Harmonica Yokocho (Alley) in Kichioji district of Tokyo contrasts nicely with the fancy neighborhood that it resides in. Places like this are called yokocho in Japanese, a set of alleyways where some of the city’s most precious gems are safely sheltered - small shops, modest restaurants, teeming ramshackle pubs. Those who are familiar with Kichioji usually associate it with its links to art, high-end fashion, fine dining, and top izakayas (Japanese pubs). In fact, many popular Japanese personalities such as famous musicians and manga (Japanese anime) creators flock here to hang out and shop for themselves. It’s also very accessible from anywhere in Tokyo; it’s just a 15-minute train ride away from Shinjuku.
You’ll know you’ve found the main entrance to Harmonica Yokocho when you see a large yellow sign with a red Japanese inscription. Below that inscription, you’ll also find the English translation, except it’s spelled “Harmonica Yokyocyo”. If you want to have a true “Tokyo Drinking Experience”, there is nothing quite as authentic to be found in Tokyo as what Harmonica Alley has to offer. 战前东京的老街大多狭窄,可能只容两人通行,不过大多数的小巷在战后重建和现代化过程中都已消失。近年来,为数不多的几条小巷,日文Yokocho,已经成为了最新的吃货聚集地,很多复古或特色鲜明的餐厅置身其中,吸引了众多的顾客。一旦您转进了这样隐秘的世界,您会立即被各种露天酒吧、旧式站立式酒吧和小餐厅的气氛吸引,其貌不扬的学生和身穿定制西装的生意人都挤在一起用餐。很多餐厅都有自己的特色菜、酒品或者地区美食,开放的格局可以让您慢慢的一网打尽所有美食。 我最近去东京吉祥寺,喜欢上了口琴横丁(ハモニカ横丁)。一般外国观光客到吉祥寺,大多是为了去另一侧的井之头公园。即使有经过口琴横丁的入口,踏进去的人却凤毛麟角。因为里面许多的居酒屋和小餐馆,感觉上好像没有在地人陪着,就不太有勇气走进去。其实要是错过了这几条小巷弄构成的商店街,吉祥寺的趣味也就少体会了一些。搭乘JR中央线,新宿站出发只要约15分钟就可抵达吉祥寺站。从车站出来看到的小巷子,就是口琴横丁。近100家店铺林立的小巷中,属于东京的日常,充满了满满怀旧气息。
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I tend to shoot as I am going about my life so much of my photography is 'daily life' or places I have chosen to visit. I have not actually photographed many of the 'tourist' places and I probably need to do a bit more of that.
While I have not completed my Finland winter stories, I shall bring you back to Japan, precisely to one of the most crowded and vibrant cities in the world, heaven for street photographers: Tokyo. One of my favourite spots in Tokyo to wonder around photographing and a paradise for street photographers is Ginza; the Grande Dame of high-end shopping in Tokyo. This is the place where all the main fashion brands show their beauty and richness by installing enormous stores and decorating the spaces with the most extravagant architectures and billboards. There is also a sort of sophistication that Ginza still holds onto that the other districts just do not have thanks in part to its wide streets and sidewalks. This makes a much more relaxing place to shop. I would love to go back again and again and again, as there is always something new happening in these crowded and exciting streets. A very happy weekend! My short photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Lake Kawaguchi (near Mt Fuji) in Tokyo, Japan 日本东京《东京河口湖赏富士山美景》is featured in a special press travel edition.So happy to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! Thank U so much 感谢 感恩 :)
A very happy weekend! My short photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Hayao Miyazaki Clock At Nippon Television Tower In Tokyo, Japan 日本东京《钟声响起走进宫崎骏的梦幻世界》is featured today! So happy to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :) Thank U so much 感谢、感恩 。
A very happy start to a great weekend! My photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Hokkaido Sapporo 北海道札幌《雪白世界之旅》is published in today's special travel edition LianheZaobao 联合早报旅游版 dated 18 January 2019! 感谢、感恩! Thrilled to see it being featured nationwide in print! THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
A very weekend! My photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Osaka 大阪《漫步大阪富田林市寺内町 回到江户时代》is published in today's LianheZaobao 联合早报缤纷版 dated 17 November 2018! 感谢、感恩! Thrilled to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :)
My photo taken @ Yoyogi Park in Tokyo 东京浪漫之秋在代代木公园 during a worktrip last December is featured in today’s Lianhe Wanbao 联合晚报 捕捉意境之美 ! Thank U so much 感谢、感恩。
A few months ago, when i learnt that i had to fly to Tokyo in early December on a work trip, i was extremely excited. I've just returned to Singapore recently after spending a few days in Tokyo. After a full day of presentations, I thought it might be a good idea to head out into the hustle and bustle of the city to wake myself up and brush away the cobwebs.
