Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Instagram: instagram.com/koji_planet_tokyo
Twitter: twitter.com/kj_planet_tokyo
Shinjuku, Tokyo's busiest district, has two faces. East Shinjuku is an entertainment district. You would see numerous neon signs glittering there. Meanwhile, West Shinjuku is a business district filled with skyscrapers. You could call it Japan's Manhattan. I pedaled there on a weekend in the middle of the state of emergency. There are not that many people on weekends in general so there was not a big difference. But it was still interesting to see what the city was like in the situation. Let me share it with you guys.
Music:
Ambiente, Care by Adam Vitovsky (http://www.adamvitovsky.com)
J.S. Bach - Suite No.4 in E flat - II. Allemande by European Archive (ED)
#tokyo #japan #cycling
Instagram: instagram.com/koji_planet_tokyo
Twitter: twitter.com/kj_planet_tokyo
Shinjuku, Tokyo's busiest district, has two faces. East Shinjuku is an entertainment district. You would see numerous neon signs glittering there. Meanwhile, West Shinjuku is a business district filled with skyscrapers. You could call it Japan's Manhattan. I pedaled there on a weekend in the middle of the state of emergency. There are not that many people on weekends in general so there was not a big difference. But it was still interesting to see what the city was like in the situation. Let me share it with you guys.
Music:
Ambiente, Care by Adam Vitovsky (http://www.adamvitovsky.com)
J.S. Bach - Suite No.4 in E flat - II. Allemande by European Archive (ED)
#tokyo #japan #cycling
![Karate Performance at Local Shopping Street Festival, Kawaguchi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qm5rHvnBvDY/mqdefault.jpg "Karate Performance at Local Shopping Street Festival, Kawaguchi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]
A small festival was held at a local shopping street near my place on a sunny Sunday. A karate center beside the street presented this performance there. Watching them destroying boards, bats or something with their bare hands and foot, I was like Ouch!
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on May 27th, 2012")
![Tanabata Festival at Local Shopping Street, Kawaguchi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qs-Kk_G2N_o/mqdefault.jpg "Tanabata Festival at Local Shopping Street, Kawaguchi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]
Based on the Chinese myth about the star Vega and the star Altair separated by the Milky Way, a lot of festivities take place in some Asian countries around on July 7th. Here in Japan, the day is called Tanabata and Tanabata Festivals are held here and there. People say that your wish will come true when you wish upon stars on that day. At the festivals, you can see decorations that remind you of the Milky Way and colorful paper strips on which people wrote their wishes.
A Tanabata Festival is held also at a local shopping street near my place every year. Despite the rainy season, a lot of people gather there, enjoy the festival and wish upon stars.
Click below and check the description to learn more about the Chinese myth and Tanabata!
http://youtu.be/QDzpNXClChA
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 6th, 2012")
![Tanabata Festival at Warabi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rPxhvs9IhCc/mqdefault.jpg "Tanabata Festival at Warabi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]
Tanabata Festivals, or Star Festivals, are basically held around Tanabata Day, July 7th. It is based on the Chinese myth about the star Vega and the star Altair. But some festivals in some regions take place in August according to the lunar calendar. It is said that your wish will come true when you wish upon stars on Tanabata Day.
Warabi Hata Matsuri, held in a city next to my city, is one of the festivals which are held in August although the Tanabata Festival takes place in July in my city. I can wish upon stars twice a year. What a lucky guy I am.
Click below and check the description to learn more about the Chinese myth and Tanabata!
http://youtu.be/QDzpNXClChA
And here is the video of Tanabata Festival in my city!
http://youtu.be/qs-Kk_G2N_o
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Aug. 4th, 2012")
![Finale of Itabashi/Todabashi Fireworks Festival 2012, Tokyo-Saitama [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rldvDpDQm1w/mqdefault.jpg "Finale of Itabashi/Todabashi Fireworks Festival 2012, Tokyo-Saitama [iPhone 4S/HD]
This video is the cutoff version which featured the finale of Itabashi/Todabashi Fireworks Festival. Long version video of the festival is here.
http://youtu.be/eSsUm1Nxbhw
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Aug. 4th, 2012")
![Gorilla Park at Kawaguchi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sF2t10lGOUA/mqdefault.jpg "Gorilla Park at Kawaguchi, Japan [iPhone 4S/HD]
There is a small park named Gorilla Park under a highway near my place. There, a massive gorilla putting up a wrong clock is watching for kids riding around their bike.
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 23rd, 2012")
![Tokyo Sweets Ningyo-Yaki [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/snEamRzgrTw/mqdefault.jpg "Tokyo Sweets Ningyo-Yaki [iPhone 4S/HD]
Ningyo-yaki, which literally means baked doll, is one of traditional Tokyo sweets. Those small baked cakes are formed into dolls and have red bean paste inside traditionally, but nowadays you can also find ones filled with chocolate or custard.
This video was taken at a ningyo-yaki shop at Nakamise Street in front of Sensoji Temple, Asakusa. You can watch how the cakes are made and get fresh cakes there.
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 9th, 2012")
![Tokyo View from a Train Arriving at Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/su9_AoE-hiQ/mqdefault.jpg "Tokyo View from a Train Arriving at Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]
Running among buildings, the train arrived at Shinjuku Station, the busiest station in the world.
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 24th, 2012
Here is the video about the station, Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station. You can see what the busiest station in the world is like. Also check this out!
http://youtu.be/7AKQzxl1Ick")
![Shrine on Rooftop of Building in Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/thYwp_EXwK8/mqdefault.jpg "Shrine on Rooftop of Building in Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
Here in Japan, there are small shrines here and there. You can see them in mountains, on seashores, beside rice fields, in residential areas, and even in developed city areas.
Ginza, Tokyo is one of the most luxurious shopping and gourmet districts in the world, but it is not so difficult to find a shrine there once you go down back streets.
Asahi Inari Shrine, one of the largest small shrines in Ginza, settles beside a back street three blocks away from the main street. This Shinto shrine appears as a common small shrine among buildings at a glance, but is a bit different. The shrine you can see at the street is not a main shrine. When a building was built where once the shrine was, the main shrine was moved to the rooftop of the building. They also built the vice-shrine beside the street for people to make it accessible to worship. This is a kind of an urban-type shrine.
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 14th, 2012")
![Kochikame Statues at Kameari, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tlOt263hQcc/mqdefault.jpg "Kochikame Statues at Kameari, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
Kochikame(*) is a long-running popular comedy manga and anime in Japan. The manga has been serialized since 1976 with over 1700 chapters. It is the longest-running manga series in history.
The story is set in Kameari, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo. Around Kameari Station, you can find several bronze statues of Kankichi Ryotsu, or Ryo-san, the main character of the story, and a few other supporting characters.
*The formal title of Kochikame is Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen Mae Hashutsujo which literally means This is the police box in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward, but it is usually called by the shortened name.
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 24th, 2012")
