Tuesday in Tokyo
Tokyo has a very strange vibe to it right now. I have never experienced something like this before. There is a lot of concern with people about what is going on with the nuclear reactors. There is a lot of misinformation flying around and people are concerned if they are being told everything or which news reports to listen to. A lot of the facts and figures being thrown around are difficult for people to digest and understand adding to the confusion and concern. Trains continue to run at limited capacity. Tokyo Electric Power is running rolling blackouts across Japan. Start Tuesday…
I have had a lot of people ask me what I am shooting these pictures with. All of the pictures for the last month or so were shot with a Leica M9 and a Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 lens for the most part they are shot at .95, iso 160 and various shutter speeds.
I have been been taking the train to save my gas as I can only fill 20 liters at a time each night. I walked past my corner station and there was ‘sold out’ sign.
One of my pet peeves recently has been the lack of respect for the ‘no parking’ signs for bikes. One place that I past each morning is the Tsutaya Video Shop which typically has 100s of bikes in front of it but today it was completely empty.
A man reads the latest rolling blackout schedule posted at Nakameugro Station.
A man waits for the train at Nakameguro Station.
The Yamanote Line platform heading for Shinjuku is very crowded.
Tokyo 3/15/2011
Yodobashi Camera’s Phone Center is typically packed with people trying the latest phones from DoCoMo, SoftBank and AU but today was deserted.
Lumine Department Store (think Macy’s) announced it was closing for a few days…
Students collect donations for the victims of the earthquake.
News Crews set up in front of Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station is virtually empty. This station is bigger than Penn Station in NYC.
A man cries while watching the last news on the reactors. I can only image he has relatives living up north.
This street brings you into Shibuya Station. It can often take 20 or 30 minutes to pass by car but today it is wide open.
Shibuya Crossing dubbed ‘The busiest crossing” in the world often having more than 3,000 people cross during a single light change….
…I found all of the people. They were at Tokyo FoodShow below Shibuya Station. I have never seen it this crowded.
I went looking for gas this evening but quickly learnt that my neighborhood gas station was not the only one without gas…
I passed Shibuya Crossing on my way home. It was surreal to see it blacked out. The lights of Q-Front which typically glow so bright they light up the crossing were off…
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[...] Shoot Tokyo makes me want to cry. [...]
Thank you so much for the warm pictures and words. Hope everything return fine soon. Hope people keep positive. Pray…
Amazing pictures, Kerry. Never seen Shinjuku eki so empty, or Shibuya crossing blacked out…. Makes it hard to meet at the dog… waiting for its master….
Like the ad hoc teen news people. Thanks for all the great shots and for putting yourself out there when you could be standing in line in order to get gas or food during the ongoing shortages. NO shortage of rumors and opinions, but finding some eggs to cook is a lot harder… Wish you luck!
Kyotsuke, and keep shooting,
Dave
when i saw the photoes, i can feel the peace, the warm, the belief, the hope. so many things i can see, so many emotions i can touch. i just wanna say kamisama do bless them.
as Chinese, my friends, my classmates, my family and me give close attention to the terrible catastrophe. we are so sad about the disasters both in Japan and Yunnan Province of China.
what can we do for you, our dear neighbours? if there’s anything you need help, please let we know. because whenever we face the nature, we are just only human.
——————————————————-
あと一粒の涙で ひと言の勇気で
愿いがかなう その时が来るって
仆は信じてるから 君もあきらめないでいて
the lyrics of あとひとつ from FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
i konw all of you are strong guys!!!
命どぅ宝 日本顽张れ（日本加油）！！！！！
great pictures showing the actual siutation in Tokyo. there is a lot misinformation flying around the world about what happens in Japan. your works give me a window to know how common people live under the pressure. thank you. i have my share of natural disasters and quite understand the feelings of people in Japan now. all my best wishes to you and Japanese people. hope everything will be fine soon. i will pray for Japan from China. thank you again.
Thanks a lot for your photographic records of the ordinary people’s life in Tokyo at this hard time. They are precious.
Do take more photos while keeping you and your family safe.
Best wishes from Hong Kong
Thank you for these pictures. After all the news blast on TV, these quiet pics bring the japanese people to me, there peaceful face, and silent endurance. Pray for them.
I come from Beijing, China.I get your blog address from twitter.The vibe in your photo let me moved.
Wish you and peole everything well!
Hi, I’m from Portugal, I found out about your blog yesterday on a random search for photos of Japan. I spent a lot of time going through your photos, they are quite wonderful to look at and have such an unique vibe.
At this moment your photos and daily comment of what is happening in Tokyo is a breath of fresh air in comparison to what is being broadcast in the news. Thank you for that and stay strong!
Thank you for showing us pieces of what’s really going on. Your photos are beautiful and honest.
Great pictures Dave! I too have been coming to your blog for updates on what is going on in Tokyo. We are hoping things take a turn for the better soon. Our thoughts and hearts are with Japan right now. We donated to the Red Cross a few days ago, but wish there was more we could do. We are hoping to still travel to Tokyo next month.
Hello from Italy.
I would like to compliment you for your incredible blog.
Today more than ever you work is extremely import an to show us what is really like to be there during these sad days.
You are a good man Charles…. Thanks for your kind words. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
Dave, you are a good man. Japan has a special place in my heart – Ruby & i go there at least 3 times a year for our break … it breaks our hearts to see a nation which made so much progress get into this situation.
Keep the real pictures coming. I await your uploads each night with much anticipation.
Thank you.
Thanks for the kind comments Maggie and Igor.
Thank you so much for the pictures and the information. That’s priceless ! You’re my eyes here in Bordeaux. Keep on and good luck. Hope it will end soon.
Thank you for these photos. Most of my friends are in Tokyo and below, and it is hard to get real news about what’s going on there. Certainly the conventional news media outside of Japan are not covering it the way you have. Thank you, thank you. With the blackouts, it’s hard to get in touch with my friends, and this at least helps me see what they are seeing. Good work.
I’m in England but have visited Japan in 2009 & 2010 for my holidays. I’ve been shocked by the images and stories coming out of Japan over the last few days. Our company is raising money for the disaster relief. We in Britain are thinking of you all at this time. Your photos are very good. I stayed in Shinjuku and never saw it that quiet.
Thanks for your kind comments Mark.
Thanks Aaron. I have read different numbers recently but I think the most recent said about 600,000 pass through Penn Station daily and about 3,200,000 through Shinjuku Station. Give me a shout if you come to Tokyo…when the after shocks are over.
These photos are incredibly timely. It is important to have documents like these for future generations. Good work!
Mark Hemmings
Greeting from NYC. Those photos really shown what life and living condition is like in Tokyo for people who don’t live there including myself. I didn’t know Shinjuku Station is bigger than Penn, I’ll need to check it out some more when I revisit Tokyo. Thanks for sharing and great photos (love the bokeh and your Leica!)
Aaron
Thank You for your kind comment and encouragement.
Although I currently reside in California, I am originally from Tokyo, Japan. Your blog/photos have been a very important life line/info line to know/understand what is going on on the streets of my home country.
Thank you so much!