On a hot and humid night earlier this month we headed to the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku. We had lunch there once before, but this was our first time taking in the night view from the top. This hotel was the setting for Lost in Translation starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

We went to the New York Grill on the 52nd floor initially. When we found out there was a 2,200 yen (about $25) cover charge each, we opted for The Peak Lounge on the 41st floor instead.

The above photo was the view from our table. This is facing north. You can see Shinjuku Chuo Park in the center and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to the right.

We walked back to Shinjuku Station a little after 11 p.m. Part of the west side of the station was filled with homeless people sleeping side by side, many with boxes over their heads to keep out the light and noise. I’ve seen plenty of homeless people before, but this was most unusual. There were dozens of them lined up in neat rows with hundreds of waking people walking down the aisles between them that they had left for us to get back inside the train station.

I took this picture with my TZ10 and left the shutter open for 8 seconds.

Posted on June 26th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: night photography, shinjuku, Tokyo. Comments: 7

I recently rode my bike west down Waseda Dori–all the way down Waseda Dori to the end, about 15 km each way. Along the way I visited several shrines and temples. The one with the above jizo is called Saishoji (最勝寺) and is near the Nakai Station. These jizo sported orange bibs and caps instead of the normal red.

A little farther down (and off) Waseda Dori is Arai Yakushi (新井薬師) were I spotted these little jizo.

Posted on June 25th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: jizo. Comments Off on Jizo

Good stuff when the weather gets hotter… The restaurant was a few blocks south of Joshinji.

Posted on June 24th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: food. Comments: 1

Near Ikebukuro, pictured in the near distance in the upper right of the above photo, is a cemetery called Zoshigaya (雑司ヶ谷霊園) with many famous people. The above marker is for “John” Manjiro (中濱万次郎). Manjiro was one of the first Japanese to ever visit the United States. He did so during the Edo Period.

If you visit Zoshigaya, don’t expect the billboard-style maps to tell you where to find the notables. If the office is open, they may have maps with the locations of the famous listed so you can try there first. If not, be sure to bring along the grave site numbers for those you want to visit as the place is quite large. Manjiro can be found at plot 1-2-10-1.

Plot 1-14-1-3 is Natsume Soseki’s. Soseki’s face is one of the most recognizable in Japan as he is on the 1,000 yen note.

Lafcadio Hearn is buried in plot 1-1-8-35 under his Japanese name, Koizumi Yakumo (小泉八雲). His grave is well taken care of it seems. There is a little Japanese rock and flower garden in the plot. Ironically, a job that Hearn once held was taken over by the aforementioned Soseki. Now they are neighbors.

One of the most interesting graves is the one above of William Wright. At some point in the past 100+ years his gravestone broke in two. Rather than replace it, the headstone top has just been leaned up against the bottom.

General Tojo Hideki (infamous for planning the Pearl Harbor attack) is in plot 1-1-12-6. He doesn’t show up on the celebrity map provided in the office. Perhaps they don’t want anyone to know he is here.

At night everyone clears out as did we.

Posted on June 23rd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: cemetery, lafcadio hearn. Comments Off on Zoshigaya Cemetery near Ikebukuro

I have been surprised by the quantity and quality of “hidden” temples right in or not far from Tokyo. You don’t have to go to Nikko or Kamakura to find yourself in one of these amazing places. The one pictured above, Kuhonbutsu Joshinji, is near the Jiyugaoka Station. Other nice temples in or near Tokyo that you probably won’t see in the typical guidebooks include Heirinji, Gokokuji, Dojoji/Sanpoji, and Senryuji.

Posted on June 22nd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, japanese maple, temples. Comments: 1