Posts

Park Hyatt Shinjuku

Mar 07, 2023

The three towers of the Park Hyatt Hotel in West Shinjuku will forever recall scenes from the film Lost in Translation for me. In turn that film contains much that initially drew me to Tokyo. This is my favourite view of the Hotel. It would be nice to stay there one day and look down on Yoyogi Park and all the other places.

Metro Walkway

Mar 01, 2023

There are a lot of walkways in the bright and clean underground passages of Tokyo, but this one, with it’s fairly steep rise, is a little different. You certainly need to lean into the slope as it curves up.

Tsukuda Tendai Jizō-son

Feb 25, 2023

We came across this tiny Buddhist temple hidden away down a very narrow Tsukuda alleyway after following the smell of incense from some distance away. The trunk of a massive zelkova tree rises out of the ground and up through the roof to eventually spread out covering a good portion of the surrounding block of old appartments. A unique and special place obviously still used daily by local residents.

Pepper

Feb 18, 2023

This cafe in Tokyo is staffed by a fleet of Pepper robots. Three behind the reception counter and maybe a half dozen wandering the floor. They do avoid the creepiness factor of some more anthropomorhic models and have a certain cuteness, but occasionally their sidelong glances as you walk past do give the impression they are a little sad.

Up up and away

Feb 02, 2023

The Shibuya Scramble Square building standing tall and looking good on a sunny day. I am slightly sad that the Shibuya Crossing area is changing so quickly, but change is the norm in Tokyo, and thankfully it is still relatively easy to find everyday buildings and commercial premises going back half a century or more. Of course, I am also looking forward to seeing what the view from up there is like.…

Old red and black door

Jan 31, 2023

You never know what will catch your eye off the beaten track in Tokyo. We came across this on a wonderful Photowalk with photographer and long-term Tokyo resident Lee Chapman. His much more interesting take on the same scene can be seen here.

Link Looks On

Jan 29, 2023

The official Tokyo Nintendo store just before Christmas. I suppose it was a bit daft to think we would be able to get in without a wait. But a four hour queue! Nah. At least we could see into the store and got this shot of a larger than life Link looking a bit bored if I’m honest.

First Sunrise of 2023

Jan 28, 2023

We were lucky enough to have a wonderful view of the first sunrise of 2023 from the window of our hotel room. A fine way to spend a few minutes thinking about what the year ahead will bring.

Suica Mascot in Shinjuku

Jan 26, 2023

You never know what will pop out of the bushes in Tokyo. Company mascots can be overly cute sometimes, but being presented like this is still rather a nice way to liven up a station forecourt.

Water Gate Mechanism

Jan 25, 2023

Along the Sumida river there are a number of gates that can be raised or lowered. Sometime the hardware and mechanisms are visible and, as ever in Japan, are clean and well maintained, as well as being fascinating. Not for everyone I guess, but I like these kind of things.