Feeling Foreign in Tokyo

Yakitori Under the Tracks
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

I certainly haven't blogged as often as I wanted to here in Tokyo. I probably underestimated the time we would be out and about, or moving from house to house, or traveling out of the city. Beyond that, there is a feeling of being a foreigner in a city that is hard to summarize, but Internet access is certainly an example.

If I'm in the US and I need Internet access, chances are the friends or relatives I am staying with have broadband access and I can easily plug in and get connected. Fairly often, they have a wireless network and with a few clicks and a password, I'm online anywhere in the house. In the rare cases someone doesn't have Internet access, I can simply find a McDonalds or a Starbucks and using my AT&T account, log in from there.

I have found little of the above to be true in Japan. It's true that we are now staying in a house that has multiple Internet connections in the house (though not wireless), and I can access the Internet at will. However we have stayed with one relative who did not have Internet access at all (I believe they use a CDMA LAN card in their laptop for access), and at a relative with one network connection where I had to stretch a power cable across the dining area floor because there are about half as many power points in a Japanese house as there are in an American house and twice as many electrical devices, including talking rice makers.

One place I have felt completely at ease, however, is behind my lens and I am thrilled (and probably spoiled rotten) to be able to shoot every single day. And even 2 weeks into our trip, I feel like I will run out of time to shoot every location and time of day that I want to be able to shoot.

This shot was made in Akihabara, once famous for electronics and computer gadgets, now famous for geek culture (anime, collectables, and maid cafes). Akihabara, or Akiba, as it is nicknamed, was one of the locations I was fortunate enough to return to twice, once in the day time (mainly for shopping) and once at night (mainly for shooting). Under the JR tracks is this tiny little yakitori shack. I love this picture because I can look at it and almost smell the skewers cooking on the grill and hear the clack of the train passing overhead as they arrive and leave the station.

Sayonara Bay Area, Konnichiwa Tokyo!

Sayonara
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Tomorrow morning we'll be on our flight to Tokyo via Seoul. Though the stopover in Seoul adds quite a few hours to the trip, I'm kind of stoked about it. For starters, we get to fly Asiana Airlines which is considered a top class airline at a discount price, so I don't believe the extra distance is going to bother us that much. Plus they offer Korean meal service which is awesome in itself. Second, I haven't been to Incheon Airport since before it was remodeled. It was a horrible, depressing monstrosity back then. Today, it is completely modern, clean and one of the best airports in the world in terms of amenities. So is Incheon Airport a destination in itself? Could be.

If Internet access is easier in Tokyo than it has been in year's past, I hope there will be many posts over the next few weeks. For now, "Ato de!" (Later!)

Hidden San Francisco - The Gallery @ Autodesk

Not To Scale
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Tucked away on the second floor of the architectural classic One Market Street, former headquarters of Southern Pacific Railroad are the San Francisco offices of Autodesk, the world leader in design software. Less than a year ago, Autodesk opened a space where it could display some of the most interesting pieces of work its customers were creating using Autodesk software solutions.

The Gallery is not large, but very well done, with beautiful displays of customer work, interactive media, and a very hands-on kind of feel. You couldn’t spend more than an hour here, but it would be an hour well spent if you are interested at all in how software design is improving the efficiency and creativity of architecture and engineering.

The Gallery is opened to the public on the first Wednesday of every month from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. But for an even richer experience, try to visit the Gallery on an evening it hosts Pecha Kucha San Francisco. Pecha Kucha, a style of multimedia presentation described as “20 slides, 20 seconds” are short presentations created to pitch new ideas and concepts. As they are only 6 minutes, 40 seconds long, they are rarely boring and often introduce some new and exciting ideas.

The Autodesk Gallery is located on the Second floor of One Market Street. It is opened to the public on the first Wednesday of every month from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

In Pieces

In Pieces
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Sometimes the greatest photographs are complete accidents. I was doing a photo walk around the Financial District and noticed the doorway of the Shell Building. It’s a stately art deco style arch and door. I took a few shots of the doorway itself, then decided to go under the arch to capture some details. When I turned around, lo and behold, the reflection of the Shell Building in the windows of the glass behemoth on the other side of the street was absolutely amazing! Even better, the art deco style of archway created the perfect “frame” for the piece of art in the reflection across the street.

Around SF - Marin Civic Center

Circles
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Though I have worked within half a mile of the Marin Civic Center for 5 years now, it was only this week that I finally ventured inside. The occasion was a test run for my new Sigma 10-20mm lens which I bought specifically for indoor architectural shots (although I’m sure it will have many other great uses).

The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1957. Apparently, it was part of a larger project that was designed to make the surrounding area (a park, lake, and theatre) a center for community gathering. The 2,000 seat theatre was eventually built, though not exactly as Wright had designed it, but much of the other park design was abandoned.

The old blueprints are displayed in the building and it is immediately apparent that circles were a theme that Wright intended to use throughout the project. The theatre is also a perfect circle, and there is a sad little barren island in the lake which is also a circle, which was apparently supposed to be “Children’s Island”. The circular theme takes many shapes inside the building, from the windows to the seating to the door handles and even much of the signage.

I’m not a huge fan of the look of this building, but I have to admit it is quite a spectacle inside. The roundness of the design combined with the lengthiness of the corridors make you feel like you are in a spaceship rather than a public office building. Hollywood has not overlooked this fact either, using the Marin Civic Center as the filming location for two futuristic movies: Gattica (1997) and THX 1138 (1971).

The only negative thing I can say about the interior design is the hideous color scheme of orangish-brown with brass accents. I’ll bet it was really cool in 1957, but now, it simply looks dated. In fact, I disliked the color so much, I desaturated all the photos I took inside there to black and white.

More photos here.