Tokyo

[indense]

I've been here a month and a half now but haven't taken as many photos as I would have expected. Putting in way too many hours at work and I've also switched to carrying my video camera instead of my DSLR. The wide format photos were taken with the video camera. If anyone has requests for things they would like photos of in Tokyo, let me know and I'll do my best.

The first ones are the view from the office:





Sunset over Shibuya




I was here over a month before I realised that there were mountains on the horizon. It's usually too hazy to see them.




Roppongi Hills:




The Tokyo Tower:




Midtown Tower from the ground:








Roppongi Hills from the ground:




The amount of natural stone used around the base and on the interior is astounding. There was no cheapening here.








Tokyo Tower:




It is ugly as sin.




At night:








Think the Gardiner is bad?




This runs right through Roppongi.




Ginza on the other side of the Emporer's Palace moat:








On the weekend the streets of Ginza are turned over to pedestrians.








Day:




Night:




Ginza retail buildings:








The Tokyo International Forum complex:












No space wasted. This is under a set of elevated subway tracks.




Speaking of subways:




Waiting for the train:








This is a subway entrance hidden down a side street.




The famous Shibuya zebra crossing, before:




and after:




Womb.




These are from all over. Don't really remember anymore. The neon all blurs together. Some are from Shibuya, some from Shinjuku, some from Akihabara and maybe some from Ginza. Ginza has the most impressive signage in my opinion.




































Don't remember where this is:




Street shots:
















Tent city at Yoyogi park:




Shibuya behind the temple in Yoyogi:




btw, is there anywhere else in the world that can top Yoyogi park on a sunny Saturday for sheer range of insanity?

Tokyo Dome City:












I believe that this is an art school:








Asakusa:












These are from last month when the cherry blossoms were still out:








The views from my apartment balconies:








And finally, not really Tokyo and not really urban but it's Fuji-san:








Rice fields:

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

nice!

 

[ganjavih]

Awesome tour... Tokyo looks like an ultra-cool city. Dundas Square reminds me of Shibuya a bit. With some better signage, I don't see why it can't be in the same league in the future. More neon, dammit! More neon!

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

More neon, dammit! More neon!

i know!

look at the colors...

 

[junctionist]

Modernist architecture has really taken over. There were so few 100+ year old buildings in those photos.

The Tokyo Tower would look better if it wasn't painted a utilitarian red and white. At night, however, it does add some brilliance to the skyline.

 

[lightarchitect]

very nice. thanks for the shots.

i was there two years ago around this time and it was so amazing. do you have any photos of Omotasando?

 

[indense]

Awesome tour... Tokyo looks like an ultra-cool city. Dundas Square reminds me of Shibuya a bit. With some better signage, I don't see why it can't be in the same league in the future. More neon, dammit! More neon!

Thanks. Tokyo is ultra-cool (so far, at least) but it's not really the big neon areas like Ginza and Shinjuku that are the best part - it's the neighbourhoods like Daikanyama and Naka-Meguro which are more comparable to Queen St West than to Dundas Square. Funky little stores down every alley, the local watering hole or bbq place that has a seating capacity of 6.

I'm a big fan of Dundas Square but to be fair to Shibuya, the photos are from a good angle to get an overview of the zebra crossing but they aren't at a very good angle to show off the neon signage and video boards - most of which don't start until the fourth or fifth floor. I'll try to get down there with my wide angle and get you a better representation - it's only two subway stops away.

The Tokyo Tower would look better if it wasn't painted a utilitarian red and white.

The Tokyo Tower would look better if I hadn't seen the Eiffel Tower for the first time 3 months ago. I had always thought the Eiffel Tower was ugly until I saw it in person. At the base of the Tokyo Tower is a large ugly box with an aquarium and some shops and restaurants. The tower is actually used for broadcasting TV signals but apparently it is being replaced by this. People have reacted in horror when I've asked if the original tower will be taken down so I assume it is staying.

Modernist architecture has really taken over.

There are still shrines and temples in amongst the towers. I didn't include many photos of those.

do you have any photos of Omotasando?

I haven't been there (haven't heard of it to be honest) but I'll add it to my list. Anything in particular you are looking for?

EDIT: I just googled Omotesando - I was there last night. Didn't know that's what it was called. I thought I was still in Shibuya. It's similar to the Bloor St. strip - about the same scale with all the big designers having stores there.

 

[urbanboom]

Wow. Just the sheer number of people makes my jaw drop.

Some of those pics remind me of an insect colony.

 

[Conrad Black]

Modernist architecture has really taken over. There were so few 100+ year old buildings in those photos.

It might have more to do with American bombers than an affinity for modern architecture.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

It's neat how dense Tokyo is without, by and large, a huge number of skyscraping skyscrapers.

It might have more to do with American bombers than an affinity for modern architecture.

The American bombers were only able to destroy what the 1923 earthquake left behind...

 

[junctionist]

Rebuilding is an option, but with a large earthquake devastating the region earlier there may have been less motivation to do so.

 

[Minato ku]

great pictures, we can see with my pseudo that I love Tokyo (while there most big Japanese cities have a Minato ku)

That's weird but I feel at home in Tokyo, more than in many part of Paris.
Paris is the third world compared at Tokyo in term of cleaness, service...

Well it is not very ethnically diverse, the few black that I meet in Tokyo was french from Paris and ther other one was Canadian from Toronto.
I aslo meet a beautiful Japanese looking girl but she was french... She ask me that she have some language problem in Japan because local believe that she is Japanese
Of course I aslo meet many japanese girl.

Even in my hotel there were many french people, Some part of Tokyo are invaded by french, american, british, canadian, australian and some italian.
Since I am french, I was also a stupid tourist.

 

[BobBob]

^ I had a similar feeling of "being at home" in Tokyo. Not sure what it is, but it must have to do with how safe and harmless the city feels, yet how exciting and urban it consistently is. Maybe it's also some primordial familiarity stemming from Japanese cartoons growing up.

What an amazing place.

 

[Hypnotoad]

Great picture set. Thanks and it reminds me of my time in Toyko.

For what it is worth, Tokyo is my all time favourite city I've ever visited. It towers over Hong Kong, Singapore, KL, London, Paris, New York, Chicago, etc... It is surreal.

 

[Hydrogen]

Funny how some people complain that the lit-up retail signage is somehow a sell-out to commercialism - even the amount we have here. I find it quite attractive.