Time tripping to December 1990 and January 1991, as well as New Year's Day views from 2013 and a few train system views from later in the first week of 2013. This batch of time-tripping views mainly consists of what are basically day-trips rather than just views from day-to-day life in Tokyo. To go over the various views in order (with more details after some titles/links):
Beginning with an intensively for-video day I experienced/orchestrated/choose/time-invested-in/etc. on Saturday, December 8th, 1990. The day (the version I recorded images and sounds of that is, but I had the camera running for nearly the entire day) begins with a look at the west side of Ikebukuro Station, and then shows the inside of always busy Ikebukuro Station; the ride via Yamanote Line to Shibuya; the transfer at Shibuya from the Yamanote Line to the Toyoko Line, and a seventeen-minute video of the (approximately) 30-minute ride to Yokohama, most of it a front-cab view.
In Yokohama are views of Yokohama Station and a long walk - going from one place in Yokohama to another - including views of work on the foundation for the yet-to-be-built Landmark Tower building and some time (too much time maybe) spent in an amusement park in the newly developing "Minato Mirai-21" zone. After the amusement park, I walk to a subway station and take a train to Shin-Yokohama Station, from where I take a Shinkansen (a Hikari no less) to Tokyo Station.
I think at the time I was hoping to get on a new type Shinkansen, but from the perspective of 2013, I'm really happy my train turned out to be the original type Shinkansen, and I was able to record some views of the dining car, which modern Shinkansen trains no longer have. There is one 65-minute video that covers nearly all of my time in Yokohama, with separate clips showing the Landmark Tower foundation work and several views of the amusement park (which are part of the long 65-minute video) and then separate (and not part of the 65-minute video) views of the trip back to Tokyo after that (subway, Shinkansen, etc.).
After views of 1990 Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, I jump to this year - 2013 - for a few views from a shrine, taken on New Year's Day. After that, I go back again - still 22 years ago, but this time to January 1991.
On January 12th, 1991, I visited Setagaya, and while buying a pen in an old store, the shopkeeper (the daughter of the owner) told me that there was going to be a big street market in the area on the 15th and 16th (you can see her writing down the name of it for me in the video I took in the old store), so I returned on the 15th to have a look and found myself in some pretty intense crowds! Since that area is reached by one of the last two remaining streetcar lines in Tokyo, I also got to experience riding the cool old 1949 streetcars (which have since been retired unfortunately).
And then there are the usual train scenes - from the Keio Line, the Setagaya Line (the streetcar I mentioned), the Saikyo Line, one of the Seibu lines, etc. And finally, jumping back to 2013, there are a few scenes from one of the Seibu lines.
1990 - Ikebukuro - West Side 池袋 (901208)
http://youtu.be/_awfo4nS9a8
Walking along on the west side of Ikebukuro Station, and then entering the station and beginning to walk down the concourse outside the JR and Tobu ticket gates.
1990 - Ikebukuro Station 池袋駅 (901208)
http://youtu.be/FDwSVJj9Y98
Looking closely at the people rushing by in Ikebukuro Station, one of the more striking differences between 1990 and 2013 is that the women in 1990 still had undyed hair and eyebrows (also black). The overwhelming majority of 2013 Tokyo women dye their hair some shade of off-black (is that a word?) or brown (drug stores sell hair dye in 759 shades of brown) and have removed most of their eyebrows - leaving just a thin line. It's not for me to say which is better - I'm just commenting that a big change has come about over the past 23 years!
After walking through the crowds in the under-tracks concourse, I go through the ticket gates (using a strip of kaisuken tickets), and up the stairs to catch a Yamanote Line train. The model of train that arrives was only used on the Yamanote Line for about ten years I think, after which it was replaced with the type of train currently being used. Since ten years is a short time for a railway carriage, I think they moved the version shown in this video over to anther line - maybe the Saikyo Line? (Or the Musashino Line?) In any case, many of the current Saikyo Line (and Musashino Line) trains appear to be the type that was on the Yamanote Line in 1990. (The clip ends just as I'm boarding a train - the continuation with views of the inside of the train continues with the next video of Shibuya Station.)
1990 - Shibuya Station 渋谷駅東横線 (Toyoko Line) 901208
http://youtu.be/JA5tWwLmJTY
This begins inside a Yamanote Line train as it pulls out of Ikebukuro Station, and then shows the transfer from the Yamanote Line to the Toyoko Line - walking through always busy Shibuya Station. (Manual ticket gates for JR and automated for Toyoko - it wasn't long after this that all the ticket gates in Tokyo were automated.)
1990 - Toyoko Line - Cab View to Yokohama 東横線横浜 (901208)
http://youtu.be/RGRju21J1A4
Notice that the train is bound for Sakuragicho Station 桜木町駅, a station the Toyoko Line no longer goes to, since it was diverted to line up with a subway line that goes through Yokohama with the terminal stop near Chinatown. Sakuragicho Station is historically interesting as it was the Yokohama side of Japan's first rail line that ran from Sakuragicho (then called Yokohama Station) to Shinbashi Station in Tokyo.
From Wikipedia:
"Sakuragicho is one of Japan's oldest stations. It opened on June 12, 1872 as Yokohama Station when the service between Shinagawa and Yokohama provisionally started. The station was renamed Sakuragicho Station on August 15, 1915 when the next Yokohama Station opened (near Takashimacho Station)."
Between March 31, 1932 and January 30, 2004, Sakuragicho Station was the terminus of the Tokyu Toyoko Line.
"Shinbashi is the original terminus of Japan's first stretch of railway, the Tōkaido Main Line, and is one of Japan's oldest
stations (the oldest station being Shinagawa, a few kilometres down the line). The original Shinbashi Station, opened on October 10, 1872, was built some way to the east of the modern-day structure and was known as Shinbashi Teishajo (新橋停車場)."
Hmm... for 30 years, I've been reading sentences similar to: "Shinbashi is the original terminus of Japan's first stretch of railway" and hadn't heard anything about Shinagawa. And regarding that name mentioned: "Shinbashi Teishajo (新橋停車場)" - that means "Train stopping place [in] Shinbashi"! I guess they didn't use the word 駅 ('eki' - station) back then?
Incidentally, when I came to Japan, JNR (Japan National Railways) correctly I feel, spelled 新橋 (しんばし) "Shinbashi". At issue is the character "ん" which is basically "n", but in one of the many competing forms of romanization of Japanese, there are (idiotic in my view) rules for converting the (unchanging in Japanese) character ん (n) into "m" depending on what comes after the ん. I think it's totally wrong (both in concept and actual pronunciation) and refuse to go along with it, so I always write ん as "n" and correct incorrectly spelled "Shimbash" to correctly spelled "Shinbashi" when I come across it.
1990 Yokohama Station 横浜駅 (901208)
http://youtu.be/yNNCLCBIhV0
This starts with me getting off the Toyoko Line and going downstairs to the manual ticket gates (which were already automated at Shibuya Station at the time) and walking out into the concourse and then out in front of the station where a couple of young men did what was was fairly popular (for young people) at the time - they jumped up in front of my camera (instead of the traditional ducking down). Back in 1990 and 1991, this happened to me fairly often. Since it's not really the sort of thing a lot of people would naturally do on their own, I suspect some comedy show on TV did it and enough people thought it was funny that several of them started doing it too? The awesome/terrible/horrible influence of television...
1990 - Yokohama Walkabout 横浜散歩 (901208)
http://youtu.be/kxYHz5MTi-k
This - at 65 minutes - is the longest of this batch of videos. It's not a standard "See the sights of Yokohama" type of video. Rather, I started walking from Yokohama Station, and basically just kept walking all day long - stumbling into an amusement park that I hadn't even known existed, and also stumbling into foundation work for the Landmark Tower. Watching this video now, I would say that I probably should have slowed down while recording the various street scenes that I saw, but the material is historically interesting for the large number of street scenes it covers. Just watch it with quick reflexes and pause it here and there if you want to have a longer look at some of the street scenes. While out walking, I didn't hold the camera still anywhere for long, although by the time I got to the amusement park, I was a little more relaxed and holding the camera on scenes slightly longer. Anyway, just remember "the pause button is your friend" and there's a lot to see in this video.
Early on (at about 4:03), I did what I usually did at the time when I went somewhere outside Tokyo (in the era prior to electronic maps on cell phones), I went to the first bookstore I could find and bought a street map of the area - Yokohama City in this case. With map in hand, I would walk around and periodically check the map (matching area names on utility poles with area names on the map) to keep track of where I was. I would also change course when something on the map looked interesting.
Hmm.... I'm watching the video now as I type this. Scenes of food being cooked in a department store restaurant, trucks being loaded... later on there are scenes from a park; a vertical parking garage with electric turnstile, several trains passing at a large crossing (with several train lines running in parallel), the entrance to Minato Mirai-21 (みなとみらい-21), etc. etc. Well, considering that I basically just kept moving while recording things, there is a lot in this video (I originally typed "a lot on this tape" - which would apply to the original [analog] source tape). Too much to go over in detail here, so I'll jump to the next video. Anyway - if you're interested in what the streets of Yokohama looked like in 1990 - this could be of interest. [Note: the next five videos are isolated parts re-edited from the same stretch of tape that contains this longer 65-minute sequence.]
