我東京
I was watching a Japanese movie yesterday (that actually turned out to be a very mature film concerning how to reconcile unrequited love and societal pressure to get married and have kids) and I saw this shot:
...and I instantly, intrinsically knew that it was Shinjuku eki, minami deguchi.
As the shot pans out, you can see a sign that confirms this, and then there's a shot of the character crossing the street (this was obviously a very recent film since that area is still under construction now and Japan is pretty efficient when it comes to 工事...well, at least, when it comes to construction that's not going on outside a dorm at all hours of the night).
The point of this is that, even now, I know Tokyo more intimately than anywhere on earth. And also I guess that it's exciting to see somewhere you've lived in a movie or tv show and be able to see the shots and understand how it is from every dimension because you've not only been there, but been there frequently. For example, though you only get to see a bit of the building's corner in the film, I know that to the left of the construction is Takashima Times Square. Later on the girl looks out her hotel window and I know that it faces Shibuya/Harajuku.
I don't tend to get that sense in American movies very much, probably because I don't live in New York or LA (or Miami if we're talking TV), but even M. Night Shamalyan movies (some of which have had my relatives in the background of shots) aren't quite this exciting.
Also lately I've been thinking about how sound and smell are really closely linked to memory. The smell of kimchi, no matter where it is, will make me want my 한국사람 (and their cooking), as the smell of shouyu makes me homesick. If I listen to certain Tokyo Jihen songs, for a second, I'm transported back to when I first heard it, or when I listened to it the most...the acoustic little medley of "Marunouchi Sadistic" and "Kabuki-cho no Joou" will make me feel, at least for a split second, like I'm in Shinjuku or Shibuya. "Kenka Joutou" makes me feel like I'm riding the Yamanote-sen. And so on.
...and I instantly, intrinsically knew that it was Shinjuku eki, minami deguchi.
As the shot pans out, you can see a sign that confirms this, and then there's a shot of the character crossing the street (this was obviously a very recent film since that area is still under construction now and Japan is pretty efficient when it comes to 工事...well, at least, when it comes to construction that's not going on outside a dorm at all hours of the night).
The point of this is that, even now, I know Tokyo more intimately than anywhere on earth. And also I guess that it's exciting to see somewhere you've lived in a movie or tv show and be able to see the shots and understand how it is from every dimension because you've not only been there, but been there frequently. For example, though you only get to see a bit of the building's corner in the film, I know that to the left of the construction is Takashima Times Square. Later on the girl looks out her hotel window and I know that it faces Shibuya/Harajuku.
I don't tend to get that sense in American movies very much, probably because I don't live in New York or LA (or Miami if we're talking TV), but even M. Night Shamalyan movies (some of which have had my relatives in the background of shots) aren't quite this exciting.
Also lately I've been thinking about how sound and smell are really closely linked to memory. The smell of kimchi, no matter where it is, will make me want my 한국사람 (and their cooking), as the smell of shouyu makes me homesick. If I listen to certain Tokyo Jihen songs, for a second, I'm transported back to when I first heard it, or when I listened to it the most...the acoustic little medley of "Marunouchi Sadistic" and "Kabuki-cho no Joou" will make me feel, at least for a split second, like I'm in Shinjuku or Shibuya. "Kenka Joutou" makes me feel like I'm riding the Yamanote-sen. And so on.