Minami Shinjuku
Comments: 3
DoCoMo building and bath-house chimney
The carriage of an Odakyu train passing through Minami Shinjuku station offers some nice views of the high-rise buildings to the north. At sunset the buildings are beautifully lit and for years I’ve been meaning to get off at that station to take some photographs. Today I did, but it didn’t work out.
I was early — both time of time and time of year. While the light was indeed beautiful, the sun is still setting too far to the north. I hadn’t realised it was a winter effect. Also the views you get from the station are not as good as the views you get from the train! Because you just get glimpses from the train, your mind is intrigued enough to create a bigger picture, an expectation of a clear vista of obliquely sunlit buildings. Get off the train and the reality is different.
Turning around and facing south-east, I saw this view of the DoCoMo building. I guess sometimes it doesn’t hurt to turn your back on what you came for.
Interesting Odakyu Line tidbit: sitting on the north side of a west-bound train on a very fine day, you catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji between buildings just as the train approaches Shimokitazawa.
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Posted to Photographs • 2003.10.04 (Sat) • 23:06
Comments
Posted by Adam Rice 2003.10.05, 11:31
This post came at an opportune moment. I just got home from seeing the movie Lost in Translation (which I recommend). There was one building that kept appearing in the background, looking vaguely like the Diet building stretched on the rack. I couldn’t place it. Now I know it’s the DoCoMo building.
Posted by Jeff 2003.10.05, 22:09
The Red Line on DC’s subway runs above ground much of the way. If you sit in the first car and look out the front window (through the operator’s compartment) you can see the Capitol building for just a few minutes. As you approach Union Station (where the line goes underground) and look to the right you can see the Washington Monument in the distance.
Not the natural beauty of Fujiama, but nice none-the-less (and usually ignored by day-to-day commuters).
Posted by jh 2003.10.05, 23:17
“Sitting on the north side of a south-bound train” should have been “west-bound train” —- because how can you sit on the north side of a south-bound train? Sometimes I amaze myself.
Adam —- I haven’t seen the movie yet, but looking forward to it based on what I’ve heard. Someone once told me the DoCoMo building is mostly all servers, with relatively few floors of office space. No idea if this is true or not.
Jeff —- Wouldn’t this be a great idea for a book? The best split-second views from the train lines of the world. I’d buy it.
On second thoughts, it’s probably a better idea for a web site. People could send in photographs and details of how to catch the view. I wonder if www.splitsecondscenery.com is taken? ;-)
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