[Created: 22/May/2004]
[Last modified: 22/May/2004]
In 2004 I went to visit Japan, mostly Tokyo but also Kyoto for a day. I've been interested in Japanese culture for many years, and this was the second time I've been there. A truly fascinating and wonderful place, I enjoyed my stay very much. In particular, I was surprised at how welcoming and kind the people were, much warmer than a decade ago. It was a truly great experience! I took over 400 pictures, here is a small sample.
I stayed at the Star Hotel, a nice business hotel located in Shinjuku (convenient place, near a huge subway station).
Shinjuku is awesome. To the west there is an impressive array of skyscrapers, including one of my favourites: the Tokyo Metropolitan Building, a massive 243-metre dual tower...
Of interesting note is that the tower features prominently in Satoshi Kon's recent Tokyo Godfathers, which focuses on three homeless Tokyoites. Kon is perhaps unique in dealing with such type of characters in anime.
These homeless people are also neighbours to a small but lovely shrine in the same park:
One of the nearby buildings contains a large water clock!
The east side of Shinjuku, on the other hand, is the complete opposite: chaotic and gaudy, crammed with an eclectic mixture of people, vending machines, shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. Anime-like girls walk along the crowded streets amongst wanna-be singers and rock bands (some, like Pilot Fish and As Brothers are actually pretty good!) And to the north, of course, the infamous Kabuki-cho...
Ginza is a very fashionable neighbourhood, with slices of melon running at about $20 a pop. Hibiya Park is nearby.
The Shinjuku Imperial Garden is a very pleasant park, with many interesting tea houses...
... and a greenhouse on its grounds.
Also in Shinjuku, a tiny shrine and a cemetery, pretty much lost amongst thousands of buildings.
Shibuya on a rainy day. There's a hearfelt story behind Hachiko's statue.
Shibuya is also home to Yoyogi Park and the impressive Meiji Shrine.
Just as varied as Shinjuku: big screens, j-pop idols, water clocks, and sculptures in front of dazzling office buildings...
Here are some images of Tokyo at night:
Asakusa, and another nearby shrine...
A multi-purpose bathroom sink, and the electronics haven Akihabara:
Approach to and views from Tokyo tower.
This wonderful picture was taken on a walk between Tokyo Tower and Roppongi Hills. It's perhaps my favourite photograph from this trip!
Roppongi Hills (a truly massive and opulent structure, very impressive both inside and out), the Rainbow Bridge, and the brand new Shiodome (which you can get to by monorail). This last complex is amazing, it looks as if taken from a 30s cover of Astounding Magazine.
The subway station at Shiodome, a Ginza dog, and some very pretty construction boarding!
At and around Ueno park.
Off to Kyoto on the new, faster Shinkansen (the old model is shown leaving, the new Nozomi is arriving). The Kyoto train station has been recently rebuilt, and it is unfortunate that these photographs fail to convey the sheer enormity of the place.
A Kyoto shrine (it has lots and lots of them!)
Another shrine, and the Kyoto tower:
A few miscellaneous pictures: looking down from the Tokyo Metropolitan Building observatory, two pictures of a beautiful fountain near Imperial Palace, and of course a kimono-clad girl dancing to African music at Hibiya Park!
Well, that's all for now. I took all pictures with my Canon A70 a performed some minor digital manipulations afterwards. Hope you liked it.
Comments and/or suggestions? marco@reimeika.ca