Tokyo Trains

Peter: 15th Jul 2005 - 17:42 GMT

DUDE. this is great! classic citynoise post!

the little paragraph at teh top really sets an interesting mood for the photos.

i particularly love this photo:

the one of the staircase down into the station looks almost identical to many nyc subway stops.

piranha erem: 15th Jul 2005 - 17:54 GMT

these photographs are the coolest things ive seen all day. it makes one dreamy, imaginging one's self in some daydream adventure in tokyo's immense underground. so urban, so similar to the west yet so different and myserious. there is a subtle mysterious flavour that pervades your japan photos, and it is ethereal and draws me in every single time.

Peter: 15th Jul 2005 - 18:01 GMT

well said. jeeff has a good eye. i could put it like this: whenever i see his tokyo photos, i always feel like im in the shot... standing behind someone on the platform, going down the stairs, etc.

philosofialogos: 15th Jul 2005 - 18:33 GMT

Aw. Too bad. No storing corpses in lockers.

Cartwrch: 15th Jul 2005 - 18:38 GMT

Where can I find a full-sized (large enough I can read the text) copy of the map that is in the first photograph? I would looooove to see it in full size. Thanks.

Peter: 15th Jul 2005 - 18:45 GMT

a good start would be tokyo subway map

otherwise, check www.bento.com/subtop5.html unless jeeff knows of a better resource :)

jeeff: 15th Jul 2005 - 19:32 GMT

thanks.

cartwrch - like peter said. or images.google.com/images?q=tokyo+subway+map&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images.

Heather Parker: 16th Jul 2005 - 03:10 GMT

were u just in tokyo or did u see other cities? i want to go to sapporo/hokkaido during winter very much.

jeeff: 16th Jul 2005 - 06:40 GMT

i wasn't able to visit hokkaido. i was on a tight budget while i lived in japan. but i managed to see some areas near tokyo. enoshima, kamakura, nikko, chiba, saitama and gunma prefecture... i hear that hokkaido is so beautiful.

elaine: 16th Jul 2005 - 07:45 GMT

yeah, the subway steps photo could be london too. and that one with the giant ads over the buildings makes them look like a city made out of cereal boxes, so there is a sensation of minaturisation which is always exciting, the sense of the miniature. your uncle's advice makes me laugh. well meant i am sure, and so redundant - if you had fallen in love, really fallen in love with someone imagine telling her "i really love you and can't imagine ever loving anyone else like i love you now, you posess my heart so deeply, but i'm just going to chuck you in case some time later your parents get sick - ok?"

jeeff: 17th Jul 2005 - 16:01 GMT

it's true, the giant billboards have a way of bringing the city in closer. you don't realize just how massive the signs really are.

as for my uncle, what can i say. he's still my favourite uncle. and ironically i met a girl in tokyo who i might have married if i could have. i guess he jinxed me.

Alexandra: 18th Jul 2005 - 17:17 GMT

Oh my god...memories. I was in Japan from August 26th - December 14th in 2004. I miss it very much and recognize all of the train lines in the pictures. You really did capture the experience of riding on the trains in Japan. You've made my day. One question though, what station were you in? Shinjuku or Shibuya? God I miss Shibuya..and most of all I miss the ramen.

Also, I had that same subway map. I found it rather lacking at times, for the train stop closest to my place wasn't on it - Jiyuugaoka. Jiyuugaoka is a nice place. If you ever go there, go to the resaturant/cafe Rude Boys. They sell Nan Pizza there and it is very good..only about 700 something yen I think.

jeeff: 18th Jul 2005 - 18:56 GMT

alexandra - i'm glad you like the photos. those photos are from a variety of lines and stations:

1) entrance to kanda metro station
2) shinjuku station
3 & 4) akihabara jr platform
5 & 6) the sobu line cross-town
7 & 8) from the yamanote jr tracks near shinjuku
9 & 10) shinjuku station

i didn't end up using my copy of the train map much. there were better maps in the stations.

where is jiyuugaoka?

i miss japan too.

Amy: 23rd Aug 2005 - 09:29 GMT

I also miss Japan!

Did you ever take the tram into the countryside? I'm posting a pic as we speak.

Josho: 27th May 2007 - 11:13 GMT

Wow, I can say something? That last red sign reads "pachinko" in the yellow Katakana, then "esupasu" in white, which is probably "space". I lived there for 3 years and the only one I miss is Alexandra, watashi no Colombiajin. Ohh. That's how I ended up here.

bo: 25th Mar 2008 - 22:15 GMT

hey guys, do you know that they use"pushers"-not the bad kind, the kind thatpush people into crammed trains???