Thursday, March 31, 2011

[jules' pics] Sakuragicho

Sakuragicho, Yokohama

Morning at Landmark Tower

The Sakuragicho area of Yokohama seems like the only place around these parts where there has been any town planning. Even the electricity cables are underground. A century ago some of it may have been underwater, and then there was the earthquake and WW2, which both flattened much of Yokohama. A few years ago was the last time I looked down on it all from the top floor of the Landmark Tower (tall building in lower picture), when the area looked like a not particularly successful SimCity game. But maybe most of the blocks are filled in now - the curved one in the lower picture has certainly not been around long.



--
Posted By jules to jules' pics at 3/31/2011 02:44:00 PM

7 comments:

Guillaume Leduc said...

Hi James,

We met in Kyoto in December during the PMIP3 workshop. I've been working in JAMSTEC at Yokosuka and living in Yokohama since January, and I am now in France with my family. Although I left Japan 10 days before previously thought such coming back was planned long before the quake because I have job interviews next weeks. I'm happy to see those great pics from my dear Yokohama which I miss a lot, and to visit your nice blog from time to time.

On the French government and CNRS decision to ask researchers to leave Japan, you need to take into account the fact that they've been lately shaken by a drastic rise in the racist party the government faced during local elections. My interpretation as a French citizen is that such decision relates to a pure gesticulation of the government to loudly stand up as efficient decision-makers to make people feeling they deal with the crisis short before the elections.

The crisis in Japan is a real disaster. The French government is just a pain in the ass.

Have a nice EGU and congrats for the MARGO paper in Climate of the Past,

Guillaume

Guillaume Leduc said...

"in JAMSTEC at Yokosuka", sorry for the French garlic breath.

James Annan said...

Hi Guillaume, hope you enjoyed your time in Japan. Yes, I realise it's largely politics, the British also have to say something, but still leave room for a dig at the French, and so it goes...but the problem is, it has a real impact on Japan when people either leave, or refuse to visit. It seems that about 30% of international flights are already cancelled. The problems from the quake are already enough without overseas govenments adding to them just to make political points domestically. The British Embassy here is proudly boasting about how supportive it is being, while encouraging people to leave!

crandles said...

Is that glass building top right picture leaning against the other building & balcony?

Earthquake damage in a modern Japanese city?

James Annan said...

:-)

Trendy design or camera distortion, take your pick - or pic.

(Actually Sakuragicho is one of the best places to see trendy design in Japanese cities)

jules said...

crandles: That's the way they build 'em! Odd, isn't it?

Guillaume Leduc said...

Re-hi James,

Yes I enjoyed very very much my stay in Japan and will probably be back in a couple of months or so.

On the foreigners who refuse to visit, don't be eager to dismiss our national super-Sarkozy-san who visits Japan today for a couple of hours! Lucky you!

But there is even more funny: I was visiting friends in Seattle last week who got married there, and some of the invited people stressed them to remove the fresh alaskan salmon from the wedding menu because of the ambiant american contamination hysteria. If these people are right, a quick estimation of contamination in Yokohama using backward trajectories suggests me you may want to escape ASAP. This world is insane.