At times you have to escape the city, to see a wider sweep to the horizon, feel fresh air on your face and remember what it is to have elbow room, before returning feeling charged and able to appreciate the urban beauty again. Other times, the only way is up, as looking out across the Tokyo skyline is the only way to get a handle on where you fit in and orientate yourself.
Witness my home city, looking as beautiful as it gets, courtesy of the very talented Samuel Cockedey. A timelapse taken of the cityscape through the hours, with a Blade Runner twist. Now I live a bit higher up (although not as high as the perspective of the film!) I do spend quite a bit of time with my nose pressed to the window, watching the clouds and storms roll up towards us from Tokyo Bay. Seeing the daytime brighten and fade, before the lights and the neon take over again as another Tokyo day passes.
If you get the chance to visit, a view from Tokyo Tower, Skytree, the Metropolitan Government building or Tokyo City View is essential to get a sense of the scale of the place. From pavement level, it seems impossible to take in. From up above, it all seems to make more sense. And a time lapse film of the Tokyo skyline, although you know it is speeded up, seems to give a better perspective on the amount of time Tokyo crams into 24 hours from dawn to dusk and back again.
2 comments
Samuel is a star of time-lapse photography. I have never seen Tokyo as beautiful as he makes it seem. Amazing work.
Blown away by it on first viewing, it really made me see the places I wander around every day in a new light, which I guess is what great photography is all about!