New years in Japan is a rich event. Millions of Japanese visit shrines and temples. One of the largest temples in Tokyo and one of the busiest is Senso-ji in Asakusa. This temple is famous for its gate. What it is little known for is one of the shortest rituals of the new year celebration, moja-okuri. Click on the image for a larger view.
Category Archives: Tokyo
Schoolyard Nativity
A schoolyard nativity scene in Tokyo, with pink rabbits and Winnie-the-pooh. Note the shoe boxes where students place their footwear before entering the school building. This was one of the outtakes from Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness. Click on the image for a larger view.
Holiday Illumination
Illuminations are part of the holiday season. These lights are in Tokyo where Christmas is less a religious observance than a time to have fun. This is actually a small family restaurant that is in someone’s home. Click on the image for a larger view.
Plenty of Fish in the Sea…
A report was issued recently on the state of the cod fisheries in Maine. After decades of overfishing, a strict quota was placed on the level of the catch. Based on models of cod reproduction, the stock should have rebounded, but it didn’t. What was left out of the model was the change in the environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine. That body of water is one of the fastest warming areas in the ocean. It is claimed that if we protect the environment, it will destroy economic growth, it will kill jobs. Yet, I don’t see the current plan working out very well…
Home and Homelessness Opening
Last Friday was the opening reception for the Visualizing Home and Homelessness exhibition at Lord Hall Gallery at the University of Maine, Orono. The picture on the left is my submission, a work from the Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness project. Please stop by if you are in the area. Click on the image for a larger view.
Sea Wall—Tokyo Landscape
An outtake from our book Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscape. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tsukido Hachiman—Tokyo Landscape
It is no secret that Tokyo is a sea of buildings. Its reputation of using every inch of space is hard to imagine until you have been there. What is less known is the topography of hills and valleys throughout the city.
On the top of a hill in Shinjuku ward is Tsukido Hachiman Shrine. In its day, the shrine would have been a prominent site overlooking Edo. Today, it is hidden beneath layers of buildings. However, in spring, the cherry trees lining the approach make it hard to miss.
The stone gate, or Torii, dates from 1726 and is all that remains of the original shrine that was lost in the fire bombing of Tokyo during World War II. The bamboo trees attached to the front of the gate are in preparation for the new year celebration. The small area to the left of the gate is a children’s playground. Click on the image for a larger view.
This image is an outtake from Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscape. It is one of the over 4,000 images that did not make it into our book.
Takadanobaba—Tokyo Landscape
Takadanobaba is a town between Ikebukuro and Shinjuku. It is fairly much residential with a few universities and colleges in and around the area. This particular place is where the Zenpukuji river flows into a subterranean channel—it later resurfaces when it joins the Kanda river.
This image is one of the many outtakes of the Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness project. Less than 2% of the images I took in Tokyo appear in the book.
Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness in Stock
Our books have arrived. To find out more about Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscape, visit our book page. You can purchase a copy at our new online store.
We plan to release a hard cover edition soon. Click on the image for a larger view.
Coming soon: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness
We are happy to announce that our forthcoming publication Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscape will be going on sale on June 28th. You can find out more about this book here. Click on the image to view the front and back cover.