1990 Yokohama Landmark Tower Under Construction 工事中横浜ランドマークタワー (901208)
http://youtu.be/H54FO7vN7tM
1990 - Yokohama Amusement Park 横浜遊園地 (901208)
http://youtu.be/cTelMjHuHCY
This covers most of my visit to the Yokohama Cosmoworld amusement park (よこはまコスモワールド遊園地) - where I rode (with my camera rolling most of the time) on several rides. I've isolated three specific rides and made individual videos of them (see below). The one I've entitled "Yokohama Cycle-Monorail Ride" I don't remember the actual name of, and since it appears to no longer exist at the Cosmoworld amusement park, I'm not sure how to find out the name of it. The other two rides are still there.
1990 - Yokohama Cycle-Monorail Ride ペダルモノレール乗り物 (901208)
http://youtu.be/gS6lM2GTmsY
I went on this one twice. Once in the evening, and the second time just before leaving the amusement park after dark. The second time I got on the self-powered ride, since I was the only one on the ride, I figured it would be okay to go slowly and take some pictures, but a couple of the young men running the ride (after shaking it to make it harder to take pictures) jumped on one of the cycle-powered things and rode over and rammed me, and made rude gestures, etc. to hurry me off of the ride for some reason (I wasn't on it for a particularly long time before they came out to harass me - I just stopped a few times to take pictures, which people were doing in the daytime anyway, even with a lot of people on the ride). I've cut out almost all of that unpleasant aspect of the ride from this version, but several elements of that incident are in the overall "Yokohama Amusement Park" video further up the page. It was a weird experience - the three of us were all pretending it was fun and games, but there was something else going on below the surface....
1990 - Cosmoworld Galaxy コスモワールド ギャラクシー (901208)
http://youtu.be/WaScs5TNncc
This is a surprisingly entertaining ride that I've enjoyed at other amusement parks as well, for example in this clip (below) from Toshimaen Amusement Park (としまえん遊園地) - also taken in 1990, but a few months earlier (in September), when the weather was basically still summer:
Toshimaen Swing-Around - (1990) としまえん スイングアラウンド
http://youtu.be/bCEi4CUej-s
The ride is the same, but the surroundings are quite different! One of Toshimaen's attractions is all the green within the park. It's quite a nice space when the weather is nice. For Cosmoworld, the bayside location is a different kind of attraction - one that can be quite nice in the evening.
1990 - Cosmoworld Super Planet コスモワールド スーパープラネット (901208)
http://youtu.be/_YZuggb37tM
This comment applies equally to all the rides at 1990 Cosmoworld: Take a good look at the area around the amusement park - it's mainly empty space in these 1990 views. In 2013, there are a lot of new buildings in and around this area. As I walked up to the area in 1990, there was a big sign saying "みなとみらい-21" (Minato Mirai-21), announcing the area as a new development project for the coming 21st century. And now here we are - in the 21st century, and the area is pretty well fully developed.
A comment on how this ride looks to me now (when watching the 1990 video) - it seems a little like how a propeller airplane pilot might have seen the world while buzzing around in an airplane? Not having ever been in that type of aircraft, I'm not sure, but it reminds me of some movie footage I've seen from old planes with open cockpits.
1990 - Isezaki-Chojamachi to Shin-Yokohama 伊勢佐木長者町駅-横浜駅 (901208)
http://youtu.be/9Hg95kd_e-E
There's some overlap in this video with the 65-minute Yokohama video, but only at the beginning within the first minute. After that, it's the trip from Isezaki-Chojamachi Station to Shin-Yokohama Station (via subway).
1990 - Type-0 Shinkasen Ride (Yokohama to Tokyo) ０型新幹線 (新横浜-東京) 901208
http://youtu.be/gf2DyxslWLM
A ride in a Hikari Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo. The fast Hikari Shinkansen trains are scheduled so that if you time it right, you can take one to just about any of the Shinkansen stations. I don't think so many Hikari Shinkansen trains stop at Yokohama, so it was lucky timing (since it's more interesting to be on a Hikari than it is to be on a local train - even though there is no difference in speed between them when running between Shin-Yokohama and Tokyo [the Shinkansen didn't stop at Shinagawa in 1990]). One of the things I like about this video are the noises the train makes in the dining car - noises that remind me of passenger trains I rode in as a kid. Newer trains don't sound like that.
1990 - Tokyo Station - Shinkansen to Chuo Line Transfer (901208)
http://youtu.be/CMhES9uW2HY
1990 - Chuo Line, Saikyo Line, and Seibu Line Views (901208)
http://youtu.be/t9CufnEUtfM
1990 - Ikebukuro and Ride to Shinjuku (901213)
http://youtu.be/NnqHKBat6PU
Jumping back to this year - to January 1st, 2013 for a look at New Year's Day at a Tokyo shrine.
New Year's Day 2013 - Okonomiyaki お好み焼 (130101)
http://youtu.be/zfHvNGbXy9Y
New Year's Day 2013 - Food Stall Banners (130101)
http://youtu.be/8vhOmeOfNCo
New Year's Day 2013 - Walking by Food Stalls (130101)
http://youtu.be/UN6gsdUXw_0
New Year's Day 2013 Shrine Visit - Waiting in Line (130101)
http://youtu.be/fcVxXFQ4lxA
New Year's Day 2013 Shrine Visit - Looking Around (130101)
http://youtu.be/AAfx2WrUexk
And back to 22 years ago - this time to Saturday, January 12th, 1991, and then Tuesday, January 15th, 1991.
1991 - Old Store in Setagaya 世田谷の古い店 (910112)
http://youtu.be/EI4kp8D4fgE
This old type of store used to be the norm - a small store in front, with the owners of the store living in the rear of the building. The shopkeeper allowed me to take pictures and I recorded a little while talking with her.
1991 - Setagaya Line to Shimotakaido 世田谷線の下高井戸駅 (910112)
http://youtu.be/ZqcQRkIvJBo
Shimotakaido is the station where the Setagaya Line terminates and is a transfer point to/from the Keio Line. It's also an interesting area with narrow streets full of old shops (more so in 1991 than in 2013, but still it's an interesting area).
1991 - Shimotakaido Station 下高井戸駅 (Setagaya and Keio Lines) 910112
http://youtu.be/jdMFo3r7opI
1991 - 1949 Setagaya Streetcar 世田谷線の市電 (910112)
http://youtu.be/SsKYXItaAeU
I ride a cool old (1949 - 昭和24年) streetcar with a wooden floor, much of the interior also made of wood, and with interestingly/artistically shaped cast-iron pieces supporting the hand grips, etc. These old streetcars which were still in use in 1991, have unfortunately all been replaced with functional, but soulless new ones.
1991 - Keio Line - Shimotakaido to Shinjuku 京王線下高井戸から新宿 (910112)
http://youtu.be/mj09WeJdMco
1991 - Shinjuku Station - Keio, Odakyu, Mosaic-Dori, JR 新宿モザイク通り (910112)
http://youtu.be/Bt0PBjvIhjI
1991 - Shinjuku Mosaic-Dori 新宿 モザイク通り (910112)
http://youtu.be/n-hDcSn9ljM
By way of contrast, here is what this street/alley/shopping mall looks like now (video from December 2012 - I enter the street from the opposite direction at about 0:55):
Shinjuku - South Exit to Odakyu Illumination Area 新宿光 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/T_4zEmmuSk4
Hmm... I didn't notice the change until comparing the two videos, but the old tile sidewalk that probably gave the street its name (Mosaic) has been replaced with something that isn't a mosaic any longer. So if you were wondering (from the 2012/13 version of the street) where it got its name, here's the answer!
1991 - Saikyo Line - Shinjuku to Ikebukuro 埼京線 新宿から池袋まで (910112)
http://youtu.be/RYPQJgSrgoE
1991 - Ikebukuro Station - Winter Night Scene 池袋駅冬の夜 (910112)
http://youtu.be/UDRYWL0DVYQ
On January 12th, 1991, the woman in the old shop had told me about the big Setagaya Boroichi street market that was to take place on Tuesday, January 15th, so I went back for a look:
1991 - Hibarigaoka to Boroichi in Setagaya 世田谷ボロ市までの旅 (910115)
http://youtu.be/es0FQI49h48
1991 - JR Orange Card Booth (Ikebukuro) オレンジカード販売中 (池袋駅) 910115
http://youtu.be/p6R4r9OCBEs
I had completely forgotten about the "orange card" that JR sold for a short while! It was sold at a time when all the railways had similar type cards, and each railway's card could only be used in its own machines. JR had the "Orange Card", and I think (if I remember correctly) Seibu's card was the "Leo Card", etc. I've forgotten what the others were called. This system (where the card could only be used to buy tickets, not as a ticket itself) didn't last long.
1991 - Shimokitazawa Station 下北沢駅 (910115)
http://youtu.be/uxsBMDe4q4g
Shimokitazawa is the point where the Odakyu and Inokashira lines cross each other - sharing the same station, which is a convenient transfer point from one to the other.
1991 - 1949 Street Cars - Daytime View (Setagaya) 1949年の市電 (世田谷) 910115
http://youtu.be/VOW81sahEX4
Putting these daytime views of the 1949 streetcars together (above and below) with the night views I took on January 12th, 1991 (see links further up the page), you can get a pretty good idea of how these streetcars looked and sounded (the end of the following video, from around 21:00 has some fairly good views from the ride away from the street market).
1991 - Setagaya Boroichi Street Market 1991年の世田谷ボロ市 (910115)
http://youtu.be/G531RsoYQsc
The street market was incredibly crowded. It's a bit too popular for its own good. When the crowds get really intense, you can't really shop - about all you can do is struggle through the intense crowds. When I visited a few years ago, it was still like that - particularly on weekends (the event takes place on December 15th and 16th and January 15th and 16th, regardless of what day of the week those dates fall on).
