For this batch of video streams, I focused on the Sobu Line (総武線) stopping at several stations east of Akihabara, from Ryogoku to Koiwa (the last station in Tokyo before crossing over into Chiba). Two days are involved - the first showing Ryogoku and Koiwa in the afternoon, and the next showing Shinbashi in the early evening (including the twilight zone of the day), and then several nighttime walk-around views out in Koiwa, Shin-Koiwa, Hirai, Kameido, Kinshicho, Etc. I've written some comments by the individual videos below, but mostly I'm leaving the video titles to speak for themselves.
Ogawa to Higashi-Murayama (121020)
http://youtu.be/UjuwvUmjC3E
Out on the Seibu Line.
Akihabara to Yurakucho (Afternoon) 121023
http://youtu.be/1xVf9EKRUfM
Ginza, Walking Towards 4-Chome Intersection (Noisy Truck) 121023
http://youtu.be/eiIROtNN1PA
The noisy beep-beep-beep noise is tied in with the truck's turn signal - the idea being that it's safer to blast the air waves with irritating sound every time it turns so people don't get run over... which might be a good idea, but it seems to me it might be a good idea (in the interest of not overly disturbing the sound mix of the area) to turn the turn signal off while sitting there waiting for the light to turn green.
Edge of Ginza at Night (121023)
http://youtu.be/SoxCilUBSVY
Kyobashi Construction at Night (121023)
http://youtu.be/jku13nO3zOQ
This construction is probably tied in with the high-rise 180-degrees behind the camera angle (not visible in the video). Since a subway line runs under the street there, they're probably doing the connecting construction that will tie the subway in with the B1 level of the building (easy access to the building when the weather is bad, etc.).
Tokyo to Yurakucho (At Night) 121023
http://youtu.be/U85LYeeYoXw
Yurakucho to Tokyo (At Night) 121023
http://youtu.be/nnzRH1xFsps
Tobu Line Two-Cab Junction (121024)
http://youtu.be/zxtUVMqyea0
Often long trains that split into two parts for branch lines further down the line have cabs in the middle of the train, where the split takes place. Also, there are some long trains (10-15 cars) that appear to end up with cabs in the middle just because that was the type of train car available when they made up the train. In any case, generally a pair of cabs in the middle of the train forms an internal barrier so you can't walk through the train past that point, but the Tobu-Tojo Line has (some?/all?) trains in which an internal passageway can be formed that leads through the two cabs. This video shows that type of passageway.
Tobu Line Afternoon Window View (121024)
http://youtu.be/QN4TS2R7WcI
Tokyo to Asakusabashi (Daytime) 121023
http://youtu.be/Qbpa-t5Qjx8
Main Street 360 Near Asakusabashi Station (121023)
http://youtu.be/ufzhgLr9Mc0
Asakusabashi Subway Entrance (Street Level) 121023
http://youtu.be/aXC10__iXdM
Shrine in Asakusabashi (121023)
http://youtu.be/LbyqoJzn-8k
Side Street Walkabout Asakusabashi (121023)
http://youtu.be/kTbvB29flk0
Asakusabashi to Ryogoku (121023)
http://youtu.be/LNy0B3WdFuU
Ryogoku Station (Exiting South Side) 121023
http://youtu.be/4ps1BBskLi8
Ryogoku Walkabout, South Side, 3-Chome (Afternoon) 121023
http://youtu.be/xUGR-LY3fxU
Ryogoku, Inside of Old Station Building (Quick Look) 121023
http://youtu.be/1FSz79-Q_Pw
Ryogoku Station Entrance (Early Afternoon) 121023
http://youtu.be/cD8zikJtER8
Ryogoku to Koiwa (Daytime) 121023
http://youtu.be/BcTDjyuICXE
Exiting Koiwa Station (Afternoon) 121023
http://youtu.be/_TcO5klG5hk
Koiwa, South Side Walkabout (Afternoon Izakaya Street) 121023
http://youtu.be/UpUnUj-DMpg
Koiwa Side Street (Early Afternoon) 121023
http://youtu.be/PKx6-s1jPFw
Koiwa to Akihabara (Front Cab View) Afternoon (121023)
http://youtu.be/F7HDbSdyV6M
Ryogoku - Front of Old Station Building (121023g)
http://youtu.be/m5iVqJK47gQ
Kameido to Kinshicho (Sobu Line) 総武線亀戸から錦糸町 (121025)
http://youtu.be/XgIHKEkHgv8
Exiting Kinshicho Station (North Side) 錦糸町駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/qpfwdCCbhPY
Kinshicho Station Plazas (North and South Sides) 錦糸町駅広場 (121025)
http://youtu.be/iwzhfpoIKgs
Kinshicho to Ryogoku (Nighttime Sobu Line) 錦糸町から両国まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/o-CAUnHtCxo
Asakusabashi to Akihabara (Late Night Train) 浅草橋から秋葉原まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/5-X-yW7d7Y4
Akihabara to Kanda (Kanda Under Construction) 秋葉原から神田まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/JHCfQzEBjKY
Kanda Station Platform (Late at Night) 夜の神田駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/i5EFG0KTy00
Twilight Shinbashi SL Plaza (October) 新橋駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/bL8pjBWkmA0
Shinjuku to Ebisu (Afternoon Saikyo Line) 新宿から恵比寿まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/dpBO3pUYoTc
Entering Hibiya Line (Ebisu Station) 日比谷線の恵比寿駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/M5ywapimxeo
I considered titling this "JR to Hibiya Line Transfer" but the video only begins already halfway to the Hibiya Line and so only shows the exit area of the JR part of the station. The subway entrance area was under construction for some time - I think this is the first I've seen it since it was extensively renovated.
Ebisu to Hiro (Hibiya Line) Window Reflections 恵比寿から広尾まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/JruLdRGRBuw
Looking out a side window while the subway train runs through its tunnel, there's not much to see of course, but I think it's important to record some clips like this to get the *sound* of the train recorded. Much of the ambiance of places is provided by the sounds there, and they often change a lot with time.
Small Shrine in Central Tokyo (121025)
http://youtu.be/pj3fmGQyUbw
Construction Groundwork in Shinbashi 新橋 (121025)
http://youtu.be/4sAEWMxwlGY
Shinbashi Evening Side Street Stroll 新橋夕方散歩 (121025)
http://youtu.be/ocMV_k7o2yU
Shinbashi Izakaya Side Street (Early Evening) 新橋居酒屋 (121025)
http://youtu.be/-r5ZbFPA_fs
Twilight Shinbashi Streets (Izakaya Etc) 新橋居酒屋 (121025)
http://youtu.be/R2IOaf2Nrv4
Shinbashi (Twilight Sidewalks Izakaya Etc) 新橋居酒屋 (121025)
http://youtu.be/6yPRgepoFos
Shinbashi to Yurakucho 新橋から有楽町まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/SrAv93QBPDw
Tokyo to Akihabara (Window Reflections) 東京から秋葉原まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/5u3vmR4JSPQ
Akihabara Station (Early Evening Rush - Platform Walk Etc) 秋葉原駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/Zc6NrP-fyf0
Akihabara to Ryogoku (and Departing Ryogoku) 秋葉原から両国 (121025)
http://youtu.be/4FViPzSSj-0
Departing Kinshicho (Towards Kameido via Sobu Line) 錦糸町総武線 (121025)
http://youtu.be/iEfwt89mI2U
Koiwa (North Side Sanpo) 小岩駅北側散歩 (121025)
http://youtu.be/WZmlEHUK3co
Nishi-Koiwa Side Street (North Exit) 西小岩北側 (121025)
http://youtu.be/U9IuBzJCk8w
Koiwa Izakaya Street (Evening) 小岩夕方居酒屋道 (121025)
http://youtu.be/Z2DvkfEGepc
Koiwa Quiet Evening Sun Road Shotengai 小岩サンロード商店街 (121025)
http://youtu.be/nFiD1DJtkmk
Koiwa South Side Walkabout (Night) 小岩南側夜散歩 (121025)
http://youtu.be/6A-ulbY5mro
Koiwa Station (Both Sides of Ticket Gates) 小岩駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/JIyne8LSZfg
The purpose of this video was to show Koiwa Station during the evening rush, so I walked around inside the station a bit - showing both the inside and outside of the ticket gates.
Koiwa to Shin-Koiwa (Sobu Line) 総武線の小岩から新小岩まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/SgtSxd9ezE0
Shin-Koiwa Platform to Blue Light Passageway (Nishi-Shinkoiwa) 121025
http://youtu.be/iJig1v8S5xs
Nishi-Shinkoiwa Walkabout (at Night) 西新小岩散歩 (121025)
http://youtu.be/YuREvXKodDk
Shin-Koiwa Station Walkabout 新小岩駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/r7wglGULxT0
Shin-Koiwa Shotengai Stroll 新小岩商店街散歩 (121025)
http://youtu.be/GgVwen6wFnQ
Mostly Quiet Street Under the Moon 月の下 (121025)
http://youtu.be/qUD5UgZyais
Entering Shin-Koiwa Station 新小岩駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/yDDtyKpE_TA
Shin-Koiwa to Hirai (Night) ETS-Button 新小岩から平井まで (121025)
http://youtu.be/0PSxFyqtO9s
Towards the end of this video, you can hear the emergency buzzer going off (which I have named "ETS" for "Emergency Train Stop" - I'm not sure what the official name is... maybe the same?). I watched a train come in (recorded in this video) and was about to head down to the exit gates when I noticed the buzzer had gone off, so I turned around to see what was happening. It turned out (not exactly recorded in the video, although you can hear the voices a little) that two women were accusing an obviously drunk man of having done something wrong on the train. I figured it would be rude/wrong to stand and watch, so I resumed my original course for the exit gates as the drama was still underway.
Hirai Late Night Walkabout (Lonely Shotengai) 平井夜の商店街 (121025)
http://youtu.be/wvPrN9VmpJA
Lonely Streets in Hirai (Moon Through Clouds) 平井 (121025)
http://youtu.be/X2C9LaTMxJQ
Hirai Night Stroll 平井の夜散歩 (121025)
http://youtu.be/uyTGDtSlptQ
Entering Hirai Station (South Entrance) 平井駅南口 (121025)
http://youtu.be/DVQI-Xq-GgA
Exiting Kameido Station 亀戸駅 (121025)
http://youtu.be/5mWsijHZ4gg
Kameido Side Street off Main Street 亀戸 (121025)
http://youtu.be/9T741d1ln50
Kameido Izakaya Side Streets (North Side) 亀戸北側居酒屋道 (121025)
http://youtu.be/DG35mjJewRE
Kameido Late Night Shotengai 亀戸 (121025)
http://youtu.be/mU4DmL9Y7x0
Kameido (Walking Towards Station) 亀戸 (121025)
http://youtu.be/FfW9PhlU8ls
Kameido Izakaya Street (South Side) 亀戸南側居酒屋 (121025)
http://youtu.be/qp9r3zeEePw
Kameido Main Street Intersection 亀戸大通 (121025)
http://youtu.be/F6WKhmu3xvY
Elevated Train Passes Main Street (Kameido Sounds) 亀戸電車の音 (121025)
http://youtu.be/GYpPSL8cR4E
There's nothing particularly unique about the individual elements of this video, but I think it captures fairly well a certain feeling/atmosphere of life in Tokyo. Life here is tied in with the train system, and after finishing work and/or leaving a restaurant/izakaya in the evening, these are the typical sights and sounds you tend to see and hear while walking to the station to head for home for the day. (Reviewing this video again after writing that, I should say that what I particularly had in mind was the last third of the video, in which I walk under the rail bridge while heading for the station entrance.)
Tagami Masakatsu (October 2012) Exhibition at Gallery Kazuki (画廊香月) - 121023
http://youtu.be/_Q5oI1bpTt0
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
"Shinjuku Construction (September 2012)"
"Shinjuku Construction (September 2012)"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Kawagoe Matsuri 川越まつり- 2012"
This whole batch is of my visit this year to the Kawagoe Matsuri (川越まつり). The video clips are arranged in chronological order, so if you watch them that way (from one to twenty-six), you can get some idea of the progression of the event over several hours. I got there in the afternoon and left not long after darkness fell. I considered staying a little later, but a lot of new people were pouring into the event for the after dark segment and it was getting to the point where you couldn't move about very freely.
When there are very few people at a festival, it feels lonely and neglected, and then, as more people arrive, it gets livelier and more interesting (a feeling that gets stronger with more people still), but when it gets to the point where you can't freely navigate around the event, it becomes less fun and a feeling of wanting to be free of the crowds sets in. It was basically at that point that I headed for the station and took a train towards home.
When I arrived in Kawagoe for the festival, the first thing I did was get some food at a couple of the many food stalls set up for the event, and then I began walking around - exploring the different streets, watching the traditional floats and listening to the live music played from people on each float.
I think my favorite aspect to the event is that they close off several blocks of the city to all motor vehicles, and people on foot take over the streets. Were that this was the constant state of cities the world over! I understand how important cars are out in the countryside, but in the city, they're a curse. (Incidentally, I don't think the degree to which Japan has become a car culture is fully understood outside Japan. While Tokyo simply would not function without mass transit, it's a point of pride with many people in the countryside to never set foot on any kind of public transportation.)
Kawagoe Matsuri (A) Food Stalls by Hon-Kawagoe Station (121020) 川越まつり 01
http://youtu.be/vkudtMfqXSg
Early Afternoon Food Stalls (121020) 川越まつり 02
http://youtu.be/YdPjTmkKtHU
Food Stall Stroll (Early Afternoon) 121020 川越まつり 03
http://youtu.be/dYM16Ifecdk
Return Walk (by Food Stalls) 121020 川越まつり 04
http://youtu.be/gCba7t4cabY
Kawagoe Matsuri (B) Entering Main Festival Area (121020) 川越まつり 05
http://youtu.be/_hqSfXifxhA
Kawagoe Matsuri (C) Festival Walkabout (121020) 川越まつり 06
http://youtu.be/JG1wuDOKrtQ
Kawagoe Matsuri (D) Temple Food Stalls, Etc. (121020) 川越まつり 07
http://youtu.be/W6E5CZ5yU88
Kawagoe Matsuri (E) Side Street (121020) 川越まつり 08
http://youtu.be/UgecP4518bo
Kawagoe Matsuri (F) Middle of the Road (121020) 川越まつり 09
http://youtu.be/ppaBCY04Nf4
Kawagoe Matsuri (G) Side Street Temple, Etc. (121020) 川越まつり 10
http://youtu.be/Hi58hzLqFj0
Float Parade (Walking with Float) Kawagoe Matsuri (121020) 川越まつり 11
http://youtu.be/dgj85Tdzuhg
Back and Front Sides of Float (121020) 川越まつり 12
http://youtu.be/w1QN6WeOCjU
Watching Festival Floats (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 13
http://youtu.be/WU9jzxY2egU
Float and Side Street (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 14
http://youtu.be/_lgTerYEEGE
Float Passes Down Side Street (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 15
http://youtu.be/Y-a49uwEXuI
Kawagoe Matsuri (H) Candy Area (121020) 川越まつり 16
http://youtu.be/cmTXgySH0t0
Kawagoe Matsuri (G) Float, Crowds, Etc. (121020g) 川越まつり 17
http://youtu.be/t2oTK5gvvL8
Old Kawagoe Festival Time (121020) 川越まつり 18
http://youtu.be/DQReL6BxXC8
People Walking by (in Old Kawagoe) 121020 川越まつり 19
http://youtu.be/BsQ7n--4WAE
Kawagoe Matsuri (H) Evening Calm (121020) 川越まつり 20
http://youtu.be/Y-thQ1HHSL0
Twilight at Kawagoe Matsuri (121020) 川越まつり 21
http://youtu.be/hc81VC0UscI
Twilight Illuminated Floats (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 22
http://youtu.be/G_ws6c601-I
Twilight Crowds at Kawagoe Matsuri (121020) 川越まつり 23
http://youtu.be/ThVRWAh84M4
Kawagoe Matsuri (I) Walking Towards Station (121020) 川越まつり 24
http://youtu.be/nGYBJVSB-L0
Kawagoe Matsuri (J) at Night (121020) 川越まつり 25
http://youtu.be/Pm-Eo26Y8jc
Kawagoe (Walking to Station Through Festival Crowds) 121020 川越まつり 26
http://youtu.be/yZ9WvlV6m0M
Hon-Kawagoe to Minami-Otsuka at Night (Seibu Line) 121020
http://youtu.be/lcP3wGAZ-dI
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
When there are very few people at a festival, it feels lonely and neglected, and then, as more people arrive, it gets livelier and more interesting (a feeling that gets stronger with more people still), but when it gets to the point where you can't freely navigate around the event, it becomes less fun and a feeling of wanting to be free of the crowds sets in. It was basically at that point that I headed for the station and took a train towards home.
