Friday, July 10, 2009

"Into Video Lately..."

"Company Event in Tokyo - 2000"

A company event held in a rented space in 2000 (or was it 2001? I'm not sure, but I think 2000 - I didn't label the tape!). The space was quite good, with good equipment, etc., but not in a very convenient location. Most of us came by taxi.

The only copy I have remaining of this is a VHS tape that I digitized for editing for this post. Bloody VHS... it doesn't last! Parts of the images in some places have turned various shades of light purple at the top of the screen.


"Nishi-Ogikubo (& the Chuo Line)" (June 2009)

Beginning with a view inside the Chuo Line, I then get off at Nishi-Ogikubo Station and walk off into the suburbs between Nishi-Ogikubo and Kichijoji.


"Tokyo Subway (Marunouchi & Tozai) - June 1990"

Tuesday, June 19th, 1990 - Starting off with a quick view of me on a public phone (they were still used in 1990), following by a quick view of the Marunouchi Line (an old Red & White one - now running in Argentina), I then change trains and get on the Tozai Line. Notice that the ticket gates consist of a live person sitting there to take tickets. Also notice that the announcement in the train is made by a live human being and not a recording. Also there are no over-pronounced, over-intonated, culture-less, half-speed, and extraordinarily irritating announcements in English. (The announcement for Kayabacho Station is a recording, but at least it's in the local language.) It wraps up with me on another public phone. There were cell phones then, but they were quite expensive, so most people didn't have them.


"Diagonal Subway Views - June 1990 (Tokyo)"

Starting with a quick view of the (by today's standards) large camera (held by myself) and then a view of the office I used to work at near Tamachi Station, then a look up at the buildings above before going underground into the subway system. First is a a ride on the Hanzomon Line, and then a transfer to the Marunouchi Line (one of the new - currently getting old! - ones, which were just being introduced at the time), and finishing with a street view at night. Notice in subway views from this time period that the windows are often open. They didn't have air condition the subway system as soon as the surface trains due to the heat generated by air conditioning units (on the trains) that would have heated the stations. So they first air conditioned the stations, and then installed air conditioning on the subway trains.


"Ontakesan Evening (Tokyu-Ikegami Line) - June 2009"

The video begins near Senzokuike Station and then I take the Ikegami Line down to Ontakesan Station, where I video the evening shopping scene and visit a nearby shrine.

Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://uk.youtube.com/lylehsaxon

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