Tokyo :: Fotopic.Net

75C's Gallery

Tokyo

27th November 2004

Tokyo is huge

- a combination of cities within a city with no real centre - but it is navigable. At the centre of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace, with exclusive Ginza and the commercial Marunouchi to the east. Heading west you'll find food-capital Akasaka next door to clubbers' delight Roppongi, and then 'modern West versus chaotic East' Shinjuku. Ikebukuro is in the northwest, and the cultural centre of Ueno and traditional Asakusa is to the northeast.

The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan's capital city. Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's hectic madness leavened by the Zennest of calms.

While it's true the exciting vibe has a somewhat depressing flip side - shoebox housing estates and office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded with traffic - Tokyo remains a glittering example of the 'miracle' of post-WWII Japan.

Despite all the hyper-construction, the traditional Tokyo suburb hasn't been completely trounced: in the shadows of skyscrapers, streets are still lined with tiny specialist shops and bustling restaurants open late into the night; and you can still sense a bygone era in an ancient wooden house, a Japanese inn, an old lady in a kimono sweeping the pavement outside her home with a straw broom.

ENROUTE 640x480 jpa01DSCN7885.jpg Buy Print	Enroute 640x480 jpa02DSCN7886.jpg Buy Print	Enroute 640x480 jpa03DSCN7888.jpg Buy Print	Enroute 640x480 jpa04DSCN7892.jpg Buy Print
UENO - The Touganeya hotel 480x640 jpa05DSCN7933.jpg Buy Print	Ueno - Ameyayokocho (aka Ameyoko) 480x640 jpa06DSCN7968.jpg Buy Print	Ueno - Ueno park after a 'heavy' downpour 640x480 jpa07DSCN8160.jpg Buy Print	Ueno - Ueno park 640x480 jpa08DSCN8161.jpg Buy Print
Ueno - Ueno park 640x480 jpa09DSCN8162.jpg Buy Print	HARAJUKU - The Meiji Jingu 640x480 jpb01DSCN7934.jpg Buy Print	Harajuku - The Meiji Jingu 640x480 jpb02DSCN7936.jpg Buy Print	Harajuku - Takeshita Dori 480x640 jpb03DSCN7937.jpg Buy Print
Harajuku - Takeshita Dori 640x480 jpb04DSCN7939.jpg Buy Print	Harajuku - Snoopy Town at the Takeshita Dori 480x640 jpb05DSCN7950.jpg Buy Print	Harajuku - The inner alleys of Omotesando 480x640 jpb06DSCN7944.jpg Buy Print	Harajuku - Togo Shrine 640x480 jpb07DSCN7942.jpg Buy Print
IKEBUKURO - Sunshine City along Green Odori 480x640 jpc01DSCN7958.jpg Buy Print	Ikebukuro - Sunshine City along Green Odori 640x480 jpc02DSCN7957.jpg Buy Print	Ikebukuro - Miniatures at Tokyu Hands in Ikebukuro 640x480 jpc03DSCN7951.jpg Buy Print	Ikebukuro - Miniatures at Tokyo Hands in Ikebukuro 480x640 jpc04DSCN7952.jpg Buy Print
Ikebukuro - Lighted miniature houses at Tokyu Hands 480x640 jpc05DSCN7955.jpg Buy Print	Ikebukuro - Lighted miniature houses at Tokyu Hands 480x640 jpc06DSCN7956.jpg Buy Print	Ikebukuro - Lighted miniature houses at Tokyu Hands 640x480 jpc07DSCN7953.jpg Buy Print	ASAKUSA - Asahi Beer Building 480x640 jpd01DSCN7960.jpg Buy Print
Asakusa - Matsuya Departmental Store 480x640 jpd02DSCN7961.jpg Buy Print	Asakusa - Entrance to Senso-ji via Nakamise-dori 480x640 jpd03DSCN7962.jpg Buy Print	Asakusa - Senso-ji main hall 640x480 jpd04DSCN7963.jpg Buy Print	Asakusa - The underground pass at Asahi Beer Building 640x480 jpd05DSCN7964.jpg Buy Print
Asakusa - Sumida River Cruise boats 640x480 jpd06DSCN7966.jpg Buy Print	Asakusa - Sumida River Cruise boats 640x480 jpd07DSCN7965.jpg Buy Print	Asakusa - Kannon-dori 480x640 jpd08DSCN7967.jpg Buy Print	AKIHABARA 640x480 jpe01DSCN7970.jpg Buy Print
Akihabara 480x640 jpe02DSCN7971.jpg Buy Print	Akihabara 640x480 jpe03DSCN8199.jpg Buy Print	SHINJUKU - Shinjuku Station 640x480 jpf01DSCN7974.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku 640x480 jpf02DSCN8002.jpg Buy Print
Shinjuku - the morning Shinjuku crowd 640x480 jpf03DSCN7976.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - at night 480x589 jpf04DSCN8170.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - at night 640x480 jpf05DSCN8167.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The Shinjuku L-shape Building 480x640 jpf06DSCN8163.jpg Buy Print
Shinjuku - Shinjuku Dori 640x480 jpf07DSCN7996.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building 640x480 jpf08DSCN8003.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices No 1 Building 480x640 jpf09DSCN7978.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - Views from the observation decks of No 1 Building 640x480 jpf10DSCN8009.jpg Buy Print
Shinjuku - The Shinjuku Park Tower 640x480 jpf11DSCN7979.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - Shinjuku I-Land Tower 480x640 jpf12DSCN7980.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The Shinjuku Sumitomo Building 640x480 jpf13DSCN7982.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The Shinjuku Sumitomo Building 640x640 jpf14DSCN7983.jpg Buy Print
Shinjuku - The Shinjuku i-land Aqua Plaza 480x640 jpf15DSCN7985.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The junction between Go-go Gairo and Kyu-go Gairo 640x480 jpf16DSCN7986.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - Puppy love 640x480 jpf17DSCN7989.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - Isetan 640x480 jpf18DSCN7993.jpg Buy Print
Shinjuku - Isetan 480x640 jpf19DSCN7992.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - Takashimaya Times Square 480x640 jpf20DSCN7995.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - The Sompo Japan Headquarters Building 480x640 jpf21DSCN8004.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - DoCoMo Yoyogi Building before 4:30pm 480x640 jpf22DSCN8164.jpg Buy Print
Shinjuku - DoCoMo Yoyogi Building after 4:30pm 480x640 jpf23DSCN8165.jpg Buy Print	Shinjuku - Yodobashi Camera 480x640 jpf24DSCN8000.jpg Buy Print	GINZA 480x640 jpg01DSCN8025.jpg Buy Print	Ginza 640x480 jpg02DSCN8040.jpg Buy Print