition at Ishi Gallery in December 2012 (121129)
http://youtu.be/IwmJyqLnaWo
Tokyo to Yurakucho (Side Window View) 東京から有楽町まで (121129)
http://youtu.be/nq-6mRNaQAg
Yurakucho Plaza in a Light Rain (121129)
http://youtu.be/WhHHMCUKwn0
Yurakucho to Tokyo (Yamanote Line) 有楽町から東京まで (山手線) 121129
http://youtu.be/4C7-YgFn7oA
Tokyo Station at 5:00 p.m. (Yamanote Line and Station Concourse) 121129
http://youtu.be/0PmY_9Lsry4
Greenhouse Stream (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/kKxdgNfwMIg
Greenhouse Movie Theater (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/3a110MJYymM
Greenhouse Cafe (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/r38XF4sOozE
Yumenoshima Greenhouse Side Entrance Stroll 夢の島熱帯植物間 (121127)
http://youtu.be/tLGjkY_AuQY
Greenhouse Late Afternoon Stroll (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/o6qlDC_WZC8
Subsection of Greenhouse (Yumenoshima 夢の島熱帯植物間) 121127
http://youtu.be/EhQbfvpiTOU
Yumenoshima Marina 夢の島マリーナ (貯木場) 121127
http://youtu.be/Yv65Q64y9o0
Evening Truck Road Intersection Near Shin-Kiba 新木場駅隣のトラック通り (121127g)
http://youtu.be/N6K2DY4pPlg
Entering Shin-Kiba Station (Evening 夕方の新木場駅) 121127
http://youtu.be/iafNh1UeoCM
Twilight Sanpo on Shin-Kiba Platform 夕方の新木場駅 (121127)
http://youtu.be/ABwZSZAX8No
Tokyo to Kanda (Chuo Line) 東京から神田まで (中央線) 121127
http://youtu.be/mgH1ynRNsK4
Ochanomizu to Yotsuya (Chuo Line) 御茶ノ水から四ッ谷まで (中央線) 121127
http://youtu.be/TQyfB_s1F-c
Exiting Shinjuku Station via South Exit (121127)
http://youtu.be/GcWyYMkWZbw
Nakano to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 中野駅から新宿駅まで (中央線) 121129
http://youtu.be/sCSD-8uy6mw
Departing Shinjuku via Tokaido Line Train 新宿から東海道線で出発 (121129)
http://youtu.be/w1lFDm5yVMQ
Tokaido Line (From Near Shinjuku to Ebisu) 東海道線 (新宿から恵比寿まで) 121129
http://youtu.be/cX-RSDx2TT8
Empty Train Passes Through Ebisu Station (121129)
http://youtu.be/q-p8tMc86XA
Children's Play Area Beside Tokyo Tower (121129)
http://youtu.be/YNGn-jooglU
Shibakoen Park (Twilight) 夕方の芝公園 (121129)
http://youtu.be/L0js7i_4-LY
Entering Hamamatsucho Station 浜松町駅を入る (121129)
http://youtu.be/he17IF1Ms4M
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