When I arrived in Kawagoe for the festival, the first thing I did was get some food at a couple of the many food stalls set up for the event, and then I began walking around - exploring the different streets, watching the traditional floats and listening to the live music played from people on each float.
I think my favorite aspect to the event is that they close off several blocks of the city to all motor vehicles, and people on foot take over the streets. Were that this was the constant state of cities the world over! I understand how important cars are out in the countryside, but in the city, they're a curse. (Incidentally, I don't think the degree to which Japan has become a car culture is fully understood outside Japan. While Tokyo simply would not function without mass transit, it's a point of pride with many people in the countryside to never set foot on any kind of public transportation.)
Kawagoe Matsuri (A) Food Stalls by Hon-Kawagoe Station (121020) 川越まつり 01
http://youtu.be/vkudtMfqXSg
Early Afternoon Food Stalls (121020) 川越まつり 02
http://youtu.be/YdPjTmkKtHU
Food Stall Stroll (Early Afternoon) 121020 川越まつり 03
http://youtu.be/dYM16Ifecdk
Return Walk (by Food Stalls) 121020 川越まつり 04
http://youtu.be/gCba7t4cabY
Kawagoe Matsuri (B) Entering Main Festival Area (121020) 川越まつり 05
http://youtu.be/_hqSfXifxhA
Kawagoe Matsuri (C) Festival Walkabout (121020) 川越まつり 06
http://youtu.be/JG1wuDOKrtQ
Kawagoe Matsuri (D) Temple Food Stalls, Etc. (121020) 川越まつり 07
http://youtu.be/W6E5CZ5yU88
Kawagoe Matsuri (E) Side Street (121020) 川越まつり 08
http://youtu.be/UgecP4518bo
Kawagoe Matsuri (F) Middle of the Road (121020) 川越まつり 09
http://youtu.be/ppaBCY04Nf4
Kawagoe Matsuri (G) Side Street Temple, Etc. (121020) 川越まつり 10
http://youtu.be/Hi58hzLqFj0
Float Parade (Walking with Float) Kawagoe Matsuri (121020) 川越まつり 11
http://youtu.be/dgj85Tdzuhg
Back and Front Sides of Float (121020) 川越まつり 12
http://youtu.be/w1QN6WeOCjU
Watching Festival Floats (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 13
http://youtu.be/WU9jzxY2egU
Float and Side Street (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 14
http://youtu.be/_lgTerYEEGE
Float Passes Down Side Street (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 15
http://youtu.be/Y-a49uwEXuI
Kawagoe Matsuri (H) Candy Area (121020) 川越まつり 16
http://youtu.be/cmTXgySH0t0
Kawagoe Matsuri (G) Float, Crowds, Etc. (121020g) 川越まつり 17
http://youtu.be/t2oTK5gvvL8
Old Kawagoe Festival Time (121020) 川越まつり 18
http://youtu.be/DQReL6BxXC8
People Walking by (in Old Kawagoe) 121020 川越まつり 19
http://youtu.be/BsQ7n--4WAE
Kawagoe Matsuri (H) Evening Calm (121020) 川越まつり 20
http://youtu.be/Y-thQ1HHSL0
Twilight at Kawagoe Matsuri (121020) 川越まつり 21
http://youtu.be/hc81VC0UscI
Twilight Illuminated Floats (Kawagoe Matsuri) 121020 川越まつり 22
http://youtu.be/G_ws6c601-I
Twilight Crowds at Kawagoe Matsuri (121020) 川越まつり 23
http://youtu.be/ThVRWAh84M4
Kawagoe Matsuri (I) Walking Towards Station (121020) 川越まつり 24
http://youtu.be/nGYBJVSB-L0
Kawagoe Matsuri (J) at Night (121020) 川越まつり 25
http://youtu.be/Pm-Eo26Y8jc
Kawagoe (Walking to Station Through Festival Crowds) 121020 川越まつり 26
http://youtu.be/yZ9WvlV6m0M
Hon-Kawagoe to Minami-Otsuka at Night (Seibu Line) 121020
http://youtu.be/lcP3wGAZ-dI
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Saturday, October 20, 2012
"Yurakucho Afternoon - September 2012"
"Yurakucho Afternoon - September 2012"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Mikawashima, Kanamachi, Toneri Line, Shibuya, Tokorozawa, Etc."
Part of this batch overlaps a previous batch (in location content that is, there are no verbatim repeats), due to pulling some video clips from a secondary camera that I use on and off and only vacuum the images out of from time-to-time.
New material this time is primarily from the Joban Line, and (confusingly) there are a couple of revisits to places (Kawagoe, Nippori, and the Toneri Line) to take additional picture-streams.
In Kawagoe, I recorded the candy section of the old town (that I missed before) as well as a couple of typical street views. The old section of Kawagoe is a bit different from anything I know of in Tokyo, so it's always interesting to wander around a little there when I'm in the area.
At Nippori Station, I recorded an old section of the station that probably won't be there for long (they're leaving it unpainted and rusting, so I presume they have plans to demolish it before long). Previous generations of train station design in Japan (with some notable exceptions, like Tokyo Station) have been heavily pragmatic in both design and material use (reuse of old railway rails for I-beams, function over form, etc.), so you wouldn't call most of the old designs elegant, but there was (and still is, although in rapidly decreasing numbers) something quite likable about the straightforward honesty of the old designs. Beams out in the open (not hidden in the walls), steel and wood construction, and open-air layouts (so you feel a part of the city while standing on an open platform waiting for a train - instead of claustrophobic in an enclosed space).
(And not specifically related to station design, but an unfortunate part of the times - are the infernal sound recordings that torment people with exactly the same bloody recordings over-and-over-and-over again, day-after-day-after-day, week-after-week-after-week, month-after-month-after-month, year-after-year-after-year. They used to have real, live, human beings make the announcements - imagine that.)
Also in this batch are a couple of videos showing the entire route of the Toneri Line ("Nippori-Toneri Liner - 日暮里舎人ライナー"), from Nippori to Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station (見沼代親水公園駅), where I got off and wandered around a little, and then used the same line to return to Nippori. On the trip out I rode in the front, and on the return trip, I rode in the back. I would have ridden in the front on the way back, but there were several people crowded into the front section (popular with children, camera geeks and weird foreigners [cough-cough].
Walking Towards Kanamachi Station (121016)
http://youtu.be/1lIC21Utfgk
Walking towards Kanamachi Station in the afternoon.
Front Cab View (Chiyoda Subway Train on Joban Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/MdlFexuNY3Q
This type of train is getting old and they've begun replacing it with a newer type. It's basically a Chiyoda Line train, but since the Chiyoda Line connects seamlessly with the Joban Line on one end, and the Odakyu Line on the other, you regularly see trains from one railway running on the tracks of another in a kind of exchange operation.
Tokyo to Ochanomizu (Chuo Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/BuYjONZPayE
The advantage to standing by the door on an inner city train ride, is you get a window to look directly out of (in contrast to sitting with your back to the windows and having to look through the train and everyone in it for glimpses of the outside world through the windows on the far side of the train).
Nippori to Mikawashima (Joban Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/8qq25XGg0XY
Mikawashima (三河島駅) is the next stop out from Nippori on the Joban Line.
Mikawashima Platform (Joban Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/W3eD0_Oxd9w
Looking Through Advertising Flags (121016)
http://youtu.be/y3Q800EAtd8
Taken on a shotengai shopping street not far from Mikawashima Station.
Mikawashima to Matsudo (Joban Line) 三河島駅から松戸駅まで (121016)
http://youtu.be/o42GbP8FN7E
A fairly long ride on the Joban Line - looking out the side windows at the scenery going by. As it's an elevated line, there's a pretty good view of the area of the city it passes through. This is one of the most attractive aspects of train travel - having a view of the world smoothly flowing by outside the windows.
Nippori to Yurakucho (Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku) 121016
http://youtu.be/U2_HahEDlB0
From the Yamanote Line to the Keihin-Tohoku Line and then back to the Yamanote Line. The idea was to jump ahead via the Keihin-Tohoku Line (since it stops at limited stops in the daytime) but since I ended up back on the very same Yamanote Line train that the Keihin-Tohoku Line passes in the clip, the exercise of changing trains had amusement value only (change of scenery) and provided no time savings.
The interesting thing for me - with the camera rolling - was getting on the very back of the Yamanote Line train, riding a few stops, and then walking across the platform at Ueno to get on the back of the Keihin-Tohoku Line train, passing the 11-car Yamanote Line train (the one I had just gotten off of), and - at Tokyo Station - watching the full length of the same Yamanote Line train come into the station and getting back on (at the end of the train) where I had been in the first place.
So - visually - it was definitely worth transferring twice to get back to the same spot on the same train! (In case that's confusing, keep in mind that the section of the railways I was on has the Yamanote Line and Keihin-Tohoku Line running in parallel and stopping on opposite sides of the same platform.)
Old Shop in Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/hEcx3qHlzzs
Looking at one of the shops in the old section of Kawagoe.
Old Park-A - Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 (121009)
http://youtu.be/vxVvhgCuE8c
Water Reflections-A (121009)
http://youtu.be/SENhdMgq2SI
Water Reflections-B (121009)
http://youtu.be/qO9JSoyEJjI
Old Park-B - Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 (121009)
http://youtu.be/zUivwSnCJac
The four clips above were all taken in Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 - which turned out to be quite a nice traditional garden to wander around in (as I mentioned in another post with different video from the same visit there).
Old Kawagoe Bell (Mechanized) 121017
http://youtu.be/J6DkcFfDKt0
This bell tower is one of the symbols of old Kawagoe. Looking it up, I see it's called 時の鐘 (Toki-no-kane) which the Wikipedia article I'm referencing translates as "The Bell of Time" but that seems wrong to me... wouldn't just "The Time Bell" be better? "Toki" is time, "kane" is bell, and "no" connects them, so a sort-of-direct translation (actually direct translations are usually impossible) would be "Time's Bell" which is weird, so "The Time Bell" as in "The bell that chimes out the time"? In any case, "The Bell of Time" conjures up images of "All Time" and I don't think that's the idea in Japanese. Doing a more non-literal translation, something like "The Time Bell Tower" might not be bad? (The three-story tower is specifically for that bell, and nothing else, after all.)
Anyway! What I actually wanted to say about the bell in its three-story tower (can "tower" refer to a narrow three-story structure? - at the time it was built, the surrounding buildings were only two-stories high...), is that it's a traditional type old temple bell, with a log-sized hanging piece of lumber to ring it. So - I expected some soul to climb up in the tower to swing it against the bell in order to ring it. I was then rather disappointed to hear whirring noises and see the lumber moving jerkily and slowly backwards (via machinery, with no human form present), from where it was released to swing forward and hit the bell. Functionally, it works great. The force the old bell is rung with is predetermined and it's run off a timer so no one has to do anything but supply the tower with electricity for the ringing mechanism and its internal clock. But... it would have been much more interesting and... authentic(?) if a real live human being had rung it.
Having just ridden on the fully computer-driven Toneri Line, and then watching the machine-driven old bell, I'm beginning to feel lonely or something. "Lonely" may seem like an inappropriate word to use here, but I can't think of a better word (not at the moment in any case) to describe the feeling of having machines doing *everything*. I would never want to return to the pre-motor days of no machines and people having to do everything, but I think I would like for there to be at least one human being in charge of each train. It seems like the science fiction tales of humans designing robots so good that the robots are independent, and ultimately decide to get rid of pesky humans at some point could actually happen - at least that's how it feels when you enter a station with no people running it in sight, and then board a train with no human driver, and ride along to another stop - all handled by computerized machinery, with no human intervention.
Group Watching and Listening to Kawagoe Bell Tolling (121017)
http://youtu.be/1i9JzPDQ9JQ
Another angle to the old bell being rung.
Old Kawagoe Main Street (121017)
http://youtu.be/cUT5ZfQFKKU
Shibuya - View from Shibuya-Hikarie (121011)
http://youtu.be/n7z7SRyH5RY
After watching - for many years - construction on this building, it's interesting to go inside and see the views from the completed building. From what I've seen of the building, it's pretty nice.
Matsudo Station 松戸駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/-ec6BEpYKmU
Matsudo to Kanamachi (121016)
http://youtu.be/Au7So0DAsMQ
Bicycle Parking by Kanamachi Station (121016)
http://youtu.be/LB7P6kgS9MI
A looonnng row of bicycles next to Kanamachi Station.
Joban to Yamanote Transfer (Nippori Station) 121016
http://youtu.be/7iLjpZBLono
Walking from the Joban Line area of Nippori Station over to the Yamanote Line (and Keihin-Tohoku Line) side.
Gallery Ginza-One (Exhibition Opening Party) 121016
http://youtu.be/45nEENiCtDg
At the (one-day late) opening party for the October 2012 group exhibition at Gallery Ginza-One.
Evening Platform (Shinjuku Chuo Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/ucgyFOpo964
Inside an Evening Outbound Chuo Line Train (121016)
http://youtu.be/6KPNlOf1iP4
Preparation for Festival in Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/17fOfd-UwhU
This was taken on October 17th, when preparations were well under way for a big festival to be held in Kawagoe on Saturday and Sunday (October 20th and 21st).
Overgrown House and Well (Kawagoe) 121017
http://youtu.be/JhuTkjtB_mo
This house appears to have gone to ruin. It seems like a waste. If it had been maintained, it seems like it could have been an interesting place to live - and with its own well no less. I later tried walking around to the other side of the house, but there's no access to any side of it! From seeing that, presumably one of the houses blocking access owns the property? It's hard to figure out. In any case, it's in such an advanced state of ruin, it would be extremely difficult (and expensive) to fix it up now probably.
Kanda to Nippori (Yamanote Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/Qwn0_o-vO6g
Nippori Station (Old Section) 121016
http://youtu.be/8zfMraIoIwc
Steel and Wood (Nippori Station) 121016
http://youtu.be/JqtqY2X-kuM
This side of Nippori Station is all that's left of the older version of the station. New is nice, I guess, but there's something quite familiar feeling and appreciated about this older part - built of steel and wood. It would be nice if they could preserve this part. The combination of older things like this together with squeaky-new things enhances things in both directions. The new enhances/highlights the old historic design, and the old accentuates the newness of the new.
Nippori Station (Newer Section) JR to Keisei Transfer Point (121016)
http://youtu.be/UA4yZAWM4tU
It used to be that the only speedy rail service to Narita Airport was via the Keisei Line's "Skyliner" reserved seat express train, but then JR set up the Narita Express trains and they ended up with a lot of competition. Back in the eighties, Keisei advertised the Skyliner as taking only 60 minutes from Ueno to Narita (or was it from Nippori?, and was the figure 59 minutes?). Now they're advertising 41 minutes from Ueno (and 36 minutes from Nippori). As I remember the train when I used it back then, the tracks were pretty rough and they couldn't run trains very fast on them. There's been a lot of construction since then, so the rails are presumably much improved now and the trains more advanced as well.
Wait a second... there's "Skyliner" on the Keisei Line, and then there's the badly named "Nippori-Toneri Liner" also leaving from Nippori (and we knew that without "Nippori" being enshrined in the name). Suddenly I think I see the whole picture. Someone probably thought "Gee, the Keisei Skyliner is a cool name! And this new line we're opening begins from one of the same stations that the Skyliner uses... let's call the new line the 'Nippori-Toneri Liner'!".
Oh boy. Where to begin with explaining all that's wrong with this picture? First off, just ripping off "[Something]-Liner" is bad all on its own due to mindless copying being evil. And then there's the history of transportation machinery using the name "liner", as in "ocean liner" and "airliner". The image was one of speed, and in the case of the Keisei Line "Skyliner" train - it was a pretty good name to pick for the train, as it was fast (faster than the local trains at any rate), and was primarily for people going to Narita Airport to get on airplanes. Skyliner - yeah, I'd say they named that one pretty well - certainly the Japanese version of the name, スカイライナー (which is the Japanese phonetic version of the English-based name) has a nice ring to it.