And back to 2013:
Seibu-Shinjuku Line - Tokorozawa to Higashi-Murayama (130105)
http://youtu.be/wxY_F9zKieU
Higashi-Murayama Station Platform at Night (130105hd)
http://youtu.be/W0o8-3FU160
Seibu Line Trains Arriving at Tokorozawa Station (130105hd)
http://youtu.be/YDqX1YSHt1w
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
"Tokyo Station Dome (2012/10)"
"Tokyo Station Dome (2012/10)"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"December Illumination: Marunouchi, Ebisu, Shinjuku, Etc.; Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Shibuya, Etc."
The main theme of this batch of clips is "end-of-the-year" and "colorfully-illuminated-areas". Through promotion, the Marunouchi area gets a lot of attention, but (this year included) it's never been my favorite. Also well-known is Ebisu Garden Place, and I enjoyed it a lot this year, although I don't personally think the central illuminated chandelier is very interesting, but it provides a kind of focal point and reason to walk by the more interesting areas. A surprise for me this year was just accidentally stumbling upon a rather nice display in the alley-like path that leads by shops and restaurants between the south and west exits of Shinjuku Station. Mid-way through the complex was a sign that said "Shinjuku Terrace City - Illumination '12 - '13", so I guess that walkway is called "Shinjuku Terrace City". I've been walking on it from time-to-time for 28 years now, but I never knew the name! Let me verify the name... [Google...] According to Wikipedia: "Shinjuku Southern Terrace is the southern portion of Shinjuku Terrace City, a continuous piece of real estate property owned by Odakyu Group in and around Shinjuku Station." Continuous? I guess... except there's a four lane main road that runs between one part and the other! That doesn't seem very "continuous" to me....
Another pleasant discovery this month was Tokyu Plaza Omotesando-Harajuku, which has a very nice roof that is kind of a park in the sky, with trees and a nice atmosphere.
And of course there are various views of trains, and views of the station areas near Otsuka, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Tokyo, and Yurakucho. With that initial introduction out of the way, here are the videos (with additional comments for some of them).
Shinjuku - South Exit to Odakyu Illumination Area 新宿光 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/T_4zEmmuSk4
I had a meeting on the west side of Shinjuku Station, so since I exited the station via the south exit, I walked through this passageway simply to get to the west side, and was very pleasantly surprised to come upon one of the best illuminations I've seen this year. This is the type of thing that keeps Tokyo interesting. You can never quite learn the whole city. You get used to an area, and know it pretty well, and then you don't go there for a few months or a few years, and when you return - generally things have changed. Of course, in this case, it's not exactly a change really, just a seasonal thing, but I had no idea they would use the area for that kind of illumination.
This video begins near the south exit of Shinjuku Station and then I walk through the narrow passage that has various small shops and whatnot towards the other end of the passage (which opens onto the west side station-front plaza). (I think the first part is basically a kind of tunnel through a building and then the rest is a narrow passageway between buildings, with shops along one side.) I had never noticed the name of this area before, but apparently it's Shinjuku Terrace City, and the "Shinjuku Southern Terrace" (which is located in Shibuya-ku actually!) is considered an extension of it - although the two parts are separated by a main road. (The passageway part is along buildings owned by Odakyu and the Southern Terrace part is a large platform built over Odakyu Railway tracks.)
Shinjuku Twilight - Raining LED Illumination 新宿LEDライトアップ (121227)
http://youtu.be/AbAk7GnPcUs
Illuminated 1914 Tokyo Station Building and 360 View 東京駅冬光 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/zDQ4VCzWjE0
The "illuminated" part of the title above refers to standard illumination of the building, by the way, not the recent light show that was canceled after only a few performances due to its being overly popular! For that, you might want to check out this video (from another YouTube poster, not from me BTW), which was recorded before things got crazy and the event was canceled:
Tokyo Michiterasu (東京 ミチテラス) 2012 HIKARI VISION (high contrast version)
http://youtu.be/OwWTpEmhJVc
After looking at the standard illumination of the 1914 Tokyo Station building, I went over to the Shin-Marunouchi Building and the Marunouchi Building to sample the bonenkai atmosphere and then had a look at the Marunouchi illumination exhibition.
Marunouchi - Tokyo Station at Night, Etc 丸の内夜の東京駅など (121227g)
http://youtu.be/YOfzMLSVANo
Marunouchi Night View (Tokyo) 丸の内夜風景 (Marunouchi Terrace) 121227g
http://youtu.be/LxNaCYIr5Jo
Bonenkai can be translated in different ways - a fairly direct translation is "forget-the-year party", but I think I prefer "end-of-year party", although it's not exactly a party, but more "going out for drinks at an izakaya", so... why not just use "bonen-kai" (party)! Anyway...
Bonenkai Mode - Marunouchi 忘年会モード丸の内 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/mj7FK5TEtDw
I was initially unhappy to hear that the original Marunouchi Building had been torn down, but I've since (some ten years after the new one opened!) warmed up to the replacement with the same name. In the case of the Shin-Marunouchi Building (where the video above was taken), I rather liked the new building from the first time I went inside, and I (unfortunately) never had an opportunity to go inside the original Shin-Marunouchi Building, so - not knowing what disappeared - there's nothing in my memory about it other than the outside shape. With the original Marunouchi Building though, I went inside and thought the building had a lot of character.
Anyway - the Shin-Marunouchi Building - with its collection of restaurants and izakaya places (in the lower retail section of the building) is a very nice modern version of the old small izakaya places that Japan does so well. The Marunouchi Building has a more settled, majestic atmosphere, and I've finally accepted it as an inevitable part of what Tokyo is - a constantly evolving city.
That said, I think (and I hear the same opinion from many of my Tokyo friends) that a little more effort should go into preserving what remains of historical Tokyo. To highlight this concept, I think just about everyone would agree that if the 1914 Tokyo Station building had been demolished, and if the old Central Post Office building had been completely demolished (the rear part of the building was demolished, but the front part of it was preserved and incorporated into a new office tower), and... (there's one more building that they preserved the facade of that I don't know the name of), then the area would be much less attractive. The combination of old and new is important - giving a sense of time and history. When *everything* is new, it's mundane due to lack of contrast.
Marunouchi Building Night Walkabout 丸の内ビル散歩 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/hnF_XuSBbY8
Marunouchi Building Night Stroll 丸の内ビル夜散歩 (121227)
http://youtu.be/a5z2ujlA1A0
Marunouchi Mode-2012 丸の内モード2012年 (121227)
http://youtu.be/LzZOTgpxv44
Exiting Marunouchi Building-2012 丸の内ビルを出る2012年 (121227)
http://youtu.be/3ZbgrxI1RjY
I've mentioned this before, but here's the link again for my 1991 visit to the old Marunouchi Building. At the end of this 1991 video, I walk out of the original Marunouchi Building in the same place that I come out of the new version of the building in 2012, so it's a way of seeing how radically the area has changed.
Marunouchi Building - March 1991
http://youtu.be/YS-18E0PN9Q
Marunouchi Starlight Walk-2012 丸の内スターライトウォーク (121227)
http://youtu.be/qSCC_0krRpI
After taking in the visually beautiful Marunouchi area, this was interesting, but seemed like... desert after the main course? The main course being the 1914 Tokyo Station building, the facade of the Central Post Office, and the various new buildings in the area.
Kanda Lights and Reflections 内神田光と反射 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/NdIGYdnr_MQ
I was sitting on a Chuo Line train, and when I turned and looked out the window, I saw this view. I'm not sure how this looks to other people, but it seemed quite beautiful to me at the time. The clear winter air makes the lights look so clear and... sparkling maybe (for want of a better term)? I don't know what term to use to describe it, but you can have a look at the video and see what it looked like for yourself.
Shinjuku Station - Chuo Platform to South Exit 新宿駅南口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/z8jIFTquih8
Under-Construction Shinjuku Bus Terminal (South Exit) 新宿駅 121225
http://youtu.be/blYBU6UikfY
It depresses me that so much effort is going into promoting travel by internal combustion engine machinery. I really wish the same effort were going into promoting rail travel! It's gotten to the point where the first method people think of when wanting to travel to another city in Japan is by an all-night bus, which is currently the cheapest way to get to other cities. I used one myself (to get to Nagoya to take pictures of the 2005 Aichi World Expo) for the same reason everyone does - it was cheaper than rail - but I really hated it. You're stuck in a narrow seat (some more expensive buses have individual seats, but not the cheapest ones) and they curtain off the entire seating area, even the front, so you can't see forward! It gives me a feeling of claustrophobia and after that one trip to Nagoya, I will try my hardest to never ride on one of those things again! "Never say never" they say, and if you *have* to be somewhere and the *only* thing you can afford is a horrible curtained-off narrow seat on a bloody bus, then you do what you have to do, but I think it's a horrible mistake to promote fossil-fuel-burning internal combustion engined buses over trains.
