Restored Tokyo Station Building Unveiled

By the end of 19th century, there were already three train terminals in Tokyo. The capital, however, didn't have one in its busiest area. It was daunting to build a massive station and rail tracks in the high traffic area filled with buildings, although the government knew they needed to build it urgently.

In 1914, Tokyo Station finally opened in the bustling area. The raised rail tracks connecting to the station were designed not to interfere with road traffic. They were made of red bricks although concrete structures were becoming more popular for a massive building at that time. The main building of the station, which was three-storied and had two domes on both sides of 335 meters width, was also built with bricks and a steel skeleton.

Nine years after the completion of the station, the red brick building withstood the Great Kanto Earthquake, which caused catastrophic damage to Tokyo. However, it was not able to escape war damage. It was almost burned down by air raids in the end of World War II. Only the skeleton and the wall remained. The station building was repaired when the war was over, however, the two domes and the third story were removed, they were badly damaged.

A plan to restore the building to how it looked before the war damage was proposed in the end of 20th century. Numerous people agreed with the plan and it was put into action in 2007. After 5 years of work, not only was the building restored, it also had seismic countermeasures installed. The old foundation made of pine trees was replaced with concrete boxes, and cutting-edge quake absorbers were installed between the building and the foundation. These operations were completed without moving or disassembling the building.

On October 1st, 2012, the oldest building of Tokyo Station unveiled its restored look. The Station Manager said that he hopes people will be familiar with it for the next 100 years.

Restored Tokyo Station Building Unveiled [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Oct. 1st, 2012

Tokyo View from the Driver's Cabin of a Train

From Tokyo Station to Hamamatsucho Station, the Keihin-Tohoku Line.

Tokyo View from the Driver's Cabin of a Train [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 26th, 2012

Manneken Pis at Hamamatsucho Station, Tokyo

There is a statue of Manneken Pis at the platform of Hamamatsucho Station, Tokyo. The first ceramic statue was donated in 1952 in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Japan's first railway opening. Three years later, when the platform was renovated, the bronze statue you can now see was donated by the same person.

The statue was initially naked, but nowadays you can see it dressed up in different costumes every month. It is said that a girl put a woolen hat on its head on a cold winter day, and that this was the origin of the custom to dress up the statue of a boy.

Manneken Pis at Hamamatsucho Station, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 26th, 2012

Views from a Footbridge at Oji, Tokyo

A half century ago, Tokyo had one of the largest tram networks in the world, but as car traffic increased, people began to claim that trams were causing traffic jams. This made tram lines go out of service one after another and only one line survived.

Nowadays a lot of cities all over the world are starting to focus on tram system as the keystone of easing traffic jams and a transport system with clean energy. However, Tokyo can no longer return to 'the city of trams'. It is absolutely impossible to build tram tracks again in this massive city bustling 24 hours 7 days a week. What a shame!

The Toden Arakawa Line, the tram line that survived, goes through Oji Station located in North Tokyo. There, you can see trams running on the street among cars. There is a footbridge over the large crossing in front of the station. It is one of my favorite places to watch trams, trains, cars and people passing by.

Views from a Footbridge at Oji, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 4th, 2012

Sumo Wrestlers Getting on a Packed Train in Tokyo

You may occasionally see sumo wrestlers in a city during your stay in Japan. If you visit a district where a lot of sumo stables are, you can often see them strolling around.

Sumo Wrestlers Getting on a Packed Train in Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on May 23rd, 2012

Tokyo View from a Train Arriving at Shinjuku Station

Running among buildings, the train arrived at Shinjuku Station, the busiest station in the world.

Tokyo View from a Train Arriving at Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 24th, 2012

Here is the post about the station, 'Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station'. You can see what the busiest station in the world is like. Also check this out!
Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station

Tokyo Station City ~Shopping Streets at Tokyo Station~

Large train stations in Japan often have a lot of shops and restaurants inside. Tokyo Station, the terminal of 'Shinkansen' or 'bullet trains', has 120 shops inside ticket gates and 80 outside. They make up a massive shopping and gourmet district named 'Tokyo Station City'. Their main staples are 'bento' or 'lunch boxes' which you can enjoy on a long-distance train. A good bento would make your trip more enjoyable.

