Akihabara, known for its electronic shops, has gained recognition as the center of Japan’s otaku (diehard fan) culture with many shops devoted to anime and manga. The crowds reminded me of Times Square and the selection of anime was equally overwhelming to Lucas as were the number of young men crowded around every console, figure, cashier stand.
Tagged: Akihabara, canon, Japan, photography, street photography, Tokyo, travel, travel photography
Legend says in the year 628 two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, from the Sumida River. And although they tried to return the statue back to the river the statue always returned to them. So they built a temple, Sensoji, for the goddess of Kannon. Completed in 645 it is Tokyo’s oldest temple.
Tagged: Asakusa, Asia, Japan, photography, Sensoji Temple, street photography, Tokyo, travel, travel photography
Shibuya
Tagged: Asia, family vacation, Japan, photography, street photography, Tokyo, travel, travel photography
Ihwa-dong, one of Seoul’s oldest neighborhoods, was once a place of renown. Aristocrats would come visit to take in the splendid scenery. After the Korean War the village became home to squatting refugees, building homes wherever they could and in the late 1950s a National Housing Complex was built. Many of the residents worked in the nearby garment and textile industries but as other neighborhoods prospered in the 80’s and 90’s with high-rise apartment towers, residents started moving away draining the neighborhood’s vitality. Ihwa-dong became a decaying suburb designated for demolition, home to mostly poor families and the elderly.
A city outgrowing its borders. Building up, in between, squeezing more into filled spaces. Layer upon layer of old, new, tradition, modern, luxury, practical, wire upon wire, brick upon brick.
Tagged: Asia, family vacation, Korea, Seoul, South Korea, street photography, travel, travel photography
Tagged: graffiti, MuralsDC, photography, street art, street photography, Washington D.C.
PDN PhotoPlus International Conference and Expo was founded in 1983, and is the largest photography and imaging event in North America. Offering educational seminars, Photo Walks, master classes and an exhibition floor, the event is a great opportunity to learn from and meet accomplished photographers.
Tagged: New York City, photography, PhotoPlus, street photography, travel