Shinjuku Shin-Minamiguchi (Under Construction) 新宿新南口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/XGstL9lLptw
Exiting Shinjuku Station via Shin-Minamiguchi 新宿新南口 (121225na)
http://youtu.be/lzRoUfLY_fc
Bridge to Southern Terrace 新宿サザンテラス橋 (121225)
http://youtu.be/ZtoAenwVYkY
Shin-Minamiguchi to Narita Express Platform (Shinjuku) 新宿新南口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/Wei1kV16XiY
Narita Express (NEX) to Shin-Minamiguchi and Southern Terrace 121225
http://youtu.be/mtBH-FaDU2c
This is basically an update to a video I posted in November 2009 showing the route to Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku (ホテルサンルートプラザ新宿) from Shinjuku Station (assuming that you go to Shinjuku via the Narita Express train and exit via the Southern Terrace Exit). The basic route hasn't changed, but there is now a new exit called Shin-Minamiguchi Exit (新南口) [New-South Exit]. Even if you take it though, it still leads you (after turning to the right after going through the ticket gates) to the Southern Terrace Entrance/Exit (サザンテラス口) which is shown in this video. So either way, you come out in the same place. (For reference, I'm also including the 2009 video below):
Shinjuku Station to Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku (ホテルサンルートプラザ新宿) - (2009)
http://youtu.be/5NLqKjFNwyg
Also for reference, here's the hotel's address and website (click on "English" at the site for English):
Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
ホテルサンルートプラザ新宿
2-3-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0053
http://www.hotelsunrouteplazashinjuku.jp/
Ikebukuro - From Central Exit (JR) to Seibu-Ikebukuro Line JR池袋駅中央改札から西武池袋線まで (121225)
http://youtu.be/n9Nxg8Jji3o
Evening Stroll by Ikebukuro Station 池袋駅前夕方散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/6O5hhAbM5gc
Ikebukuro Station Walk-through 池袋駅12月内部 (121225)
http://youtu.be/Y_CCzTWr_Uw
Ikebukuro Station Connection Tunnel 池袋駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/FJ00kXRlzkM
Ikebukuro is a large station, and has a couple of large east-west concourses - with north-south passages that connect the large concourses - this video shows one of the connecting passageways that I called "tunnel" for some reason....
Ikebukuro Station on Christmas Day (121225)
http://youtu.be/KHsbeSVjaZQ
Shinjuku - Yamanote Platform to South Exit Concourse Area 新宿駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/BPIBixvHVbI
Shinjuku Yamanote Line Daytime Platform Walk 新宿山手線ホーム散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/yg3I0aM3394
Shinjuku Station - Borderline With Shibuya-ku 新宿駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/ZUlyjGIQKb0
Areas in central Tokyo generally go by the name of the nearest train station and so the area around Shinjuku Station is referred to as "Shinjuku", but once you cross over the main road by the South Exit, you're in Shibuya! In fact, the new Shinjuku Station exits that connect to the Southern Terrace are in Shibuya. In this view, I start off standing in Shibuya (with the Southern Terrace behind me), looking across the street towards the South Entrance to Shinjuku Station, which is just inside Shinjuku-ku. When the light finally changes, I walk over into Shinjuku.
Harajuku Station - Inside View (Main Exit) 原宿駅内部表参道口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/UnUAJP8IMXM
Walking to Entrance of Takeshita-Dori 原宿の竹下通り入り口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/_v9A_9pQ7cY
I had originally planned to walk down the full length of Takeshita-Dori, but after seeing how densely packed the street was (see below), I changed my mind and headed off in another direction. Narrow shopping streets are more interesting with more people... up to a point, and beyond that, you can't do anything but shuffle along in the crowd. You can't see what's in the stores, you can't see anything well enough to take pictures (other than pictures of the mass of people by holding a camera up high over your head), and you can't stop. In the old days, when people did all their shopping from physical stores (as opposed to ordering things on-line), then the shops did good business when it was crowded, but these days, it seems to me (after a few experiences of crowd-diving into dense conditions like this) that most of the people are there to experience the *event* of the street being crowded and could care less about shopping. The result is the shop owners are stuck in their shops looking at a dense river of people flowing by, but not doing much in the way of business....
Harajuku Takeshita-Dori Crowds (Long View) 原宿竹下通り望遠ビュー (121225na)
http://youtu.be/FZHLx9A35QM
Harajuku Jingumae Main Street Winter Stroll 原宿神宮前散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/h9khCa-5cOg
Approaching Jingumae Intersection 神宮前交差点に近づく (121225)
http://youtu.be/UJlfXjVf7cg
What was otherwise a nice day was marred somewhat by a religious group advertising their particular religion from very loud and very obnoxious speaker trucks. This sort of public harassment via speaker trucks ought to be illegal.
Entrance to Tokyu Plaza (Omotesando Harajuku) Mirror City (121225na)
http://youtu.be/MrOOBi1EBRU
I'm not sure how to write the name of this place. I've seen it as "Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku" and "Tokyu Plaza Omotesando / Harajuku"... but it could also be "Tokyu Plaza Omotesando-Harajuku" or "Tokyu Plaza (Omotesando Harajuku)" etc. In any event, it's a Tokyu Plaza that is located near to both Omotesando Station (subway) and Harajuku (JR). People tend to refer to much of the area as "Omotesando", but - looking at a map - the address appears to be "Jingumae".
Jingumae Intersection (River of People) 神宮前交差点人間川 (121225)
http://youtu.be/poEKD3BBFCs
Inside of Harajuku Retail Store - December 2012 (121225)
http://youtu.be/ZfkegSFJ_dw
People Waiting for Light Show in Rooftop Park in Harajuku (121225)
http://youtu.be/h90cYvfO19Y
Sidewalk in Front of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku (121225)
http://youtu.be/tWZMK7vF_fo
Shibuya Station and Hachiko Plaza 渋谷駅と駅前ハチ子広場 (121225)
http://youtu.be/8r7TMJ0-Ovk
Shibuya Evening Stroll 渋谷夕方散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/XvBFiu1Zo4c
Shibuya - Crossing Over to Hachiko Plaza 渋谷ハチ子広場へ向かう (121225)
http://youtu.be/XzxSaqwjtKY
Ebisu Christmas Cake, Etc (Near Ebisu Station) 恵比寿駅クリスマスケーキ (121225)
http://youtu.be/zVen-bHZWdg
Ebisu Garden Place - People Photographing Chandelier Display (121225)
http://youtu.be/eZUtel9f7Xg
Ebisu Station - Upper Level Ticket Gates to Yamanote Line Platform 恵比寿駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/-QAFAJ3iv7w
Bipedal Shadows in Jingumae 神宮前の影 (121225)
http://youtu.be/MEhFTP2E8ds
Shibuya Station Walk-through (West to East) 渋谷駅 (西側から東側へ) 121225g
http://youtu.be/AYgPqypp_QU
Shibuya Station and the area around Shibuya Station is always interesting to walk around in.
Entering Shinjuku Station via South Entrance 新宿駅を入る南口 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/C-L9eIvX8Mw
Crisscross Shadows in Shinjuku 新宿のマルチ影 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/318JtVD3Bc0
Shinjuku Illuminated Walkway - Winter Lights (121225)
http://youtu.be/mrqcUw2rD7A
Entering Shinjuku Station via Temporary New South Entrance (121225)
http://youtu.be/AagWFE0iRTo
Shinjuku to Yoyogi (Yamanote Line) 新宿から代々木まで (山手線) 121225
http://youtu.be/rd6WO1Wijew
Yoyogi to Harajuku (Yamanote Line) 代々木から原宿まで (山手線) 121225
http://youtu.be/1W7pnw_e-yc
Rooftop Winter Shadows (Harajuku Omotesando) 原宿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/w7rOV57kv_Q
Looking Into the Distance from Rooftop (Harajuku Omotesando) 原宿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/arbppy0GFZY
Harajuku Jingumae - Walking to Station 原宿神宮前 - 原宿駅へ向かう (121225)
http://youtu.be/GEdRa4k2JGQ
Harajuku to Shibuya (Yamanote Line) 原宿から渋谷まで (山手線) 121225
http://youtu.be/lq5uH0Dol-g
Shibuya Scramble Crosswalk and Hachiko Plaza 夕方渋谷ハチ子など (121225)
http://youtu.be/_IDsRCdJZPw
British Pub in Ebisu (121225)
http://youtu.be/nsZM--ryGAA
This British style pub in Ebisu is a good place to experience a completely different atmosphere than most pubs and izakaya places in Tokyo. If I worked in the area, I'd probably come here more often. They also often have live music. Here's a view of the place in 2007:
Dancing Tokyo Man in Ebisu - (2007/04)
http://youtu.be/ajn31ujftF8RR
Back Onto the Streets of Ebisu (121225)
http://youtu.be/TwrmsDZahCQ
Walking Towards Ebisu Station 恵比寿駅へ向かう (121225)
http://youtu.be/GxP6gTbqAc8
Ebisu Garden Place (Lights at the Back) Christmas Day 2012 (121225)
http://youtu.be/gxh9D3LebQI
Moving Walkway Ride/Walk Back to Ebisu Station 恵比寿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/D6Dojj0NNLI
Evening Yamanote Line Side Window Night View (Shibuya) 渋谷山手線 (121225)
http://youtu.be/x_Yoab7BGoU
Otsuka Station - One Cold Evening 大塚駅 - ある寒い夜 (121225)
http://youtu.be/31UwfY3QG3g
Zebra Streetcar Passing in Otsuka 大塚市電 (121225)
http://youtu.be/mnt6qZtFFHs
New Building Construction in Otsuka 大塚駅あたりの工事 (121225)
http://youtu.be/SLD5AOaMqBM
Blue Light Tree in Otsuka 大塚青い光の木 (121225)
http://youtu.be/fx4Bt7VzORY
Entering Otsuka Station to Board Yamanote Line 大塚駅改札 (121225)
http://youtu.be/2vyUnvRqCuU
Exiting Yamanote Line at Shinjuku 新宿駅で山手線を降りる (121225)
http://youtu.be/fBgquVXPgMM
Boarding Yamanote Line at Ikebukuro 池袋駅で山手線を乗る (121225)
http://youtu.be/7zOYEFv_2tM
Shinjuku Out-of-Tune Singer - Southern Terrace Etc 新宿駅南口の音痴など (121225)
http://youtu.be/XvGwEjq9r0Q
Shibuya-Shinjuku Border Walk 渋谷から新宿へと西新宿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/e7wZ9Pt64VI
Walking down the border street between Shibuya and Shinjuku - on the Shibuya side, and then crossing over to Shinjuku, and then to Nishi-Shinjuku (formerly Yodobashi - 淀橋).
