Tokyo Sky Tree Revisited

Progress has been made in the construction of the Tokyo Sky Tree, I last visited in April and it is visually quite a bit taller and even more impressive then on my previous visit. They have now completed the observation deck and have moved on to the top antenna section; seen here reflected in a near-by building.

Show Me Japan: Kaminarimon 雷門

A mix of modern and traditional architecture, in the foreground is the Kaminarimon at Sensō-ji and in the background is the Tokyo Sky Tree; a mammoth new tower being built overlooking the Asakusa district. The legend surrounding the Sensō-ji involves two brothers who, in the year 628, fished a statue of Kannon out of the Sumida River. Kannon is the goddess (bodhisattva) of mercy and compassion. The brothers attempted to return the statue back into the river, however, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensō-ji was built in honor of Kannon and completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 6).

Massive Paper Lantern

When last in Tokyo I visited Sensō-ji for a second time. As you enter the temple the first sight you encounter is the Kaminarimon or "Thunder Gate." Dominating the gate entrance is this much-photographed giant paper lantern flanked by two statues of the guardian gods Raijin (thunder) and Fujin (wind). First built in 942, the gate has been destroyed numerous times and the current incarnation dates to 1950. The lantern is dramatically painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning; the wood carving at its base is about 3 feet across.

Tokyo Waterway

One of the many waterways that are woven into metro Tokyo, this one is located near Akihabara 秋葉原.

Coming in For a Landing

Just one more image from the bridge in Ueno, this post is truly for the birds. . .

Birds In Ueno 上野

On my visit to Tokyo went to Ueno, a district in the Taitō Ward, as I was crossing one of the bridges a fellow was feeding the birds by throwing crumbs and seeds over the side. As I stood next to him to watch, a large group of hungry aves surrounded us and I had a change to get out my camera and snap a few interesting shots.

Gundam In Action

As mentioned earlier, this is the Gundam in action.

Gundam Close-Up

Gundam is ready for its close-up.

Show Me Japan: Gundam

The Gundam statue that watched over Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront area last year has recently touched-down in the city of Shizuoka, 125 miles west of Tokyo. The 18-meter-tall statue faces the tracks near JR Higashi Shizuoka Station and can be seen from the train against the backdrop of Mount Fuji (sadly Fuji-San is blocked by buildings when you actually get up-close to the Gundam). This time Gundam is armed with a gigantic “beam saber” (in 1:1 scale). The statue was put on display to commemorate the 30th anniversary of TV broadcasts of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" and is a replica of the RX-78-2 from that series.

Shizuoka is home to many plastic model kit manufacturers including GUNPLA (Gundam Plastic Model) and is a pilgrimage site for enthusiasts. A small museum is located inside the fair site to showcase the history of the city's 50-year-old plastic model kit industry. The event runs through March 27, 2011, with the statue on display throughout the period. Entry is free, however travel to this out of the way (and frankly sleepy & industrial) town is quite expensive. You can opt for the Seishun Juhachi Kippu if you have the time (more then 3.5 hrs from metro Tokyo) and you are on the cheap.

Plenty of Gundam swag to be purchased and even a small Gundam cafe for "themed" eats. Twice daily a 30min display showcases the lights, smoke, and movement this statue is capable of, pictures to come in the following days. . .

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 5).

Streets of Shinjuku 新宿区

Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tōkyō Metropolitan Government Building which is the administration center for the government of Tōkyō (seen at the end of this ally). Central Shinjuku is characterized by streams of screaming neon, high pitched shrieking sounds, hordes of people everywhere and is home to hotels, department stores, specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants and bars. However, the rest of shinjuku is a comparatively spacious and still mix of residential with commercial areas concentrated around railway stations.

Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the Hongo campus of the University of Tōkyō. The Institute was created in 1993 through reform of the Applied Microbiology Research Institute, originally founded in 1953. The Institute carries out research in a wide range of fields aiming to understand living organisms at the molecular level.

University of Tōkyō 東京大学

The University of Tōkyō, abbreviated as Todai, is a major research university that has five campuses in Hongo, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano and 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, some 2,100 of them foreign (a large fraction by Japanese standards). While nearly all academic disciplines are taught at the university, it is perhaps best known for its faculties of law and literature.

Showa Day 昭和の日

Yesterday was Showa day a Japanese annual holiday and the birthday of former Emperor Showa (Hirohito). Showa was the reigning Emperor before, during and after World War II. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign rather than glorifying the emperor himself. Did you spend anytime reflecting today?

Photograph on the University of Tōkyō Hongo campus.

