Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, River Bridge (Glowing Edges)

This was captured on the balcony of the Ocean Club Buffet, a distance from Tokyo's city center, of the Rainbow Bridge.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Apartment Floors

As in this posting taken from the top of 101, there are some little things that were missed when the picture was taken.  This is particularly true of people that end up being captured, such as the two guys that are on the roof of this building.

I'm very careful about this, though, because if you zoom in on a balcony for the purpose of capturing people it bleeds into "peeping" or voyeurism, which is a huge no-no.  Even some very high-powered individuals have gotten into trouble for using cameras to look at someone across from or below them.  Just like taking pictures of children anywhere that I don't know well, it's just creepy and I stay far away from even the appearance of it.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Building with Reflection

Reflections are one of my favorite things to capture in a photograph.  It provides interest in addition to giving a picture an element of the abstract.  I could spend an entire day in Houston capturing building reflections from parking garages downtown, but dare not lest I get arrested.

This fear comes from a newspaper article a few years ago about a photographer being arrested because it's supposedly against the law to hang around taking pictures of buildings within the city limits.  On one level that's perfectly understandable, given that terrorists commonly use photography to identify potential targets.  We all get that.  But what about a schmo like me that likes to take pictures such as this and are willing to go to great lengths to get a good image?

In an effort to answer that question I embarked on a quest to find out what the city ordinances are that define  a) which type of photography is prohibited,  b) what enforcement power is behind it, and,  c) if available, what someone like me must do to get a permit to take pictures here or there.  What I found was that there are guidelines - and associated fees - for shoots in specific locations, such as in parts of Hermann Park, but was unsuccessful in locating an ordinance.  I'll keep looking...

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Apartment Cluster

Thank goodness for the Lens Distortion filter, which allows one to straighten edges.  Takes a bit of practice, though.

It's awesome to travel with family and have a tour guide along to save time and, ultimately, money.  However I miss going on dedicated photo trips...being on my own to simply wander around, taking the time to follow my instincts on where to go, when to go, and what to shoot.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Skytree in Daytime

A night shot of the Tokyo Skytree was posted back on June 29th.  The more postcard-ish pictures above and below showcase the awesome zoom the Big Cahoona has, in partnership with my 18-200mm walkabout lens, as it reaches towards the top of one of the world's tallest towers.  The time that it would have taken and the fact that we were with a tour group prevented a trip to the observation decks, but maybe next time...

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Survivor House

It is a fact that during WWII the U.S. bombed the heck out of Tokyo, totally decimating large swaths of the city.  I've seen pictures of acres and acres of nothing but rubble in the aftermath, and wondered many times during our time there whether we could have been in the places where those pictures were taken.

Also noteworthy were some pictures of rubble with a single house left standing here and there, in mute victory over the madness that created such destruction.  It is said that these unlikely survivors were preserved as memorials, sentinels of defiant strength.  Upon seeing houses like the one in the picture above I couldn't help but wonder if they were indeed those survivors, in light of the fact that they were of older design surrounded by much taller, modern structures.

Another aspect of this history which generates great respect for the Japanese is the incredible speed with which they rebuilt, and in fact greatly improved, such a vast city.  The war ended a mere 70 years ago yet you wouldn't know such an event ever took place there.  Speaks to the incredible industry of an incredible people.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Narrow Buildings

The architecture of many buildings in Tokyo reflects the scarcity of space in the city, as exemplified in the shots above and below.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Interesting Building

Of all the pictures taken from the bus, this was the most dramatically changed in post-capture.  We'd passed this building several times during our time in Tokyo and each time I regretted that we weren't stopped somewhere so that a proper picture could be taken .  The last time we rode by I swung the Big Cahoona up from my window seat and snapped this one shot.

See the original JPEG below as it appeared straight out of the camera:

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Fishnet Apt Complex

This is not the best photo technically, but is being posted due to the building's sheer oddity.  Appears to be an apartment complex.  Captured a few moments after yesterday's photo was snapped.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Ferrari Dealership

Snazzy building for snazzy cars.  Wonder if they sell Ferrari bikes here also.  This was captured while moving on an elevated roadway in Tokyo.

Japan - Bridgeways and Architecture, Hotel Rainbow

This is one of the first pictures taken with the Big Cahoona after our arrival in Japan.  Though not from the best angle, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture the color on this building, which is absolutely true to what the colors are in a rainbow.