Shinjuku Southern Terrace End-of-Year Light-up (新宿) 121225
http://youtu.be/5zGrcLqziPI
I rather liked the light-up on the Southern Terrace this year. I guess it pays to not have high expectations, since then you're easier to please! I just had a vague picture in mind of lights on trees and wasn't initially very enthusiastic about going to see the illuminated areas, but when I did, I really enjoyed the experience and found the various types of illumination to be quite nice.
Illuminated Walkway - Shinjuku Southern Terrace 新宿の冬光 (121225)
http://youtu.be/dxPqD4eAO3Y
Lucky Pyramid - Winter Shinjuku Southern Terrace (新宿) 121225
http://youtu.be/FylAxb2pqaA
They gear many of these type of things towards young couples and this pyramid was set up so couples could go through, one couple at a time, holding hands. In the middle, each person put one hand onto a plaque and made a wish as a "wish-being-granted" type of sound came from speakers somewhere and an electric light masqueraded as a shooting star....
Harajuku Station and Platform Walk 原宿駅とホーム散歩 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/luHNGBT2zOo
Shibuya Center Street (Evening) 渋谷センター街 (夕方) 121225g
http://youtu.be/9WMqjCn-2W0
This street kind of draws you in when you cross the big scramble intersection in Shibuya - and since the side streets lead off to wherever, it's as good a place to start as any if you want to explore Shibuya by walking around.
Shibuya to Ebisu (Yamanote Line) 渋谷から恵比寿まで_夕方山手線 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/5LMTkoX0gfU
Ebisu Shopping Mall - Dash to Ebisu Garden Place 恵比寿散歩 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/NsJKwXoWKF4
I began recording this one in the shopping mall that is level with the upper exit of Ebisu Station, and then hurried along the Yebisu Skywalk (恵比寿スカイウォーク) that leads to Ebisu Garden Place (恵比寿ガーデンプレイス). (The video ends once I get over by the Christmas tree and the illuminated area.)
Ebisu Garden Place Christmas Tree and Lights 恵比寿ガーデンプレース (121225g)
http://youtu.be/PegJqAan8Iw
Ebisu Garden Place - Night Lights Walkabout on Christmas Day (121225g)
http://youtu.be/pV9s4zgAhqs
Cameras-Cameras at Ebisu Garden Place (Walking Up Hill on Christmas Day) 121225g
http://youtu.be/7UPnXGX1NYc
Just about everyone seemed to want to take pictures of the big chandelier - I'm not sure sure why really, but it did provide a focal point for the event as a whole. "I have reached the chandelier! Goal accomplished!" - or something!
Christmas Tree Lookaround - Ebisu Garden Place on Christmas Day (121225g)
http://youtu.be/_n_T6B2lLOo
Ikebukuro Station Area (East Side Sidewalk) 池袋駅東口の道 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/YcGiMIGwVP8
Shinjuku Station Quick Views (South Exit) 新宿駅南口急見回り (121225g)
http://youtu.be/AtyKNSQwHx4
My familiarity with Shinjuku lead me to try something a little different with the camera than my usual style. Basically it's [scene]->whoosh!->[scene]->whoosh!->[scene], etc. I like the way the first 25 seconds turned out.
Pedestrian Shadows in Shinjuku (121225g)
http://youtu.be/69pi0u1WkN4
Omotesando Multi-Mirror View 鏡鏡鏡 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/12LA1MD90j0
Mirrors are always fun! And the arrangement of so many of them at this store is quite visually entertaining/interesting.
Rooftop Park (Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku) 121225g-hd
http://youtu.be/-MUqKXOkgLg
Checking out a very nice rooftop of a new building in Harajuku - the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando-Harajuku building. (4-30-3 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 http://omohara.tokyu-plaza.com/en/)
Chuo Line Arriving and Departing from Shinjuku Station 新宿駅中央線 (121227)
http://youtu.be/xrCLrjdXhHY
Southern Terrace Illuminated Tree Path in December 2012 新宿サザンテラス (121227)
http://youtu.be/LdROJHGvM-g
Closeup Look at Illuminated Trees - Shinjuku Southern Terrace 新宿サザンテラス (121227)
http://youtu.be/gQAFxeR1n58
Entering Shinjuku Station (South Side) 南口から新宿駅を入る (121227)
http://youtu.be/tjbFfUJ3zS4
Shinjuku South Entrance to Inbound Chuo Line Platform 新宿駅南口から中央線まで (121227)
http://youtu.be/Yq7fpW0G9SQ
Tokyo Station Evening Walkabout 東京駅夕方散歩 (121227)
http://youtu.be/ofIs19bqUBo
Tokyo Station - Right-Side Dome Space Lookaround 東京駅ドーム内部 (121227)
http://youtu.be/VFjnfZ6J2eo
Tokyo Station - 360 in Front of Station (Brief Look) 121227
http://youtu.be/jqAVEcOOst8
Entering Tokyo Station from Dome Area 東京駅ドーム改札口 (121227)
http://youtu.be/tvczDKJPyc4
Outbound and Inbound Chuo Line Trains Arriving at Kokubunji (121227)
http://youtu.be/le2nG4ynnkg
Nishi-Ogikubo to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 西荻窪から新宿まで (中央線) 121227
http://youtu.be/x3B_jGuyaxg
Seibu-Tamako Line (Late at Night) 西武多摩湖線 (夜遅く) 121227
http://youtu.be/4ZxouZTU6b4
December 27th 2012 Hallways (121227)
http://youtu.be/EQMpiTbcs_M
December Illumination - Yurakucho Plaza 12月の有楽町駅前イルミネーション (121227)
http://youtu.be/lEj3pg5WoyM
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Another pleasant discovery this month was Tokyu Plaza Omotesando-Harajuku, which has a very nice roof that is kind of a park in the sky, with trees and a nice atmosphere.
And of course there are various views of trains, and views of the station areas near Otsuka, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Tokyo, and Yurakucho. With that initial introduction out of the way, here are the videos (with additional comments for some of them).
Shinjuku - South Exit to Odakyu Illumination Area 新宿光 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/T_4zEmmuSk4
I had a meeting on the west side of Shinjuku Station, so since I exited the station via the south exit, I walked through this passageway simply to get to the west side, and was very pleasantly surprised to come upon one of the best illuminations I've seen this year. This is the type of thing that keeps Tokyo interesting. You can never quite learn the whole city. You get used to an area, and know it pretty well, and then you don't go there for a few months or a few years, and when you return - generally things have changed. Of course, in this case, it's not exactly a change really, just a seasonal thing, but I had no idea they would use the area for that kind of illumination.
This video begins near the south exit of Shinjuku Station and then I walk through the narrow passage that has various small shops and whatnot towards the other end of the passage (which opens onto the west side station-front plaza). (I think the first part is basically a kind of tunnel through a building and then the rest is a narrow passageway between buildings, with shops along one side.) I had never noticed the name of this area before, but apparently it's Shinjuku Terrace City, and the "Shinjuku Southern Terrace" (which is located in Shibuya-ku actually!) is considered an extension of it - although the two parts are separated by a main road. (The passageway part is along buildings owned by Odakyu and the Southern Terrace part is a large platform built over Odakyu Railway tracks.)
Shinjuku Twilight - Raining LED Illumination 新宿LEDライトアップ (121227)
http://youtu.be/AbAk7GnPcUs
Illuminated 1914 Tokyo Station Building and 360 View 東京駅冬光 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/zDQ4VCzWjE0
The "illuminated" part of the title above refers to standard illumination of the building, by the way, not the recent light show that was canceled after only a few performances due to its being overly popular! For that, you might want to check out this video (from another YouTube poster, not from me BTW), which was recorded before things got crazy and the event was canceled:
Tokyo Michiterasu (東京 ミチテラス) 2012 HIKARI VISION (high contrast version)
http://youtu.be/OwWTpEmhJVc
After looking at the standard illumination of the 1914 Tokyo Station building, I went over to the Shin-Marunouchi Building and the Marunouchi Building to sample the bonenkai atmosphere and then had a look at the Marunouchi illumination exhibition.
Marunouchi - Tokyo Station at Night, Etc 丸の内夜の東京駅など (121227g)
http://youtu.be/YOfzMLSVANo
Marunouchi Night View (Tokyo) 丸の内夜風景 (Marunouchi Terrace) 121227g
http://youtu.be/LxNaCYIr5Jo
Bonenkai can be translated in different ways - a fairly direct translation is "forget-the-year party", but I think I prefer "end-of-year party", although it's not exactly a party, but more "going out for drinks at an izakaya", so... why not just use "bonen-kai" (party)! Anyway...