Now, as for the *meaning* of "liner": "a ship or airplane operated by a transportation or conveyance company" - it's obviously used for the transportation device itself, not the route or company, which is a line. So naming the *line* the "Nippori-Toneri Liner" is... may I say offensive? And there's more....
It's not absolute, but since "liner" conjures an image of speed for many people ("ocean liner", "jet liner", etc.), is the Toneri Line fast? Well it's faster than a bus caught in a traffic jam for sure, but what it is essentially, is a slow-moving train with wheels wearing rubber tires - sort of a bus train, if you will.
So, putting everything together, the name "Nippori-Toneri Liner" is grammatically wrong, too long, misleading, unoriginal, rude (to the Keisei Railway company), and basically offensive to anyone with good sense. Considering how very badly it was named, there have just got to be politicians involved. Who else could screw things up so badly? Anyway, there's a solution. People can just ignore the offensive "Nippori-Toneri Liner" name and call it the "Toneri Line" which sounds like a proper name for a short commuter line.
Nippori to Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen (Toneri Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/0yUaCXGhvrY
Let's see - using the full names, that would be taking a Nippori-Toneri Liner Line (日暮里舎人ライナー線) train from Nippori Station, and riding it all the way to the last stop, which is Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station (見沼代親水公園駅). As I was just going on (and on and on) about - this line has a serious problem with overly long names, not to mention that the line is erroneously called a name that could only refer to the trains themselves ("liner" and "line" are not one and the same meaning). Anyway, it's a nice enough little commuter line and I don't mean to be poking fun of it, but I think someone dropped the ball when it came to naming the train and the stations (see rant further up the page). They should have just named it the "Toneri Line", so that's what I intend to call it.
Birds Singing in the Suburbs (121016)
http://youtu.be/B_CguWzXjdQ
At a nondescript place in the suburbs, I stopped to look around and this area was strangely relaxed and nice... with the green of the trees (very near to autumn) and the singing of the birds.
Approaching Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station (on Foot) 121016
http://youtu.be/iq4S_HaOGbU
Entering Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station 見沼代親水公園駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/sDf4sdOHyiQ
Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen to Nippori (Toneri Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/ogl_NDepFkg
Toneri-Line Nippori Station Platform (121016)
http://youtu.be/KL2NUMk7PzY
Candy Section of Old Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/FZPjUpSccTA
I didn't get to this section of old Kawagoe on my visit before this (when I recorded a number of videos of the old area of the city), so this fills in that blank somewhat.
Street Machine Reflections (121017)
http://youtu.be/WK45sGjnxyk
A confusing title - to put it in plainer English, "Views of a street as seen between two machines - with reflections (of the street) on the sides of the machines."
Colorful Carp in Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/6AZ7BIdwE24
I think these carp are probably the most colorful ones I've ever seen! I've seen carp with this type of coloring before, but never this many all together.
Kawagoe Jinrikisha and Reflections (121017)
http://youtu.be/LOeCxc_7yRc
Tourist areas of Japan (Kyoto, Takayama, etc.) usually have jinrikisha like this specifically geared towards tourists (both domestic and foreign). The only place I've ever ridden in one though was at Takayama, but from that one experience, I'd say they are a good way to have historical points of interest explained. Unlike in a car, it can stop just about anywhere, and also go places cars can't (provided, of course, you don't need to cover a very large area).
Vertical Kawagoe Flags in a Breeze (121017)
http://youtu.be/-fTF2R6P_tE
Tokorozawa Exit Search (Construction Etc.) 121017
http://youtu.be/rLx6aJ9P1Mg
The exit I was searching for when I took this has ceased to be! There used to be a street-level exit at Tokorozawa Station where you could just walk horizontally from the platform, through the ticket gates, and out onto the street in front of the station where taxis etc. were waiting. It looks as though they filled in the former exit area with a chain coffee shop. This is in line with the general trend of (basically) converting train stations into shopping malls that have trains running either under or over the shopping area. There's more money to be made in renting out the space to retailers than in running the trains apparently (from things people have told me and from what I've seen). That's okay I guess, but I was disappointed to have to go to the end of the platform, then up to the second floor, over to the side, back down to the first floor by another flight of stairs, and then back to where the middle of the platform is on the outside. It's considerably less convenient than it used to be. It was about a three minute hike compared to ten seconds to just walk straight out the gates (as they used to be).
Tokorozawa Propeller-Dori in Rain 雨の所沢プロペ通り (121017)
http://youtu.be/7KjCychmE_8
There used to be an airport nearby, which is the reason for the name of this shotengai shopping street.
Evening Rain in Tokorozawa (121017)
http://youtu.be/CkXEoLVbsLE
Entering New Section of Tokorozawa Station (121017)
http://youtu.be/6hRKEsR9oMw
Another sparkling-new train station. Fully enclosed, it'll be warmer in the middle of winter, but I think I liked the old open-air version of the station better. As I walked in, I noticed the next-train/destination boards (proper name?) looked striking. Pausing to look hard at them, I suddenly realized that they were (I'm pretty sure) standard large-screen LCD monitors! I think this is the first train station I've seen those used that way in (I've seen some information displayed this way - in Shinjuku for example - , but not for the main display boards). They look pretty good actually, but I hope they keep spares on hand for when back-lights burn out, etc. (I wonder about energy efficiency? It seems like that would be more wasteful than the types that only illuminate the data fields instead of the whole screen, but maybe not.)
Tokorozawa to Higashi-Murayama (121017)
http://youtu.be/mUCzhiYwDvc
Mikawashima Station 三河島駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/KNy4aG80U_M
Higashi-Nippori Shotengai Shopping Street 東日暮里 (121016)
http://youtu.be/j26CBf1fweQ
Sunlight and Shadows (Higashi-Nippori) 121016
http://youtu.be/jABueUo_flY
Watching Passing Trains at Kanamachi Station (Joban and Yokosuka Lines) 121016
http://youtu.be/l1y-apSiESw
Kanamachi Station 金町駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/2-FQTVeuidc
And that's it for this batch. This week I'm struck with how much I find myself missing the old station designs. I don't dislike the new designs really - and in fact appreciate most of them, but I have never liked being in overly enclosed spaces and so the new fully enclosed station designs seem a little claustrophobic to me. I also wonder what the effect is on businesses outside the ticket gates. With more and more shopping available within the ticket gates, businesses near to the stations may suffer? Well - that's progress I guess. You can't stand still, and for every improvement, there's also something lost. Generally, the better aspects of old designs aren't really appreciated until they are almost extinct.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
New material this time is primarily from the Joban Line, and (confusingly) there are a couple of revisits to places (Kawagoe, Nippori, and the Toneri Line) to take additional picture-streams.
In Kawagoe, I recorded the candy section of the old town (that I missed before) as well as a couple of typical street views. The old section of Kawagoe is a bit different from anything I know of in Tokyo, so it's always interesting to wander around a little there when I'm in the area.
At Nippori Station, I recorded an old section of the station that probably won't be there for long (they're leaving it unpainted and rusting, so I presume they have plans to demolish it before long). Previous generations of train station design in Japan (with some notable exceptions, like Tokyo Station) have been heavily pragmatic in both design and material use (reuse of old railway rails for I-beams, function over form, etc.), so you wouldn't call most of the old designs elegant, but there was (and still is, although in rapidly decreasing numbers) something quite likable about the straightforward honesty of the old designs. Beams out in the open (not hidden in the walls), steel and wood construction, and open-air layouts (so you feel a part of the city while standing on an open platform waiting for a train - instead of claustrophobic in an enclosed space).
(And not specifically related to station design, but an unfortunate part of the times - are the infernal sound recordings that torment people with exactly the same bloody recordings over-and-over-and-over again, day-after-day-after-day, week-after-week-after-week, month-after-month-after-month, year-after-year-after-year. They used to have real, live, human beings make the announcements - imagine that.)
Also in this batch are a couple of videos showing the entire route of the Toneri Line ("Nippori-Toneri Liner - 日暮里舎人ライナー"), from Nippori to Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station (見沼代親水公園駅), where I got off and wandered around a little, and then used the same line to return to Nippori. On the trip out I rode in the front, and on the return trip, I rode in the back. I would have ridden in the front on the way back, but there were several people crowded into the front section (popular with children, camera geeks and weird foreigners [cough-cough].
Walking Towards Kanamachi Station (121016)
http://youtu.be/1lIC21Utfgk
Walking towards Kanamachi Station in the afternoon.
Front Cab View (Chiyoda Subway Train on Joban Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/MdlFexuNY3Q
This type of train is getting old and they've begun replacing it with a newer type. It's basically a Chiyoda Line train, but since the Chiyoda Line connects seamlessly with the Joban Line on one end, and the Odakyu Line on the other, you regularly see trains from one railway running on the tracks of another in a kind of exchange operation.
Tokyo to Ochanomizu (Chuo Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/BuYjONZPayE
The advantage to standing by the door on an inner city train ride, is you get a window to look directly out of (in contrast to sitting with your back to the windows and having to look through the train and everyone in it for glimpses of the outside world through the windows on the far side of the train).
Nippori to Mikawashima (Joban Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/8qq25XGg0XY
Mikawashima (三河島駅) is the next stop out from Nippori on the Joban Line.
Mikawashima Platform (Joban Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/W3eD0_Oxd9w
Looking Through Advertising Flags (121016)
http://youtu.be/y3Q800EAtd8
Taken on a shotengai shopping street not far from Mikawashima Station.
Mikawashima to Matsudo (Joban Line) 三河島駅から松戸駅まで (121016)
http://youtu.be/o42GbP8FN7E
A fairly long ride on the Joban Line - looking out the side windows at the scenery going by. As it's an elevated line, there's a pretty good view of the area of the city it passes through. This is one of the most attractive aspects of train travel - having a view of the world smoothly flowing by outside the windows.
Nippori to Yurakucho (Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku) 121016
http://youtu.be/U2_HahEDlB0
From the Yamanote Line to the Keihin-Tohoku Line and then back to the Yamanote Line. The idea was to jump ahead via the Keihin-Tohoku Line (since it stops at limited stops in the daytime) but since I ended up back on the very same Yamanote Line train that the Keihin-Tohoku Line passes in the clip, the exercise of changing trains had amusement value only (change of scenery) and provided no time savings.
The interesting thing for me - with the camera rolling - was getting on the very back of the Yamanote Line train, riding a few stops, and then walking across the platform at Ueno to get on the back of the Keihin-Tohoku Line train, passing the 11-car Yamanote Line train (the one I had just gotten off of), and - at Tokyo Station - watching the full length of the same Yamanote Line train come into the station and getting back on (at the end of the train) where I had been in the first place.
So - visually - it was definitely worth transferring twice to get back to the same spot on the same train! (In case that's confusing, keep in mind that the section of the railways I was on has the Yamanote Line and Keihin-Tohoku Line running in parallel and stopping on opposite sides of the same platform.)
Old Shop in Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/hEcx3qHlzzs
Looking at one of the shops in the old section of Kawagoe.
Old Park-A - Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 (121009)
http://youtu.be/vxVvhgCuE8c
Water Reflections-A (121009)
http://youtu.be/SENhdMgq2SI
Water Reflections-B (121009)
http://youtu.be/qO9JSoyEJjI
Old Park-B - Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 (121009)
http://youtu.be/zUivwSnCJac
The four clips above were all taken in Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 - which turned out to be quite a nice traditional garden to wander around in (as I mentioned in another post with different video from the same visit there).
Old Kawagoe Bell (Mechanized) 121017
http://youtu.be/J6DkcFfDKt0
This bell tower is one of the symbols of old Kawagoe. Looking it up, I see it's called 時の鐘 (Toki-no-kane) which the Wikipedia article I'm referencing translates as "The Bell of Time" but that seems wrong to me... wouldn't just "The Time Bell" be better? "Toki" is time, "kane" is bell, and "no" connects them, so a sort-of-direct translation (actually direct translations are usually impossible) would be "Time's Bell" which is weird, so "The Time Bell" as in "The bell that chimes out the time"? In any case, "The Bell of Time" conjures up images of "All Time" and I don't think that's the idea in Japanese. Doing a more non-literal translation, something like "The Time Bell Tower" might not be bad? (The three-story tower is specifically for that bell, and nothing else, after all.)
Anyway! What I actually wanted to say about the bell in its three-story tower (can "tower" refer to a narrow three-story structure? - at the time it was built, the surrounding buildings were only two-stories high...), is that it's a traditional type old temple bell, with a log-sized hanging piece of lumber to ring it. So - I expected some soul to climb up in the tower to swing it against the bell in order to ring it. I was then rather disappointed to hear whirring noises and see the lumber moving jerkily and slowly backwards (via machinery, with no human form present), from where it was released to swing forward and hit the bell. Functionally, it works great. The force the old bell is rung with is predetermined and it's run off a timer so no one has to do anything but supply the tower with electricity for the ringing mechanism and its internal clock. But... it would have been much more interesting and... authentic(?) if a real live human being had rung it.
Having just ridden on the fully computer-driven Toneri Line, and then watching the machine-driven old bell, I'm beginning to feel lonely or something. "Lonely" may seem like an inappropriate word to use here, but I can't think of a better word (not at the moment in any case) to describe the feeling of having machines doing *everything*. I would never want to return to the pre-motor days of no machines and people having to do everything, but I think I would like for there to be at least one human being in charge of each train. It seems like the science fiction tales of humans designing robots so good that the robots are independent, and ultimately decide to get rid of pesky humans at some point could actually happen - at least that's how it feels when you enter a station with no people running it in sight, and then board a train with no human driver, and ride along to another stop - all handled by computerized machinery, with no human intervention.
Group Watching and Listening to Kawagoe Bell Tolling (121017)
http://youtu.be/1i9JzPDQ9JQ
Another angle to the old bell being rung.
Old Kawagoe Main Street (121017)
http://youtu.be/cUT5ZfQFKKU
Shibuya - View from Shibuya-Hikarie (121011)
http://youtu.be/n7z7SRyH5RY
After watching - for many years - construction on this building, it's interesting to go inside and see the views from the completed building. From what I've seen of the building, it's pretty nice.
Matsudo Station 松戸駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/-ec6BEpYKmU
Matsudo to Kanamachi (121016)
http://youtu.be/Au7So0DAsMQ
Bicycle Parking by Kanamachi Station (121016)
http://youtu.be/LB7P6kgS9MI
A looonnng row of bicycles next to Kanamachi Station.
Joban to Yamanote Transfer (Nippori Station) 121016
http://youtu.be/7iLjpZBLono
Walking from the Joban Line area of Nippori Station over to the Yamanote Line (and Keihin-Tohoku Line) side.
Gallery Ginza-One (Exhibition Opening Party) 121016
http://youtu.be/45nEENiCtDg
At the (one-day late) opening party for the October 2012 group exhibition at Gallery Ginza-One.
Evening Platform (Shinjuku Chuo Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/ucgyFOpo964
Inside an Evening Outbound Chuo Line Train (121016)
http://youtu.be/6KPNlOf1iP4
Preparation for Festival in Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/17fOfd-UwhU
This was taken on October 17th, when preparations were well under way for a big festival to be held in Kawagoe on Saturday and Sunday (October 20th and 21st).
Overgrown House and Well (Kawagoe) 121017
http://youtu.be/JhuTkjtB_mo
This house appears to have gone to ruin. It seems like a waste. If it had been maintained, it seems like it could have been an interesting place to live - and with its own well no less. I later tried walking around to the other side of the house, but there's no access to any side of it! From seeing that, presumably one of the houses blocking access owns the property? It's hard to figure out. In any case, it's in such an advanced state of ruin, it would be extremely difficult (and expensive) to fix it up now probably.
Kanda to Nippori (Yamanote Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/Qwn0_o-vO6g
Nippori Station (Old Section) 121016
http://youtu.be/8zfMraIoIwc
Steel and Wood (Nippori Station) 121016
http://youtu.be/JqtqY2X-kuM
This side of Nippori Station is all that's left of the older version of the station. New is nice, I guess, but there's something quite familiar feeling and appreciated about this older part - built of steel and wood. It would be nice if they could preserve this part. The combination of older things like this together with squeaky-new things enhances things in both directions. The new enhances/highlights the old historic design, and the old accentuates the newness of the new.
