Shibuya From Behind [ Panasonic GX7 ]

Drops of melting snow fall down from the metal roofing over the train station in Nippori, near Ueno, Tokyo.




This weekend I went out to one place in Japan that I definitely haven't been too enough, Shibuya.

Here I caught a pic of a fellow street photographer. He really got into the shot.




Walk out from Shibuya Station and you'll be hit immediately by two things: the sheer number of people there at all times, and the huge variety of everything - clothing, ages, buildings, old and new. It is a jumbled, interesting place in a way a bit unlike similar seeming centers of activity that seem to attract a certain kind of person such as Akihabara (otaku), Shinjuku (sleezeballs), or Ginza (rich women who would have worn fur 20 years ago).




Walk around the main part of the station and you'll find one of the most massive record shops you'll ever see, probably one of the biggest in the world, plus youth fashion stores like Forever 21, fitness centers and all kinds of new stuff, but walk just a few feet back and you find... a lot of other stuff. Check out the white structre on the left center of the above picture - the stairwell is literally half the width of the whole building. There's a lot of new, shiny in the foreground all over, but the stuff in the cracks is just as interesting.




This line of barely standing bars (built out of what looks like temporary siding and whatever else they could find) is just a 2 minute walk from one of the busiest intersections in the world.




Shibuya is also renowned for having tons of old clubs (like the one above), and an absurd number of little art galleries, museums and movie theaters. If you want to watch the latest Bruckheimer explosion-fest (and what are you doing reading this blog anyway?) go elsewhere. But if you want to see indies films, or European theater this is the best place to go in Tokyo.

As a matter of fact this month and next there's a tribute to the works of Shion Sono (director of cult classics like Suicide Club), going on at the Cinema Vera right here in Shibuya. I hope to go myself if I can find the time.




Shibuya also is packed with different kinds of cuisine like Spanish, Okinawan, Turkish, and just about everything, stuff you don't see all over the place here.

It's worth a visit, to either watch people, or lose yourself in the crowds or back streets.

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This post's photos were all taken (by me) with the Panasonic GX7 micro four thirds camera. Today, I used a mix of the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 pancake, the 20mm F1.7, and the Olympus 45mm F1.8 fixed lenses. For more pics, check out my Flickr Photostream. Or you can find more posts taken with this camera right here on my blog.