Sensouji Temple, Asakusa

May 3, 2010 · Posted in Architecture, Tokyo · Comment

Ages ago now I went to Sensouji Temple for some reason, I can’t really remember. SY and I were doing a bit of Tokyo tourism I guess. I prepped these photos months ago but never got round to posting them, so here they are. If you like looking at shrines, you might enjoy these.

Belly of the Whale – Yurakucho Forum

January 7, 2010 · Posted in Architecture, Tokyo · 4 Comments

I’ve wanted to shoot the interior of the Yurakucho International Forum for some time, but only now got round to doing it- pushed ahead by a meeting with international jet-setter and club photographer Joshua Dearing. We did a photowalk around the structure, then through Ginza, finishing up in the big Starbucks where we talked plenty about extending life and Apple’s next product release.

HDR of 3 RAW images stopped 2 f’s apart, with Color Efex Pro applied.

Kabuki-za, Kyobashi

June 16, 2009 · Posted in Architecture · 5 Comments

The Kabuki-za is a fancy-pants theater in Ginza for the screening of Kabuki- a highly stylized and traditional (read ‘boring to most people’) form of storied stage performance. The Kabuki-za is famous as the principal theater for this kind of show in Tokyo- with a long and varied history dating all the way back to 1924.

kabukiza1

Shizuoka Shimbun Building, Shimbashi

June 10, 2009 · Posted in Architecture · 4 Comments

The headquarters of the Shizuoka newspaper in Shimbashi, Tokyo, is another Kenzo Tange building- he of Fuji Terebi and the Tocho. It resembles nothing so much as a giant mutated baobab tree, vivid rust-colored and sprouting fat boughs that elide in stubby endings, on one side its groping knubs reaching out to latch onto the closest building.

Gundam Building, Shibuya

April 13, 2009 · Posted in Architecture · 1 Comment

The Gundam building in Shibuya rests on its axled haunches like the ultimate guard-dog, anxiously awaiting the day it will be called into service to leap-frog into battle to protect its city, tackling Mothra or some other evil invading alien with its fire-eyes and laser tail.

It also keeps a close eye on those ‘satellites’ launched out of North Korea, ready to leap up and catch them in its big red mouth as if they were frisbees.

Mobile suit, baby!

Asahi Flame, Asakusa

March 30, 2009 · Posted in Architecture · 4 Comments

The Asahi ‘Flame’ building on the Asakusa banks of the Sumida river is infamous in Tokyo for its eponymous ‘flame’, a huge golden piece of art juxtaposed atop the obelisk-like black building; intended to represent the freedom and grace of a good head of foam on a glass of Asahi beer. It has however been dubbed by many the ‘flying golden turd’ or ‘golden tadpole’; another sad instance of too much art-like sensibility and not enough common sense.

Asahi ‘Flame’ Building.

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Relics of Camp Drake in Saitama, Japan
Camp Drake was a joint US Army/Air Force base in Saitama, active until the 1970`s. It contained a hospital which handled troops coming out of Vietnam and also a communications array. Now about half of it remains, an overgrown jungle with only a few remaining buildings set back behind several layers of fencing. The other [...]

Category: Haikyo, Military Installations, Saitama
Izu roadside haikyo
Here`s a haikyo I chanced upon almost a year ago in Izu, while haikyoing with Mike (and Jason?). It`s not particularly awesome in any way, it just has some nice peeling red and white paint, and a cool Coke fridge. Front yard.

Category: Haikyo, Izu, Restaurants