Nippori Station (Newer Section) JR to Keisei Transfer Point (121016)
http://youtu.be/UA4yZAWM4tU
It used to be that the only speedy rail service to Narita Airport was via the Keisei Line's "Skyliner" reserved seat express train, but then JR set up the Narita Express trains and they ended up with a lot of competition. Back in the eighties, Keisei advertised the Skyliner as taking only 60 minutes from Ueno to Narita (or was it from Nippori?, and was the figure 59 minutes?). Now they're advertising 41 minutes from Ueno (and 36 minutes from Nippori). As I remember the train when I used it back then, the tracks were pretty rough and they couldn't run trains very fast on them. There's been a lot of construction since then, so the rails are presumably much improved now and the trains more advanced as well.
Wait a second... there's "Skyliner" on the Keisei Line, and then there's the badly named "Nippori-Toneri Liner" also leaving from Nippori (and we knew that without "Nippori" being enshrined in the name). Suddenly I think I see the whole picture. Someone probably thought "Gee, the Keisei Skyliner is a cool name! And this new line we're opening begins from one of the same stations that the Skyliner uses... let's call the new line the 'Nippori-Toneri Liner'!".
Oh boy. Where to begin with explaining all that's wrong with this picture? First off, just ripping off "[Something]-Liner" is bad all on its own due to mindless copying being evil. And then there's the history of transportation machinery using the name "liner", as in "ocean liner" and "airliner". The image was one of speed, and in the case of the Keisei Line "Skyliner" train - it was a pretty good name to pick for the train, as it was fast (faster than the local trains at any rate), and was primarily for people going to Narita Airport to get on airplanes. Skyliner - yeah, I'd say they named that one pretty well - certainly the Japanese version of the name, スカイライナー (which is the Japanese phonetic version of the English-based name) has a nice ring to it.
Now, as for the *meaning* of "liner": "a ship or airplane operated by a transportation or conveyance company" - it's obviously used for the transportation device itself, not the route or company, which is a line. So naming the *line* the "Nippori-Toneri Liner" is... may I say offensive? And there's more....
It's not absolute, but since "liner" conjures an image of speed for many people ("ocean liner", "jet liner", etc.), is the Toneri Line fast? Well it's faster than a bus caught in a traffic jam for sure, but what it is essentially, is a slow-moving train with wheels wearing rubber tires - sort of a bus train, if you will.
So, putting everything together, the name "Nippori-Toneri Liner" is grammatically wrong, too long, misleading, unoriginal, rude (to the Keisei Railway company), and basically offensive to anyone with good sense. Considering how very badly it was named, there have just got to be politicians involved. Who else could screw things up so badly? Anyway, there's a solution. People can just ignore the offensive "Nippori-Toneri Liner" name and call it the "Toneri Line" which sounds like a proper name for a short commuter line.
Nippori to Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen (Toneri Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/0yUaCXGhvrY
Let's see - using the full names, that would be taking a Nippori-Toneri Liner Line (日暮里舎人ライナー線) train from Nippori Station, and riding it all the way to the last stop, which is Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station (見沼代親水公園駅). As I was just going on (and on and on) about - this line has a serious problem with overly long names, not to mention that the line is erroneously called a name that could only refer to the trains themselves ("liner" and "line" are not one and the same meaning). Anyway, it's a nice enough little commuter line and I don't mean to be poking fun of it, but I think someone dropped the ball when it came to naming the train and the stations (see rant further up the page). They should have just named it the "Toneri Line", so that's what I intend to call it.
Birds Singing in the Suburbs (121016)
http://youtu.be/B_CguWzXjdQ
At a nondescript place in the suburbs, I stopped to look around and this area was strangely relaxed and nice... with the green of the trees (very near to autumn) and the singing of the birds.
Approaching Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station (on Foot) 121016
http://youtu.be/iq4S_HaOGbU
Entering Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station 見沼代親水公園駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/sDf4sdOHyiQ
Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen to Nippori (Toneri Line) 121016
http://youtu.be/ogl_NDepFkg
Toneri-Line Nippori Station Platform (121016)
http://youtu.be/KL2NUMk7PzY
Candy Section of Old Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/FZPjUpSccTA
I didn't get to this section of old Kawagoe on my visit before this (when I recorded a number of videos of the old area of the city), so this fills in that blank somewhat.
Street Machine Reflections (121017)
http://youtu.be/WK45sGjnxyk
A confusing title - to put it in plainer English, "Views of a street as seen between two machines - with reflections (of the street) on the sides of the machines."
Colorful Carp in Kawagoe (121017)
http://youtu.be/6AZ7BIdwE24
I think these carp are probably the most colorful ones I've ever seen! I've seen carp with this type of coloring before, but never this many all together.
Kawagoe Jinrikisha and Reflections (121017)
http://youtu.be/LOeCxc_7yRc
Tourist areas of Japan (Kyoto, Takayama, etc.) usually have jinrikisha like this specifically geared towards tourists (both domestic and foreign). The only place I've ever ridden in one though was at Takayama, but from that one experience, I'd say they are a good way to have historical points of interest explained. Unlike in a car, it can stop just about anywhere, and also go places cars can't (provided, of course, you don't need to cover a very large area).
Vertical Kawagoe Flags in a Breeze (121017)
http://youtu.be/-fTF2R6P_tE
Tokorozawa Exit Search (Construction Etc.) 121017
http://youtu.be/rLx6aJ9P1Mg
The exit I was searching for when I took this has ceased to be! There used to be a street-level exit at Tokorozawa Station where you could just walk horizontally from the platform, through the ticket gates, and out onto the street in front of the station where taxis etc. were waiting. It looks as though they filled in the former exit area with a chain coffee shop. This is in line with the general trend of (basically) converting train stations into shopping malls that have trains running either under or over the shopping area. There's more money to be made in renting out the space to retailers than in running the trains apparently (from things people have told me and from what I've seen). That's okay I guess, but I was disappointed to have to go to the end of the platform, then up to the second floor, over to the side, back down to the first floor by another flight of stairs, and then back to where the middle of the platform is on the outside. It's considerably less convenient than it used to be. It was about a three minute hike compared to ten seconds to just walk straight out the gates (as they used to be).
Tokorozawa Propeller-Dori in Rain 雨の所沢プロペ通り (121017)
http://youtu.be/7KjCychmE_8
There used to be an airport nearby, which is the reason for the name of this shotengai shopping street.
Evening Rain in Tokorozawa (121017)
http://youtu.be/CkXEoLVbsLE
Entering New Section of Tokorozawa Station (121017)
http://youtu.be/6hRKEsR9oMw
Another sparkling-new train station. Fully enclosed, it'll be warmer in the middle of winter, but I think I liked the old open-air version of the station better. As I walked in, I noticed the next-train/destination boards (proper name?) looked striking. Pausing to look hard at them, I suddenly realized that they were (I'm pretty sure) standard large-screen LCD monitors! I think this is the first train station I've seen those used that way in (I've seen some information displayed this way - in Shinjuku for example - , but not for the main display boards). They look pretty good actually, but I hope they keep spares on hand for when back-lights burn out, etc. (I wonder about energy efficiency? It seems like that would be more wasteful than the types that only illuminate the data fields instead of the whole screen, but maybe not.)
Tokorozawa to Higashi-Murayama (121017)
http://youtu.be/mUCzhiYwDvc
Mikawashima Station 三河島駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/KNy4aG80U_M
Higashi-Nippori Shotengai Shopping Street 東日暮里 (121016)
http://youtu.be/j26CBf1fweQ
Sunlight and Shadows (Higashi-Nippori) 121016
http://youtu.be/jABueUo_flY
Watching Passing Trains at Kanamachi Station (Joban and Yokosuka Lines) 121016
http://youtu.be/l1y-apSiESw
Kanamachi Station 金町駅 (121016)
http://youtu.be/2-FQTVeuidc
And that's it for this batch. This week I'm struck with how much I find myself missing the old station designs. I don't dislike the new designs really - and in fact appreciate most of them, but I have never liked being in overly enclosed spaces and so the new fully enclosed station designs seem a little claustrophobic to me. I also wonder what the effect is on businesses outside the ticket gates. With more and more shopping available within the ticket gates, businesses near to the stations may suffer? Well - that's progress I guess. You can't stand still, and for every improvement, there's also something lost. Generally, the better aspects of old designs aren't really appreciated until they are almost extinct.
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 15, 2012
"Tokyo Station 東京駅 - September 2012"
"Tokyo Station 東京駅 - September 2012"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Nippori, Uguisudani, Negishi, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Etc."
Everything is from 2012 this time. In fact, this whole batch is from Thursday, October 11th, 2012. There are recordings from several locations (I use the term 'recordings' because it seems more accurate than film terms when referring to digital recordings of visual material - which include audio after all), but the main areas I spent some time in are Shibuya, Uguisudani (Negishi), and Nippori. I'll make a few additional comments after some of the video titles/links below, but mainly the titles are fairly self-explanatory.
Twilight Ride - Nippori-Toneri Liner 日暮里舎人ライナー (121011g)
http://youtu.be/Kd68_w4AdbI
A view from the front of this computer-driven (no human driver) train (with rubber tires - not steel wheels) in the twilight. I generally don't like acronyms, but this train probably ought to have one. "Nippori-Toneri Liner" is a bit over the top - "NTL Line" would make more sense, especially since, if you put "Line" into the name, you would end up with "Nippori-Toneri Liner Line", which a bit ridiculous. I think the old system of basing the line on two (and sometimes three) kanji would have been best: 東海道 (Tokaido), 山手 (Yamanote), 東西 (Tozai), 銀座 (Ginza), 東武 (Tobu), 西武 (Seibu), 京王 (Keio), 小田急 (Okakyu), 東急 (Tokyu), 東横 (Toyoko), etc., "日暮里舎人ライナー" is way too long - it's more like a sentence than a name....
Platform Stroll - Nippori-Toneri Line 日暮里_舎人ライナー (121011g)
http://youtu.be/HWJbaXFtBTY
Twilight at Nishi-Nippori (Nippori-Toneri Line) 121011g
http://youtu.be/eFxR8AgSbic
Watching Trains by Nippori Station One Evening (121011g)
http://youtu.be/rNd6mTHv_nI
A lot of trains pass by this area, so it has quite a busy feel to it in the evening.
Shibuya Afternoon Walkabout 渋谷昼散歩 (121011g)
http://youtu.be/5vx5KlgP66I
A look at Shibuya in the early afternoon - which has a bit different feel to it than at night (but of course...). In the plaza were three different amplified sound sources competing for ears....
Tokyo Station (Chuo Line to New Dome Interior) 121011g
http://youtu.be/3FD31ZVdEoE
Nishi-Nippori Station 西日暮里駅 (Boarding Yamanote Line) 121011
http://youtu.be/fEdBn6g_CiM
Nishi-Nippori - Walking Towards Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/v3-lLDf13mQ
Side Street by Nishi-Nippori (121011)
http://youtu.be/EiVYGCrKt0w
Twilight Nishi-Nippori Stroll 夕方西日暮里散歩 (121011)
http://youtu.be/Lc5bWVSo5mc
Twilight at Nippori Station (Walking Towards Nippori-Toneri Line) 121011
http://youtu.be/C9pG9zBU5vk
Side Streets Near Nippori Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/MtyP96PXCsk
Yanaka-Ginza Shotengai Stroll 谷中銀座散歩 (121011)
http://youtu.be/Ydaq9My1iKs
This shotengai has become a tourist draw. This sort of shopping street used to just be the norm, but has become something rather nostalgic as people's shopping habits have changed - putting many small shops out of business.
Walking Towards Yanaka-Ginza Shotengai (121011)
http://youtu.be/HyASThSVHKk
Stone Path - One October Evening (121011)
http://youtu.be/yr9OYmgNMRk
Walking on a stone path that goes through a cemetery.
Shibuya Plaza Afternoon View (121011)
http://youtu.be/htXbmnU9rEA
Afternoon Walk to Shibuya Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/ZXMI2mAKTrQ
Shibuya (Walking Over to New Building) 121011
http://youtu.be/Uc6FIWhEvRE
Riding Escalator in Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/T7Uve9ZYhc4
This was my first visit to this new high-rise building in Shibuya. It's actually rather interesting - with a whole range of things inside, from department store and restaurants, to convention center, movie theater, music hall, and sitting atop all that, office space.
Restaurant Floor in Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/ixavqaQTuYI
Shibuya Hikarie Elevator and 11F 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/mnc8Ya9Tw1Y
Shibuya Hikarie 11F and 9F Lookaround 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/XHKAslDFYfM
Shibuya Station East Side Overhead View (121011)
http://youtu.be/NYtXydmHYtw
Looking at the sea of construction equipment that is between this new building and Shibuya Station. I'm not sure what's going to happen to this area exactly. Either they are going to do major construction on something, or possibly some (or all) of the construction equipment there is related to the large new high-rise?
Shibuya Hikarie 9F and 8F Lookaround 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/ApYkPEtX-f4
Restaurant Stroll (Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ) 121011
http://youtu.be/_5c1-xqvNHc
Elevator View (Ascending) Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/M2dAA-5w-Vw
These glass-sided elevators are quite visually interesting to ride in, as they provide a view both of outside and of the various cables and counterweights that make up this bank of elevators.
Elevator View (Descending) Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/iPzg1IFk3V0
Walkway to Shibuya Station (East Side) 121011
http://youtu.be/B4YfOQc1Qb4
This walkway connects the new high-rise with Shibuya Station.
Shibuya Station (Yamanote Line Platform Etc.) 121011
http://youtu.be/_4QtB8klIms
Shibuya to Shinagawa (Yamanote Line) 渋谷から品川まで (121011)
http://youtu.be/iOxkgA4HxVE
Shinagawa to Uguisudani (Yamanote Line) 品川から鶯谷まで (121011)
http://youtu.be/m1DbAPQcduM
Uguisudani Afternoon Platform North Exit 鶯谷駅北口 (121011)
http://youtu.be/nfgwYcEZZPY
Sort of the back entrance/exit to Uguisudani Station - the main exit is from the opposite end of the platforms.
Uguisudani North Exit Tunnel 鶯谷駅北口トンネル (121011)
http://youtu.be/O3KG7G2Lsn0
Streetcars in Otsuka (121011)
http://youtu.be/-FqMOpGte18
Walking Through Otsuka Station (Outside the Ticket Gates) 121011
http://youtu.be/puceBdRl_p8
Back Street Near Otsuka Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/_FY__y1s3hQ
Otsuka (Walking Towards North Side Shotengai) 121011
http://youtu.be/1Yfs3o9LU2Y
Otsuka to Shinjuku Night Ride 大塚から新宿まで (山手線) 121011
http://youtu.be/TSf2jx5E71w
Shinjuku - Exiting South Exit 新宿駅南口 (121011)
http://youtu.be/vnwQABCTnc4
Shinjuku - From the South Entrance to the Chuo Line (121011)
http://youtu.be/bq3bgKBW18U
Quick Look at Marunouchi Buildings at Night (121011)
http://youtu.be/eENNOygz-_4
Since Tokyo Station was under reconstruction for so long, the area seems transformed with the construction barrier walls finally removed.
Walking Through Tokyo Station at Night (121011)
http://youtu.be/KECx63oXBmY
Uguisudani North Exit Trackside (121011)
http://youtu.be/Lmom_GpDovo
鶯谷/根岸の元三島神社 Shrine near Uguisudani Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/HLvH8H2w3Lk
Negishi Roadside Stroll 根岸道の散歩 (121011)
http://youtu.be/-rDoS-DOIB4
Negishi is the area right next to Uguisudani Station.
Negishi Under-Road Bicycle Parking 根岸 (121011)
http://youtu.be/MIrUuqPil40
Walking Against an Afternoon Sun (Negishi 根岸) 121011
http://youtu.be/iS7tk7PY_qs
Quiet Side Streets in Negishi 根岸 (121011)
http://youtu.be/WdQmHb482YQ
View from Uguisudani Platform 鶯谷駅からのビュー (121011)
http://youtu.be/OaVfToPZlZU
Uguisudani Upper Level Passageways 鶯谷駅上の通路南口 (121011)
http://youtu.be/XKDXl4aGJXY
As this area is under construction, it will probably end up being radically different in the not-too-distant future.
