Today’s photo is from Kansenen, the nice little park near our apartment in Shinjuku Ku. The building is Nishi Waseda Park Tower, a building that we saw daily out the window of our apartment even though we were on the ground floor. This residential tower is currently the 35th tallest building in Shinjuku Ku. 25 of the tallest 35 buildings in Shinjuku Ku were built since I left Japan in 1989. Needless to say, things look very different in Tokyo and will continue to change at a rapid pace I’m sure.

Nishi Waseda Park Tower is either on, or right next to, what was once Waseda University’s baseball stadium (Totsuka or Abe Kyujo, 戸塚球場, later called 安部球場). Most of the baseball field now has the library sitting on it.

While looking at an old map of the area, posted next to an old shrine, one day I noticed the stadium on the map and asked the lady who was chatting with me how long ago the stadium was there. She had fond memories of watching baseball games there in her early years. Now Waseda plays its baseball games at Jingu Stadium.

Posted on November 22nd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: buildings, nishi-waseda, 甘泉園公園. Comments Off on Nishi Waseda Park Tower

If you know a bit of Japanese, but can’t read kanji, then this sign may cause you to chuckle. Hanamizu means snot and hashi (turns into bashi at the end of a title) means bridge. So this sign could mean Snot Bridge.

However, once you learn the kanji for hana (nose) is 鼻 and not 華 you will be disappointed to know that 華水橋 means flower water bridge, not snot bridge.

Posted on November 21st, 2010 under Japan. Tags: signs. Comments Off on Snot Bridge or not

After a brief descent from Mt. Mitake we were once again climbing, this time up Mt Hinode (日の出山). From there you can see Tokyo from a distance. The dome in the middle of what looks like a forest is the Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, home of the Seibu Lions.

I’d love to return to this spot again someday after dark. During the day there is probably always a haze, but at night I’m guessing it is usually clear and offers one of the most majestic panoramas of Tokyo.

Posted on November 20th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: mt. mitake, seibu lions. Comments Off on Mt. Mitake – Part 6

I never tire of looking at Hiroshige and Hokusai ukiyoe. The internet and books just don’t do justice to seeing them on display in a museum. Today’s photo is from the Tokyo National Museum. This is from Hiroshige’s “100 Famous Views of Edo” series. The English translation is a bit strange as they call it the Ohashi Bridge. Hashi already means bridge so it is like saying the name of the bridge is the big bridge bridge.

I crossed the Sumdia River many times. The ukiyoe that I tend to like the most are the ones I have been to.

Here is the Van Gogh the above mentions:

I must say I like the original much better. Van Gogh’s kanji aren’t so hot either.

Posted on November 18th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: hiroshige, museums, sumida, ueno, Vincent van Gogh. Comments Off on Sudden Shower Over Ohashi Bridge

I have shown you several photos of Shinjuku at night in the past. This may be the first I have posted of Shibuya at night though. You can tell I was facing north when I took this picture as the cars headed in the camera’s direction are going to Shinjuku (新宿) and Ikebukuro (池袋). I lived in the middle of those two, Takadanobaba.

Posted on November 17th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: ikebukuro, night photography, shibuya, shinjuku, signs. Comments: 2