New Year's Eve at Chion-in Temple, Kyoto Prefecture

 

                   New Year's Eve in Shibuya, Tokyo

                   American restaurant, Tokyo

                                  Shibuya, Tokyo

                   Ebisu, Tokyo
 

 

                   
                   "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

                   Written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
                   Arranged by Jill Gallina

                   Happy Holidays!

                                  Shibuya, Tokyo

                                  Ring the bells and paint with lights.

                   DAVID IAN feat. Acacia  "Angels We Have Heard on High"

                                  Shibuya, Tokyo
 

                                  Christmas is a secular event in Japan.

                   "Ding Dong Merrily on High"

                   Violin: Jenny Oaks Baker

                   Drums/Percussion: Nick Bailey
                   Whistle: Stephen O'Connor
                   Guitars: Joe Shannon, Benny Meehan

                   Dancers: Beldance Academy

                                 Aoyama, Tokyo
 

 

                   Jana Andevska  "Driving Home for Christmas"
 

                   Originally by Chris Rea

                   Project Sing!  "Noël Nouvelet"
 

                   Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra  "Noël Nouvelet"
 

                   Meredith Hall, soprano

                   A restaurant
 

 

                   "Christmas Time is Here" (Charlie Brown)

                   Mel, vocals

                   Jason Lux, piano

                   NHK, Tokyo

                 
                   N⇒Nippon = Japan
                   H⇒Hoso = Broadcast
                   K⇒Kyokai = Corporation, Association

                   NHK = Japan Broadcasting Corporation
                   It's the public broadcaster in Japan.

   

                   Lucy Rose  "Merry Christmas Everyone"

                 
                   Originally by Shakin' Stevens

                                  Yoyogi Park, Tokyo

                   YAMASHITA Tatsuro  "Christmas Eve"

                   Ocha-no-mizu, Tokyo

                   ocha = tea

                   no = of
                   mizu = water

                  ￥100 (100 Yen) = 1 dollar

                   Ocha-no-mizu - Looking for a Vintege Guitar?
 

   

                                  An old house in front of a new residential tower

    Do you think the tower stands in the suburbs?
    Actually this is a high-class residential area in central Tokyo.
    Carlos Ghosn, Renault CEO, lives in the tower.

    The photograph doesn't tell a lie, but sometimes it gives you a mistaken impression.

                   Sumida River, Tokyo

                                  Sumida River, Tokyo

                   Kate Davis  "2000 Miles"
 

                   Originally by The Pretenders

                   Eva Coyle & Brian Casey  "2000 Miles"

                   Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo

                   Red structures in the distance - Oi Container Terminal

                   Green island under the bridge - Shinagawa Fort (or Shinagawa Battery)
                   It was built to defend Japan against foreign warships in 1854.

                   Here - Takeshiba Passenger Ship Terminal

                   Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo

                   The building on the left is Fuji Television.

                   Port of Tokyo
 

 

                   Regina Spektor  "Better"

                   Port of Tokyo

                   Under the railway tracks, Tokyo

                   I don't want to walk here alone at night.

                                  JR (Japan Railway) Line, Tokyo

                                  That white building is TOKYO GAS Head Office.
                                  There used to be a sea here.

                   Under the railway tracks

                   Halie Loren  "Butterfly"

                   Shiba Park, Tokyo

                                  Oh my gosh

                                  It was so crowded that I could hardly reach the station.
                                  So I turned back and walked home.

                                Halloween Night

                              Halloween Night

                                  Car-free zone

                                  Halloween Night

                                  Buffer zone

 

                                  Well, I'll look back.

                   G. F. Handel  "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" (from Solomon)

            
                   Ekaterina Skliar, mandolin
                   Anna Kislitsyna, harpsichord made by William Dowd in 1986

                   G. F. Handel  "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" (from Solomon)

                   Novas Brass Ensemble
                     Michael Bischof, trumpet
                     Helmut Kassner, trumpet
                     Bastian Schmid, horn
                     Berthold Schick, trombone
                     Herbert Hornig, tuba

                                  Shibuya, Tokyo

                    That building is a department store and a bookstore is on the 7th floor.
                    I went shopping there.

                                    Shibuya, Tokyo

                              October 31, 2018
                                   The police have blocked off the road.
                                   What's going on here?

                   Seisho-ji Temple, Tokyo

                   ji = temple

                                  Embassy of Italy in Tokyo, Japan

----------
Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) 1701-1702

 ASANO Naganori, the lord of Ako Domain, was publicly humiliated by KIRA Yoshihisa.
 So he drew his short sword against KIRA at Edo Castle (today's Imperial Palace).
 The Shogunate Government immediately ordered him to commit Seppuku (suicide by disembowelment) and confiscated his domain.
 In the following year, his 47 vassals avenged his death by executing KIRA.
 They then gave themselves up to the authorities and were sentenced to commit Seppuku.

 10 of 47 samurai committed Seppuku here at today's Italian Embassy.

                   Chūshingura

                   Australian Embassy Japan

                   Axel Winter  "Down Under" (Men at Work Cover)
 

                   Melbourne, Australia
 

                   "Land Down Under" (Men at Work Cover)
 

                   Manmoyi, Australia

                   AUSTRALIA NOW

                   Shelly Manne and His Friends  "I Could Have Danced All Night"

                                  Tokyo Tower

                   Tokyo Tower (Day vs. Night)

                                  Tokyo Tower

                   smart forfour

                   "smart" is a combination of "Swatch", "Mercedes" and "art".

   

                   Mercedes Benz (Janis Joplin Cover)

                 
                   Bruna Michelin, vocals
                   Bruno Hrabovsky, piano

                   SUBARU Head Office, Tokyo

                   SUBARU BRZ (SUBARU Global Site)

 

                   Do you know "SUBARU"?

                                  A promenade through a residential area

                                  I was here in Meguro Ward.

    ---------------
              Tokyo Metropolis
                       23  wards (former Tokyo City), 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages

                   YOSHIKO KISHINO TRIO  "Waltz for Debby"

 

                   Originally by Bill Evans

                               A famous Soba restaurant, Tokyo

 

 

                   A Soba restaurant in the U.S.A.

                   Vending machines

 

                   ￥100 (100 yen) = one dollar