Negishi Bridge View of Railway 根岸橋のビュー (121011)
http://youtu.be/B1yjpxVDPAY
Side Street Stroll (Negishi) 121011
http://youtu.be/LIJTYrV9F3M
Negishi Trackside Street Stroll (121011)
http://youtu.be/5i-nGNlAs_s
Negishi Izakaya Side Street 根岸居酒屋 (121011)
http://youtu.be/3fmKd9sqHBY
Entering Uguisudani Station via South Entrance (121011)
http://youtu.be/bjI1MDtQ7xw
Uguisudani to Nippori 鶯谷から日暮里まで (Yamanote Line) 121011
http://youtu.be/_fm9BnTeNO4
Exiting JR-Nippori Station 日暮里駅 (121011)
http://youtu.be/l6mXrOtO_U4
Walking Away from Nippori Station 日暮里駅 (121011)
http://youtu.be/kwlortLAjSg
Shinjuku Yamanote Platform (Daytime) 121011
http://youtu.be/71aRu3EXzc8
Shinjuku to Shibuya (Yamanote Line) 新宿から渋谷まで山手線 (121011)
http://youtu.be/OoUn9XRP878
Street Next to Cemetery Near Uguisudani Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/W75pzzvYbHg
Front Cab - Waiting to Start (Nippori-Toneri Liner 日暮里舎人ライナー) 121011
http://youtu.be/EIK6pJjtnKk
Since the train is driven by computer, with no human driver, you can sit right in front where (on a regular train) a driver would sit.
Shinjuku - Street Musicians Near South Exit (121011)
http://youtu.be/5X1Uuh5DEzU
Yurakucho Izakaya Tunnel Walk-through (121011)
http://youtu.be/tf18MIlZ5tA
Train Passing Yurakucho-SB at Night (121011)
http://youtu.be/ZkXIe1wYRB4
Izakaya Night Scene (Short) 121011
http://youtu.be/yqGSkQHzm_4
Yurakucho to Tokyo (121011)
http://youtu.be/myJiCITbia4
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Twilight Ride - Nippori-Toneri Liner 日暮里舎人ライナー (121011g)
http://youtu.be/Kd68_w4AdbI
A view from the front of this computer-driven (no human driver) train (with rubber tires - not steel wheels) in the twilight. I generally don't like acronyms, but this train probably ought to have one. "Nippori-Toneri Liner" is a bit over the top - "NTL Line" would make more sense, especially since, if you put "Line" into the name, you would end up with "Nippori-Toneri Liner Line", which a bit ridiculous. I think the old system of basing the line on two (and sometimes three) kanji would have been best: 東海道 (Tokaido), 山手 (Yamanote), 東西 (Tozai), 銀座 (Ginza), 東武 (Tobu), 西武 (Seibu), 京王 (Keio), 小田急 (Okakyu), 東急 (Tokyu), 東横 (Toyoko), etc., "日暮里舎人ライナー" is way too long - it's more like a sentence than a name....
Platform Stroll - Nippori-Toneri Line 日暮里_舎人ライナー (121011g)
http://youtu.be/HWJbaXFtBTY
Twilight at Nishi-Nippori (Nippori-Toneri Line) 121011g
http://youtu.be/eFxR8AgSbic
Watching Trains by Nippori Station One Evening (121011g)
http://youtu.be/rNd6mTHv_nI
A lot of trains pass by this area, so it has quite a busy feel to it in the evening.
Shibuya Afternoon Walkabout 渋谷昼散歩 (121011g)
http://youtu.be/5vx5KlgP66I
A look at Shibuya in the early afternoon - which has a bit different feel to it than at night (but of course...). In the plaza were three different amplified sound sources competing for ears....
Tokyo Station (Chuo Line to New Dome Interior) 121011g
http://youtu.be/3FD31ZVdEoE
Nishi-Nippori Station 西日暮里駅 (Boarding Yamanote Line) 121011
http://youtu.be/fEdBn6g_CiM
Nishi-Nippori - Walking Towards Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/v3-lLDf13mQ
Side Street by Nishi-Nippori (121011)
http://youtu.be/EiVYGCrKt0w
Twilight Nishi-Nippori Stroll 夕方西日暮里散歩 (121011)
http://youtu.be/Lc5bWVSo5mc
Twilight at Nippori Station (Walking Towards Nippori-Toneri Line) 121011
http://youtu.be/C9pG9zBU5vk
Side Streets Near Nippori Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/MtyP96PXCsk
Yanaka-Ginza Shotengai Stroll 谷中銀座散歩 (121011)
http://youtu.be/Ydaq9My1iKs
This shotengai has become a tourist draw. This sort of shopping street used to just be the norm, but has become something rather nostalgic as people's shopping habits have changed - putting many small shops out of business.
Walking Towards Yanaka-Ginza Shotengai (121011)
http://youtu.be/HyASThSVHKk
Stone Path - One October Evening (121011)
http://youtu.be/yr9OYmgNMRk
Walking on a stone path that goes through a cemetery.
Shibuya Plaza Afternoon View (121011)
http://youtu.be/htXbmnU9rEA
Afternoon Walk to Shibuya Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/ZXMI2mAKTrQ
Shibuya (Walking Over to New Building) 121011
http://youtu.be/Uc6FIWhEvRE
Riding Escalator in Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/T7Uve9ZYhc4
This was my first visit to this new high-rise building in Shibuya. It's actually rather interesting - with a whole range of things inside, from department store and restaurants, to convention center, movie theater, music hall, and sitting atop all that, office space.
Restaurant Floor in Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/ixavqaQTuYI
Shibuya Hikarie Elevator and 11F 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/mnc8Ya9Tw1Y
Shibuya Hikarie 11F and 9F Lookaround 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/XHKAslDFYfM
Shibuya Station East Side Overhead View (121011)
http://youtu.be/NYtXydmHYtw
Looking at the sea of construction equipment that is between this new building and Shibuya Station. I'm not sure what's going to happen to this area exactly. Either they are going to do major construction on something, or possibly some (or all) of the construction equipment there is related to the large new high-rise?
Shibuya Hikarie 9F and 8F Lookaround 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/ApYkPEtX-f4
Restaurant Stroll (Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ) 121011
http://youtu.be/_5c1-xqvNHc
Elevator View (Ascending) Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/M2dAA-5w-Vw
These glass-sided elevators are quite visually interesting to ride in, as they provide a view both of outside and of the various cables and counterweights that make up this bank of elevators.
Elevator View (Descending) Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ (121011)
http://youtu.be/iPzg1IFk3V0
Walkway to Shibuya Station (East Side) 121011
http://youtu.be/B4YfOQc1Qb4
This walkway connects the new high-rise with Shibuya Station.
Shibuya Station (Yamanote Line Platform Etc.) 121011
http://youtu.be/_4QtB8klIms
Shibuya to Shinagawa (Yamanote Line) 渋谷から品川まで (121011)
http://youtu.be/iOxkgA4HxVE
Shinagawa to Uguisudani (Yamanote Line) 品川から鶯谷まで (121011)
http://youtu.be/m1DbAPQcduM
Uguisudani Afternoon Platform North Exit 鶯谷駅北口 (121011)
http://youtu.be/nfgwYcEZZPY
Sort of the back entrance/exit to Uguisudani Station - the main exit is from the opposite end of the platforms.
Uguisudani North Exit Tunnel 鶯谷駅北口トンネル (121011)
http://youtu.be/O3KG7G2Lsn0
Streetcars in Otsuka (121011)
http://youtu.be/-FqMOpGte18
Walking Through Otsuka Station (Outside the Ticket Gates) 121011
http://youtu.be/puceBdRl_p8
Back Street Near Otsuka Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/_FY__y1s3hQ
Otsuka (Walking Towards North Side Shotengai) 121011
http://youtu.be/1Yfs3o9LU2Y
Otsuka to Shinjuku Night Ride 大塚から新宿まで (山手線) 121011
http://youtu.be/TSf2jx5E71w
Shinjuku - Exiting South Exit 新宿駅南口 (121011)
http://youtu.be/vnwQABCTnc4
Shinjuku - From the South Entrance to the Chuo Line (121011)
http://youtu.be/bq3bgKBW18U
Quick Look at Marunouchi Buildings at Night (121011)
http://youtu.be/eENNOygz-_4
Since Tokyo Station was under reconstruction for so long, the area seems transformed with the construction barrier walls finally removed.
Walking Through Tokyo Station at Night (121011)
http://youtu.be/KECx63oXBmY
Uguisudani North Exit Trackside (121011)
http://youtu.be/Lmom_GpDovo
鶯谷/根岸の元三島神社 Shrine near Uguisudani Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/HLvH8H2w3Lk
Negishi Roadside Stroll 根岸道の散歩 (121011)
http://youtu.be/-rDoS-DOIB4
Negishi is the area right next to Uguisudani Station.
Negishi Under-Road Bicycle Parking 根岸 (121011)
http://youtu.be/MIrUuqPil40
Walking Against an Afternoon Sun (Negishi 根岸) 121011
http://youtu.be/iS7tk7PY_qs
Quiet Side Streets in Negishi 根岸 (121011)
http://youtu.be/WdQmHb482YQ
View from Uguisudani Platform 鶯谷駅からのビュー (121011)
http://youtu.be/OaVfToPZlZU
Uguisudani Upper Level Passageways 鶯谷駅上の通路南口 (121011)
http://youtu.be/XKDXl4aGJXY
As this area is under construction, it will probably end up being radically different in the not-too-distant future.
Negishi Bridge View of Railway 根岸橋のビュー (121011)
http://youtu.be/B1yjpxVDPAY
Side Street Stroll (Negishi) 121011
http://youtu.be/LIJTYrV9F3M
Negishi Trackside Street Stroll (121011)
http://youtu.be/5i-nGNlAs_s
Negishi Izakaya Side Street 根岸居酒屋 (121011)
http://youtu.be/3fmKd9sqHBY
Entering Uguisudani Station via South Entrance (121011)
http://youtu.be/bjI1MDtQ7xw
Uguisudani to Nippori 鶯谷から日暮里まで (Yamanote Line) 121011
http://youtu.be/_fm9BnTeNO4
Exiting JR-Nippori Station 日暮里駅 (121011)
http://youtu.be/l6mXrOtO_U4
Walking Away from Nippori Station 日暮里駅 (121011)
http://youtu.be/kwlortLAjSg
Shinjuku Yamanote Platform (Daytime) 121011
http://youtu.be/71aRu3EXzc8
Shinjuku to Shibuya (Yamanote Line) 新宿から渋谷まで山手線 (121011)
http://youtu.be/OoUn9XRP878
Street Next to Cemetery Near Uguisudani Station (121011)
http://youtu.be/W75pzzvYbHg
Front Cab - Waiting to Start (Nippori-Toneri Liner 日暮里舎人ライナー) 121011
http://youtu.be/EIK6pJjtnKk
Since the train is driven by computer, with no human driver, you can sit right in front where (on a regular train) a driver would sit.
Shinjuku - Street Musicians Near South Exit (121011)
http://youtu.be/5X1Uuh5DEzU
Yurakucho Izakaya Tunnel Walk-through (121011)
http://youtu.be/tf18MIlZ5tA
Train Passing Yurakucho-SB at Night (121011)
http://youtu.be/ZkXIe1wYRB4
Izakaya Night Scene (Short) 121011
http://youtu.be/yqGSkQHzm_4
Yurakucho to Tokyo (121011)
http://youtu.be/myJiCITbia4
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 14, 2012
"Late Morning Shadows" (September 2012)
"Late Morning Shadows" (September 2012)
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"1990 Motoyawata, Hibarigaoka, Shakujikoen; 2012 Shinagawa, Etc."
The first batch of clips are from October 1990 - with a trip to Motoyawata and Shakujikoen as excursions, and several other out-and-about clips from central Tokyo. I'll comment after several of the titles/links. Incidentally, the on-camera commentary I recorded for this 1990 material is in Japanese. (Back then, for some tapes I used English, and for others Japanese. This one is in Japanese.)
The main location featured in the 2012 material in this batch is Shinagawa - with several clips featuring a walk to Sengakuji Temple, where the graves of the famous 47-Ronin are. An e-acquaintance requested footage of Sengakuji, and I went out there to get pictures of the temple... and discovered that the 47-Ronin graves were there when I got to talking with a local at the temple. He (and many readers perhaps!) was amazed that I had gone there without knowing about that aspect to the temple. He told me that he often sees people from all over the world visiting the temple specifically to see the graves of the 47-Ronin, so it must have been strange to meet someone who was there without knowing about that. (I know that story very well, but I never thought to look into where their graves were.) Again - I'll make additional comments after several of the titles/links.
1990 Hibarigaoka Shotengai ひばりが丘商店街 (901009)
http://youtu.be/4apk3NRGYnk
There are some detail changes, but the last time I visited this shopping street, it was largely the same. An area near to the station that was in the process of being torn down in November 1990 is now completely rebuilt.
1990 Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku (901009)
http://youtu.be/gjGQ87ao5xs
1990 Midnight Ride - Yutenji to Musashisakai (901006)
http://youtu.be/VEIfLaQDgJE
Nothing particularly exciting, but this shows what some of the last trains of the night are like - taken sometime between 12:00 midnight and 1:00 a.m. The entire train system in Tokyo shuts down every night, so there's typically a rush to get on the last trains that go into the suburbs on the one hand, and a fair number of people taking the first trains from around 5:00 a.m. - who missed the last trains the night before - on the other.
1990 Motoyawata Bookstore 本八幡本屋 (901006)
http://youtu.be/xObcn28w8kU
I didn't spend a lot of time there, but I rode the subway out to the end of the line, which was this station, and then returned to central Tokyo via surface trains (which is what the "Motoyawata to Yutenji" video below shows). In Motoyawata, I just walked around a bit and checked out the inside of a bookstore near the station.
1990 Motoyawata to Yutenji 本八幡から祐天寺まで (901006)
http://youtu.be/aCn-S0kiNoM
Judging from the many details of my life in these old videos that I had forgotten about until seeing the video footage (that I took myself) again - it's truly amazing how much of our lives go missing in our conscious memories. You know how some old people tend to repeat what seems like a rather limited number of stories from their past? It doesn't mean that's all they did - it means those are things that stand out in their memories. I don't know what percentage goes missing, but I would guess it's something like 95%? Don't believe me? Try recalling every single day from your life about two or three decades before. While some people can actually do that, most of us can just recall large events and a set of sharp memories connected with the large events - along with a range of generic memories that consist of remnants of old templates? Or something like that. In any case, had I not seen this video footage again, I don't think I would have ever recalled any event at all from this particular day.
1990 Rainy Day - Hibarigaoka to Tamachi (901008)
http://youtu.be/XxFW0hHZfqE
1990 Typhoon Approaching - Tamachi, Ikebukuro, Etc. (901008)
http://youtu.be/32ulGRUyjTI
The evening produced an ominous-looking sky, and since a typhoon was passing nearby, it seemed as though it might come through Tokyo, but while there were strong winds, things calmed down fairly quickly. Some of the anticipation/worry/excitement of the event is evident in this video.
1990年 - 日本語を話してくれよ (901012)
http://youtu.be/H3e_9XOjCvA
I began taking this video mid-way into trying to order a hamburger in Japanese. As I point out on the video (in Japanese) the shopkeepers seemed to be intensely committed to believing that I couldn't speak Japanese, so they couldn't hear me when I spoke in Japanese. They figure out I can use the national language at the end of the video though.
1990 Visit to Fast Food Place (901009)
http://youtu.be/Gx1gIeRPbBA
This is historically interesting, as this building was torn down not long after I took this and a combination Parco retail store and apartment building was put up in its place (all of the other small buildings on both sides were also torn down to make way for the large building).
1990 Hibarigaoka to Tamachi, Etc. (901011)
http://youtu.be/WtAAyY0GYCM
1990 JR to Seibu Transfer (Ikebukuro) 901009
http://youtu.be/AHugW--JWvc
This was a rather long transfer - forcing people who used the Seibu Line to walk past the Seibu Department Store. I used to look over at the department store with resentment - figuring that someone must have purposely positioned the railway in an inconvenient place that forced people to walk past the department store; no doubt expecting this would generate extra sales. It backfired in my case at least, I resented the location of Seibu-Ikebukuro Station so much that I boycotted the Seibu Department Store.
1990 Machida Afternoon (901012)
http://youtu.be/fKhs1bvEymc
1990 Machida to Hibarigaoka (901012)
http://youtu.be/XOHpoW-Xcig
1990 Nighttime Hibarigaoka (901011)
http://youtu.be/Z3q1Ke84WdU
The views seen in this video have changed a bit with the reconstruction of Hibarigaoka Station and other new construction (after demolition of older structures).
