Images of Beautiful Places
Tokyo, Japan
(during rainy season)1
The problem with trying to present images of Tokyo is that there is no good place to start. The core of Tokyo is an area slightly larger than the island of Manhattan, New York. Yet, there is no one downtown. Rather, Tokyo is comprised of a series of smaller downtowns, each with adjacent parks, gardens, and shrines. The following page will concentrate on four different areas: Shinjuku, Asakusa, Ueno, and Tokyo station area.
Shinjuku
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which rises 243 m (797 feet) into the misty Asian sky. Some people perceive the architechture as being an intriguing modern version of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe.
Electrified back alley of Shinjuku
Truly an international language. (sculpture located in plaza across the street from the Shinjuku Nomura Building)
Shinjuku Gyoen Garden, just east of Shinjuku station. This was my favorite park in Tokyo, because of its size (144 acres) and variety of styles. Shown here are various pictures of Japanese traditional gardens, but there were also English Landscape and French Formal gardens. Over 20,000 trees grow in Shinjuku Gyoen Garden.
Picturesque shrine located at the Taiwan-Kaku Pavilion (near center of Shinjuku Gyoen Garden).
| Lily-padded pond in Shinjuku Gyoen Garden. Hearing the drizzle on this soft pond was quite relaxing. One could easily forget he was actually surrounded by a large metropolis.
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Asakusa
| Views of the east (left) and west (right) river banks of the Sumidagawa River, just south of the Asakusa subwary station. The photo at the right illustrates the never-ending barrage of concrete buildings that fills Tokyo.
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| Senso-ji (Kannon) Temple [left] and Hozomon Gate [right] in Asakusa Park, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo. The Kannon Temple belongs to the Buddhist Sho Kannon sect and is dedicated to the Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. According to legend the Temple was founed in 628 A.D. by three fisherman who had found a small statue of the goddess in their nets, and thus founded the temple in its honor.
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| (left) Rope sandal hanging from wall of Hozomon Gate, and (right) five-storied pagoda located next to Hozomon Gate.
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Burning incense sticks, in Asakusa Park.
Subway station entrance, for Asakusa station.
Ueno
Typical street scene in Tokyo, this one near Ueno station.
| View west from Shinobazu Pond in south west part of Ueno Park. This part of the park was like a swampy version of New York's Central Park: hemmed in by an unbroken front of looming buildings. I "love" the weird tall building in the photo at the right. I can't imagine who designed that one, or why they actually built it! (Where is Godzilla when you need him??)
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Tokyo station area
View from parking lot of Imperial Plaza (the Outer Garden of the Imperial Palace). The "forest" of pine trees with the buildings of Tokyo in the background made for an interesting scene.
Southern entrance gate to Imperial Palace Outer Garden, and stone bridge that crosses the moat surrounding the Imperial complex.
Soft tree, weeping just inside the southern entrance gate.
Nijubashi Bridge, moat, and Imperial Palace turret in background. The wall surrounding the palace is 2 meters (7 feet) thick. The walls and moat date from 1613. The residence of the Imperial family stands on the site where in 1457 the fuedal lord Ota Dokan built the first fortress, which served as a focal point from which the city of Tokyo (then known as Edo) gradually spread outwards. Until 1868 the splendid palace was the residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in its history. Unfortunately, the inner gardens are only accessible to the general population two days each year.
| Views from open gardens in Hibiya Park, my favorite of the smaller gardens/parks in Tokyo. This park is conveniently located just south of Imperial Plaza and 10 minute walk west from Yurakuchu Station (which is easier to navigate than the nearby Tokyo Station).
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Secluded lake in west side of Hibiya Park.
Train trestle of Yamanote Loop Line at Yurakuchu Station. The Yamanote Loop Line is a life line for foreign tourists because it connects most of the major popular locations in Tokyo core in one continuous loop. Also, because it runs above ground, it is always easy to find. Furthermore, even an American can figure out how to work the train fares with a little practice! (I recommend purchasing the green card, which works on a declining balance basis - you don't have to wait in line to buy individual tickets - see here ).
Yamanote Line Train, pulling into Yurakuchu Station, on time as usual!
1Many apologies, but all photos were taken during June, which is the beginning of the rainy season in Tokyo. Despite the lack of sunlight, I thought the scenes in rainy day Tokyo were sufficiently interesting to comprise a special feature on my web site. However, next time I'll be sure to go during the sunny season!
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by Donald A. Klosterman, Ph.D., Dayton, Ohio, USA
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which rises 243 m (797 feet) into the misty Asian sky. Some people perceive the architechture as being an intriguing modern version of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe.
Electrified back alley of Shinjuku
Truly an international language. (sculpture located in plaza across the street from the Shinjuku Nomura Building)
Shinjuku Gyoen Garden, just east of Shinjuku station. This was my favorite park in Tokyo, because of its size (144 acres) and variety of styles. Shown here are various pictures of Japanese traditional gardens, but there were also English Landscape and French Formal gardens. Over 20,000 trees grow in Shinjuku Gyoen Garden.
Picturesque shrine located at the Taiwan-Kaku Pavilion (near center of Shinjuku Gyoen Garden).
Burning incense sticks, in Asakusa Park.
Subway station entrance, for Asakusa station.
Typical street scene in Tokyo, this one near Ueno station.
View from parking lot of Imperial Plaza (the Outer Garden of the Imperial Palace). The "forest" of pine trees with the buildings of Tokyo in the background made for an interesting scene.
Southern entrance gate to Imperial Palace Outer Garden, and stone bridge that crosses the moat surrounding the Imperial complex.
Soft tree, weeping just inside the southern entrance gate.
Nijubashi Bridge, moat, and Imperial Palace turret in background. The wall surrounding the palace is 2 meters (7 feet) thick. The walls and moat date from 1613. The residence of the Imperial family stands on the site where in 1457 the fuedal lord Ota Dokan built the first fortress, which served as a focal point from which the city of Tokyo (then known as Edo) gradually spread outwards. Until 1868 the splendid palace was the residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in its history. Unfortunately, the inner gardens are only accessible to the general population two days each year.
Secluded lake in west side of Hibiya Park.
Train trestle of Yamanote Loop Line at Yurakuchu Station. The Yamanote Loop Line is a life line for foreign tourists because it connects most of the major popular locations in Tokyo core in one continuous loop. Also, because it runs above ground, it is always easy to find. Furthermore, even an American can figure out how to work the train fares with a little practice! (I recommend purchasing the green card, which works on a declining balance basis - you don't have to wait in line to buy individual tickets - see here ).
Yamanote Line Train, pulling into Yurakuchu Station, on time as usual!
