SNOW DANCE- a brief walking tour of Daikanyama
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2005 10:48 pm
Hello all:
As per Tachikaze's recommendation, during our trip to Japan a few weeks ago, my wife and I visited Daikanyama to retrace, if possible, Miwa's footsteps in the video. If you have the video, you should be able to follow along by going to:
http://groups.msn.com/SnowDanceDaikanyama
The pictures:
005: The video begins near a clothing store called 'NIMES', as Tachikaze mentioned. Miwa comes in from around a corner, now marked as a parking area (you can see a lot more building going on than was in the video, and some of the landmarks are no longer there).
006: A long shot from the corner where Miwa makes her first turn. 'NIMES' still seems to be doing well, and the wall, railing, and bulletin board on the left are still there, but the residential-looking facade with picture windows on the right is gone. My long shot does not look nearly as long as in the video, where the camerawork and pacing turn a sidestreet into a panorama. Miwa essentially stays in the same block (as you can tell by her turns) with an alley thrown in.
007: A large street named Kyu-Yamate-dori. The clothing store (I know, it's a fashion district) A.P.C. is still present. I skipped the building on the corner because again, it appears to be under construction or renovation.
008: Having passed the wall of a residence, Miwa now comes to a store that I can read the name on much more easily now that I have actually seen it...
009: The 'Hollywood Ranch Market', a clothing (duh!) and southwestern goods store. Need a birdhouse?
010: Masa comes out of this clothing store (which I did not bother to check the name on- guess I was getting sick of clothing by this point) and passes behind her as she makes her next turn...
011: The view here is identical except a lot has gone on across the street in the past six years.
012: Miwa turns into an alley here, and you can see things have changed quite a bit, even before Niehya slips past her. On the left in the video, the building we see now must have been under construction, and the right side looks completely different as well. We'll talk about the schoolgirls in a minute.
013: Them changes. 'Boburi', with the dancers, has become 'Le Cordon Bleu' cooking school, although the pavement in front looks the same. On the right is all construction barriers, but the parking space is still there!
015: Miwa makes her last turn, onto Hachiman-dori, near Daikanyama Station. Again, I have neglected the buildings on the right because they aren't there anymore. The bank, which my wife picked out immediately in the video, is having something else built in its' place. The 'Hoochie Coochie' bar and the tonkatsu restaurant are still there, as you can see (we decided on ramen for lunch).
016: A long shot. The buildings on the left are pretty much the same.
017: I decided that it was not a good idea to chase the schoolgirls around with my camera (these fellows are waiting to take pictures of the bride and groom coming out from the reception at the restaurant across the street). The girls in the video may be extras, but they are wearing the winter version of the uniform you see the ladies up the street wearing. My wife believes they are students at Shibuya Joshikoko. We saw a number of students in the area, all wearing the same uniform.
I would recommend a trip to Daikanyama if you are visiting Tokyo- it is a nice way to spend a morning. There are literally hundreds of shops, and speaking of shops, we were unable to find 'Cor Blimey' that day, although when we got back we found its' website (with map) easily. My wife says we were walking in the opposite direction- it is on the other side of Daikanyama Station. Maybe next time...
As per Tachikaze's recommendation, during our trip to Japan a few weeks ago, my wife and I visited Daikanyama to retrace, if possible, Miwa's footsteps in the video. If you have the video, you should be able to follow along by going to:
http://groups.msn.com/SnowDanceDaikanyama
The pictures:
005: The video begins near a clothing store called 'NIMES', as Tachikaze mentioned. Miwa comes in from around a corner, now marked as a parking area (you can see a lot more building going on than was in the video, and some of the landmarks are no longer there).
006: A long shot from the corner where Miwa makes her first turn. 'NIMES' still seems to be doing well, and the wall, railing, and bulletin board on the left are still there, but the residential-looking facade with picture windows on the right is gone. My long shot does not look nearly as long as in the video, where the camerawork and pacing turn a sidestreet into a panorama. Miwa essentially stays in the same block (as you can tell by her turns) with an alley thrown in.
007: A large street named Kyu-Yamate-dori. The clothing store (I know, it's a fashion district) A.P.C. is still present. I skipped the building on the corner because again, it appears to be under construction or renovation.
008: Having passed the wall of a residence, Miwa now comes to a store that I can read the name on much more easily now that I have actually seen it...
009: The 'Hollywood Ranch Market', a clothing (duh!) and southwestern goods store. Need a birdhouse?
010: Masa comes out of this clothing store (which I did not bother to check the name on- guess I was getting sick of clothing by this point) and passes behind her as she makes her next turn...
011: The view here is identical except a lot has gone on across the street in the past six years.
012: Miwa turns into an alley here, and you can see things have changed quite a bit, even before Niehya slips past her. On the left in the video, the building we see now must have been under construction, and the right side looks completely different as well. We'll talk about the schoolgirls in a minute.
013: Them changes. 'Boburi', with the dancers, has become 'Le Cordon Bleu' cooking school, although the pavement in front looks the same. On the right is all construction barriers, but the parking space is still there!
015: Miwa makes her last turn, onto Hachiman-dori, near Daikanyama Station. Again, I have neglected the buildings on the right because they aren't there anymore. The bank, which my wife picked out immediately in the video, is having something else built in its' place. The 'Hoochie Coochie' bar and the tonkatsu restaurant are still there, as you can see (we decided on ramen for lunch).
016: A long shot. The buildings on the left are pretty much the same.
017: I decided that it was not a good idea to chase the schoolgirls around with my camera (these fellows are waiting to take pictures of the bride and groom coming out from the reception at the restaurant across the street). The girls in the video may be extras, but they are wearing the winter version of the uniform you see the ladies up the street wearing. My wife believes they are students at Shibuya Joshikoko. We saw a number of students in the area, all wearing the same uniform.
I would recommend a trip to Daikanyama if you are visiting Tokyo- it is a nice way to spend a morning. There are literally hundreds of shops, and speaking of shops, we were unable to find 'Cor Blimey' that day, although when we got back we found its' website (with map) easily. My wife says we were walking in the opposite direction- it is on the other side of Daikanyama Station. Maybe next time...