Tokyo Life

“Welcome to Tokyo”

Tokyo, Japan. November 2018 – February 2019 (18 photos)

This is part 11 of my Japan 2018-19 photo series.

“Hello kitties”

Welcome to Tokyo… Where your inner child need never hide…

“Ban Anime”

Where life is colourful…

“Godzilla meets Draco”

Where fiction blends into real life…

“The Kill Bill Restaurant”

Where real life inspires fiction…

This is Gonpachi, and whilst eating here Quentin Tarantino was inspired to create the House of the Blue Leaves restaurant that features in his movie, Kill Bill.

“Woman in a kimono”

Where tradition and modern collide…

“Lost in translation”

And where nothing should surprise you.

From my previous post about Osaka, Japan’s second city we move on to Tokyo, Japan’s capital and largest city. Of Japan’s population of about 127 million, approximately 13.8 million live in Tokyo. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with over 38 million people.

“Snowfall in Central Shinjuku”

This happened 5 hours after I got off the plane when I returned to Tokyo in February.

“A snowman in the Ginza”

A snowman on a bench in a rooftop garden in the Ginza. My thanks to the two little girls who made it then posed next to it for me. Their mother told me she lived in Sydney a couple of suburbs away from me just a few years ago. It’s a small world.

When I visited Japan in October-November 2018, I spent 10 days in Tokyo. When I returned to Japan in February 2019 I spent another 6 days in Tokyo. I’ll leave you to guess how many photos I took. Here are a few glimpses into Tokyo life…

“Butterflies are free and so is she”

She ran quickly. From a standing start she left her right shoe behind.

“Tweet. Tweet. Tweedle-lee-deedle-lee-dee”

“Tokyo Life”

I may not have mentioned it yet but I was in Tokyo the weekend before Halloween. For many Japanese, Halloween is essentially national dress-up week.

“The Art Scramble”

Shibuya Crossing. Crossing it can be an art form of itself. So can the sight of the multitude of people crossing it. PS The umbrellas were up because it had just started snowing.

“Godzilla Rules, OK”

This is Godzilla Road and it leads to the Gracery Hotel, but everyone knows it as the Godzilla Hotel. It’s in the middle of Kabukicho, Tokyo’s red light district. Periodically, Godzilla actually roars.

“Somewhere in the Spiderverse”

“Street walking”

Chuo dori, the main street of Ginza is closed to motor vehicles on weekend afternoons. They set up tables, chairs and shade umbrellas in the middle of the street. People like me just wander up and down looking for anything to photograph.

“Lost in Tokyo”

“Reflections of Life”

Life is Art. Art is Life. Apparently this is one of the most popular instagrammable selfie locations in Tokyo.

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This is part 11 of my Japan 2018-19 photo series.