Categories
Tokyo Walking TV

Tokyo Reverse

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Have 9 hours to spare? How about spending it watching a 9-hour long video tour of Tokyo, following a man who is walking in reverse the whole time, but with the video presented in reverse. I’ve only scanned parts of it, and it’s strangely mesmerizing to watch. Found via Tokyo Soup.

Categories
Art Books Events Tokyo Walking

100 Views of Tokyo

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100 Views of Tokyo looks like a beautiful book featuring lovely illustrations of the megapolis by Shinji Tsuchimochi. The bilingual book also includes maps of the various areas — take a look at this page for more details. They’re also having an exhibition of works from the book at Shikaku gallery/select shop in Osaka (the book also includes 5 views of Osaka), November 3-20.

Update: You can purchase the book directly from the Spoon & Tamago shop.

Categories
Cafes Food Photography Stores Tokyo Walking

Guide to Yanaka

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My buddy Said Karlsson has written quite a few guides for Navitime’s JapanTravel site, and his latest contribution is for the lovely Yanaka neighborhood of Tokyo. The best thing about these posts is that they all feature great photography by Said. I also like this post that offers up a selection of kissaten (old style coffeeshops).

Categories
Music Stores Tokyo Walking

Guide to Tokyo Record Stores

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The title of this post is “The Biggest Guide to Tokyo Record Stores on the Internet,” and it very well may be. It’s exhaustive as hell, and written in a super personal manner, which makes for a fun read. Skimming through it, I felt a lot of nostalgia, as I definitely spent a lot of time in a lot of these shops during my early years in Tokyo. Something to bookmark as reference for use on your next Tokyo music hunting trip.

Categories
Photography Tokyo Walking Web

Being Tokyo

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Being Tokyo (@beingtokyo) is a #rocur (“rotation curation”) Twitter account that sees a different person based in Tokyo take over each week to share their personal take on the city, and this week it’s my buddy Gueorgui who has taken control, until October 4.

Categories
Photography Tokyo Walking

Prints by Justin Epperson

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I wrote about Justin’s great Tokyo photography a while back — make sure to follow him on Instagram, where he shares new shots on a daily basis — and now he’s started selling prints and a tee through Redbubble. I think the shot included in this post would look fantastic on a wall.

Categories
Architecture Tokyo Walking

Changes to Harajuku Station

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Harajuku station certainly is iconic in its own way — I still remember enjoying working across the street from it, in full view, when I was editor at PingMag. A recent Monocle Minute newsletter has an update on what’s likely to happen when it gets renovated in time for 2020.

Tens of thousands of people pass through Harajuku Station’s portals each day and now the current structure, which dates from 1924, is set to be renovated in time for the 2020 Olympics. The distinctive Tokyo landmark, which sits next to Meiji Shrine and one of Tokyo’s busiest fashion districts, comes close to a standstill at weekends – and its proximity to Yoyogi National Gymnasium, built for the 1964 Olympics and due to be a venue in 2020, only adds to the crowds. The station’s owner, East Japan Railway Co, is being careful not to reveal too much about its plans for the popular old building but it has published a design proposal: a functional structure that will increase capacity with room for retail but that is lacking in charisma. Local residents are being consulted later this month but the future doesn’t look promising for this small Tokyo gem.

Categories
Games Technology Tokyo Walking

Maricar

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When I was still living in Tokyo, near Shibuya, it happened a few times that I was having a coffee at Starbucks with my dog, and in front of me I saw a line of people dressed up as Nintendo characters (Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach) drive by in supped up go-karts — Mario Kart come to life. Turns out you can now go for a spin yourself courtesy of Maricar. The prices are quite decent (starting at around 1500 yen for 30 minutes), and it must be a blast to go karting through the streets of Tokyo. A driver’s license is required though — I first learned of the service when I saw a tweet from my friend Kyle about getting an international driver’s license during a recent visit back home to the US, with the express purpose of doing this when back in Tokyo.

Categories
Games Tokyo Walking

Metanet Tokyo Map

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When you visit Tokyo, it’s always nice to have a bunch of recommendations on places to check out before you get there, and my friends Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns — otherwise known as Metanet Software, creators of the fantastic N series of super platformers — have done everyone a solid by sharing a Google map of their favorite spots to hang out in, eat in, shop in, and play games in. And speaking of N, the latest iteration, N++, which was previously only available on PS4, has now just come out on Steam.

Categories
Cafes Food Nightlife Tokyo Walking

Portland in Tokyo

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This was definitely something that I was already seeing before I left Tokyo, and I see that it has continued with gusto. I’m referring to the growing love of all things Portland in Tokyo, via quirky cafes/bars that go as far as serving imported craft beers from the city. Here’s a piece that offers up a tour of a few of these spots, like Paddlers Cafe (pictured) and PDX Taproom.