We were in a moving bus when this shot was taken, traveling from Narita to Tokyo.  Lots of post-capture was needed for this and the next three postings because the motion, reflections and window tinting all had to be addressed.

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Park Musician

This is one of two musicians working together in a park.  What saved this photo and made it at least marginally presentable was the pop-up flash; looking at this vs the non-flash version makes it clear that having a flash on sunny mid-afternoons is indispensable.

Which revives the subject of the lack thereof on the new D500.  All reviews of the camera are glowing, many saying it beats even the D750, a full-frame rig.  But photos like this demonstrate that having a flash at a moment's notice can save a shot.  Next time I pop into a camera store I'll ask what the alternative is when using the D500 in similar conditions.

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Carefree Youngsters

This scene looks as though it were shot for a clothing commercial, but was surprisingly common in the streets of Tokyo.  The Japanese - even in the younger generations - demonstrate a very cheerful attitude in the midst of rigid conformity.

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Postman

A postman doing his job, appearing very diligent and interested in his work...

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Elementary Bike Rack

The colors and angles is what drew me to this scene.  As much as I love color, the pictures captured by the Big Cahoona must often be desaturated, especially the yellows after certain adjustments in post-capture.

It was during this walk with Andrew that I observed the only homeless person encountered during our visit to Japan.  Even he was neat and tidy.  I lingered as long as comfortably possible to see if he appeared also to be dangerous, but it was hard to tell.  Oddly, the shade under a tree that was at that moment his abode was right next to an elementary schoolyard with a full view of the kids and vice versa.  Nobody seemed to be bothered.


Wait...what?!?  What is this that I see in the foreground??  Would there be not one, but TWO tiny pieces of trash?  Is THIS what we get with hundreds of elementary kids running around??  AARRGHHH!!!!

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Wires Overhead

The tangle of wires overhead was the only sign of disorderliness I observed in Japan, and this was only on the back streets of the city.  Understandable that they wouldn't place such infrastructure underground with all of the earthquakes and geologic volatility of the region.

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Chinese Lanterns

Is it a Chinese lantern if it has Japanese writing on it?  Not sure...

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Crab Guy

After some deliberation we concluded that this guy was probably supposed to be a crab.

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Tuna Head

The fish market is so famous in Japan.  There is such a limited availability to see the real thing, though, where the auctions take place.  Besides, you have to be there at something like five in the morning.

As an alternate, going to a place where they sell the fish retail can provide interesting opportunities.  This vendor caught my attention because of the enormous tuna head jutting up from the table.  Technically a challenge, though, as there was incandescent lighting in the back of the stall.  This created the need for duel white balance, making it difficult to look even in spite of post-capture adjustments...

Tokyo - Street Scenes, Medium Bonsai

Just as in houses, Japanese shops and restaurants are well-kept and manicured.  Note the pine trees - we discovered that bonsai are not just the little bitty ones, but can be cultivated to medium sizes as well.

Tokyo - Street Scenes, House Fronts

This and the next few postings will be of general street scenes, which will be followed by "Bridgeways and Architecture".

These are two of the innumerable houses my son and I saw walking down the street.  Very neat.  Very clean.  And very quaint, because so many had bicycles parked out front.

One of the more interesting things our tour guide told us was that he lived and worked in Japan for 20 years, and never once entered someone else's house.  You just don't do that there.  Not for a visit, not for a dinner, not for anything.  Could hardly be more different that the American way of life, where it's a rite of passage as a youngster to "spend the night" at a friend's house.  And as adults we go out of our way to welcome those we enjoy and respect into our homes for a meal, games, church meetings, or just to visit.  Don't understand a culture that eschews such fellowship.

Swinging the Big Cahoona up to capture scenes such as these made me feel a bit nervous.  Don't know if I'd like it either if someone I didn't know walked by and and started taking pictures of the house.  So I tried to be quick and discreet, relying on default settings which are always in place.

 

Tokyo - Getting Around, Our Bus

Our bus was very comfortable, and of course spotless the whole time.  There were a million like these criss-crossing the city and country highways.  Lots of tourism.

