Shinjuku is a major center in Tokyo. Many western cities usually have one large center. Tokyo has a large number of active hubs spread like islands throughout an ocean of residential neighborhoods. West Shinjuku is the location for the metropolitan government and a forest of skyscrapers. Much of the rest of Shinjuku is given over to shopping and entertainment. Click on the images for a larger view.
Category Archives: Tokyo
Tsukiji Fish Market—Part 5
By nine o’clock in the morning, the market is deserted. Everything has been washed down and left to dry. The only sign of life is an occasional cat scavenging for food. With the surrounding city coming to life with the business of the day, Tsukiji resembles an abandoned factory rather than a vibrant fish market. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tsukiji Fish Market—Part 4
Tsukiji wholesale market, which trades in seafood and produce, covers about 22.5 hectares/56 acres with the fish market taking up the majority of the area. Built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, much of the architecture dates back to its opening in 1935. The large, curved structure, which typifies the market, houses the intermediate seafood wholesalers. The auction areas are just outside that on the waterfront. Ongoing renovations have made the buildings a warren of passages and alcoves. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tsukiji Fish Market—Part 3
About 2,500 metric tons of fish and seafood move through the market every day. 450 varieties of fish are sold. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tsukiji Fish Market—Part 2
Just after midnight, trucks with frozen tuna roll into Tsukiji Fish Market. They are there for the early morning auctions. When the workers open the back doors of a truck, they pull the fish out onto a large tire on the floor to break its fall. The tuna is then dragged over the concrete like a huge ice cube and placed in orderly rows.
One night, I was standing on the wharf between a tuna truck and the water. The men unloaded some fish. They swung the doors shut. The truck slowly rolled forward as if it is was leaving. It stopped. Suddenly, the truck roared into reverse and shot backwards. The driver hit the brakes and the load of frozen fish in the back of the trailer hurtled toward the closed doors, hitting them like repeating cannon fire. The men swung the doors open and continued unloading the cargo. Although, when it happen, I was not thinking about what they were doing. I was wondering which was the better choice, getting run over by a fish truck or jumping into Tokyo Bay. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tsukiji Fish Market—Part 1
Just a stone’s throw from the center of Tokyo is Tsukiji Fish Market. A small city unto itself, this area has a life and vitality that is not really reflected in the offices of the metropolis. Click on the image for a larger view.
On the Streets of Tokyo—Harajuku
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On the Streets of Tokyo—Shibuya
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On the Streets of Tokyo
Warm and generous is the way to describe the Japanese. Every culture is wrapped in stereotypes, and Japan is no exception. You just need to slow down and look.
Kanda, the Book District of Tokyo
When Tokyo was being built in the 17th century—it was called Edo then—the city was planned into districts and quarters based of crafts or markets. Starting with the Confucian academy in the late 1600s, Kanda became a center of learning and publishing. These divisions blended and dissolved with the growth of the city. Today, the streets of Kanda are still punctuated by small used bookstores.
As someone who grew up reading, walking into a bookstore in Japan was really humbling. You figure there would be enough information to at least find major categories of books, like photographic books. It is not that easy. If you really want to know how debilitating illiteracy is, visit a Japanese bookstore.