Sanshiro Pond 三四郎池

Sanshiro Pond in the heart of Tōkyō University's Hongō campus which dates to 1615. The garden became known as one of the most beautiful gardens in Edo (now Tōkyō), with the traditional eight landscapes and eight borders and known for originality in artificial pond, hills, and pavilions. The pond's contours are in the shape of the character kokoro or shin (heart), and thus its official name is Ikutoku-en Shinjiike. The name Sanshiro comes from a novel of that name by Natsume Soseki set around Tōkyō University. The feeling of being in a city completely disappears as you wander into this tranquil spot.

Yanaka Cemetery 谷中霊園

I enjoy cemeteries, not as a morbid fascination, but for their silence, stillness, history and beauty. Humankind has lavished the dead with ornate structures and beautiful art, for instance the necropolis at the foot of Edinburgh castle in Scotland is an exceptional cemetery with lavish headstones some 30 feet tall and all excellent examples of dark and brooding baroque architecture. Yanaka Cemetery, a huge cemetery located north of Ueno in Tōkyō, is something else entirely. It is a gorgeous angular, organized, clean-lined garden populated with exquisite monuments which are, with rare exception, never more than 5 or 6 feet tall. Awe-inspiring not for their size and elaborateness, but for there tasteful simplicity and elegance. The cemetery is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms that in April shade and blanket its 100 thousand square meters and 7 thousand graves. The cemetery has its own police station and a section dedicated to the Tokugawa clan, family of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns of Japan including the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, also known as Keiki. It’s also home to many famous Japanese luminaries, including the painter Yokoyama Taikan and the famous writer Ichiyo Higuchi (pictured on the 5000 yen note).

Tōkyō Sky Tree 東京スカイツリー

Tōkyō Sky Tree is a broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower under construction in the Sumida ward. As of 29 March 2010 it is the tallest artificial structure in Japan and when completed the tower will have a height of 634.00 m (2,080 ft) making it one of the tallest structures in the world. The current Tōkyō broadcasting tower, Tōkyō Tower, is not tall enough to give complete digital terrestrial television broadcasting coverage due to the construction of many nearby high-rise buildings.

Namjatown Magic Snow

Namco Namjatown is an indoor theme park in the Sunshine City shopping complex in east Ikebukuro, Tōkyō. Namco is a Japanese company best known for producing video games such as Pacman. However, the park itself does not focus on classic ventures but instead features themed dining including ice cream town, curry town and gyoza town, carnival-style games, a haunted house, and a line of character mascots exclusive to the park. On a hot day, or on a hectic day, or on any day, there’s nothing sweeter than cool, creamy ice cream; after all 'desserts' is just 'stressed' in reverse. While at ice cream town you can choose from Turkish soft cream, Italian gelato, Hokkaido ice cream crêpes or sweet named “Magic Snow.” Ice cream city is also the place to try some exotic ice cream flavors such as wasabi, potato, seafood, octopus, beef tongue, chargrilled seaweed and charcoal - just to name a few. Pictured is Magic Snow (shaved condensed frozen milk with a fruit topping) in the likeness of a Gintama anime character which was actually pretty bizarre in-so-far as I've never had anything like it. The texture is like cotton candy and melts on the tongue but the taste is different, it is subtle and pleasant - nom nom nom!

東京藝術劇場 Tōkyō Metropolitan Art Space

The Tōkyō Metropolitan Art Space is a Japanese concert hall and theater located in Ikebukuro. A recent addition to the Tōkyō music and drama scene, the largest hall with a capacity of 1999 features mainly orchestral concerts while the middle-sized hall hosts dramas, musicals, jazz and dance.

Tōkyō Street Art

Tōkyō street art in Shinjuku, the middle images are from an outside lift at Shinjuku station that has basically become a poster board for slaps.

Yabusame 流鏑馬 #1

The Yabusame Festival in Tokyo's Sumida Park is an impressive display of horseback archery. The fiendishly difficult ritual, a part of a Shinto rite, sees mounted archers wearing traditional hunting clothing of the Kamakura Period charge down a single narrow 208-meter-long track to shoot at three wooden targets arranged at certain intervals. It is believed that the sound of an arrow striking the wooden target transfers the courage of the archer to the audience. The archer mainly controls the horse with his knees, as he needs both hands to draw and shoot his bow. As he approaches a target, he brings his bow up and draws the arrow past his ear before letting the arrow fly with a deep shout. The arrow is blunt and turnip-shaped in order to make a louder sound when it strikes the board. If the board is struck, it will splinter and explode with a confetti-like shower of sakura petals as it falls to the ground. To hit all three targets is considered an admirable accomplishment.