Photo Diary from New York Japan

Jul. - Aug., 2003 --- Tokyo, Japan
	1. I am back in Japan, on vacation. I will be here for about a month. Here is Shinjuku (another guide and map), one of the biggest districts in Tokyo.   This electric board is one of the icon of Shinjuku, along with a popular broadcast studio in the building, Studio Alta.
	2. To the right of the electric board (picture above). Shinjuku is a big shopping area.
	3. The gate of JR, or Japan Raiload, Shinjuku.   In Japan, train tickets are collected at your destination, so you have to keep your ticket until you get off the train. Here is where people put their tickets in slots to get out. The gates have wing-like bars instead of turnstiles.
	4. Yamanote Sen (Yamanote Line), JR. It is a circulated line running through urban Tokyo. Yamanote Line is the most important train in Tokyo, and is called "the main artery of Tokyo."   Here is the JR transportation map (PDF:123KB) and its brief version, published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
	5. For about five years, new train cars have included TV sets.

6. Here is Shibuya (another guide and map), which is on the Yamanote Line, too. Shibuya is another one of the biggest districts in Tokyo, and often serves as the center of trend culture for teenagers and people in their 20s.
7. Across the train station, there are three electric boards in a row. They almost always air totally different videos and sound. Don't you wonder how Japanese people avoid going crazy? You will have to come and listen for yourself.
8. This is so-called Shibuya scramble kousaten (crossroad), in front of #3 electric board.   There are always a lot of people here.

	9. Look at that! Such a statue on the platform! He is simply called Shouben Kozou (mannequin-piss) or JR Hamamatsu-cho Shouben Kozou. Yes, he is at Hamamatsu-cho, Yomanote Line platform.
	10. Are you happy?     He has been here since 1952. People love him so much, and change his clothes every month. He is now dressed for summer. See photo collections of his past cloths.
	11. Here is a platform of Toyoko Sen (Toyoko Line), Tokyu Corporation. ("Tokyu" stands for Tokyo Kyukou, Tokyo express)   In Tokyo many private railroads and subways are running, but the kind of doors in this picture are still uncommon outside of Tokyu.
	12. A train comes and stops. Most of Tokyu platforms are equipped with doors to protect passengers from falling into the tracks.

13. Here is in Asakusa, the very famous, traditional sightseeing area. This gate is Kaminari-mon (Thunder gate) which belongs to Sensou-ji (Sensou Temple).
14. Nakamise Dori (Nakamise Street). Let's get some souvenirs!     You can see more about Asakusa. Here are a guide, reference, pictures, and food about Asakusa.
15. The taste of the temple area.     If you are interested in Tokyo, see - YES! TOKYO- very useful. - Tokyo Tourism Info- cool movies. - Roger & Marilyn's .. - excellent. - Planet Tokyo- eat, sleep, see... - TokyoQ- art, movie, clubs - Japan Zone- culture incl. gossip - Tokyo Boulevards- a funny essay - Tokyo guidance- nice pictures
16. This building with a big gold object is the headquarters of Asahi Breweries. The company says the object is a "flaming" representing "the heart of dynamism," but people all over Tokyo call it "unko biru (poo-poo building)" in a joking manner. Me? Yeah, why not?

Aug. 15, 2003 --- The News of the New York Blackout
	1. When the blackout hit New York at just past 4 pm on August 14th, Japan time was just past 5 am on August 15th. On the morning of the 15th, only one TV news program reported the blackout. However, by the afternoon of the same day, the news became very widespread. This is a typical Japanese newsstand on train platform, Kiosk, showing evening newspapers.

007: July 2002  <<     >>  008-2: Jul. - Aug. II, 2003

Home  ¤  News!

We are... ¤  Classroom  ¤  Performance  ¤  Post-Production

Back