1990 Nighttime Nishi-Shinjuku (901011)
http://youtu.be/ppNRmZnEy2s
1990 Seibu Line from Hibarigaoka (901012)
http://youtu.be/FYqwu0czS3o
1990 Shinjuku to Hibarigaoka (901011)
http://youtu.be/ZDiegU943H4
1990 Shinjuku to Ikebukuro, Etc. (901009)
http://youtu.be/xNeFAi8c_8w
1990 Tamachi to Shinjuku, Etc. (901011)
http://youtu.be/tdiLKBfOYZM
1990 Hibarigaoka to Tanashi via Bus (901013) ひばりが丘 田無
http://youtu.be/VdQsb8U5yOU
The buses used now are different, so this has a nostalgic feel to it.
1990 Tanashi to Kami-igusa 田無から上井草まで (901013)
http://youtu.be/NEL_uLDFfrs
1990 Walk - Kami-igusa to Shakujikoen 石神井公園 (901013)
http://youtu.be/AHLLDiEtiG8
1990 Shakujikoen Park in the Rain 雨の石神井公園 (901013)
http://youtu.be/v_NnMlrWIfA
I had often seen people fishing in this pond, but this was the first time (and the last time) that I saw someone actually catch a fish. This was the same pond that reportedly had an alligator in it, which was either a false rumor, or maybe someone actually did put one in, and it died? Probably it was just a rumor, but for some time after that, whenever visiting this park, there was The Mystery of the Phantom Alligator in the air and you would scan the pond for any sign of protruding eyes. The rumor(?) was taken seriously enough that they actually organized a search of the pond to determine if there was something like that in there or not. They didn't find anything.
1990 Walk to Shakujikoen Station 石神井公園駅 (901013)
http://youtu.be/7Xcm673n6OE
1990 Shakujikoen Station 石神井公園駅 (901013)
http://youtu.be/hUg3VbWVq7g
More history - this station has been completely rebuilt since this was taken, so this is pure history (architecturally speaking). The old wooden stations had a completely different feel to them than the modern stations do.
Majima Hidenori Exhibition 間島秀徳展 (121009)
http://youtu.be/-u9F8szDURc
Takanawa Side Street 高輪横道 (121009)
http://youtu.be/tOSSRVK6v28
Shinagawa Main Road (R15) 品川 (121009)
http://youtu.be/4PyQA4ibvVQ
Entering Sengakuji Temple 泉岳寺 (121009)
http://youtu.be/I9SGSZoaxDU
Front of Sengakuji Temple Building (121009)
http://youtu.be/4Pgiqtt4Q9A
Incense and Sky (121009)
http://youtu.be/-wjlYdww8zc
Sengakuji Temple (Looking Around) 泉岳寺 Path to 47R (121009)
http://youtu.be/SqrJDxml1kM
An e-acquaintance suggested I might want to check out this temple, and so I walked around inside, taking the above video, including (towards the end of this clip) the graves of the 47-Ronin. The thing was though, I didn't realize what I was recording until I ended up talking with an older local (near the exit gate) who filled me in on the history of the place. He was surprised/amazed that I had come there without knowing that historical connection (I knew the story of the 47-Ronin of course, but didn't know where they were buried. After finding out about the history, I went back and recorded the following video.
47-Samurai/Ronin Graves at Sengakuji (121009)
http://youtu.be/VpEDdLUhuV8
Hamamatsucho to Tokyo 浜松町から東京まで (121009)
http://youtu.be/J06pl5FRzUg
Yurakucho to Tokyo 有楽町から東京まで (121009)
http://youtu.be/YnwWNrkkcNA
Street Down Below (121009)
http://youtu.be/lGLdnTXZG9Y
Looking down at a typical street. How much more interesting would Tokyo be without all the lifeless black asphalt choking off the earth for the sake of fire-breathing machinery?
Exiting Chuo Line at Tokyo Station (Walk to Exit) 121009
http://youtu.be/iXwHKhDbRC8
Post Office by Tokyo Station (Newly Reopened) 121009
http://youtu.be/3BnUKEkrbjU
The very front of what used to be the Tokyo Central Post Office is once again open as a post office, but is - since they demolished most of the building in order to put up a steel and glass office tower - apparently just a typical post office now. I was at least happy to see the old familiar high-ceiling space again (I used to often buy stamps here).
360-View (Front of Tokyo Station) 121009
http://youtu.be/z0fBPxmDIPg
There used to be a kind of small park in front of Tokyo Station, but now it's just one huge sea of black asphalt. Presumably this is temporary and they'll put something nice into this space. Until very recently, it was a kind of a parking lot for construction equipment and materials while Tokyo Station was undergoing reconstruction.
People Photographing Tokyo Station (121009)
http://youtu.be/me0ijkKofhE
People all seem to be impressed with the rebirth of the 1914 design. It really is a welcome contrast to 21st century glass and steel towers.
Tokyo Station Renovated Dome Interior (121009)
http://youtu.be/_QdZNpVrdFg
The original domes were apparently very ornamental, but were destroyed in the fire-bombing raids on Tokyo in 1945, and then rebuilt (for the first rebuild - this current rebuild is the second time) in a simpler, plainer design following the war. Reportedly, this second rebuild (2012) restores the two domes to their original 1914 design.
Back Side of Renovated Tokyo Station (121009)
http://youtu.be/Owb17l-0PaA
Ginza 4-Chome Intersection (121009)
http://youtu.be/kM6rSAp6WYA
Chuo Line Platform (Tokyo Station) 121009
http://youtu.be/t10qbuODcH0
Takanawa Small Temple (121009)
http://youtu.be/VlGIzON4qvc
Mysterious Old House in Shinagawa (121009)
http://youtu.be/dbFClgJpaRk
While there are still some old wooden houses (like the one in this video) here and there, this particular one is in Shinagawa - not far from the station! It's about the most expensive real estate in the entire country. Probably the main reason the owner of this house has been able to hold out, is the house is in the center at the end of the street. Taking a close look, it's clear that the property was trimmed on both sides (bought for a substantial sum of money no doubt), and as it now stands, with the newer development there on both sides of the house, it isn't really in the way of anything. Personally, I think it transforms an otherwise boring street into something with character. It's not even a fire hazard, since if it burns down, it won't cause anything else to burn with it. I stood there for a little while, looking at that old house with its history and character, and thinking how it would be great to live in one of the upscale apartments on the side *and* to own that house - and use it as a party house.
But speaking of people not wanting to move as neighborhoods are developed (and they are always relentlessly developed in Tokyo!), what was done in a lot of cases, was developers offered homeowners the top floor (or two for smaller properties) of buildings - essentially penthouse apartments - to live in if they agreed to sell, and so there are a fair number of office buildings in Tokyo with an old couple living on the top floor.
Shinagawa - Walking Along the Main Street (121009)
http://youtu.be/a-KyMbiOxKc
Entering Shinagawa Station (Afternoon) 121009
http://youtu.be/HAicg0a1dJs
Shinagawa (Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Line Platforms) 121009
http://youtu.be/zjCs8nPPLyU
Shinagawa to Hamamatsucho (Afternoon Yamanote Line) 121009
http://youtu.be/TZUJN21ZIhE
Tokaido Line Platform (Tokyo Station) 121009
http://youtu.be/mJrzKyuJxxU
Tokyo to Shinagawa (Tokaido Line - Left Side) 121009
http://youtu.be/XQlBGWrHQfw
Shinagawa Station and West Side (121009)
http://youtu.be/fi-lunOnWyQ
Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 (121009g)
http://youtu.be/Xg8IUW8_Fug
This is a very nice traditional garden - dating back to the Edo Era. It's on landfill, but over three-century-old landfill, so it has a settled feel to it. According to Wikipedia [full article here]:
"The land was reclaimed between 1655 and 1658. In 1678 the site was used for the official samurai style residence of Ōkubo Tadamoto (1604–1670), member of the Ōkubo clan and an official of the Tokugawa shogunate. The residence garden was designed by garden designers from the Odawara Domain, until 1614 under the rule of Daimyo from the Ōkubo clan. The garden was then known as Rakujuen."
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
The main location featured in the 2012 material in this batch is Shinagawa - with several clips featuring a walk to Sengakuji Temple, where the graves of the famous 47-Ronin are. An e-acquaintance requested footage of Sengakuji, and I went out there to get pictures of the temple... and discovered that the 47-Ronin graves were there when I got to talking with a local at the temple. He (and many readers perhaps!) was amazed that I had gone there without knowing about that aspect to the temple. He told me that he often sees people from all over the world visiting the temple specifically to see the graves of the 47-Ronin, so it must have been strange to meet someone who was there without knowing about that. (I know that story very well, but I never thought to look into where their graves were.) Again - I'll make additional comments after several of the titles/links.
1990 Hibarigaoka Shotengai ひばりが丘商店街 (901009)
http://youtu.be/4apk3NRGYnk
There are some detail changes, but the last time I visited this shopping street, it was largely the same. An area near to the station that was in the process of being torn down in November 1990 is now completely rebuilt.
1990 Hibarigaoka to Shinjuku (901009)
http://youtu.be/gjGQ87ao5xs
1990 Midnight Ride - Yutenji to Musashisakai (901006)
http://youtu.be/VEIfLaQDgJE
Nothing particularly exciting, but this shows what some of the last trains of the night are like - taken sometime between 12:00 midnight and 1:00 a.m. The entire train system in Tokyo shuts down every night, so there's typically a rush to get on the last trains that go into the suburbs on the one hand, and a fair number of people taking the first trains from around 5:00 a.m. - who missed the last trains the night before - on the other.
1990 Motoyawata Bookstore 本八幡本屋 (901006)
http://youtu.be/xObcn28w8kU
I didn't spend a lot of time there, but I rode the subway out to the end of the line, which was this station, and then returned to central Tokyo via surface trains (which is what the "Motoyawata to Yutenji" video below shows). In Motoyawata, I just walked around a bit and checked out the inside of a bookstore near the station.
1990 Motoyawata to Yutenji 本八幡から祐天寺まで (901006)
http://youtu.be/aCn-S0kiNoM
Judging from the many details of my life in these old videos that I had forgotten about until seeing the video footage (that I took myself) again - it's truly amazing how much of our lives go missing in our conscious memories. You know how some old people tend to repeat what seems like a rather limited number of stories from their past? It doesn't mean that's all they did - it means those are things that stand out in their memories. I don't know what percentage goes missing, but I would guess it's something like 95%? Don't believe me? Try recalling every single day from your life about two or three decades before. While some people can actually do that, most of us can just recall large events and a set of sharp memories connected with the large events - along with a range of generic memories that consist of remnants of old templates? Or something like that. In any case, had I not seen this video footage again, I don't think I would have ever recalled any event at all from this particular day.
1990 Rainy Day - Hibarigaoka to Tamachi (901008)
http://youtu.be/XxFW0hHZfqE
1990 Typhoon Approaching - Tamachi, Ikebukuro, Etc. (901008)
http://youtu.be/32ulGRUyjTI
The evening produced an ominous-looking sky, and since a typhoon was passing nearby, it seemed as though it might come through Tokyo, but while there were strong winds, things calmed down fairly quickly. Some of the anticipation/worry/excitement of the event is evident in this video.
1990年 - 日本語を話してくれよ (901012)
http://youtu.be/H3e_9XOjCvA
I began taking this video mid-way into trying to order a hamburger in Japanese. As I point out on the video (in Japanese) the shopkeepers seemed to be intensely committed to believing that I couldn't speak Japanese, so they couldn't hear me when I spoke in Japanese. They figure out I can use the national language at the end of the video though.
1990 Visit to Fast Food Place (901009)
http://youtu.be/Gx1gIeRPbBA
This is historically interesting, as this building was torn down not long after I took this and a combination Parco retail store and apartment building was put up in its place (all of the other small buildings on both sides were also torn down to make way for the large building).
1990 Hibarigaoka to Tamachi, Etc. (901011)
http://youtu.be/WtAAyY0GYCM
1990 JR to Seibu Transfer (Ikebukuro) 901009
http://youtu.be/AHugW--JWvc
This was a rather long transfer - forcing people who used the Seibu Line to walk past the Seibu Department Store. I used to look over at the department store with resentment - figuring that someone must have purposely positioned the railway in an inconvenient place that forced people to walk past the department store; no doubt expecting this would generate extra sales. It backfired in my case at least, I resented the location of Seibu-Ikebukuro Station so much that I boycotted the Seibu Department Store.
1990 Machida Afternoon (901012)
http://youtu.be/fKhs1bvEymc
1990 Machida to Hibarigaoka (901012)
http://youtu.be/XOHpoW-Xcig
1990 Nighttime Hibarigaoka (901011)
http://youtu.be/Z3q1Ke84WdU
The views seen in this video have changed a bit with the reconstruction of Hibarigaoka Station and other new construction (after demolition of older structures).
1990 Nighttime Nishi-Shinjuku (901011)
http://youtu.be/ppNRmZnEy2s
1990 Seibu Line from Hibarigaoka (901012)
http://youtu.be/FYqwu0czS3o
1990 Shinjuku to Hibarigaoka (901011)
http://youtu.be/ZDiegU943H4
1990 Shinjuku to Ikebukuro, Etc. (901009)
http://youtu.be/xNeFAi8c_8w
1990 Tamachi to Shinjuku, Etc. (901011)
http://youtu.be/tdiLKBfOYZM
1990 Hibarigaoka to Tanashi via Bus (901013) ひばりが丘 田無
http://youtu.be/VdQsb8U5yOU
The buses used now are different, so this has a nostalgic feel to it.
1990 Tanashi to Kami-igusa 田無から上井草まで (901013)
http://youtu.be/NEL_uLDFfrs
1990 Walk - Kami-igusa to Shakujikoen 石神井公園 (901013)
http://youtu.be/AHLLDiEtiG8
1990 Shakujikoen Park in the Rain 雨の石神井公園 (901013)
http://youtu.be/v_NnMlrWIfA
I had often seen people fishing in this pond, but this was the first time (and the last time) that I saw someone actually catch a fish. This was the same pond that reportedly had an alligator in it, which was either a false rumor, or maybe someone actually did put one in, and it died? Probably it was just a rumor, but for some time after that, whenever visiting this park, there was The Mystery of the Phantom Alligator in the air and you would scan the pond for any sign of protruding eyes. The rumor(?) was taken seriously enough that they actually organized a search of the pond to determine if there was something like that in there or not. They didn't find anything.
1990 Walk to Shakujikoen Station 石神井公園駅 (901013)
http://youtu.be/7Xcm673n6OE
1990 Shakujikoen Station 石神井公園駅 (901013)
http://youtu.be/hUg3VbWVq7g
More history - this station has been completely rebuilt since this was taken, so this is pure history (architecturally speaking). The old wooden stations had a completely different feel to them than the modern stations do.
Majima Hidenori Exhibition 間島秀徳展 (121009)
http://youtu.be/-u9F8szDURc
Takanawa Side Street 高輪横道 (121009)
http://youtu.be/tOSSRVK6v28
Shinagawa Main Road (R15) 品川 (121009)
http://youtu.be/4PyQA4ibvVQ
Entering Sengakuji Temple 泉岳寺 (121009)
http://youtu.be/I9SGSZoaxDU
Front of Sengakuji Temple Building (121009)
http://youtu.be/4Pgiqtt4Q9A
Incense and Sky (121009)
http://youtu.be/-wjlYdww8zc
Sengakuji Temple (Looking Around) 泉岳寺 Path to 47R (121009)
http://youtu.be/SqrJDxml1kM
An e-acquaintance suggested I might want to check out this temple, and so I walked around inside, taking the above video, including (towards the end of this clip) the graves of the 47-Ronin. The thing was though, I didn't realize what I was recording until I ended up talking with an older local (near the exit gate) who filled me in on the history of the place. He was surprised/amazed that I had come there without knowing that historical connection (I knew the story of the 47-Ronin of course, but didn't know where they were buried. After finding out about the history, I went back and recorded the following video.
47-Samurai/Ronin Graves at Sengakuji (121009)
http://youtu.be/VpEDdLUhuV8
Hamamatsucho to Tokyo 浜松町から東京まで (121009)
http://youtu.be/J06pl5FRzUg
Yurakucho to Tokyo 有楽町から東京まで (121009)
http://youtu.be/YnwWNrkkcNA
Street Down Below (121009)
http://youtu.be/lGLdnTXZG9Y
Looking down at a typical street. How much more interesting would Tokyo be without all the lifeless black asphalt choking off the earth for the sake of fire-breathing machinery?
