On Sundays and holidays, Tokyo’s capital for all things anime, computers, electronics and anything otaku closes it’s main street. Chuo-Dori comes alive with singers, cosplayers and sightseers. It’s a time for hanging out with friends, checking out upcoming talent and blatant consumerism. Shipon spent a day documenting the scene, then another 5 days blurring out people’s faces.
These photos were taken all on Sunday, April 29, 2007. The streets are blocked off between 12pm and 6pm on Sundays and public holidays from April to October (12 and 5 the rest of the year).
Shipon lives in Northern Japan where he uses a 17,000,000mm lens in order to shoot Chuo-dori on a weekly basis.
Oooh… Miko…
e-jump lives in South East Asia where he browses HD in order to see Japan on random updates basis ;__;
—-
Hmmm, looks like a carnival.
So basically ppl sings, dance etc and random spots along the street?
[…] post by AnimeNation News and software by Elliott […]
Is it me, or are none of those street acts actually allowed? I’ve seen a few pictures (and videos) of people getting dispersed by the cops. Japanese policemen uniforms make me lol. They look like law enforcement pyjamas.
Insectice>>
The cops keep an eye on things to make sure they’re not getting out of control, but I have seen them stop acts and move along – in fact, you can see a group of guys in black getting stopped mid performance above.
I am certain those uniformed men are not police but private security guards. Police have much plainer uniforms and distinctive badges. A great photo essay though!
>>e-jump lives in South East Asia
Where there? Maybe we can find ways to sell each other things ;___;
>>unangbangkay
Somewhere in malaysia, where stuff kinda expensive ;__; Got my figures thru internets.
*Must save monies to visit Japan n these events ;__;
Is blocking out the faces a necessary thing required by Japanese law? As far as I know there is no right to privacy if you are photographed in public. Of course you should not be taking “peeping” type photos either, one would expect and most laws agree that that kind of public photography crosses the line.
Basroil>>
It’s not required by Japanese law, but it is a courtesy that other Japanese sites do. AkibaBlog is a prime example with the ‘laughing man’ for example. HD actually has a pretty large Japanese readership for an English language, and we’d prefer not to annoy the natives. Also, we’ve basically posted photographic evidence of people hanging around in Akiba, not a social or professional bonus in many places in Japan.