Shinjuku after dark
Yet another angle on the easy-to-spot Cocoon Tower…
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Posts tagged buildings
A piece of the rock
A mixture of modern and classic can be found on the top of the hill at Nagatacho in central Tokyo. This is the Hie Sanno Shrine which features the guardian deity of old Edo Castle and the current Imperial Palace.
Ginza Bars
Today’s photo is of a few buildings in Ginza which are absolutely loaded with “bars.” Those who visit these kinds of small bars are usually regulars since many operate on the bottle-keep system. Many customers may have their own bottle kept for them behind the counter. This is just a relatively small glimpse of the many similar establishments within a few blocks of this location. Literally, there are hundreds.
So it isn’t surprising that, as an owner, it may be difficult to select a name that hasn’t already been chosen. Hence, a bit of zoom on the above picture revels the following:
Were they out of names or did one owner just decide to differentiate their place from the rest?
Shinjuku
The other night I was going through a box of old things and found some postcards I purchased in the 1980s while in Japan. One was a picture of Shinjuku. I showed it to my son (who looked at the Shinjuku skyline on a daily basis for the past year) and asked him where the picture was taken. He had no idea. The place has changed that much. In the postcard there are about a half dozen skyscrapers. In the picture I took above (from Shinagawa) in 2009 there are over 50 buildings that are more than 20 stories high, most can’t even be seen because they are being blocked by other, taller buildings.
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (モード学園コクーンタワー) is Shinjuku‘s most distinctive skyscraper. Unlike Shinjuku’s other skyscrapers, it isn’t a hotel, business, or government office. It is the home of several education centers.
Typical Tokyo dwelling
There is nothing amazing about today’s photo. I took it somewhere in between Shimoochiai and Nakano in Tokyo. It was one of those days when I just rode my bike until I got lost and then figured out some different way to get home. Good times.
After a few months in Japan I remember thinking that the buildings no longer looked extraordinary to me. My eyes became too used to things too quickly. But now, looking back on photos like this after I have been back in the states for more than a month, I can see so many things that are so quintessential Japan. Those include the power lines, the large apartment building in the background, the ample potted flowers, the election posters, the mini spot to fit one car, the tile roof, the laundry hung out to dry, the neighborhood announcement bulletin board, etc., etc. I miss it.