Exiting Chuo Line at Tokyo Station (Walk to Exit) 121009
http://youtu.be/iXwHKhDbRC8
Post Office by Tokyo Station (Newly Reopened) 121009
http://youtu.be/3BnUKEkrbjU
The very front of what used to be the Tokyo Central Post Office is once again open as a post office, but is - since they demolished most of the building in order to put up a steel and glass office tower - apparently just a typical post office now. I was at least happy to see the old familiar high-ceiling space again (I used to often buy stamps here).
360-View (Front of Tokyo Station) 121009
http://youtu.be/z0fBPxmDIPg
There used to be a kind of small park in front of Tokyo Station, but now it's just one huge sea of black asphalt. Presumably this is temporary and they'll put something nice into this space. Until very recently, it was a kind of a parking lot for construction equipment and materials while Tokyo Station was undergoing reconstruction.
People Photographing Tokyo Station (121009)
http://youtu.be/me0ijkKofhE
People all seem to be impressed with the rebirth of the 1914 design. It really is a welcome contrast to 21st century glass and steel towers.
Tokyo Station Renovated Dome Interior (121009)
http://youtu.be/_QdZNpVrdFg
The original domes were apparently very ornamental, but were destroyed in the fire-bombing raids on Tokyo in 1945, and then rebuilt (for the first rebuild - this current rebuild is the second time) in a simpler, plainer design following the war. Reportedly, this second rebuild (2012) restores the two domes to their original 1914 design.
Back Side of Renovated Tokyo Station (121009)
http://youtu.be/Owb17l-0PaA
Ginza 4-Chome Intersection (121009)
http://youtu.be/kM6rSAp6WYA
Chuo Line Platform (Tokyo Station) 121009
http://youtu.be/t10qbuODcH0
Takanawa Small Temple (121009)
http://youtu.be/VlGIzON4qvc
Mysterious Old House in Shinagawa (121009)
http://youtu.be/dbFClgJpaRk
While there are still some old wooden houses (like the one in this video) here and there, this particular one is in Shinagawa - not far from the station! It's about the most expensive real estate in the entire country. Probably the main reason the owner of this house has been able to hold out, is the house is in the center at the end of the street. Taking a close look, it's clear that the property was trimmed on both sides (bought for a substantial sum of money no doubt), and as it now stands, with the newer development there on both sides of the house, it isn't really in the way of anything. Personally, I think it transforms an otherwise boring street into something with character. It's not even a fire hazard, since if it burns down, it won't cause anything else to burn with it. I stood there for a little while, looking at that old house with its history and character, and thinking how it would be great to live in one of the upscale apartments on the side *and* to own that house - and use it as a party house.
But speaking of people not wanting to move as neighborhoods are developed (and they are always relentlessly developed in Tokyo!), what was done in a lot of cases, was developers offered homeowners the top floor (or two for smaller properties) of buildings - essentially penthouse apartments - to live in if they agreed to sell, and so there are a fair number of office buildings in Tokyo with an old couple living on the top floor.
Shinagawa - Walking Along the Main Street (121009)
http://youtu.be/a-KyMbiOxKc
Entering Shinagawa Station (Afternoon) 121009
http://youtu.be/HAicg0a1dJs
Shinagawa (Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Line Platforms) 121009
http://youtu.be/zjCs8nPPLyU
Shinagawa to Hamamatsucho (Afternoon Yamanote Line) 121009
http://youtu.be/TZUJN21ZIhE
Tokaido Line Platform (Tokyo Station) 121009
http://youtu.be/mJrzKyuJxxU
Tokyo to Shinagawa (Tokaido Line - Left Side) 121009
http://youtu.be/XQlBGWrHQfw
Shinagawa Station and West Side (121009)
http://youtu.be/fi-lunOnWyQ
Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Garden 旧芝離宮恩賜庭園 (121009g)
http://youtu.be/Xg8IUW8_Fug
This is a very nice traditional garden - dating back to the Edo Era. It's on landfill, but over three-century-old landfill, so it has a settled feel to it. According to Wikipedia [full article here]:
"The land was reclaimed between 1655 and 1658. In 1678 the site was used for the official samurai style residence of Ōkubo Tadamoto (1604–1670), member of the Ōkubo clan and an official of the Tokugawa shogunate. The residence garden was designed by garden designers from the Odawara Domain, until 1614 under the rule of Daimyo from the Ōkubo clan. The garden was then known as Rakujuen."
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
Saturday, October 06, 2012
"Kawagoe - September 2012"
"Kawagoe - September 2012"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Impressions From June 1997"
[2012/10/06]: Back in 1997, an e-mail acquaintance sent me this: "[Can you write about] more impressions of your environment - what it looks/sounds/smells/tastes/feels like? Any particular favorite places? What is the layout of the land like? (Hilly? Flat? Crowded with buildings? Tenements? Factories? All mixed up?) Where are the gardens, and what do they look like? What does it feel like going from point-A to point-B?" - and in answer I wrote this:
With the above in mind, I wrote down the following by hand while out and about a few days ago:
97/06/10 - 21:29: I'm now on a commuter line train, leaving the city center, but not escaping it's grasp. I'm sitting between a woman with her eyes closed (not asleep) on my right, and a man on my left. Two men standing to my right seem to be enjoying an alcohol afterglow as they talk and laugh. A stern-faced man standing off to my left gives me the evil eye. The man seated on my left gets off the train... 'evil-eye' sits next to me. There's that vampire aspect.., whatever it is, I don't like it, so I'm standing up, moving.
Now I'm standing in the middle of the train. In the old days, I wouldn't have moved as a matter of principle, but it just drains your energy, and what's the point?
I'm on a local train to escape the purgatory of the express trains.., at another of the frequent stops, a seated man gets off, enabling me to sit down again, and I'm away from the vampire. I'm only happy to be in a different space, and don't feel 'run out'. What is this abandonment of principle? I think there are just too many battles, so you get to a point where you realize that saving energy is the most important thing.
21:42 - Now the train is half-empty, as it's nearing the end of the line. I'll have to change trains to get where I'm going, but when I imagine everyone smashed together on the express train right now, I don't care when I get home. Now the train is waiting for an express to pass... there it is, rushing past with everyone all smashed together. If you spend a couple of hours in one of those sardine trains every day, it affects you... and not in a good way. Never mind the rest of the day, you're tired before you even start work for the day.
I don't know, if I could transport myself from this train and these people to other trains in other countries to compare, I could say something more meaningful. I only know, as I sit beneath the glaring florescent lights on this punctual, functional, but not very attractive train, that I want to live a different way than this.
21:56 - Second train (after transferring). There's a seat... The young woman on my right is showing her boyfriend her new passport. How will she (they?) view the world from outside Japan?
97/06/12 - 20:57: Shibuya. In a building by an open window on the fourth floor. Looking out the window, as the Yamanote Line trains rumble by through the trees... in the middle of the busy four lane road below, there are five people on a traffic island arranging flowers and food - one man is trying to light a candle... I can only imagine that a friend of theirs died in a traffic accident near there. Yes... no mistake - they are praying now.
Just as I wrote that, work called and soon thereafter the manager of the place came over and shut the window, which wouldn't have been much of a problem, but he has a row of air fresheners in the bathroom on the window sill, and their chemical smell is overpowering. It's a small thing, but it shows what I'm always battling in Tokyo. The unfortunate scene below notwithstanding, this building in Shibuya is next to a park, so there are leaves - green leaves to see and hear (when the wind blows) through the open window. The man shuts the window, cutting me off from that to which I want a connection, and then there's that horrible chemical smell that I don't want invading my lungs. Don't other people miss a connection to live plants, to the open sky?
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
With the above in mind, I wrote down the following by hand while out and about a few days ago:
97/06/10 - 21:29: I'm now on a commuter line train, leaving the city center, but not escaping it's grasp. I'm sitting between a woman with her eyes closed (not asleep) on my right, and a man on my left. Two men standing to my right seem to be enjoying an alcohol afterglow as they talk and laugh. A stern-faced man standing off to my left gives me the evil eye. The man seated on my left gets off the train... 'evil-eye' sits next to me. There's that vampire aspect.., whatever it is, I don't like it, so I'm standing up, moving.
Now I'm standing in the middle of the train. In the old days, I wouldn't have moved as a matter of principle, but it just drains your energy, and what's the point?
I'm on a local train to escape the purgatory of the express trains.., at another of the frequent stops, a seated man gets off, enabling me to sit down again, and I'm away from the vampire. I'm only happy to be in a different space, and don't feel 'run out'. What is this abandonment of principle? I think there are just too many battles, so you get to a point where you realize that saving energy is the most important thing.
21:42 - Now the train is half-empty, as it's nearing the end of the line. I'll have to change trains to get where I'm going, but when I imagine everyone smashed together on the express train right now, I don't care when I get home. Now the train is waiting for an express to pass... there it is, rushing past with everyone all smashed together. If you spend a couple of hours in one of those sardine trains every day, it affects you... and not in a good way. Never mind the rest of the day, you're tired before you even start work for the day.
I don't know, if I could transport myself from this train and these people to other trains in other countries to compare, I could say something more meaningful. I only know, as I sit beneath the glaring florescent lights on this punctual, functional, but not very attractive train, that I want to live a different way than this.
21:56 - Second train (after transferring). There's a seat... The young woman on my right is showing her boyfriend her new passport. How will she (they?) view the world from outside Japan?
97/06/12 - 20:57: Shibuya. In a building by an open window on the fourth floor. Looking out the window, as the Yamanote Line trains rumble by through the trees... in the middle of the busy four lane road below, there are five people on a traffic island arranging flowers and food - one man is trying to light a candle... I can only imagine that a friend of theirs died in a traffic accident near there. Yes... no mistake - they are praying now.
Just as I wrote that, work called and soon thereafter the manager of the place came over and shut the window, which wouldn't have been much of a problem, but he has a row of air fresheners in the bathroom on the window sill, and their chemical smell is overpowering. It's a small thing, but it shows what I'm always battling in Tokyo. The unfortunate scene below notwithstanding, this building in Shibuya is next to a park, so there are leaves - green leaves to see and hear (when the wind blows) through the open window. The man shuts the window, cutting me off from that to which I want a connection, and then there's that horrible chemical smell that I don't want invading my lungs. Don't other people miss a connection to live plants, to the open sky?
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"Kawagoe Mystery Zone September 2012"
"Kawagoe Mystery Zone"
Copyright 2012 by Lyle H Saxon
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
"1990 Hibarigaoka; 1991 Tokyo Station; 2012 Tabata, Nishi-Nippori, Oimachi, Etc."
The first 1990 video of Hibarigaoka is interesting in that it shows the old Hibarigaoka Station and the old pre-Parco area. Compared to today's Hibarigaoka, it's basically "Showa Hibarigaoka" versus "Heisei Hibarigaoka". (By year, 1990 is the second year of Heisei, but there was a lot of carryover culture-wise several years into the Heisei era.)
In the Hibarigaoka to Toshimaen video, views of the old style Seibu Line stations are nostalgic to see now, since the old wooden structures in the video have vanished - replaced with new modern buildings.
The three main areas I visited in this batch of 2012 views are Tabata, Nishi-Nippori, and (again) Oimachi. Putting previous views of Oimachi together with this evening view, there are three times of day - morning, lunchtime, and evening.
1990 Nighttime Hibarigaoka (900914)
http://youtu.be/Plf4EGqxFZM
1990 Night Trains, Etc. (900914)
http://youtu.be/IAXOH0ezewg
1990 Hibarigaoka to Toshimaen (900925)
http://youtu.be/NexGCQvylhw
1991 Tokyo Station Before Reconstruction (910330g) 1991年の東京駅と東京駅ホテル
http://youtu.be/9f0iWAYbNrw
On March 30th, 1991, I devoted a full day to videoing Tokyo Station and the area immediately around it (including the old Marunouchi Building and the old Central Post Office building (which was 95% destroyed, with only the front facade remaining, which has been integrated with a new high-rise office building). In this clip, I also recorded views of the Tokyo Station Hotel and Tokyo Station Art Gallery.
Insect Noises (Early October) 121003h
http://youtu.be/zXbK6ATCy_4
Trains Passing Oimachi Train Yard (120925h)
http://youtu.be/FETJr1oLGG8
Beside Yamanote Line Train Yard (Oimachi) 120925h
http://youtu.be/WpuPPIHvK8E
Parking Yamanote Line Train (Oimachi Train Yard) 120925h
http://youtu.be/ztwkKfYrfnk
All these years where I've had to get off of Yamanote Line trains that had Osaki as the last stop, and I never realized there was a big train yard for Yamanote Line trains by Oimachi - which is just a short distance from Osaki.
Bus Ride (Front View) 121003h
http://youtu.be/lVYGvCjHxjw
Tabata Walkway (121002h)
http://youtu.be/Z7chQoWB9gs
Trains by Tabata Side Entrance (121002h)
http://youtu.be/UZBGuBR8EVw
Passing Trains (Tabata) 121002h
http://youtu.be/c_P1ogRRztw
Tabata Walkway (121002h)
http://youtu.be/Z7chQoWB9gs
Nishi-Nippori Street View (121002h)
http://youtu.be/u0KJT6inYO0
Trains in Nishi-Nippori (121002h)
http://youtu.be/4l4n56A-pyg
Nishi-Nippori Platform (Seen from Distance) 121002h
http://youtu.be/FZHnL1msH40
What's a 62 Galaxie Doing on that Sign? (121002)
http://youtu.be/NYzWkt-CDS0
It was used because it looks good I guess. I looked up and... "Wait... I know that car! That's a 1962 Galaxie!". The big round taillights are easily recognizable. (The 61-64 Galaxies all have them, but each year is a little different.)
Exiting Morning Chuo Line (Shinjuku) 121002
http://youtu.be/kzJ9vebS-oo
Shinjuku Morning Rush Walkabout (121002)
http://youtu.be/ZDgs4ZudSn8
In this video, I walk through the four main concourses of Shinjuku Station during the morning rush - beginning at around 8:30 a.m.
Shinjuku Morning Rush (West Exit) 121002g
http://youtu.be/2DulQGlVUoA
Shinjuku West Side Tunnel Walk (Morning Rush) 121002
http://youtu.be/Wn5UR2NIl_Q
This is the main path to most of the high-rise office buildings on Shinjuku Station's west side.
Platform... Number... Five (and Unused Telephones) 121002
http://youtu.be/6sTnY9Q7NII
About the title - the English announcement you can hear midway through the clip has so much space between some of the words, that it sounds like a parody of itself. The long row of public telephones are apparently maintained in case there's an emergency in which people can't use their cell phones.
Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (Yamanote Line) Morning (121002)
http://youtu.be/4dWBMQM-79c
Ikebukuro to Tabata (Yamanote Line) 121002
http://youtu.be/EO6Ke7B3Zk0
Meiji-Dori (Tabata Shin-Machi) 田端新町明治通り (121002)
http://youtu.be/Es0U2lDMlD8
Just a quick look at a main street. Main streets aren't all bad, but the traffic noise, along with wide expanses of dead dark gray asphalt, and the pollution of the fire-breathing machinery it carries, make them a place to avoid whenever possible.
Train Departing Tabata (Yamanote Line) 田端駅山手線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/EdlfjnBmbek
Tabata Platform Walkabout 田端駅 (121002)
http://youtu.be/IyVY2tz_658
Tabata Platform to Main Exit (田端駅) 121002
http://youtu.be/xc8MkRRsEbQ
Blue Train Passing (Higashi-Tabata) 東田端 (121002)
http://youtu.be/RSMwtxjSS1I
Higashi-Tabata Small Shrine 東田端 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/RdZlCBruVbA
Higashi-Tabata Street Scene (Actor on Ground) 121002
http://youtu.be/I7_Gide2E5k
Meaning a *picture* of an actor on the ground.
Under Rail Bridge Culvert Paintings (121002)
http://youtu.be/WJHAaFQW9Bk
Flowers Beside Railway (Higashi-Tabata) 121002
http://youtu.be/Uqv8aYp1znA
At first I thought these plants were growing in planters, but they turned out to be growing on the track side of the fence - with the branches poking through the fence. Probably they were trimmed back by the railway and so the only part remaining is the part growing through the fence.