Bonenkai Mode - Marunouchi 忘年会モード丸の内 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/mj7FK5TEtDw
I was initially unhappy to hear that the original Marunouchi Building had been torn down, but I've since (some ten years after the new one opened!) warmed up to the replacement with the same name. In the case of the Shin-Marunouchi Building (where the video above was taken), I rather liked the new building from the first time I went inside, and I (unfortunately) never had an opportunity to go inside the original Shin-Marunouchi Building, so - not knowing what disappeared - there's nothing in my memory about it other than the outside shape. With the original Marunouchi Building though, I went inside and thought the building had a lot of character.
Anyway - the Shin-Marunouchi Building - with its collection of restaurants and izakaya places (in the lower retail section of the building) is a very nice modern version of the old small izakaya places that Japan does so well. The Marunouchi Building has a more settled, majestic atmosphere, and I've finally accepted it as an inevitable part of what Tokyo is - a constantly evolving city.
That said, I think (and I hear the same opinion from many of my Tokyo friends) that a little more effort should go into preserving what remains of historical Tokyo. To highlight this concept, I think just about everyone would agree that if the 1914 Tokyo Station building had been demolished, and if the old Central Post Office building had been completely demolished (the rear part of the building was demolished, but the front part of it was preserved and incorporated into a new office tower), and... (there's one more building that they preserved the facade of that I don't know the name of), then the area would be much less attractive. The combination of old and new is important - giving a sense of time and history. When *everything* is new, it's mundane due to lack of contrast.
Marunouchi Building Night Walkabout 丸の内ビル散歩 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/hnF_XuSBbY8
Marunouchi Building Night Stroll 丸の内ビル夜散歩 (121227)
http://youtu.be/a5z2ujlA1A0
Marunouchi Mode-2012 丸の内モード2012年 (121227)
http://youtu.be/LzZOTgpxv44
Exiting Marunouchi Building-2012 丸の内ビルを出る2012年 (121227)
http://youtu.be/3ZbgrxI1RjY
I've mentioned this before, but here's the link again for my 1991 visit to the old Marunouchi Building. At the end of this 1991 video, I walk out of the original Marunouchi Building in the same place that I come out of the new version of the building in 2012, so it's a way of seeing how radically the area has changed.
Marunouchi Building - March 1991
http://youtu.be/YS-18E0PN9Q
Marunouchi Starlight Walk-2012 丸の内スターライトウォーク (121227)
http://youtu.be/qSCC_0krRpI
After taking in the visually beautiful Marunouchi area, this was interesting, but seemed like... desert after the main course? The main course being the 1914 Tokyo Station building, the facade of the Central Post Office, and the various new buildings in the area.
Kanda Lights and Reflections 内神田光と反射 (121227g)
http://youtu.be/NdIGYdnr_MQ
I was sitting on a Chuo Line train, and when I turned and looked out the window, I saw this view. I'm not sure how this looks to other people, but it seemed quite beautiful to me at the time. The clear winter air makes the lights look so clear and... sparkling maybe (for want of a better term)? I don't know what term to use to describe it, but you can have a look at the video and see what it looked like for yourself.
Shinjuku Station - Chuo Platform to South Exit 新宿駅南口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/z8jIFTquih8
Under-Construction Shinjuku Bus Terminal (South Exit) 新宿駅 121225
http://youtu.be/blYBU6UikfY
It depresses me that so much effort is going into promoting travel by internal combustion engine machinery. I really wish the same effort were going into promoting rail travel! It's gotten to the point where the first method people think of when wanting to travel to another city in Japan is by an all-night bus, which is currently the cheapest way to get to other cities. I used one myself (to get to Nagoya to take pictures of the 2005 Aichi World Expo) for the same reason everyone does - it was cheaper than rail - but I really hated it. You're stuck in a narrow seat (some more expensive buses have individual seats, but not the cheapest ones) and they curtain off the entire seating area, even the front, so you can't see forward! It gives me a feeling of claustrophobia and after that one trip to Nagoya, I will try my hardest to never ride on one of those things again! "Never say never" they say, and if you *have* to be somewhere and the *only* thing you can afford is a horrible curtained-off narrow seat on a bloody bus, then you do what you have to do, but I think it's a horrible mistake to promote fossil-fuel-burning internal combustion engined buses over trains.
Shinjuku Shin-Minamiguchi (Under Construction) 新宿新南口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/XGstL9lLptw
Exiting Shinjuku Station via Shin-Minamiguchi 新宿新南口 (121225na)
http://youtu.be/lzRoUfLY_fc
Bridge to Southern Terrace 新宿サザンテラス橋 (121225)
http://youtu.be/ZtoAenwVYkY
Shin-Minamiguchi to Narita Express Platform (Shinjuku) 新宿新南口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/Wei1kV16XiY
Narita Express (NEX) to Shin-Minamiguchi and Southern Terrace 121225
http://youtu.be/mtBH-FaDU2c
This is basically an update to a video I posted in November 2009 showing the route to Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku (ホテルサンルートプラザ新宿) from Shinjuku Station (assuming that you go to Shinjuku via the Narita Express train and exit via the Southern Terrace Exit). The basic route hasn't changed, but there is now a new exit called Shin-Minamiguchi Exit (新南口) [New-South Exit]. Even if you take it though, it still leads you (after turning to the right after going through the ticket gates) to the Southern Terrace Entrance/Exit (サザンテラス口) which is shown in this video. So either way, you come out in the same place. (For reference, I'm also including the 2009 video below):
Shinjuku Station to Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku (ホテルサンルートプラザ新宿) - (2009)
http://youtu.be/5NLqKjFNwyg
Also for reference, here's the hotel's address and website (click on "English" at the site for English):
Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
ホテルサンルートプラザ新宿
2-3-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0053
http://www.hotelsunrouteplazashinjuku.jp/
Ikebukuro - From Central Exit (JR) to Seibu-Ikebukuro Line JR池袋駅中央改札から西武池袋線まで (121225)
http://youtu.be/n9Nxg8Jji3o
Evening Stroll by Ikebukuro Station 池袋駅前夕方散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/6O5hhAbM5gc
Ikebukuro Station Walk-through 池袋駅12月内部 (121225)
http://youtu.be/Y_CCzTWr_Uw
Ikebukuro Station Connection Tunnel 池袋駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/FJ00kXRlzkM
Ikebukuro is a large station, and has a couple of large east-west concourses - with north-south passages that connect the large concourses - this video shows one of the connecting passageways that I called "tunnel" for some reason....
Ikebukuro Station on Christmas Day (121225)
http://youtu.be/KHsbeSVjaZQ
Shinjuku - Yamanote Platform to South Exit Concourse Area 新宿駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/BPIBixvHVbI
Shinjuku Yamanote Line Daytime Platform Walk 新宿山手線ホーム散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/yg3I0aM3394
Shinjuku Station - Borderline With Shibuya-ku 新宿駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/ZUlyjGIQKb0
Areas in central Tokyo generally go by the name of the nearest train station and so the area around Shinjuku Station is referred to as "Shinjuku", but once you cross over the main road by the South Exit, you're in Shibuya! In fact, the new Shinjuku Station exits that connect to the Southern Terrace are in Shibuya. In this view, I start off standing in Shibuya (with the Southern Terrace behind me), looking across the street towards the South Entrance to Shinjuku Station, which is just inside Shinjuku-ku. When the light finally changes, I walk over into Shinjuku.
Harajuku Station - Inside View (Main Exit) 原宿駅内部表参道口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/UnUAJP8IMXM
Walking to Entrance of Takeshita-Dori 原宿の竹下通り入り口 (121225)
http://youtu.be/_v9A_9pQ7cY
I had originally planned to walk down the full length of Takeshita-Dori, but after seeing how densely packed the street was (see below), I changed my mind and headed off in another direction. Narrow shopping streets are more interesting with more people... up to a point, and beyond that, you can't do anything but shuffle along in the crowd. You can't see what's in the stores, you can't see anything well enough to take pictures (other than pictures of the mass of people by holding a camera up high over your head), and you can't stop. In the old days, when people did all their shopping from physical stores (as opposed to ordering things on-line), then the shops did good business when it was crowded, but these days, it seems to me (after a few experiences of crowd-diving into dense conditions like this) that most of the people are there to experience the *event* of the street being crowded and could care less about shopping. The result is the shop owners are stuck in their shops looking at a dense river of people flowing by, but not doing much in the way of business....
Harajuku Takeshita-Dori Crowds (Long View) 原宿竹下通り望遠ビュー (121225na)
http://youtu.be/FZHLx9A35QM
Harajuku Jingumae Main Street Winter Stroll 原宿神宮前散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/h9khCa-5cOg
Approaching Jingumae Intersection 神宮前交差点に近づく (121225)
http://youtu.be/UJlfXjVf7cg
What was otherwise a nice day was marred somewhat by a religious group advertising their particular religion from very loud and very obnoxious speaker trucks. This sort of public harassment via speaker trucks ought to be illegal.
Entrance to Tokyu Plaza (Omotesando Harajuku) Mirror City (121225na)
http://youtu.be/MrOOBi1EBRU
I'm not sure how to write the name of this place. I've seen it as "Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku" and "Tokyu Plaza Omotesando / Harajuku"... but it could also be "Tokyu Plaza Omotesando-Harajuku" or "Tokyu Plaza (Omotesando Harajuku)" etc. In any event, it's a Tokyu Plaza that is located near to both Omotesando Station (subway) and Harajuku (JR). People tend to refer to much of the area as "Omotesando", but - looking at a map - the address appears to be "Jingumae".
