Tokyo Images


Travels Home	Kyoto Region	Unorganized

		Putting the fun in fundoshi!
		Ahhh . . . rush hour. This crowd of under-dressed men are carrying an O-mikoshi or portable shrine through the streets of Ginza. The men who seem to have forgotten to wear pants are clad in fundoshi -- the loin cloths typical of practically all Edo era laborers and craftsmen. In the Meiji period, the new government passed laws outlawing fundoshi as indecent. I guess the government has relaxed their persecution in the name of "tradition."

		Shibuya crossing
		Have you ever seen Tokyo on TV or in a movie? Then you probably saw this crossing outside Shibuya station. It appeared in Lost in Translation (for instance). Mariah Carey shot a video here! In one tiny place is the best example of Tokyo's hustle and bustle (everybody walks at once). It's also great for people watching . . . sit in the Starbucks on the opposite corner!

		Handing out flyers in Shibuya
		You know you want to see her when you go to Shibuya! I don't know what she is doing but I love the fashion and the attitude.

		Statue of Hachiko - Shibuya Station
		Hachiko's story will sound familiar if you've seen Greyfriar's Bobby in Edinburgh. The faithful dog looked for his dearly departed master coming home from Shibuya station everyday (for years). Mostly though it serves as a landmark to meet your friends. When you see it, you'll be surrounded by people using cell-phones to hone in on comrades.

		Police Box near Shibuya crossing
		The owl-shaped building on the left is a police box or koban near the Shibuya crossing. Since addresses in Tokyo don't have street numbers (most streets don't even have names) kobans mostly serve as convenient places to ask for directions. Most seem to have prominent maps when you walk in the door. I love the place across the street -- "Play Game!"

		Takeshita Street - Harajuku
		Harajuku is famous for young people's fashion (something I know nothing about). This claustrophobic pedestrian street is a center of fashionable shops. On weekends it can become quite hectic but its great. If you had a desire to buy anime costume wear this might be a good place to start.

		Condomania - Harajuku
		This shop is on one of the most respectable streets in Harajuku and I personally have photographed it a dozen times already. And yes, I do love beer! What's not to like about this place? Why wait . . . they're open.

		Takashimaya Department Store - Shinjuku
		If ever there was a palace of consumerism -- this is it! Shopping in Japan is a blast and in this one huge building you can . . . browse one of the largest bookstores in Japan (with a great section of Japan travel and language books), see an IMAX movie, buy CDs and DVDs at HMV music, pick up the latest gizmos for the home in Tokyu Hands, and melt your credit card at one of the priciest department stores in all the world. But it is sooooo worth it.

		The Sony building - Ginza
		Sony . . . Bony. (My homage to bad 80s movies). Who doesn't know about SONY and its electronics empire. Do you like toys? Of course you do. Go to the SONY building in Ginza and play with laptops, mini disc players, digital cameras, electronic pets, and don't forget the Playstation center at the top. You can play new games long before they come to America. Best of all . . . its free. And Ginza has awesome shopping. Click me for more information.

		Crossing near Shinjuku station
		I love to visit Shinjuku when I go to Tokyo. Shinjuku station is a huge maze-like cluster that sprawls across a large section of Tokyo. There is so much to see and do from the yakitori stands under the tracks, to Takashimaya department store, to the delights and sinfulness of kabukicho (you'll see what I mean). At night the neon is especially brilliant. One word of caution -- Shinjuku is not for claustrophobics. It is one of the busiest stations in the city of Tokyo and you'll be surrounded by a thick blanket of people everywhere.

		Political propaganda - near Ginza
		The Shimpu Party (or Ishin Seito Shimpu) is as far right as you can get in Japanese politics. The characters mean "new wind" but I think they are connected to the alternate reading of the characters for kamikaze ("divine wind"). A Japan Times article asserts that the goals of the party are the "overthrow of the postwar system and the return to the true form of our national character." That's all I have to say about that.

		Yebisu Garden Place [2004]
		Yebisu Garden Place is a romantic Tokyo nightspot (although it is still there during the day too). This is a chateau like building at its center where you can spend a lot of money on tasty food. And when you get done with that, go to the beer museum there. Check out the buns of steel on that statue! Its a rodin. Click here for Yebisu Garden Place information.

		zero fighter, Yushukan military museum, Yasuki Shrine [2004]
		Yasukuni shrine is dedicated to the fallen defenders of Japan since the Meiji period. It is a remarkable piece of Japanese history and requires due reverence. Many westerners denounce it as a monument to militarism but gee don't all nations honor their fallen heroes? (Arlington) The best part is the Yushukan, which is a museum of the military. The captions are mostly Japanese but you can see Hirohito's wartime uniform and a real Japanese zero fighter. Awesome! Click here for the Yasukuni website in English.

		Grave of the 47 ronin, Sengakuji temple [2003]
		The story of the 47 ronin is enduring and cherished in Japan. These men avenged the death of their lord and committed suicide to atone for their misdeeds. Even today their story stands as a testament to the power of loyalty and honor. Or maybe they're just damn cool! Anyway, go to sengaku temple and buy some incense.

		View of the streets, Shinjuku [2004]
		Trust me . . . you want to be gazing down upon Tokyo traffic not stuck in the middle of it. Diligent searching on the internet will yield lots of pictures of Tokyo but this one was mine. I took it from the top of the Takashimaya building. I advise you don't jump . . . unless for some reason you find my web site pretentious.

		Harajuku apartments - now demolished [2003]
		This is a sentimental picture for me. I enjoy studying how Tokyo grew from a fishing village to a first-class metropolis. These apartments were built in the 1920s and I think they were very modern at one point. They contained apartments and swanky looking shops and I thought they were a slice of history that is often neglected. So they tore them down and are probably putting in Starbucks as you read. Actually I like Starbucks . . . Oh well. [Thanks to Kanako Suzuki for correcting my history]