Sunday, December 20, 2009

"Musashikoganei Station, Ogikubo, Shibuya, & Meiji Shrine"

Thrown off the beaten track against my will, I am at least glad to be able to take new images at new locations during the day for a change, since most of my pictures lately have been night images:

"Musashikoganei Station Platform - Lunchtime View" (091217-1123)

Standing on the newly opened inbound platform of the still-under-construction new Musashikoganei Station (it's new in the sense of being rebuilt; there has been a Musashikoganei Station there for a long time) - watching a reserved seat express train pass and looking around at the angles and (near) noontime lighting. (Recorded on Thursday, December 17th, 2009, at 11:23 a.m.)

"View of Old Chuo Line Train from Cab of New Type" (091217-1130)

Looking out the right side of the cab of a new type Chuo Line outbound train as it passes an old type Chuo Line inbound train. Then watching the platform flow by as the train pulls into Kokubunji Station. (Recorded on Thursday, December 17th, 2009, at 11:30 a.m.)

"Ogikubo Station Platform 11:12 a.m." (091218-1112)

Views of light and shadow on the Chuo Line platform at Ogikubo Station while inbound and outbound trains come and go. (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 11:12 a.m.)

"Shibuya Station Platform Jungle Walk" (091218-1249)

Walking down the Shinagawa-bound Yamanote Line platform just after stepping off of a train. The train was a little behind schedule and packed like a morning sardine run train, so the (live) platform announcement is asking people to take the next train, which they say is running right behind this one. And sure enough, before I can walk all the way down the platform, the next train comes in.

Just as loading/unloading begins for both trains, there's a recorded female announcement saying that there are wide gaps between the train and the platform in places (caused by the curvature of the tracks & platform), so to watch your step... I fell into one of those gaps at this station once, so I think that's a valid warning!

A final comment on this one: The sound of marching feet! This sound is the theme music for the morning commute in particular, when people are just focused on getting to work on time and are not talking. (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 12:49 p.m.)

"Shibuya Scramble Crosswalk, Friday, 12:55 p.m." (091218-1255)

Walking across the famous Shibuya "scramble" crosswalk. As usual, there are high school students walking about. I used to wonder why you see high school students (easily identifiable by their school uniforms) walking about all over the city at all times of the day and night, and all days of the year; but with the size of Tokyo (30,000,000 in the greater Tokyo area, including Kanagawa, Chiba, & Saitama), you get used to seeing a little of everything, all the time. Also, what with oddball school holidays, special events, after-school study at jukus, and constantly changing schedules, multiplied by the vast number of schools in Tokyo, I've come to not find the students-everywhere-all-the-time phenomenon unusual. (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 12:55 p.m.)

"Meiji Shrine Drum Beating at 2:00 p.m." (091218-1402)

In Kyoto, Nara, Kamakura, etc., there are large and impressive temples & shrines galore, but not so many in Tokyo. Meiji Shrine, sitting near Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya is a popular tourist destination and one of the main places people come to in Tokyo during the New Year's holiday to pray for the New Year.

When the drum beater started beating on the drum, I saw the guard wave away some people from the inside area who wanted to take pictures, so I was reluctant to aim the camera through the opening, but you can see someone doing that in the video, so maybe I should have walked the camera up closer.... (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 2:02 p.m.)

"Tree-lined Path at Meiji Shrine" (091218-1429)

Looking at the large trees lining one of the paths into Meiji Shrine while the crows provide part of the background soundtrack. (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 2:29 p.m.)

"Walking Through Light & Shadows at Meiji Shrine" (091218-1430)

The paths into Meiji Shrine are gravel-covered ones like this. At New Year's, there is quite a symphony of gravel crunching as thousands of people march into the shrine. (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 2:30 p.m.)

"Trains Passing by in Shibuya Suburb" (091218-1440)

A Narita Airport Express train passes by headed for Shinjuku, and then a Yamanote Line train headed in the other direction (for Shibuya) passes by. Passing trains, blue sky, white clouds, graffiti, kindergarten, building towering over Lyle, bare trees, harsh light. A typical winter scene in Tokyo. (Recorded on Friday, December 18th, 2009, at 2:40 p.m.)

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

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