Jingumae Intersection (River of People) 神宮前交差点人間川 (121225)
http://youtu.be/poEKD3BBFCs
Inside of Harajuku Retail Store - December 2012 (121225)
http://youtu.be/ZfkegSFJ_dw
People Waiting for Light Show in Rooftop Park in Harajuku (121225)
http://youtu.be/h90cYvfO19Y
Sidewalk in Front of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku (121225)
http://youtu.be/tWZMK7vF_fo
Shibuya Station and Hachiko Plaza 渋谷駅と駅前ハチ子広場 (121225)
http://youtu.be/8r7TMJ0-Ovk
Shibuya Evening Stroll 渋谷夕方散歩 (121225)
http://youtu.be/XvBFiu1Zo4c
Shibuya - Crossing Over to Hachiko Plaza 渋谷ハチ子広場へ向かう (121225)
http://youtu.be/XzxSaqwjtKY
Ebisu Christmas Cake, Etc (Near Ebisu Station) 恵比寿駅クリスマスケーキ (121225)
http://youtu.be/zVen-bHZWdg
Ebisu Garden Place - People Photographing Chandelier Display (121225)
http://youtu.be/eZUtel9f7Xg
Ebisu Station - Upper Level Ticket Gates to Yamanote Line Platform 恵比寿駅 (121225)
http://youtu.be/-QAFAJ3iv7w
Bipedal Shadows in Jingumae 神宮前の影 (121225)
http://youtu.be/MEhFTP2E8ds
Shibuya Station Walk-through (West to East) 渋谷駅 (西側から東側へ) 121225g
http://youtu.be/AYgPqypp_QU
Shibuya Station and the area around Shibuya Station is always interesting to walk around in.
Entering Shinjuku Station via South Entrance 新宿駅を入る南口 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/C-L9eIvX8Mw
Crisscross Shadows in Shinjuku 新宿のマルチ影 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/318JtVD3Bc0
Shinjuku Illuminated Walkway - Winter Lights (121225)
http://youtu.be/mrqcUw2rD7A
Entering Shinjuku Station via Temporary New South Entrance (121225)
http://youtu.be/AagWFE0iRTo
Shinjuku to Yoyogi (Yamanote Line) 新宿から代々木まで (山手線) 121225
http://youtu.be/rd6WO1Wijew
Yoyogi to Harajuku (Yamanote Line) 代々木から原宿まで (山手線) 121225
http://youtu.be/1W7pnw_e-yc
Rooftop Winter Shadows (Harajuku Omotesando) 原宿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/w7rOV57kv_Q
Looking Into the Distance from Rooftop (Harajuku Omotesando) 原宿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/arbppy0GFZY
Harajuku Jingumae - Walking to Station 原宿神宮前 - 原宿駅へ向かう (121225)
http://youtu.be/GEdRa4k2JGQ
Harajuku to Shibuya (Yamanote Line) 原宿から渋谷まで (山手線) 121225
http://youtu.be/lq5uH0Dol-g
Shibuya Scramble Crosswalk and Hachiko Plaza 夕方渋谷ハチ子など (121225)
http://youtu.be/_IDsRCdJZPw
British Pub in Ebisu (121225)
http://youtu.be/nsZM--ryGAA
This British style pub in Ebisu is a good place to experience a completely different atmosphere than most pubs and izakaya places in Tokyo. If I worked in the area, I'd probably come here more often. They also often have live music. Here's a view of the place in 2007:
Dancing Tokyo Man in Ebisu - (2007/04)
http://youtu.be/ajn31ujftF8RR
Back Onto the Streets of Ebisu (121225)
http://youtu.be/TwrmsDZahCQ
Walking Towards Ebisu Station 恵比寿駅へ向かう (121225)
http://youtu.be/GxP6gTbqAc8
Ebisu Garden Place (Lights at the Back) Christmas Day 2012 (121225)
http://youtu.be/gxh9D3LebQI
Moving Walkway Ride/Walk Back to Ebisu Station 恵比寿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/D6Dojj0NNLI
Evening Yamanote Line Side Window Night View (Shibuya) 渋谷山手線 (121225)
http://youtu.be/x_Yoab7BGoU
Otsuka Station - One Cold Evening 大塚駅 - ある寒い夜 (121225)
http://youtu.be/31UwfY3QG3g
Zebra Streetcar Passing in Otsuka 大塚市電 (121225)
http://youtu.be/mnt6qZtFFHs
New Building Construction in Otsuka 大塚駅あたりの工事 (121225)
http://youtu.be/SLD5AOaMqBM
Blue Light Tree in Otsuka 大塚青い光の木 (121225)
http://youtu.be/fx4Bt7VzORY
Entering Otsuka Station to Board Yamanote Line 大塚駅改札 (121225)
http://youtu.be/2vyUnvRqCuU
Exiting Yamanote Line at Shinjuku 新宿駅で山手線を降りる (121225)
http://youtu.be/fBgquVXPgMM
Boarding Yamanote Line at Ikebukuro 池袋駅で山手線を乗る (121225)
http://youtu.be/7zOYEFv_2tM
Shinjuku Out-of-Tune Singer - Southern Terrace Etc 新宿駅南口の音痴など (121225)
http://youtu.be/XvGwEjq9r0Q
Shibuya-Shinjuku Border Walk 渋谷から新宿へと西新宿 (121225)
http://youtu.be/e7wZ9Pt64VI
Walking down the border street between Shibuya and Shinjuku - on the Shibuya side, and then crossing over to Shinjuku, and then to Nishi-Shinjuku (formerly Yodobashi - 淀橋).
Shinjuku Southern Terrace End-of-Year Light-up (新宿) 121225
http://youtu.be/5zGrcLqziPI
I rather liked the light-up on the Southern Terrace this year. I guess it pays to not have high expectations, since then you're easier to please! I just had a vague picture in mind of lights on trees and wasn't initially very enthusiastic about going to see the illuminated areas, but when I did, I really enjoyed the experience and found the various types of illumination to be quite nice.
Illuminated Walkway - Shinjuku Southern Terrace 新宿の冬光 (121225)
http://youtu.be/dxPqD4eAO3Y
Lucky Pyramid - Winter Shinjuku Southern Terrace (新宿) 121225
http://youtu.be/FylAxb2pqaA
They gear many of these type of things towards young couples and this pyramid was set up so couples could go through, one couple at a time, holding hands. In the middle, each person put one hand onto a plaque and made a wish as a "wish-being-granted" type of sound came from speakers somewhere and an electric light masqueraded as a shooting star....
Harajuku Station and Platform Walk 原宿駅とホーム散歩 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/luHNGBT2zOo
Shibuya Center Street (Evening) 渋谷センター街 (夕方) 121225g
http://youtu.be/9WMqjCn-2W0
This street kind of draws you in when you cross the big scramble intersection in Shibuya - and since the side streets lead off to wherever, it's as good a place to start as any if you want to explore Shibuya by walking around.
Shibuya to Ebisu (Yamanote Line) 渋谷から恵比寿まで_夕方山手線 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/5LMTkoX0gfU
Ebisu Shopping Mall - Dash to Ebisu Garden Place 恵比寿散歩 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/NsJKwXoWKF4
I began recording this one in the shopping mall that is level with the upper exit of Ebisu Station, and then hurried along the Yebisu Skywalk (恵比寿スカイウォーク) that leads to Ebisu Garden Place (恵比寿ガーデンプレイス). (The video ends once I get over by the Christmas tree and the illuminated area.)
Ebisu Garden Place Christmas Tree and Lights 恵比寿ガーデンプレース (121225g)
http://youtu.be/PegJqAan8Iw
Ebisu Garden Place - Night Lights Walkabout on Christmas Day (121225g)
http://youtu.be/pV9s4zgAhqs
Cameras-Cameras at Ebisu Garden Place (Walking Up Hill on Christmas Day) 121225g
http://youtu.be/7UPnXGX1NYc
Just about everyone seemed to want to take pictures of the big chandelier - I'm not sure sure why really, but it did provide a focal point for the event as a whole. "I have reached the chandelier! Goal accomplished!" - or something!
Christmas Tree Lookaround - Ebisu Garden Place on Christmas Day (121225g)
http://youtu.be/_n_T6B2lLOo
Ikebukuro Station Area (East Side Sidewalk) 池袋駅東口の道 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/YcGiMIGwVP8
Shinjuku Station Quick Views (South Exit) 新宿駅南口急見回り (121225g)
http://youtu.be/AtyKNSQwHx4
My familiarity with Shinjuku lead me to try something a little different with the camera than my usual style. Basically it's [scene]->whoosh!->[scene]->whoosh!->[scene], etc. I like the way the first 25 seconds turned out.
Pedestrian Shadows in Shinjuku (121225g)
http://youtu.be/69pi0u1WkN4
Omotesando Multi-Mirror View 鏡鏡鏡 (121225g)
http://youtu.be/12LA1MD90j0
Mirrors are always fun! And the arrangement of so many of them at this store is quite visually entertaining/interesting.