Almost exactly two years ago, I headed off to Yoyogi Park to look at the golden ginkgo leaves, I was unable to forget their beauty. Since then, I made a mental note to myself that I would always visit the place when the leaves were turning. So I decided to go to Yoyogi Park again this time round. To my consternation, the sky was already turning dark at 5pm. Nonetheless, the golden ginkgo leaves were still there. One of its highlights at the Yoyogi Park is seeing trees change color and be filled with “momijis” (red maple leaves). What is unique in Yoyogi is the ginko forest that turn into a breathtaking golden shade in autumn. From mid November to mid December is the perfect period to enjoy the unique colorful leaves. The main entrance of Yoyogi Park is located only 5 minutes walk from JR Harajuku Station. Kyoto is a special place to pick up memories and life pieces together and one can always be inspired so much for the understanding of the life. Thinking about exploring the streets of Kyoto on my visit to Japan brings back some great memories of that beautiful city. I thought I would share a series of Kyoto street photos that I took in black and white because sometimes an image just begs to be presented that way.
I love black & white photos (my long-time friends know that I majored in B&W street photography years ago before 'entering' into the colour world). I like the color-blind world. Color- I don’t need it. I just need to take a picture. So in black and white I can get rid of distractions and keep it simple. I have to admit that most of the time they even suck me in and make me walk down memory lane. To a lot of people, many of their memories are best brought back by B&W and so any B&W photo will conjure a general nostalgia. I’m so nostalgic. Some people might not like it. But that’s my way. Some people understand my pictures, that’s fine. I just miss Kyoto. My Photo Essay《 古香古韵的京都街头寻找艺伎身影》Published in LianheZaobao 联合早报 Newspapers Dated 17 June 201717/6/2017 My photo essay on Kyoto's Old Gion, home to Geisha《古香古韵的京都街头寻找艺伎身影》is published in today's LianheZaobao 联合早报缤纷版 dated 17 June 2017! 感谢、感恩! Thrilled to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :)
Tokyo teems with dozens of markets and shopping areas, and sometimes it actually feels like the entire city is a single mega shopping district. When I was in Tokyo, I spent quite a lot of time at Ameyayokocho market, a series of walking shopping streets. The name of the market actually translates to “candy shop alley,” and while you will find some sweets vendors, it’s now turned into an everything alley.
The market is more of an afternoon and night market, so if you go in the morning, most things will be closed and the streets empty. Go in the afternoon or evening, and it’s a completely different story. The history of Ameyoko is equally fascinating. There used to be a lot of candy stores in the street all perfectly lined up in the early post-war era, thus the name “Ameya-Yokocho”, which literally means ‘candy store alley’. Alternatively, there’s another theory that “Ame” refers to America, thanks to the American army goods that used to be sold here post-World War II. 到上海,来豫园的人很多,也是上海一个不可错过的旅游区,人山人海,里面有很多商店,都是纪念品和小吃。
豫园老街,宛如镶嵌于豫园商城中的一朵异花奇葩,一条绚丽彩带。豫园商圈是上海著名景点,虽然人潮众多,但是店家建筑古色古香,逛起来还颇有几分古代热闹市集的感觉。 One of The World's Iconic Railway Station: Tokyo Station And Historical Marunouchi Station Building10/5/2017 Tokyo is Japan's biggest and most modern city, but even here remain buildings where you can feel history. As Japanese architecture has traditionally envisioned buildings as temporary and expendable, in part due to the constant threat of fires and earthquakes, Tokyo has been left with fewer examples of historic architecture than places like Europe and the UK. Nevertheless, the neighbouring districts of Marunouchi and Ginza still contain a number of buildings that have, through a combination of luck and love, managed to stay standing, providing an ideal opportunity to enjoy a walk around town and see a blend of old and new architecture.
JR Tokyo Station's Marunouchi Station Building is a historical building that was constructed in 1910s. The distinct style of using red brick and white marble became an architectural style that combined British architecture will still reflecting the atmosphere of Japan in that era. The 3rd floor's domed roof was crushed during the fire bombings in World War II, but it has been reconstructed to look exactly as it did in 1914. This should definitely be a stop on your trip so you can experience the retro atmosphere of this beautiful building. Few places in the world have such a wealth of cutting-edge architecture as Tokyo. Tokyo is doubtless one of the most incredible architecture cities on earth.
De Beers Ginza Building located along Marronnier Street in Ginza, the flagship store of the diamonds company, is one of the most interesting constructions from Tokyo. Ginza is one of the most famous commercial districts in Tokyo. With a cutting-edge architectural design, the sleek tower made of stainless steel cannot pass unnoticed. Its twisted frame gives it an almost Seussian appearance. The building was designed by the well-known Japanese architect Jun Mitsui. In an area filled with remarkable architecture, the De Beers building manages to stop people in the street with its unreal design. The space between the tower and the surrounding buildings is quite small and the building can be admired only from close distance. Welcome to Sapporo – a city home to picturesque summer days, Siberian-style winters and a treasure trove of hidden gems. There is arguably no better place to get a complete 360-degree view over this wonderful city than from the top of the Sapporo TV Tower.
It's not a particularly tall tower by any means, especially compared to its neighbour, the Tokyo Tower. However, it does have one thing that the others don't... It's located in Sapporo. Since 1956 Sapporo TV Tower has been the most prominent landmark of Sapporo. The tower is visible from most areas of Sapporo. The tower was designed by the same architect that design the famous Tokyo Tower, with the intention of becoming a similar landmark. This landmark is a great indicator on where you are in Sapporo. From the observation deck, you can see all of Odori Park. One of the unique features is the digital clock that is on all 4 sides. It was donated by an electronic company who thought it would draw attention to the tower. |
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