Tag Archives: Tokyo

747s Might Be Fading But Thai Is Still Playing

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The passenger 747 fleet is something that is shrinking fast.  US operators have retired theirs but other operators still have fleets in use, some of which (like British Airways) are still fairly large.  However, they are definitely not as common a sight as they used to be and seeing one from a different operator is a nice surprise.  At Haneda I saw a couple of operators.  A Qantas jet was parked on the far side of the field and, while visible, wasn’t much of a shot.  However, a Thai Airways jet was on the gate when I arrived so it seemed like there was a fair chance it would move before I overheated and gave up.

It took a while but eventually it did push back and taxi for the runway I was watching.  It then sat at the hold for what seemed like a ridiculously long time.  It probably wasn’t that long but I was wilting in the heat and begging it to move.  Finally it did line up and got off the ground pretty quickly.  I guess the run to Thailand is not a long one so it wouldn’t have been very heavy.  I wonder whether I shall ever see one of these again?

Japanese Coast Guard Gulfstream

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A morning at Haneda provided a few planes to shoot but the temperature was really oppressive so I didn’t hang around too long.  A Gulfstream turned on to the runway for departure and I almost didn’t bother going in to the sun to shoot it.  However, habit got the better of me and I was glad I did.  It wasn’t a normal Gulfstream but one from the Japanese Coast Guard.  It included a large radome under the front fuselage.  I hadn’t seen one like this before.

Plenty of 200ERs But the 300ERs Avoid Me

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While I enjoyed my visit to Haneda earlier this year, I was a little frustrated by one thing.  Regular readers will know of my interest in trying to capture the articulated gear feature of the 777-300ER.  Haneda provided a great opportunity to photograph this as the departing planes were rotating almost directly in front of me.  It is also an airport that gets plenty of 777s.  Unfortunately, all of the ones that came my way were 200ERs.  There were 300ERs departing too but they all went off the parallel runway on the opposite side of the terminal to me.  I could only see them once airborne and backlit.  Someone in air traffic must have been trying to thwart me!

Radio Mast In Tokyo

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While I was staying in the same hotel as last time during my recent visit to Tokyo, I was on the opposite side of the hotel.  This gave me a view across to a large radio mast a couple of kilometers north of Minato.  In the early evening, the mast picked up the setting sun quite well.  Once things had got dark, it was well illuminated and hard to miss!

Starflyer

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Have you ever heard of an airline called Starflyer before?  If you have, you are one up on me.  I saw these guys at Haneda in Tokyo.  I didn’t know anything about them but the black livery they apply to their A320s does make them stand out from the crowd.  A few of the planes came in and out while I was there.  I guess now I know!

Soviet Looking Tower Architecture

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There are a number of high towers in Tokyo.  I saw one as I was walking to Shinjuku that seemed rather out of keeping.  Most have either a futuristic look or just look like a radio tower.  This one was a very large, square, concrete structure.  It looked like the sort of thing you might expect to see in Soviet era Moscow rather than Tokyo.  A strange looking building.

Palace Sightseeing is No Fun When It’s Hot

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On my first visit to Tokyo, a few years ago, I made a brief visit to the park around the Imperial Palace.  I decided to take another look during my first visit this year.  However, while I knew it was going to be hot (it had been incredibly hot and humid all week) but the exposed area around the palace combined with the beating sun meant it was pretty uncomfortable.  There were still plenty of tourists though.

I walked along one side of the palace grounds near the main entrance and then along the moat to some of the more famous viewing locations.  I got a few shots as I walked along but it is fair to say I was not totally in to it.  After I had got a bit further on, the heat was really getting to me and the desire to be back in the shade overtook any desire to explore further.  There was a running club finishing their run which seemed amazing to me as I could hardly handle walking.  Time to retreat.

Gardens by Day and Night

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The hotel I have used on my recent visits to Tokyo is one of a group of hotels in one location.  Between each of the buildings is a garden.  It is a peaceful place to hang out (even when it was as hot and humid as it was when I was first there) and it has temples, bells, a lake and lots of places to rest and contemplate.  In the evening, it is subtly illuminated providing a very different feel compared to how it is during the day.

On some occasions, music was piped in.  One evening there was a guy playing some sort of flute as he wandered around the garden.  I assume he was hired to do so rather than just showing up and playing but you never know.  He was fighting the noise of the cicadas when it was hot!

Back Streets

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Part of my exploration of Tokyo involved wandering around some back streets.  The city felt so safe, I wanted to see what was going on away from the main activity.  The streets were a maze of routes to get around which is hardly surprising given the age of the city.  Lots of little shops, bars and homes were tucked away, hardly any great distance from big office buildings.  The contrast was quite obvious.  People were about but it wasn’t busy.  Seeing them on their way at least made me aware that these parts of the city were not devoid of life.