Iroiro, August 2006 - by Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon, Images Through Glass, Tokyo

Iroiro, August 2006 (Ota-ku, Gotanda, & Shibuya)

"Iroiro, August 2006" - by Lyle H Saxon, Images Through Glass, Tokyo

(Above & below) - A scooter, a manhole cover, the river near Gotanda Station, and an unusual rural-looking path in Ota-ku suburbia. Of the three pictures of the river near Gotanda Station, the first two were taken under a rather dramatic evening sky, and the third one was taken on an ordinary morning. The footpath - little details like this are what save Tokyo from being completely a concrete city.

(Below left and center) - This summer hasn't been a particularly hot one by Tokyo standards, but still there were hot days - not quite conveyed in the two pictures below, but - take my word for it - it was hot enough as I walked the noontime streets of Ota-ku that hot August day! (Below right) - I like electricity and telecommunications very much, but sometimes wish the sky were free of wires everywhere, always getting in the way of the view. There's a street in Kawagoe with no overhead wires, and there's something wonderful about walking down that street with the sky free and clear above - with no lines cutting the view into sections.

(Below left) - The downstream side of the river shown in the pictures at the top of the page - with a Yamanote Line train pulling into Gotanda Station (out of the frame to the left). (Below center & right) - Mega-city life! There's something fascinating about these views if you imagine the long history of bipeds - who never lived like this until quite recently....

(Bottom left) - An underpass beside Shibuya Station - walking straight ahead and coming out on the other side, you come to the views shown in the center and right photos. (Bottom center & right) - Notice the Ginza subway line up there at about level three - higher than the elevated Toyoko Line. Going to the right, the line quickly descends into the earth and becomes a subway - only here is it elevated. The building it's going into (right photo) is one of the Tokyu department stores.

(Bottom left) - Another view of the east side of Shibuya Station from (bottom center & right) the pedestrian overpasses. (Pedestrian overpasses can offer great views, but they're often difficult to take pictures from, as they typically shake a little when people walk over them.)

(Bottom left) - The pedestrian overpass I took the above photos from, with the elevated expressway up highter still. (Bottom right) - The arched roof(s) are what cover the platforms of the Tokyu Corporation's Toyoko Line. (Bottom center) - Reflextions - walking up the hill will take you to Aoyama.