The rain, or should I say typhoon weather has hit Tokyo. It has been no stop raining
since last night. I wanted to go out for a wander, but the weather says otherwise. I guess
I will head out tomorrow.
In the meantime. I am feeling unrealistic, I am feeling distracted, a bit abstracted.
The elections in Japan are short and sweet compared to those from back in the US.
There was only a few weeks of heavy campaigning and the trucks driving around the hood
blaring the “VOTE FOR ME,” rhetoric.
The streets are busy, in the morning as people rush out to vote before the heavy rains to come.
I started to take a few steps back when the political posters were the subject.
These are the results.
If you are here, in Japan, go out and vote.
Staring into an empty storefront in Akihabara the other day, it brought back memories
of a project I had worked on 15 years ago. I became obsessed with photographing empty
store fronts. Building that are looking for tenants in the suburbs and environs of Tampa Florida..
My life had come full circle, and becoming interested with shop fronts that are abandoned and in need
of life.
The electronic center of the universe is Akihabara in Tokyo.
Anything relating to the field or pursuit of electronics will be found.
The culture is evolving, as new restaurants open up and it has become a dating
destination.
I love the grimy back alleys, and closet sized shops. Hawking all sorts of pieces of wire, capacitors, fuses, motherboards… the list goes on.
Lashes fall from the eye, every drifting in the breeze.
Sometimes caught by the eye. Trying to hold on to what it once had.
Flickering in the wind, drifting from the soul.
It is all temporary. It will fade.
Shibamata is home to the serial movie character of Tora san.
The elderly wandering salesman who traveled the width and breath of Japan.
It is now known as a good spot to see some old part of Tokyo.
Wandering Shibamata’s streets, riverside, and sidewalks on a perfect summer afternoon, I was
listening with my eyes to see what I can hear. The cicadas were singing the kids were coming home
from their first day back at school, and I just wandered.
Wood, and Grass
Here comes another classic in the shape of a vintage Olympus Pen EE S half frame camera. Those of you
might remember from a few months ago I tried to liberate some dusty cameras from a store display in Ichikawa. I wasn’t able to, but I found this Pen EE S at the camera show in Shinjuku on Friday. Its a solid point and shoot camera that first appeared in the late 50’s and was widely used by the Japanese public.
These are the first images, shot mainly in and around Shinjuku and Okubo.
The circle is never ending.
A continuous loop that winds it way around.
There is no beginning there is no finish line.
There is only the circle.
I have been living in Tokyo for um, about 10 years. I can see Tokyo Disney land from my home. I have watched endless streams of visitors step on and off at Mihama station to go there. Yet, I have never been.
We decided that we should go, and see what there is to be seen. And try to get more of a handle why so many are obsessed with everything Disney.
Mass of humans melting in the sun when we passed the gates at about 3:30pm. The sun was beating down, the heat rising from under the rubber soles of our sneakers. We headed into the jungle.
As I was flashing back to 19 years ago, the last time I went to a theme park, I was amazed at the way people just trooped about. The artificial cleanliness of the park. Trash was constantly being picked up. Of course when I was a kid we ran like bandits all over the park(s).
I did enjoy my day. I was a bit overloaded with sensations, but I know thats why people go there.
The wonderful folks at Fabrica that put out the dope magazine COLORS, are up to their elbows in teens. Teens from around the world, and doing all things imaginable. Check out the m2c lucid communication contribution. It is a series of images from the Breakn Bread event at Youth Expressions hosted by Brimstone127.
http://lab.colorsmagazine.com/contributed/94-breakn-bread-b-boy-battle-miami-fl-usa
also, feel free to pass on the link, and if you like you can register and send your story or images
Ningyocho is one of the Shitamachi parts of Tokyo. Shitamachi literally means “down town,” but I like
to translate it as an “old part of town. There are shitamchis all over tokyo. Even though they are slowly being rebuilt and gentrified.
As I walked the streets I was fascinated with the window. The way the glass, old and new would reflect bits of reality in its self, and then into my lens. A metaphysical melding of my photographic world with the world that surrounds me.
Look into the glass, and tell me what you see.
I don’t usually blog about food, but this is an exception.
I have heard of this burger shop Brozers, in my quest to find the
best burger in Tokyo, so being in Ningyocho today I decided to check them out
and see how they compare to my favorite Firehouse.
I ordered a Cheeseburger that came with 2, yes only 2, onion rings, and fries. The burger was delish.
A great bun, tender beef and a hint of BBQ sauce.
If you want to know more about burgers in Japan check this site http://www.hamburger.jp/
also this blog is from a Japanese burger lover.
http://w-ice.cocolog-nifty.com/blog2/
now for the burger
Coming soon from the design minded peeps of Y Sin Embargo Magazine.
More images to come.
Those featured on the blog are part of the process I used to edit the series for the
publication in addition to some text.
http://ysinembargo.com/uebi/2009/08/17/a-pit-os-pit-and-energy-jacob-schere-yse-21/
I had the chance to hop on the train for about 90 minutes and hit the
beach side town of Zushi in Kanagawa. I am not the biggest beach lover
in the world, but I did grow up in Miami, and there still is a special place
in my heart for the sand, surf, and shells.
Japanese beaches are nothing like back in Florida. But the beach culture
was a trip. Hope I can get back out again this season.
