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Japan: Tokyo |
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Japan: Tokyo |
Tokyo. The capital of Japan, the busy beehive of 30 million people, home to skyscrapers and shrines, tranquil gardens and raucous red-light districts, often within meters of each other. Chaotic, crowded, polluted, ugly - and one of my favorite places on the entire planet!
Places
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Akihabara
The largest electronics shopping district in the world. Shown: A tiny shop specializing in lightbulbs of all kinds |
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Asakusa Temples in downtown Tokyo. Shown: Jizo
statue and origami cranes, Chingodo Temple |
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Imperial Palace
& Yasukuni-jinja Shrine The massive parks of the Imperial Palace form an oasis of tranquility in the heart of the city. Shown: Tourist taking a picture of plum blossoms, Ninomaru Park |
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Komaba
A dull suburb containing a part of Tokyo University and my humble home. Shown: The traditional roof of the Mingeikan (Folk Craft Museum) peeking through the woods of Komaba Park |
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Meiji-jingu
Shrine The final resting place of Emperor Meiji, and these days a very popular place to get married. Shown: Shrine maiden hurrying in the Honden (Main Hall) |
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Odaiba
(Tokyo Bay) Tokyo's newest quarter, a bourgeois cyberpunk's wet dream come true. Shown: Closeup of the Fuji TV building |
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Shibuya
Trendy shopping center, party town and den of sleaze all rolled into one convinient package. Shown: A rare quiet moment at Hachiko Square |
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Shiodome Tokyo's newest district of them all, bristling with skyscrapers of glass and steel. Shown:
Shiodome City Center Building |
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Shitamachi
The working-class neighborhood downtown area centered around Ueno. (Mostly leftovers and color versions of Old Tokyo pictures.) Shown: Temple and graveyard separated by a (plastic) bamboo fence, Yanaka |
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Shinjuku
The world's busiest train station, the seat of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and lots of associated customer service industries. Shown: A festival procession down a lane in the red-light district of Kabukicho |
Concepts
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Cherry Blossoms
(Sakura) The evanescent symbol of all things Japanese. Shown: Benzaiten-do Temple in Inokashira-koen Park, Kichijoji |
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Night
Views of Tokyo at night. (Nothing racy, just long-exposure skylines.) Shown: An alley in Dogenzaka, Shibuya |
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People
A few of Tokyo's 30 million people, mostly from the extremes of the bell curve... Shown: A girl in a black lace dress, Jingubashi |
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Old Tokyo
Select scenes from the year 2000, all made to look more like pre-WW2 Tokyo thanks to the magic of digital post-processing. Shown: A tiny alleyway, Yanaka |