Rooftop Park (Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku) 121225g-hd
http://youtu.be/-MUqKXOkgLg
Checking out a very nice rooftop of a new building in Harajuku - the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando-Harajuku building. (4-30-3 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 http://omohara.tokyu-plaza.com/en/)
Chuo Line Arriving and Departing from Shinjuku Station 新宿駅中央線 (121227)
http://youtu.be/xrCLrjdXhHY
Southern Terrace Illuminated Tree Path in December 2012 新宿サザンテラス (121227)
http://youtu.be/LdROJHGvM-g
Closeup Look at Illuminated Trees - Shinjuku Southern Terrace 新宿サザンテラス (121227)
http://youtu.be/gQAFxeR1n58
Entering Shinjuku Station (South Side) 南口から新宿駅を入る (121227)
http://youtu.be/tjbFfUJ3zS4
Shinjuku South Entrance to Inbound Chuo Line Platform 新宿駅南口から中央線まで (121227)
http://youtu.be/Yq7fpW0G9SQ
Tokyo Station Evening Walkabout 東京駅夕方散歩 (121227)
http://youtu.be/ofIs19bqUBo
Tokyo Station - Right-Side Dome Space Lookaround 東京駅ドーム内部 (121227)
http://youtu.be/VFjnfZ6J2eo
Tokyo Station - 360 in Front of Station (Brief Look) 121227
http://youtu.be/jqAVEcOOst8
Entering Tokyo Station from Dome Area 東京駅ドーム改札口 (121227)
http://youtu.be/tvczDKJPyc4
Outbound and Inbound Chuo Line Trains Arriving at Kokubunji (121227)
http://youtu.be/le2nG4ynnkg
Nishi-Ogikubo to Shinjuku (Chuo Line) 西荻窪から新宿まで (中央線) 121227
http://youtu.be/x3B_jGuyaxg
Seibu-Tamako Line (Late at Night) 西武多摩湖線 (夜遅く) 121227
http://youtu.be/4ZxouZTU6b4
December 27th 2012 Hallways (121227)
http://youtu.be/EQMpiTbcs_M
December Illumination - Yurakucho Plaza 12月の有楽町駅前イルミネーション (121227)
http://youtu.be/lEj3pg5WoyM
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 24, 2012
"Reconstructed Tokyo Station - 2012/10)"
"Reconstructed Tokyo Station - 2012/10)"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Tokyo Station (HD), Uenohara Station, and Old-Type JR Train"
The first few videos are of Tokyo Station (in HD), basically covering the inside from the Chuo Line platform to the Yaesu Exit area, with a quick look at the front of the Yaesu side from the street, showing the construction cranes, etc. (That particular construction project has been going on for a loooong time!) There are early morning views of Uenohara Station, and views from one of the old-type JR trains that runs between Otsuki and Takao.
Chuo Line Train Departing Tokyo Station 中央線東京駅から出発 (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/3lBoMwu-_Yo
Tokyo Station - Chuo Line to Yaesu Exit 東京駅中央線から八重洲出口まで (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/vRAEj-wQFU0
Tokyo Station as shopping mall. I'm still not quite used to the combination of station and sparkling department store food section, but it does give the station a more interesting atmosphere.
Temporary Pedestrian Tunnel (Tokyo Station Yaesu-Guchi) 東京駅八重洲口 (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/OMzynL6rYo4
The white tunnel goes through the construction zone. Periodically, the location of these temporary tunnels changes as they proceed with the large construction project on that side of the station.
Waiting for Chuo Line Train to Depart Tokyo Station (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/_jp28jmmhLM
Glimpse of Ginza-One Exhibition Closing Party - December 2012 (121222)
http://youtu.be/B1cQIh41tMg
1115 PM Tokyo Station Concourse 東京駅夜遅く (121222)
http://youtu.be/1cOuXR52d9c
A late-night view of the inside of Tokyo Station. With all the stores closed, this is similar in a way to how most train stations were before.
Uenohara Station Walkabout (515AM) 山梨県の上野原駅 (朝早く) 121223
http://youtu.be/6S7aELrjuf8
Uenohara Station is in Yamanashi Prefecture - just over the border with a narrow arm of Kanagawa Prefecture which the Chuo Line cuts through. Coming from Tokyo, you pass through Kanagawa Prefecture (Sagamiko and Fujino Stations) and cross into Yamanashi Prefecture just before Uenohara Station.
Uenohara Station Platform View (Early Morning) 山梨県の上野原駅 (始発電車) 121223
http://youtu.be/2GvTz7WwTwk
This is a good example of how most stations used to be - with the central area of the platform roofed and well-lit, while the extreme ends of the platform are out in the open air and sparsely illuminated. I generally like this layout better than the new ones. With this arrangement, you can wander around and go into different atmospheres while waiting for the train to arrive. The more modern arrangement with 100% over-lighting of every centimeter of the platform and with all areas roofed (and even walled) cuts people off from the world. It's good to be able to walk out under the stars and away from unpleasant over-lighting....
Uenohara First [of the day] Chuo Main Line Train 中央本線始発電車が遣って来る (121223)
http://youtu.be/_qXPiNPlxK0
Watching the first train of the day arrive.
Old Type JR Train Departing Uenohara (Inside View) 懐かしいJR電車 (上野原駅) 121223
http://youtu.be/HEcgGz5bZKI
Speaking of liking an old design better than newer ones - the design, layout, sounds, and general feel of these old JR (put into service when it was JNR) trains I much prefer to the newer, poorly ventilated, over-illuminated trains. The seating arrangement I can't complain about too much, as it's obviously more practical to have the long bench seats along the windows than to have them in cubicles (to better handle large numbers of people riding the trains), but the direct, harsh, overly powerful lighting and poor ventilation (no ceiling vents, fewer openable windows, etc.) doesn't seem to me to be really necessary. Regarding lighting, I can tell you - as a photographer - that blasting bright light directly into a camera lens doesn't make for good pictures, and the same principal applies for eyes.
Fujino to Sagamiko and Takao 藤野から相模湖と高尾まで (中央本線で) 121223g
http://youtu.be/OnG_nY-m__U
The variety afforded by different types of seats, openable vents in the ceiling, openable windows, and more interesting noises makes riding in these old type trains a more enjoyable experience than riding in the new ones.
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Chuo Line Train Departing Tokyo Station 中央線東京駅から出発 (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/3lBoMwu-_Yo
Tokyo Station - Chuo Line to Yaesu Exit 東京駅中央線から八重洲出口まで (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/vRAEj-wQFU0
Tokyo Station as shopping mall. I'm still not quite used to the combination of station and sparkling department store food section, but it does give the station a more interesting atmosphere.
Temporary Pedestrian Tunnel (Tokyo Station Yaesu-Guchi) 東京駅八重洲口 (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/OMzynL6rYo4
The white tunnel goes through the construction zone. Periodically, the location of these temporary tunnels changes as they proceed with the large construction project on that side of the station.
Waiting for Chuo Line Train to Depart Tokyo Station (121222hd)
http://youtu.be/_jp28jmmhLM
Glimpse of Ginza-One Exhibition Closing Party - December 2012 (121222)
http://youtu.be/B1cQIh41tMg
1115 PM Tokyo Station Concourse 東京駅夜遅く (121222)
http://youtu.be/1cOuXR52d9c
A late-night view of the inside of Tokyo Station. With all the stores closed, this is similar in a way to how most train stations were before.
Uenohara Station Walkabout (515AM) 山梨県の上野原駅 (朝早く) 121223
http://youtu.be/6S7aELrjuf8
Uenohara Station is in Yamanashi Prefecture - just over the border with a narrow arm of Kanagawa Prefecture which the Chuo Line cuts through. Coming from Tokyo, you pass through Kanagawa Prefecture (Sagamiko and Fujino Stations) and cross into Yamanashi Prefecture just before Uenohara Station.
Uenohara Station Platform View (Early Morning) 山梨県の上野原駅 (始発電車) 121223
http://youtu.be/2GvTz7WwTwk
This is a good example of how most stations used to be - with the central area of the platform roofed and well-lit, while the extreme ends of the platform are out in the open air and sparsely illuminated. I generally like this layout better than the new ones. With this arrangement, you can wander around and go into different atmospheres while waiting for the train to arrive. The more modern arrangement with 100% over-lighting of every centimeter of the platform and with all areas roofed (and even walled) cuts people off from the world. It's good to be able to walk out under the stars and away from unpleasant over-lighting....
Uenohara First [of the day] Chuo Main Line Train 中央本線始発電車が遣って来る (121223)
http://youtu.be/_qXPiNPlxK0
Watching the first train of the day arrive.
Old Type JR Train Departing Uenohara (Inside View) 懐かしいJR電車 (上野原駅) 121223
http://youtu.be/HEcgGz5bZKI
Speaking of liking an old design better than newer ones - the design, layout, sounds, and general feel of these old JR (put into service when it was JNR) trains I much prefer to the newer, poorly ventilated, over-illuminated trains. The seating arrangement I can't complain about too much, as it's obviously more practical to have the long bench seats along the windows than to have them in cubicles (to better handle large numbers of people riding the trains), but the direct, harsh, overly powerful lighting and poor ventilation (no ceiling vents, fewer openable windows, etc.) doesn't seem to me to be really necessary. Regarding lighting, I can tell you - as a photographer - that blasting bright light directly into a camera lens doesn't make for good pictures, and the same principal applies for eyes.
Fujino to Sagamiko and Takao 藤野から相模湖と高尾まで (中央本線で) 121223g
http://youtu.be/OnG_nY-m__U
The variety afforded by different types of seats, openable vents in the ceiling, openable windows, and more interesting noises makes riding in these old type trains a more enjoyable experience than riding in the new ones.
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
"Shadows in Shibuya - 2012"
"Shadows in Shibuya - 2012"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Old House in Shinagawa - 2012"
"Old House in Shinagawa - 2012"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Time; December Lights in Shinjuku, Ginza, etc.; Ogikubo Shotengai, Etc."
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/
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/
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/
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