Chief Editor, Photographer VJL
Visited Kiyosumi-Shirakawa in Summer of 2014; moved in late 2014! It was love-at-first sight. And this is from somebody who has lived/worked in 1/3 of Tokyo: Chiyoda, Nerima, Setagaya, Bunkyo, Shinagawa, Chuo, Minato, and Koto wards.
Walking (or cycling) are great ways to discover interesting places and meet different people.
In Kiyosumi-Shirakawa the “shotengai” (shopping street) is the backbone to varied branches; (real) coffee shops, (real) factory stores, galleries, the gardens, the Fukagawa Edo Museum and the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo (MOT).
All alive & being discovered, explored now. No need to wait for the Olympics!
Kiyosumi-Shirakawa is in Koto-Ward in the east of Tokyo, in the old Fukagawa-ward, in the Kiba area, not far from Toyosu, next to Suitengumae and Monzennakacho. How to get here? Subway Hanzomon or Oedo lines! One ride from Shibuya, Roppongi or Otemachi for example.
Kiyosumi-Shirakawa includes the Fukagawa, Hirano, Kiyosumi, Miyoshi, and Shirakawa neighborhoods; and is near Fukuyi, Ishijima, Kiba, Sengoku, Tokiwa and others.
Why are the pictures so unique? They are 360 degree panoramic images (the original files are VR, Oculus, Cardboard, etc compatible); and with creativity and practice I choose how to display each one. Yes, they are inspired by the small planet in “The Little Prince”. Besides the visual impact, they encourage even people who are familiar with the area to look at it again with different eyes, to rediscover their own neighborhood. With similar technology and principles, in a separate project called “360 Views of Tohoku” I travel along the coast of Miyagi Prefecture portraying each and every town -since 2014.
Who creates this blog? Me. I grew up in Europe and the USA, and enjoy living both in small towns and large metropolis. Worked briefly in real state, know many architects, and have been committee member for urban landscape, urban planning division in Sendai City. I am fascinated by what makes certain areas thrive and others decline; what moves people and how regions, towns, “shotengai” can fight against depopulation and irrelevance. Compact cities, civic innovation, community pride, and a creative “class” are part of it. Kiyosumi-Shirakawa is a positive, live case study.
creative therapy
Editor, Illustrator, Designer
MK