This is Wednesday, and it will be a normal class day, except for the fact that the class is going out as a group for lunch. I won't be including the class-related stuff here, though. If you are interested in that, you can navigate to the album page for the business trips I took this year.
In My Hotel Room
This morning, I took some pictures and movies on my way to work, and I want to include them here. Overnight, the weather has improved dramatically, and so today is bright and sunny and I think the pictures will look entirely different.
Before I leave the room, I wanted to take some pictures of the view out my windows. You have seen these views before, but today the weather is so nice that everything looks completely different.
Southwest
Northwest
West
I also took a movie of the view from my hotel room window, and you might want to watch that movie with the player at left.
Commuting to Work
The aerial view at left shows you the route I have to take to get to the offices of AG-TECH near the Imperial Palace. I take the Hanzomon Line to Otemachi Station and then come up outside and walk up the street to the north to get to the office.
As I did for my commute home yesterday, I filmed many portions of my commute to work today, and I thought you might like to see them. It will be as if you were walking along with me. Just click on the links below, in sequence, and you'll be able to follow me all the way to work:
Corridor from the Hotel Elevators to the Subway
Through the Ticket Gate to the Hanzomon Line
On the Hanzomon Line Platform
On the Train Leaving Suitengumae Station
Disembarking at the Otemachi Station
Walking to the Exit at Otemachi Station
Through the Ticket Machine at Otemachi Station
Up the Stairs to the Street from Otemachi Station
Emerging on the Street Above Otemachi Station
Now that I am on the street, I thought it might be interesting to give you an aerial view of the rest of my route to the office. On this aerial view, I can mark the still pictures that I took between the subway station and the office, and show you on the aerial view where each was taken and in what direction. Probably more information than you wanted, but it might be neat nevertheless. Just click on the links below to view the pictures:
To finish off the commute sequence, I made a movie as I entered the building where AG-TECH has their offices and walked to the bank of elevators. You can watch that movie with the player at left.
A Lunchtime Outing
As I've said, I've not included on this album page those pictures that pertain to the business reason for this trip- pictures I took of the class or in the office. You can find those on the album page for this particular trip in the business trip section. (Use the link on the master index page for 2004 to get there.) But I do think that one picture of
most of my class is in order here. We were on an outing to have lunch at a hotel that overlooks the Imperial Palace. Alan Martin is the tall fellow next to me; he is from England via America and has been here in Japan with AG-TECH for about six years. He speaks Japanese quite well, and when there has been a concept that my own explanation might not have completely conveyed, he has interjected an explanation in Japanese, and sometimes answered questions in that language. There have been occasions that I seem to have had to sit there while the rest of the class yaks about the concept in Japanese, but they have all been nice enough to assure me that they understand 95% of everything I say, and only when there is something difficult, or something that has special application for their own work, do they think it best to go back to Japanese for the discussion.
We walked from the office back the way I usually come in the morning to get on the other side of the expressway, and then to the right and to the main street that runs along the Palance grounds. Then we entered the hotel and went up to the top floor where a buffet is served at lunchtime. (The food was so good that on this occasion I dispensed with my normal eating habits and had a great meal.)
I excused myself from the class occasionally to go over to the wraparound windows to take some pictures and movies. I started with a movie of the area around the AG-TECH building (that you can watch with the player at left), and then I took a still picture of
the same area.
In this picture, on the right-hand side of the elevated expressway, you can see the entrance ramp that has appeared in a couple of my commuting pictures so far, although we are looking the other way, from the expressway down the entrance ramp to the street. Don't forget, they drive on the opposite side of the street here.
This is the
area just north and west of the office,
and it is interesting not only for the variety of buildings you can see (office buildings and apartments in Tokyo seem to be much smaller in floor area than anywhere else; every available square foot of land seems to have been put to use) but also because when we walk back to the office, we will be crossing the street in this direction and heading right down that side street, which will put us back just at the AG-TECH building.
Next, I moved over to the other side of the room to look off in a different direction- towards the Imperial Palace (southwest of where I am). I began with a panoramic movie of the Imperial Palace and the surrounding area- a movie you can watch with the player at left. You've seen this area on all the aerial views; it is the largest open green space in the city. Next, I took a series of three pictures of the area, all in an arc looking generally southwest but moving slowly around in a westward direction to cover the panorama of the Imperial Palace grounds. I actually entered the grounds thirty-five years ago, but I understand that this is only possible now on special days. Click on the thumbnails below to see this arc of pictures:
(Click on Thumbnails to View)
I also took a telephoto view
looking at Tokyo Tower;
I plan to visit there tomorrow as the class has a meeting in the morning which means that class won't start until ten-thirty.
After lunch, which was excellent, we left the hotel, crossed under the expressway and the street beyond, and then headed down the
small side street
north of the office. I found two interesting items on the way back. First was this interesting
spiral fire escape-
I'd not seen one before. The second picture I took as we passed a pet store, this one of a
tortoise‑shell cat
in the window.
