Shinagawa Station

The Station

Exit Through the Cherry Blossoms

Commuters exiting one of the subway lines. The cherry trees in Tokyo were about to bloom, kicking off the festivals, but I missed the main bloom by a tantalizing few days. Fortunately these weren't the only blossoms I saw, I did get a chance over the coming weekend to see a few trees that had bloomed early.

Getting this picture took longer than I first thought, as I wanted there to be a number of people exiting the gates, but I also didn't want anyone walking in front of them.

Schoolboys entering Tokyo's Shinagawa station

Suits

A group of schoolboys climbs one of the stairs while a young woman heads in the opposite direction.

Herd

Unfortunately I didn't take this shot during the morning rush hour, where the cattle call effect would have been more evident with a wall-to-wall mass of people all moving in one direction. I held the camera above my head to get a higher vantage point so I couldn't actually see precisely what I was photographing.

Commuters crossing a crosswalk near Tokyo's Shinagawa Station

Peace Out

The crosswalk leading from the station towards our hotel is one of the widest I've seen. I wanted to get a picture of it jammed side to side with people (as it is every morning), but on this Friday afternoon, it was crowded but not quite as packed as I had hoped. I was holding the camera above my head and firing blindly, hoping to capture a scene full of people. At one point, when the light changed and everyone started to cross the street, the young man in the red backpack turned and flashed me the peace sign. I couldn't help but smile, take a picture, and return the peace sign with my free hand. He must have hoped that I wouldn't notice him until I reviewed the pictures later, as at that point he looked rather sheepish and quickly crossed the street, looking back at my camera the whole time.

I may not have gotten the picture of a jammed crosswalk like I originally intended, but enjoyed a nice moment instead. Some of my favorite travel moments are the unexpected little delights, when you can take joy in the small moments and feel at home, even when your home is half a world away.

A modern vendor and a traditional monk outside Tokyo's Shinagawa Station

Clash of Two Cultures

Just outside the station, you have one man in garish modern dress handing out flyers and another in traditional dress soliciting donations for a Buddhist temple.

Vendor in a fanciful cowboy outfit outside Tokyo's Shinagawa Station

So You Wanna Be A Cowboy

A young man in what I hesitate to call a cowboy hat stands outside the Lounge Foodium, handing out free flyers.

Near the Station

Two clocks, one showing time in Tokyo and one showing time in Oregon

Parallel Universe

Our team has development centers in both Tokyo and Oregon, so it's good to know what time it is in the other office.

Hits the Spot

While working in the Tokyo office, I was jealous of the stores and restaurants in the building and how easy it was to walk to places. In our Oregon office, a car is the only practical solution if you need to run by the drug store or go out to eat.

Human

Advertising is everywhere in Tokyo.

Reflections of buildings in the windows of another

Buildings Within Buildings

Many of the buildings near our office are lined with glass windows, making for some interesting reflections of the surrounding structures.

Something Here Feels Familiar...

You Don't See One Of Those Everyday

One of my favorite jokes (and one of my wife's least favorite) is to say "You don't see one of those everyday" everytime we pass a Starbucks in the short distance between our house and the train station. Living in the Pacific Northwest, where by law there must be at least one Starbucks per city block, she has gotten to hear the joke thousands of times. And yet she still doesn't find it funny.

When I saw a Starbucks in the base of our office building in Tokyo, and being far outside of poking range, I couldn't help taking a picture and emailing it back.

The Universal Language

When in another country, I generally prefer to eat at local restaurants. Fortunately on this trip, the entire week I was able to eat at a variety of places and sampled a lot of local cuisine. I don't have a large appetite and, like in America, usually couldn't finish my meals.

My last meal of this trip wasn't very Japanese, however. I had spent the morning at Ueno Park and was having such a good time, by the time I got back to my hotel I only had a few minutes before needing to leave for the airport, so I grabbed a quick bite at this McDonald's. The menu was in Japanese but fortunately the words Big Mac are as universal a language as love.

	Exit Through the Cherry Blossoms Commuters exiting one of the subway lines. The cherry trees in Tokyo were about to bloom, kicking off the festivals, but I missed the main bloom by a tantalizing few days. Fortunately these weren't the only blossoms I saw, I did get a chance over the coming weekend to see a few trees that had bloomed early. Getting this picture took longer than I first thought, as I wanted there to be a number of people exiting the gates, but I also didn't want anyone walking in front of them.
	Suits A group of schoolboys climbs one of the stairs while a young woman heads in the opposite direction.
	Herd Unfortunately I didn't take this shot during the morning rush hour, where the cattle call effect would have been more evident with a wall-to-wall mass of people all moving in one direction. I held the camera above my head to get a higher vantage point so I couldn't actually see precisely what I was photographing.

	Clash of Two Cultures Just outside the station, you have one man in garish modern dress handing out flyers and another in traditional dress soliciting donations for a Buddhist temple.
	So You Wanna Be A Cowboy A young man in what I hesitate to call a cowboy hat stands outside the Lounge Foodium, handing out free flyers.

	Parallel Universe Our team has development centers in both Tokyo and Oregon, so it's good to know what time it is in the other office.
	Hits the Spot While working in the Tokyo office, I was jealous of the stores and restaurants in the building and how easy it was to walk to places. In our Oregon office, a car is the only practical solution if you need to run by the drug store or go out to eat.