Subcenter Minor.

Though Ueno is bright and glitzy, this neighborhood is a relatively minor subcenter of Tokyo. This shot was taken from a favorite perch in the neighborhood.

Sunset on Ueno II.

Shoppers crowd the streets of Ueno as night falls.

These Numbered Sultry Days.

Couples (and third wheels) enjoy the last warm days of the season in Ueno Park.

Nice Beer.

Big city, small dwellings, and big beers... Under the tracks, Kirk enjoys a tasty cold Sapporo beer at my favorite yakitori joint in Ueno.

The first Sapporo beer was made in Japan by a German-trained brewmaster in 1876, and is now sold around the world. In 2006, the Japanese beer company announced that it would purchase Sleeman, Canada's third largest brewer [Molson, Canda's largest brewer was purchased by Coors in 2005].

Cleaning Up... On Sushi.

Not sure what to order? Sushi on a conveyor belt provides stimulating entertainment, a sense of responsibility (ie, "don't get that, hold out for something better!"), and a level of comfort with what your food is going to look like. Neon-yellow roe with mystery (and conveniently matching) yellow shreds? Uhh.. maybe next time. The only suprise is that this type of sushi joint exists in the gritty arcade in my neighborhood. The place is tiny, and everyone is huddled around the circular conveyor belt path.

The sushi was so delicious that I had forgotten to document the experience - until the plates were piled high. You're charged by the number of plates at your space. More sushi than I could eat (6 plates) + soup + green tea + beeru (that's beer, for you non-Japanese speaking folks) = $13. Best value in town? I think so. Well, that's still technically splurging, considering that you can eat out for as little as $4. Who said Tokyo's expensive?


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When the Shopkeepers Sleep.

After WWII, Ueno's Ameyoko Arcade was known as one of the city's prime black-market districts, and even now, the area seems to be one of Tokyo's grittier areas. After the shops shut down, the crowds shift a few blocks over to fill the pachinko parlours, seven-story karaoke joints, and dimly-lit caverns that satisfy those in search of more lascivious escapades.

With the absence of people and clutter of shopkeepers, the top image reveals the underbelly of the bridge as a machine that provides factory-like duct work and piping for water supply, ventilation of kitchens, electricity, and air-conditioning to the hundreds of shops and eateries below the train line.
The deserted arcade almost feels like an evacuation zone by night, though one shopkeeper perseveres a little longer than the rest. Is he hawking clearance items, or must he earn a few extra Yen for the day?

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Sunset on Ueno.

The sun may set in Tokyo, but the city goes on.

Under the Bridge.

Cabs wait patiently for passengers to file out of the train station.

It's remarkable how no space goes unnoticed or unoccupied. The space below the railway lines and freeways are used here by small eateries and vendors hawking everything imaginable. In other areas of town, these spaces are occupied by high-end department stores and restaurants. The unintended but beautiful consequence is that these places become cacophonous and disjunctive zones of activity, where anything can be expected.

Around the Neighborhood.

Within a few km sq...

Ueno Park... Expressways snaking through the city... One of the 2M+ vending machines in the city... Unsecured bikes (the norm in Tokyo)... and sashimi in the market below my apt...