No matter how many times we saw it I never got used to seeing the driver on the "wrong" side of the vehicle.  As seen below the cockpit is walled off and very well maintained...rag ready for the occasional dust bunny:

Tokyo - Getting Around, Door Helper

Ta dah.....

Tokyo - Getting Around, Tight Garage

This was on the same street as the parking lot from yesterday's posting.  Seems they really pack it in tight when you have a garage also.  These must have been built either when cars were much smaller there or were made for motorcycles or the kind of pickup trucks posted a couple of days ago.

As you can see in the picture below the nose of the car actually pokes out a little bit.  What to do in such a case?  How do you close the door?  Tomorrow's posting will show a common solution...

Tokyo - Getting Around, Parking Lot

My son and I had some time to kill so just started wondering the back streets taking a look at things.  We ran across this tiny parking lot that illustrates just how much at a premium space is in the city.  Don't think I'd want to own a car if we lived over there...

Tokyo - Getting Around, Taxis

A couple of postings ago, in the bottom picture, there were two taxis whizzing through the streets as the girl was trying to cross on her bike.  These taxis are everywhere, in numbers that certainly rival those on the streets of New York.  Unlike New York, however, they are all different colors in Tokyo, and much fancier.  The drivers are fancier, too, in that they all wear at least shirts and ties, and often a full-blown suit.  When they're idle even for a moment you'll see them standing next to their machines in a dignified manner, sometimes using a rag or handkerchief to wipe them even cleaner...

Tokyo - Getting Around, Japanese Pickup Trucks

Now on to the fossil-fueled way of getting around.  When I saw this couldn't help but compare it to the pickup trucks we use in the States.  Happened to catch one on the street in use and one parked empty right next to it.  The pictures below show essentially the same thing in various levels of enclosure:

 

Tokyo - Getting Around, Utilitarian Bicycles

Bicycles in Japan are everywhere, and serve a utilitarian purpose for all ages.  One can guess that this electric-assisted model serves as a family's minivan of sorts.

I really wanted to get a better picture of the lady below with the two pink pods on her machine, presumably for her small children.  Since we were on the move and she was on the move all I could do was swing the Big Cahoona up and snap blindly, hoping to capture something.  Under the circumstances it came out better than I expected.  These kinds of shots are the reason it's necessary to constantly be aware of what your camera settings are, adjusting them to be ready for the impromptu shot such as this one.  In my case it's 200 ISO, Auto White Balance, P Mode, and -2/3 stop for Exposure Compensation.  Upon going indoors somewhere or in waning light I'll set the ISO to 800.  No matter where I am, every few minutes I'll glance down and take the time to check and make sure the settings are adjusted to that default.  This diligence is borne of sad experience, when some pretty good ones got away.

Regarding capturing these kinds of shots, I've often wished for the time to just sit by a roadside and snap at whatever catches my fancy as it passes by.  Is a photographer invading privacy when he does something like that?  I don't think so, but still sounds kind of spooky.  More than once I've looked at a picture in post-capture and noticed a hard stare from someone in the street eyeing me suspiciously.

Tokyo - Getting Around, Ferrari Bike

In the bus we passed a Ferrari dealership for cars, a picture of which will be posted later.  Upon seeing this bicycle I couldn't help but wonder if it came from the same place.  A Ferrari bike?  Whoever heard of it?

This guy was locked nice and tight at the front wheel, as you can see...

Tokyo - Getting Around, Bicycle Row

Now on up a more self-propelled mode of transportation.  When I taught science in high school I was amazed to learn that the bicycle is the most efficient machine developed by man.  At the one-third horsepower that can be provided by a person's muscles, these amazing machines can propel their drivers at speeds that would be impossible with a machine fueled by fossil or alternative fuels at the same power level.  As a bonus, it's great fun!

We were walking around a park in downtown Tokyo and saw these guys, naturally parked in a very orderly manner and SPOTLESSLY CLEAN, every one.  However, the aspect that caught my attention most was the fact that not even half of them were locked!  Such a carefree society...at least to the relatively uneducated outside observer.

Tokyo - Getting Around, Rickshaw

The next series will be on how folks get around in Tokyo.  I will be starting with the oldest and most basic, moving up to more modern times.

Didn't see too many of these rickshaws around, though in ancient times they were probably as numerous as horses in the streets.  Running around doing this all day, the driver must be quite fit!