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Stamina in Kabukicho
I have no idea how these guys shoot for 14 hours without stopping or eating. In this photo, taken yesterday at 17:30, I’m exhausted, sunburned, sweaty and starving after traversing Harajuku, Omotesando and Shin-Okubo from 10:00. They are taking shot after shot of Kabukicho’s neon-covered porn shops & pachinko parlors. I’m cranky and at the…
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Resident registration
On Monday, a national “resident registration” system launches. Japan’s citizens will be assigned an 11 digit number associated with their name, date of birth and other vital statistics, similar to the US’s Social Security Number. But not every citizen will be enumerated. Two communities in Tokyo, Suginami and Kokubunji, and several other towns around the…
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On the grass at the Dome
Yesterday one of our filming locations was Tokyo Dome. We captured the Yomiuri Giants’ batting practice and pre-game activities. We attracted some attention from the press. I guess it isn’t every day that a foreign film crew invades the regular reporters’ turf. I fielded a bunch of questions about who we are and what we’re…
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Doitsu no terebi
For the next five days, I’m on the crew of Global Cities as they shoot the sixth and final show in the series. It’s a hectic schedule, but fun. Yesterday we interviewed Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan; Yu Miri, a Japanese-Korean author; Jonathan Watt, a correspondent for the Guardian; and Ramesh Kapoor, who founded the…
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I’m updating the site
I’m updating the site today to consolidate all of my pages (except for this weblog) at mediatinker.com If you see a broken frame (above this page), please empty your browser cache and/or reset your bookmark to point to http://www.lm.com/~kristen/blog/blogger.html. Other problems with this page? Please comment below.
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Man studying piano score
Man studying piano score on the Namboku line between Nagatacho and Kasuga.
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Urban hiking
This band of elderly urban adventurers has just been to visit the graves of prominent historical figures at Denzuin. After crossing the street with their guide waving his flag to point the way, they are heading to the station to conclude the tour. The guide looks back and waits for stragglers who have moved into…
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Fame and infamy
Does wanting to be famous preclude you from ever being famous? I’m not sure. There are lots of people who hunger for fame and many of them try extremely hard, only to fail. Maybe only those who don’t seek fame become famous? How do famous people get that way? Skill and talent don’t take you…
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Thwarted
When I desperately want to get out of this hot, humid city I seem to choose the time it’s most difficult to do so. August is holiday month. And many (most!) Japanese take a summer holiday this month. Consequently all the trains are booked up and planes cost twice as much as usual. It’s maddening…
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Albrecht Durer’s eyes
Albrecht Durer had nice eyes. But look closely. In this self-portrait (age 28) painted in 1500, his pupils are quite uneven. This fascinates me because I also have uneven pupils. Anisocoria (the medical term for uneven pupil size) appears in about 20% of the US population. In my case, it appeared suddenly about a year…
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