Shibuya Crosswalks.

The world's busiest crosswalk pulsates through the heart of Shibuya, but I wanted to look at other crosswalks in the area. At some level, each of these crossings holds some amount of promise, uncertainty, and an undeniable element of exhilaration.

Through the Clearing.
A thin curtain of vegetation reveals bright lights in the distance where more shopping opportunities abound.

Super X-Point.
The Shuto Expressway Loop soars overhead, while several pedestrian crosswalks and train lines pass mid-level. Below street level is a major subway station.

Gaze to the Skies.
The onslaught of people, traffic, and billboards compete for your attention, and yet sometimes, an open patch of blue sky can emerge through the clutter to arrest your gaze.

T

The Values that Define a Society.

As the world's second largest economy, Japan appears to be relatively oblivious to the global concerns associated with a hungry economic giant. The uniform lack of organic foods, unusually excessive packaging [bagging bags at the store is common practice], and an obsessive culture of consumption all suggest an indifference towards global environmental and labor practices, for example. This makes one wonder: Where is the counterculture?

For a critical but refreshing indictment of Japan's contemporary cultural condition, read "Beware of Beauty that Would Deceive a Nation" from The Japan Times.

In the image above, shoppers crowd a major Shibuya sidewalk.

Shibuya.

Tokyo's major subcenters have developed along the Yamanote ring route, and Shibuya is considered one of the most frenetec subcenters of all. Here one experiences hyper-sensory overload as every lighted billboard, printed word, and sound competes for your attention. In what is considered the busiest crosswalk in the world, the crowd pouring out of Shibuya station becomes a spectacle in and of itself.