Akira

When I exited the Uniqlo in Shibuya this morning, there was this large wall surrounding several blocks under construction. Instead of the usual advertising and construction company propaganda,Katsuhiro Otomo’s Shōtarō Kaneda and his bike from the manga and anime Akira greeted me.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f8, ISO 100, 1/500 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f8, ISO 100, 1/60sec.

How many cranes are at the construction site for the new Kokuritsu-Kyogijo (National Stadium)?

Took my annual long Labor Day (US Holiday) walk through Tokyo yesterday. Decided to head from my place towards Shinjuku before heading over to my children's school.

My travels brought me to Kokuritsu-Kyogijo (National Stadium) Station. However, currently there is no stadium since it is under construction for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Anyway, I ran by this place about two weeks ago on a long weekend run with a friend. We counted over a dozen cranes from our position; however, looking at this photo it looks like there are over 20-cranes of all sizes on the site working feverishly. BTW - Although there were at least three more cranes to the left of this shot, there are already over 20-cranes in this photo alone.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f8, ISO 100, 1/250 sec.

More quirky things spotted on my long Labor Day walk...

There are still more quirky things spotted from my walk through the city in September. These must be a custom paint job. Perhaps the company has some connection with Yayoi Kusama. I can't believe that a Komatsu, Kubota or Caterpillar dealership would have a purple track hoe with white polka dots on the lot or have this option available for order.

BTW - This is the second quirky thing thing spotted on this day. The first has to be the salary man riding the monkey bike. These large track hoes have an usual color scheme and there are two of them!

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec.

Giraffe with Shovel

Not sure who thinks up of these things, but last week I spotted these giraffe themed barricades a the construction site near my office. These appear to have been manufactured by the same company that makes the Hello Kitty barricades. At least the giraffe has a shovel instead of a rainbow and is ready to work!

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f8, ISO 100, 1/160 sec.

Cutest Ever Hello Kitty Traffic Barricade in Shinjuku

Not sure what to say about this... Traffic and construction barricades are common all around the world. There are many other novelty types that other have spotted in Japan, but this is the first that would require some a licensing agreement. Thinking about this (especially the business and safety decisions made by the manufacturer and construction company ) make my head hurt with cuteness and confusion.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec.