somewhere over tokyo

check out the rest of the day's photos here
It was just past seven in the morning. Thanks to an earthquake mangling a section of the highway somewhere near Shizuoka, the bus arrived late. I was somewhat rudely awoken by the driver apologizing for the previous night's act of God.

I pulled the Langster off the bus at Odaiba. Sun still on its way up, I found a quiet corner under the ferris wheel, and away from the throngs of salarymen emerging from the nearby subway station, to put it together.

The Rainbow Bridge doesn't allow cyclists to cross, so I took the long way into the city, heading north, past the proposed site of the future Olympic Village. I kept to the road, because the cyclist shoulder was thick with pressed shirts and black ties--a sea of blank faces moving in the direction from which I'd just come. In front of me, the city rose quickly. As I passed the Tsukiji market area to my right, I could already feel my new lockring slipping. It was quickly decided that W-Base Bicycle Garage on the west side of the Yamanote, just inside Harajuku might be a more prudent first stop. From there, it was only a short hop to Yoyogi park where I'd set up the camera and plot out the routes I wanted to shoot.
Suddenly I was swallowed by Ginza.

This project was an experiment of sorts. I wanted to use a POV camera for more than just insert shots, or the more typical usage in long, drawn-out takes without offering any variety for the viewer. To do this, I would either have to ride similar sections multiple times, or employ the use of multiple cameras. Because I didn't have ten grand for the latter, you might see some inconsistencies in continuity.

Before setting out, I made a conscious decision to avoid the northern half of the city (Ueno, Ikebukuro, etc.), and the Shinjuku ward entirely. Look closely though, and you'll see plenty of other well-known locales: Shibuya, Harajuku, Gaienmae, Roppongi, famous Aoyama and Omotesando streets, the Imperial Palace grounds, Ginza, and a quick trip through Akabane to pay a visit to the Tokyo Tower.

As always, thanks for watching.

you don't know me...

 

...and you don't wear my chains

"Dr. Huxtable" to blame

I sideswiped an orange and white city taxi at a fairly irresponsible rate of speed on my way to work this morning. Surprisingly, I don't really have any ill will towards the offending driver, because despite it being entirely my fault (I don't recall seeing his "right" turn signal as I wisely decided to pass him on the right), he immediately lept from his cab to smash my idiot face in see if me and my sweet ride were all right, of course, profusely apologizing as though he had just accidentally run over my firstborn with a lawnmower. He seemed genuinely concerned too--unheard of for someone whose profession professionally despises cyclists, advocating collateral damage at the expense of a timely customer drop-off. Seeing as the shock of impact knocked the Japanese alphabet clean out of my head, it took a few moments of breathless epileptic charades before I could clearly tell him my bike and I were fine. Even funnier though, was how he continued bowing and apologizing while attempting to re-affix the driver's side mirror that my left knee had totally owned the shit out of. Coming from the United States of "May God Have Mercy on Your Soul If It's Your Fault," where typical fender-bender culture recommends you arm yourself with a practical negotiation tool, it's an unbelievable relief to swap paint on these J-train streets, and not have to worry about a tire iron to the face.

Hopefully I'll have the good luck to crash into him again. Hook him up with a matching set of killer aerodynamic dents and scratches for the passenger's side.
Maybe then he'll buy me a beer.