Oimachi Izakaya Street 大井町駅居酒屋通り (121002)
http://youtu.be/U9L5GtqG5Xc
大井町駅居酒屋通り Oimachi Izakaya Street (121002)
http://youtu.be/2as82p-2wXY
大井町赤提灯 Red Lanterns in Oimachi (121002)
http://youtu.be/x1eyJ7DJkWM
Warm Evening After Cold Passageway (121002)
http://youtu.be/cpoDnd3lheo
Yakitori by Oimachi Station 大井町焼き鳥 (121002)
http://youtu.be/1tFYQVwO05M
夕方大井町電車 Oimachi Evening Trains (121002)
http://youtu.be/B1JCIIhDgmM
Entering Oimachi Station (Evening) 121002
http://youtu.be/7jtarD78RYQ
Yurakucho Evening (Beside Station) 121002
http://youtu.be/jf8I5awri0Y
Platform... Number... Ten (Shinjuku Station) 121002
http://youtu.be/9fc7BoKwp2Y
Another verrrrry sloooow English announcement at Shinjuku Station.
Stairs Beside Passing Train (121002)
http://youtu.be/h4O6sGSJ0Rg
Trains Below Shrine (Nishi-Nippori) 121002
http://youtu.be/rGYYE8xI0iw
Nishi-Nippori to Ueno (Yamanote Line) 西日暮里から上野まで山手線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/9ipITZ6jVgk
Ueno to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 上野から有楽町まで山手線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/SUyLtLWqUZs
Yurakucho Trains Passing (121002)
http://youtu.be/DurN9JS6Bts
Tokyo Station Walk to Tokaido Line (121002)
http://youtu.be/WNRKYneXev4
Tokyo to Shinagawa (Tokaido Line) 東京から品川まで東海道線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/1pS6M0Xx5YY
Evening Keihin-Tohoku Line 品川から大井町まで (121002)
http://youtu.be/oXSPCzhwVQ0
Going from Shinagawa to Oimachi on the Keihin-Tohoku Line.
Evening Oimachi Station Area 夕方大井町駅あたり (121002)
http://youtu.be/c-2I0-Q715c
Tabata - Platform to South Exit 田端駅南口 (121002)
http://youtu.be/kmg8Yhcgxzs
Tabata 1-Chome 田端一丁目 Residential Area (121002)
http://youtu.be/WEwyfaKSQaY
Oasis in the City 都市のオアシス (121002)
http://youtu.be/1RlSw7xlyx0
A small oasis of green in a residential area within a short walk of the Yamanote Line.
Quiet Residential Walkway (121002)
http://youtu.be/1wdCvcvsLkA
Overlooking Tabata Station (121002)
http://youtu.be/tF18JMN4s7M
Overlooking Tabata Main Entrance (121002)
http://youtu.be/5fMxbYnZalY
Walkway Above Tabata Station (121002)
http://youtu.be/kYB_x88KTb4
Tabata 1-Chome to Tabata South Entrance (121002)
http://youtu.be/5A0bKiq5z14
Entering Tabata Station - Tabata to Nishi-Nippori (121002)
http://youtu.be/jbatUHSOsYY
Nishi-Nippori Platform 西日暮里駅ホーム (121002)
http://youtu.be/F4Zl92LLAG4
Nishi-Nippori Trains 西日暮里駅電車 (121002)
http://youtu.be/m3ETggyoIm0
Nishi-Nippori Station Walkabout 西日暮里駅 (121002)
http://youtu.be/Q9prcYdrCOc
Nishi-Nippori Walkabout 西日暮里散歩 (121002)
http://youtu.be/0Oqiv-hRayM
Coming Upon Railway Crossing (121002)
http://youtu.be/neq17QM28RQ
Train Watching (Nishi-Nippori RR-Crossing) 121002
http://youtu.be/apoRqCo_k0E
Entering Nishi-Nippori Station (Outside the Gates) 121002
http://youtu.be/20imXosjrl8
Exploring Shrine in Nishi-Nippori 諏訪神社 (121002)
http://youtu.be/vojtmDDymM8
Windy Day by the Tracks (121002)
http://youtu.be/opPqt5i37hU
西日暮里第二自転車駐車場 (121002)
http://youtu.be/3yFA-ebNugI
A bicycle parking area in a tunnel under the railway.
Lone Cricket in Bicycle Tunnel (121002)
http://youtu.be/Yn-T8XgRoTs
Train Under September Sky (121002)
http://youtu.be/GI768rewDF8
Shinjuku Evening Sidewalk 新宿夜の横断歩道 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/cGLxrwKmsN4
Watching RS-Express Train In Nishi-Nippori 西日暮里特急踏切 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/L0ScWjiuTfU
By "RS-Express", I mean reserved-seat express. The problem with translating terms here is that 特急 (tokkyu) is kind of hard to translate into English. If you use British English, it's "Limited Express", with "limited" meaning "limited stops", but "limited express" in American English means "limited speed compared to a regular express (more stops)", so that leaves something like "super express", but then people probably start imagining the Shinkansen trains... - and so I've decided to use reserved-seat express train, and shortened it to RS-Express for YouTube titles. (JR - by the way - uses "Limited Express" for its English translation.)
Evening Shinagawa Station 夕方品川駅 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/SmFTS_YxtqM
Yurakucho Side Street Lights 有楽町夜の光 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/mtr1TevAwsU
Oimachi to Yurakucho 大井町から有楽町まで (夜) 121002g
http://youtu.be/kDgfojTPoik
Twilight Lookaround in Oimachi 大井町夕方見回り (121002g)
http://youtu.be/ehPlAgX_J3U
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
In the Hibarigaoka to Toshimaen video, views of the old style Seibu Line stations are nostalgic to see now, since the old wooden structures in the video have vanished - replaced with new modern buildings.
The three main areas I visited in this batch of 2012 views are Tabata, Nishi-Nippori, and (again) Oimachi. Putting previous views of Oimachi together with this evening view, there are three times of day - morning, lunchtime, and evening.
1990 Nighttime Hibarigaoka (900914)
http://youtu.be/Plf4EGqxFZM
1990 Night Trains, Etc. (900914)
http://youtu.be/IAXOH0ezewg
1990 Hibarigaoka to Toshimaen (900925)
http://youtu.be/NexGCQvylhw
1991 Tokyo Station Before Reconstruction (910330g) 1991年の東京駅と東京駅ホテル
http://youtu.be/9f0iWAYbNrw
On March 30th, 1991, I devoted a full day to videoing Tokyo Station and the area immediately around it (including the old Marunouchi Building and the old Central Post Office building (which was 95% destroyed, with only the front facade remaining, which has been integrated with a new high-rise office building). In this clip, I also recorded views of the Tokyo Station Hotel and Tokyo Station Art Gallery.
Insect Noises (Early October) 121003h
http://youtu.be/zXbK6ATCy_4
Trains Passing Oimachi Train Yard (120925h)
http://youtu.be/FETJr1oLGG8
Beside Yamanote Line Train Yard (Oimachi) 120925h
http://youtu.be/WpuPPIHvK8E
Parking Yamanote Line Train (Oimachi Train Yard) 120925h
http://youtu.be/ztwkKfYrfnk
All these years where I've had to get off of Yamanote Line trains that had Osaki as the last stop, and I never realized there was a big train yard for Yamanote Line trains by Oimachi - which is just a short distance from Osaki.
Bus Ride (Front View) 121003h
http://youtu.be/lVYGvCjHxjw
Tabata Walkway (121002h)
http://youtu.be/Z7chQoWB9gs
Trains by Tabata Side Entrance (121002h)
http://youtu.be/UZBGuBR8EVw
Passing Trains (Tabata) 121002h
http://youtu.be/c_P1ogRRztw
Tabata Walkway (121002h)
http://youtu.be/Z7chQoWB9gs
Nishi-Nippori Street View (121002h)
http://youtu.be/u0KJT6inYO0
Trains in Nishi-Nippori (121002h)
http://youtu.be/4l4n56A-pyg
Nishi-Nippori Platform (Seen from Distance) 121002h
http://youtu.be/FZHnL1msH40
What's a 62 Galaxie Doing on that Sign? (121002)
http://youtu.be/NYzWkt-CDS0
It was used because it looks good I guess. I looked up and... "Wait... I know that car! That's a 1962 Galaxie!". The big round taillights are easily recognizable. (The 61-64 Galaxies all have them, but each year is a little different.)
Exiting Morning Chuo Line (Shinjuku) 121002
http://youtu.be/kzJ9vebS-oo
Shinjuku Morning Rush Walkabout (121002)
http://youtu.be/ZDgs4ZudSn8
In this video, I walk through the four main concourses of Shinjuku Station during the morning rush - beginning at around 8:30 a.m.
Shinjuku Morning Rush (West Exit) 121002g
http://youtu.be/2DulQGlVUoA
Shinjuku West Side Tunnel Walk (Morning Rush) 121002
http://youtu.be/Wn5UR2NIl_Q
This is the main path to most of the high-rise office buildings on Shinjuku Station's west side.
Platform... Number... Five (and Unused Telephones) 121002
http://youtu.be/6sTnY9Q7NII
About the title - the English announcement you can hear midway through the clip has so much space between some of the words, that it sounds like a parody of itself. The long row of public telephones are apparently maintained in case there's an emergency in which people can't use their cell phones.
Shinjuku to Ikebukuro (Yamanote Line) Morning (121002)
http://youtu.be/4dWBMQM-79c
Ikebukuro to Tabata (Yamanote Line) 121002
http://youtu.be/EO6Ke7B3Zk0
Meiji-Dori (Tabata Shin-Machi) 田端新町明治通り (121002)
http://youtu.be/Es0U2lDMlD8
Just a quick look at a main street. Main streets aren't all bad, but the traffic noise, along with wide expanses of dead dark gray asphalt, and the pollution of the fire-breathing machinery it carries, make them a place to avoid whenever possible.
Train Departing Tabata (Yamanote Line) 田端駅山手線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/EdlfjnBmbek
Tabata Platform Walkabout 田端駅 (121002)
http://youtu.be/IyVY2tz_658
Tabata Platform to Main Exit (田端駅) 121002
http://youtu.be/xc8MkRRsEbQ
Blue Train Passing (Higashi-Tabata) 東田端 (121002)
http://youtu.be/RSMwtxjSS1I
Higashi-Tabata Small Shrine 東田端 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/RdZlCBruVbA
Higashi-Tabata Street Scene (Actor on Ground) 121002
http://youtu.be/I7_Gide2E5k
Meaning a *picture* of an actor on the ground.
Under Rail Bridge Culvert Paintings (121002)
http://youtu.be/WJHAaFQW9Bk
Flowers Beside Railway (Higashi-Tabata) 121002
http://youtu.be/Uqv8aYp1znA
At first I thought these plants were growing in planters, but they turned out to be growing on the track side of the fence - with the branches poking through the fence. Probably they were trimmed back by the railway and so the only part remaining is the part growing through the fence.
Oimachi Izakaya Street 大井町駅居酒屋通り (121002)
http://youtu.be/U9L5GtqG5Xc
大井町駅居酒屋通り Oimachi Izakaya Street (121002)
http://youtu.be/2as82p-2wXY
大井町赤提灯 Red Lanterns in Oimachi (121002)
http://youtu.be/x1eyJ7DJkWM
Warm Evening After Cold Passageway (121002)
http://youtu.be/cpoDnd3lheo
Yakitori by Oimachi Station 大井町焼き鳥 (121002)
http://youtu.be/1tFYQVwO05M
夕方大井町電車 Oimachi Evening Trains (121002)
http://youtu.be/B1JCIIhDgmM
Entering Oimachi Station (Evening) 121002
http://youtu.be/7jtarD78RYQ
Yurakucho Evening (Beside Station) 121002
http://youtu.be/jf8I5awri0Y
Platform... Number... Ten (Shinjuku Station) 121002
http://youtu.be/9fc7BoKwp2Y
Another verrrrry sloooow English announcement at Shinjuku Station.
Stairs Beside Passing Train (121002)
http://youtu.be/h4O6sGSJ0Rg
Trains Below Shrine (Nishi-Nippori) 121002
http://youtu.be/rGYYE8xI0iw
Nishi-Nippori to Ueno (Yamanote Line) 西日暮里から上野まで山手線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/9ipITZ6jVgk
Ueno to Yurakucho (Yamanote Line) 上野から有楽町まで山手線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/SUyLtLWqUZs
Yurakucho Trains Passing (121002)
http://youtu.be/DurN9JS6Bts
Tokyo Station Walk to Tokaido Line (121002)
http://youtu.be/WNRKYneXev4
Tokyo to Shinagawa (Tokaido Line) 東京から品川まで東海道線 (121002)
http://youtu.be/1pS6M0Xx5YY
Evening Keihin-Tohoku Line 品川から大井町まで (121002)
http://youtu.be/oXSPCzhwVQ0
Going from Shinagawa to Oimachi on the Keihin-Tohoku Line.
Evening Oimachi Station Area 夕方大井町駅あたり (121002)
http://youtu.be/c-2I0-Q715c
Tabata - Platform to South Exit 田端駅南口 (121002)
http://youtu.be/kmg8Yhcgxzs
Tabata 1-Chome 田端一丁目 Residential Area (121002)
http://youtu.be/WEwyfaKSQaY
Oasis in the City 都市のオアシス (121002)
http://youtu.be/1RlSw7xlyx0
A small oasis of green in a residential area within a short walk of the Yamanote Line.
Quiet Residential Walkway (121002)
http://youtu.be/1wdCvcvsLkA
Overlooking Tabata Station (121002)
http://youtu.be/tF18JMN4s7M
Overlooking Tabata Main Entrance (121002)
http://youtu.be/5fMxbYnZalY
Walkway Above Tabata Station (121002)
http://youtu.be/kYB_x88KTb4
Tabata 1-Chome to Tabata South Entrance (121002)
http://youtu.be/5A0bKiq5z14
Entering Tabata Station - Tabata to Nishi-Nippori (121002)
http://youtu.be/jbatUHSOsYY
Nishi-Nippori Platform 西日暮里駅ホーム (121002)
http://youtu.be/F4Zl92LLAG4
Nishi-Nippori Trains 西日暮里駅電車 (121002)
http://youtu.be/m3ETggyoIm0
Nishi-Nippori Station Walkabout 西日暮里駅 (121002)
http://youtu.be/Q9prcYdrCOc
Nishi-Nippori Walkabout 西日暮里散歩 (121002)
http://youtu.be/0Oqiv-hRayM
Coming Upon Railway Crossing (121002)
http://youtu.be/neq17QM28RQ
Train Watching (Nishi-Nippori RR-Crossing) 121002
http://youtu.be/apoRqCo_k0E
Entering Nishi-Nippori Station (Outside the Gates) 121002
http://youtu.be/20imXosjrl8
Exploring Shrine in Nishi-Nippori 諏訪神社 (121002)
http://youtu.be/vojtmDDymM8
Windy Day by the Tracks (121002)
http://youtu.be/opPqt5i37hU
西日暮里第二自転車駐車場 (121002)
http://youtu.be/3yFA-ebNugI
A bicycle parking area in a tunnel under the railway.
Lone Cricket in Bicycle Tunnel (121002)
http://youtu.be/Yn-T8XgRoTs
Train Under September Sky (121002)
http://youtu.be/GI768rewDF8
Shinjuku Evening Sidewalk 新宿夜の横断歩道 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/cGLxrwKmsN4
Watching RS-Express Train In Nishi-Nippori 西日暮里特急踏切 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/L0ScWjiuTfU
By "RS-Express", I mean reserved-seat express. The problem with translating terms here is that 特急 (tokkyu) is kind of hard to translate into English. If you use British English, it's "Limited Express", with "limited" meaning "limited stops", but "limited express" in American English means "limited speed compared to a regular express (more stops)", so that leaves something like "super express", but then people probably start imagining the Shinkansen trains... - and so I've decided to use reserved-seat express train, and shortened it to RS-Express for YouTube titles. (JR - by the way - uses "Limited Express" for its English translation.)
Evening Shinagawa Station 夕方品川駅 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/SmFTS_YxtqM
Yurakucho Side Street Lights 有楽町夜の光 (121002g)
http://youtu.be/mtr1TevAwsU
Oimachi to Yurakucho 大井町から有楽町まで (夜) 121002g
http://youtu.be/kDgfojTPoik
Twilight Lookaround in Oimachi 大井町夕方見回り (121002g)
http://youtu.be/ehPlAgX_J3U
Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon
http://tokyoartmusic.blogspot.com/
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