Tag Archives | Ginza

Popping a Wheelie in Ginza

By on November 21, 2010 in iPhone, japan

I’ve had this video on my phone since a hot summer night a few months ago, but, in order to try out the iMovie for iPhone app, I thought I’d use this as a test video.

It was a really funny moment: we were waiting for the lights to change at the Ginza 4-chome intersection (the main intersection in the middle of Ginza) and we could hear the sound of a group of motorcycles approaching (really loud, as in bosozoku style) and this guy on a bicycle rolls up to the intersection and sort of positions himself in front of the pack.

I just happened to have my iPhone video rolling because I thought the idea of the motorcycles roaring past all the boutiques and the big koban at the intersection was funny; but, when the guy on the bike took off first, it was priceless (and then you can see him circle back around at the 18 second mark, after his manoeuvre):

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Sharks in Ginza!

By on August 4, 2010 in japan, Photography

I briefly alluded to the Sony Aquarium in an earlier blog post , but I’ll mention it again here because I happened to be passing by the other night and I took some photos of the current aquarium inhabitants.

Every summer, an aquarium is set up outside the Sony Building in Ginza and there is some kind of “theme” (this is the 43rd Sony Aquarium) . The 2010 theme is “Kuroshio” (黒潮), which is the strong Pacific current that sustains the coral reefs around Okinawa, so here’s what you can see curbside every day until August 31 (obviously, despite the title of this entry, it’s not just sharks):

White-tip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) (ネムリブカ)

Malabar Grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus) (ヤイトハタ)

Zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) (トラフザメ)

Moray eel (Muraenidae) (ウツボ)

Young tourist looking at the sharks (tempted to follow the pattern and put Homo sapiens here)

another angle of the same White tip reef shark

If you feel so inclined, you can also venture up to the 8th floor and catch the 3-D Sony Aquarium movie in which you can (as the Sony Aquarium website says):

Experience the dynamic Kuroshio (Japan Current), the Pacific equivalent of the Gulf Stream, on a giant 200-inch screen. See whale sharks and manta rays roam freely alongside myriad varieties of fish. Itfs so real, youfll feel like youfre swimming alongside a whale shark through the powerful currents of the Okinawan sea.

The link to the English site is here (and I’m happy to report they’ve updated it because it was horribly outdated when I did my earlier post) and the Japanese site is here. It’s worth clicking on the Japanese link for the very pleasing intro (which has some English subtitles as well).

For the technically curious, all of the above photos were taken with the silky smooth Canon 135 f/2.o L USM – a lens you will NEVER regret buying (but you will regret not having bought it sooner)!

There is definitely something quite fabulous about walking through Ginza late at night (or anytime, really), coming across a giant aquarium and then seeing the delight and wonder on people’s faces as they take a few moments out of their day to to marvel at what’s inside.

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