Tokyo crush...

Catching the 8:30AM departure of the Yamanote line at Shinagawa Station, Tokyo.

Another photo tomorrow...

Meiji Shrine Gardens

The Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is one of my favorite places to walk, reflect, and photograph. I took this shot there in 1996, but there's something comforting about the fact that the place doesn't really change all that much.

I did some work in Photoshop on this, and produced a black and white version also. I couldn't decide which I liked better so thought I'd post both of them.

Another photo tomorrow...

Japanese Craftsman

I shot this in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, home to many shrines and temples. This gentleman was making wood cutouts and carvings and selling them (apparently) to make his living. I struggled to get the settings on my camera correct, so you can see a vaguely irritated look on his face because he waited for me to take the shot. I made sure to say "sumaimasen" (please excuse me) as he waited, and "doomo arrigato" (thank you very much) when I finished. I also bought one of his cutouts, which smoothed things over.

Another photo tomorrow...

Pretty as a picture...

I took this in the outer courtyard of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. I'm not sure why this woman was so dressed up--maybe she's getting ready for a wedding picture? I stood watching for a couple minutes as the photographer and his assistant got this woman ready for her photo shoot. As beautiful as her costume looks in the picture, it was even more beautiful in person.

Tomorrow--my first Guest Photo Friday!

Prayers of the People

Prayer medallions, near Sensoji Temple, Asakusa district, Tokyo.

Another photo tomorrow...

Namu-amida-butsu

Buddha statue, Asakusa District, Tokyo, Japan

The Speed of Life

Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya Crossing is, according to some, the busiest scramble crossing in the world. I sat in the 2nd story of a Starbucks that overlooks the crossing and just watched the people move back and forth. I took this shot with a longer shutter opening (around 1/2 second) to capture the motion...in my mind, it's a great metaphor for the 24-hour hustle and bustle that is modern life in Tokyo.

Another photo tomorrow...

Freak Show

I took this picture over the weekend in the Harajuku section of Tokyo, just outside the grounds of the Meiji Shrine. This area is popular with many punk and Goth Lolita types. You can see the Goth girl under the umbrella in the rightmost third of the picture. But she wasn't the "freak show" after which I named this image. The real freak show was the photographers who captured her image like she was an animal or a space alien, not a human being.

I stood watching for about 5 minutes, and she drew a constant stream of photographers (all of whom she ignored with that teenage angst look) who took her picture then walked away with out really acknowledging her at all. Full disclosure, I took a picture of her also--but not until I smiled and nodded, pointed to my camera, and made gestures essentially asking for permission to take the shot (only because I speak no Japanese). She still gave me that pained teen look, but nodded "yes" in permission. I like to think I treated her like a bit more of a human than the others did...

It's really interesting what photographers will do to get the shot.

Another photo tomorrow...

Prayer Paper

I took this in the courtyard of a small temple in the Shinagawa neighborhood of Tokyo. The paper is called "osame fuda", or prayer paper. Pilgrims to a shrine write their prayers, wishes, and hopes on these slips of paper then tie them to branches of a tree. They are symbolically "leaving behind" their prayers, cares, and worries.
I thought the starkness of the prayer paper against the fuzzy branches of the tree and the open sky was a dramatic shot. It didn't strike me until I uploaded the picture, but this particular prayer paper has the same general shape as Japan itself--the knot at the top resembles the northernmost island of Hokkaido, and the rest of it has the vague "J" shape of the rest of the island.

I also thought black and white would be more dramatic--although, to be honest, the sky was so grey that day that there's very little difference between the B&W and color.

Another picture tomorrow...

Bride and Groom

I took this in the inner courtyard of Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine) in the center of Tokyo. It being a weekend, lots of people--from little kids up to senior citizens--came dressed in traditional Japanese clothes. This couple was having their wedding photos shot here, and later they were in a larger shot with both sides of the family--probably 20 people in all. Japanese wedding customs have largely gone by the wayside, in favor of more "Western-style" weddings. However, on this day, several couples who stuck with a traditional ceremony were there to have their pictures taken.

It was funny to watch all the tourists (myself included) line up to take snaps of this couple. It was almost like they were the celebrities and we were the paparazzi.

Another photo tomorrow...

A daimyo at rest

This statue is of Asano Naganori, who was arguably the most famous daimyo of feudal Japan. He was ordered to commit ritual suicide, ostensibly because of an offense to the Shogun. His followers became ronin--leaderless samurai--and avenged his death a year later. They were, in turn, also ordered to commit ritual suicide. This story of honor and loyalty is remembered to this day as the tale of the Forty-Seven Ronin.

The statue is amazingly lifelike--the picture doesn't do it justice. The daimyo sits peacefully, eyes closed, in the lotus position. You can see how the metal of the statue has weathered, but apart from that it looks very lifelike.

This statue is in the courtyard of Sengaku-ji, the temple and burial grounds dedicated to Naganori-sama and to the 47 Ronin. It sits just off a busy street in one of the busiest neighborhoods in Tokyo, but it's a very quiet and serene place. I felt a sense of renewal and relaxation after walking out of the temple grounds.

Another photo tomorrow...

A cat at rest

Cats can sleep anywhere, in practically any position. I took this shot of a sleeping cat under a statue of Buddha in Kyoto, Japan in the fall of 1996. The cat made me believe that, somehow, it had found its own small Nirvana--at least until it awoke from its nap and went off in search of food or companionship.

Another picture tomorrow...