Tokyo

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Anyone set on going to Brimfield in July? Knowing that friends like Kenyan Lewis and Hitoshi from Jantiques in Tokyo regularly attend for the duration of the week makes me think that it’s worth going again. Having Kenyan as a guide at Brimfield makes it a lot easier to put the whole thing into perspective. He has the whole place mapped out in his head and keen eyes for rare unique objects. One thing that is calling me back is that the camera guy is coming back for the July shows. This guy’s got everything. Rare lenses, bodies, filters, lighting kits, Polaroids, etc. Notable items in this set of photographs here are: the fox head-piece, the wooden ghost, the bust form, the full skeleton minus lower jaw, Kenyan in action, the flood light, the Arabic stop sign, and the R L calling out to the Ralph Lauren prop people, and that 8×10 camera which was only $225 although I was told that it did not have a home in my apartment. Anyway, I hope someone got it.

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Tokyo: Part 1

My first morning in Tokyo was all I could ever ask for during this last trip. Beautiful light. A weekday. People getting up early and starting their day, commuting to and from work. The way a city wakes up and begins speaks a lot about its residents; the way it breathes. The pulse of Tokyo is a rapid one; its heart-rate increases and never slows down. During my first day there I became this very commuter, embedding myself in the workforce just to get a feel of what it would be like and to reacquire my bearings. It started in Shinjuku, to Ginza, to Ueno and back. I did a full loop on the JR Yamanote line which encircles the majority of the city.

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Shinkansen

Going 186 mph between Osaka and Tokyo on a train is amazing. I want to do it again. Soon. These stats will blow minds.

From Wikipedia:

“Starting with the 210 km/h (130 mph) Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the now 2,459 km (1,528 mi) long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū at speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph). Test runs have reached 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record 581 km/h (361 mph) for maglev trainsets in 2003.
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the world’s busiest high-speed rail line. Carrying 151 million passengers a year, it has transported more passengers (over 6 billion) than any other high speed line in the world. Between Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest metropolises in Japan, up to ten trains per hour with 16 cars each (1,300 seats capacity) run in each direction with a minimum of 3 minutes between trains.”

“決別” courtesy of Boris and Sony Music Entertainment

JFK ➔ Narita

This has been a hectic trip so far. It seems like it’s mostly been travel, whether it’s a car, bus, or plane. It was almost a full day on an airplane. Just getting here has been a trip and it’s going to be mostly fulfilling family duties before any real fun starts. It also occurred to me that I’ll pretty much only be around Asians for the next three weeks which is always fun to experience again. I’m already starting to shoot some things that will be of more interest in future posts.

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Happy Holidays

So I’m here. It’s nuts. I haven’t had much time to even review what I have so far, but here’s a good one and I thought it works as a Christmas / New Year’s card. The text to accompany this photo could go something like this: “To all my friends and colleagues, have a very productive and prosperous year.” Super formal. Anyway, Happy Holidays everyone.

Image copyright James Ryang 2009

This is where I want to be going to get away from this cold but I’m trying to get excited about traveling around Korea and Japan for a month where it is also cold. Expect irregular updates as I’ll be moving via train, plane, ferry, and automobile and only using the internet where available. Photos soon to come from Seoul, Pusan, Masan, Cheju, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Chiba.

Tokyo

Last year, Paper Magazine featured 12 photographs from my time in Japan There are so many images to edit through, but here are a few more of my selects.


Night Lights


7-Eleven


Chanel


Frogs


Biker


Dotted Lines


Kitty


Dog in Basket


Drum Game


Yakitori


Yuki


Film


Garden


Woman Crossing the Street


Girl on a Bike


My Grandma (Obaasan)


Harajuku


Koi Swimming


Rail


View


Two Koi


Pachinko


Policeman and Earth Balloon


Scooter


Video Chat


Overpass


Conveytor Belt Sushi


Super Lucky Cat


Hamachi


Shinjuku Crossing


Branches 1


Landscape


Landscape Blurred


Woods


Branches 2


Friskies


Cartoon Woman


Headless Girl


Hotel View


No Shirt


Shinjuku

All images copyright James Ryang 2009


Seltzer (after Eggleston)


Cloud


MIssissippi River


Flight 1134


5:30 PM


Chia at the MoMA


Rie and Chia 1


Chia


Rie and Chia 2


Tourists from Spain 1


Tourists from Spain 2


Brunch


Keren in Astoria Park


Keren and a pizza

all images copyright James Ryang 2009