You might wander in the city like a huge labyrinth(*) when you go into there without a map. But at least you don't have to worry about starving or freezing to death as long as you have enough Japanese yen. They serve and sell various things you could be in need for while wandering. Of course you can also use them on a train, or after getting off the train.

Tokyo Station City ~Shopping Streets at Tokyo Station~ [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 20th, 2012

*Note: The challenge level of Tokyo Station as a station labyrinth is beginner level. The most challenging station in Tokyo is Shinjuku Station. Here is the video about the station. Check also this!

Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Mar. 27th, 2012

Glow of Sunset on My Way Home

Crossing the Arakawa River and leaving Tokyo Metropolis, the train entered into Kawaguchi City where I live. From its window, I saw the evening sky glowing after a typhoon had passed.

Glow of Sunset on My Way Home [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 20th, 2012

Shinkansen ~Bullet Trains Running between Buildings in Tokyo~

The maximum speed of the Shinkansen during commercial service is 300 km/h (187 mph), but they have to slow down in urban areas due to curved tracks and noise issue. You can see the bullet trains traveling between buildings quite slowly in those areas.

Yurakucho, just south of Tokyo Station, is one of my favorite places to watch the trains going by. When a train passes by, you can also see its reflection on the mirror wall of a building.

Shinkansen ~Bullet Trains Running between Buildings in Tokyo~ [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 14th, 2012

Shibuya Station, Tokyo

Shibuya Station is the world's 5th busiest station, in 4th place in Japan, and in 3rd place in Tokyo. This video is just to give you an idea of what Shibuya Station is like. This was taken in a weekday afternoon, not so busy hour.

The world's busiest stations ranking (users/day)

1. Shinjuku Station, Tokyo, Japan (3.6 million)
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station, Mumbai, India (3 to 3.5 million)
3. Ikebukuro Station, Tokyo, Japan (2.7 million)
4. Umeda-Osaka Station, Osaka, Japan (2.4 million)
5. Shibuya Station, Tokyo, Japan (2.1 million)

Three of them are in Tokyo!

Shibuya Station, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on May 17th, 2012

Here is the video of the busiest station on the planet, Shinjuku Station.


Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Mar. 27th, 2012

How Many Trains and Trams Do You See? ~Tokyo's Busy Train Schedules~

Rail transport is the keystone of urban transport in Japan. A total of over 22 billion people use railroads every year here. This figure ranks first in the world and there is a huge gap to second-place, India, with 8 billion people.

This video was taken at a weekday evening near Oji Station in North Tokyo. It was originally about 20 minutes in length, but cut down to less than 11 minutes. You can see how busy Tokyo's train schedules are on it. How many trains and trams do you see?

How Many Trains and Trams Do You See? ~Tokyo's Busy Train Schedules~ [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 4th, 2012

Tokyo's Vending Machine Recommends You What to Drink

The cutting edge vending machines with facial recognition in Tokyo recommend you what to drink based on your age, gender or something. It would be a waste not to try it and see what you should drink when you visit a station in the metropolis. But what a machine at Shibuya Station recommended me to drink were... I ended up ignoring its suggestion and buying one with a cool bottle cap.

Tokyo's Vending Machine Recommends You What to Drink [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on May 17th, 2012

Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station

The crush of the rush hour in Tokyo has been improved for these decades. But it is still crazy. Shinjuku Station, used by 3.6 million people per day, was registered with Guinness World Records as the busiest station in the world in 2007. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station, Mumbai, India is in 2nd place, Ikebukuro Station, 5 km north of Shinjuku Station, is in 3rd place, Osaka-Umeda Station in Osaka is in 4th place, Shibuya Station which is 3 km south of Shinjuku Station is in 5th place.

Four of top five in the world are in Japan and three of them are within a 4 km radius. Probably 90% of the world's population live in central Tokyo.

Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Mar. 27th, 2012