landmark

Tokyo Station

Jan 25, 2020

Tokyo Station is an immense building with an amazing history. Here is the south side of the station, and the central dome. It sits astride a massively complex transit system nexus and a vast underground shopping mall. With trains and metros, taxis, busses and coaches it truely is a location where journeys begin, end and transition.

Count the buildings

Jan 10, 2020

The variety in size, design, colour, texture and function of buildings in Tokyo never ceases to amaze and fascinate me. Looking east from the superb vantage point of the Skytree out over Kyojima and Yahiro, I wonder how many buildings there are in this one small area of the city. I wonder if any two are the same. The windows are like stars in the sky or grains of sand on a beach - uncountable.…

Shibuya in the rain

Dec 26, 2019

The night time city is always aglow with its endless neon (or more likely LED) lights, but when it rains the streets are covered with rivers of reflected lights that are quite otherworldly. The Shibuya Scramble Crossing is always a special place to be, but at night in a quiet warm rain with my combini umbrella there are few other places I would rather be.

Towards Marunouchi

Nov 25, 2019

Around the Imperial Palace there is open space that allows you to step back a little from the tall, close set forest of concrete, metal and glass. This is a view up Gyoko Dori towards Tokyo Station and Marunouchi. The people lucky enough to work at or near one of those myriad windows must surely have a splendid view of the Palace grounds behind me.

Mukojima district

Oct 14, 2019

Mukojima is a shitamachi district, meaning that it is comprised lowrise buildings in a somewhat less affluent area. The nearby Skytree looks over it now, and is a great place to view the district from, especially on a brilliant sunny day like this was. Remember you can right click on the image to access it full size - something I especially recommend for photographs like this one.

Sports park with a view

Sep 13, 2019

The Shiba water Stations Park is a public park where kids can play football in the heart of urban Tokyo. What it must be to be able to play in the shadow of the iconic Tokyo Tower, from where this photograph was taken. One of the things I like about Tokyo are the many small oases of green scattered between the apartment blocks and business high-rises.

Tracks and Skytree

Aug 27, 2019

The Skytree watches over vast tracts of Tokyo, much of which still has an older, smaller, more patinated atmosphere. Areas around train tracks especially have that feel. Looking across the Tobu-Kameido Line here in Oshiage is one such place. Though only taken a year or so back the red building opposite is now gone, soon to replaced with who knows what. That is another constant in Tokyo: Change.

The Living City

Aug 11, 2019

This photograph, looking over Minato city, shows in microcosm, the complexity of Tokyo. It does not take long, witnessing scenes like this, to feel that the city is a living entity. Remember you can right click on the image to access it full size - something I especially recommend for photographs like this one.

Hachiko

Jul 27, 2019

The statue of the loyal dog, Hachiko, is probably the busiest meeting place in Tokyo. Outside Shibuya Station and next to the Scramble Crossing it is almost always heaving with locals waiting for friends and tourists posing for photos and touching his paw to ensure their wish to return to Tokyo is fulfilled. This photograph was taken on a rare occasion when the area was fenced off for a ceremony.

Government

Jul 16, 2019

There are few words less interesting to me than the title of this post. However, having been based in West Shinjuku on my first stay in Tokyo I soon warmed to the magnificent Metropolitan Government Building there. It looks majestic during the day and stunning at night. Combined with the twin viewing platforms at the top of each tower, a very nice cafe, excellent restaurant and a useful tourist information centre, it is one place I enjoy returning to.…