One of the signboards explaining some of the history of the Takanawa area.

There are many temples in the Takanawa, Shinagawa area.

One of the older buildings in the hotel grounds, it is now used as a restaurant.

Even the Police cars get dressed up at New Year.

At this crossing there is a Police Station and Fire Station on opposite corners. A busy place indeed.

The Fire Station has been in this location for many years. Back when it was first built, the tower lookout was used to survey the area. Now the view is obscured and it is left as a historical piece.

Closeup of the Tower on top of the Fire Station.

Looks like a public bath house or onsen tower here.

Another small temple and its house.

A blend of the old with the new.

This map shows the old water/land line of Shinagawa before much of the landfill projects commenced. The shape was quite different back then.

Watch out for kids running into the street here.

Decorative ornaments for New Year. (kadomatsu)

There are many well known hills in Tokyo, Akasaka, Miyamasuzaka, Dogenzaka, Nogizaka etc. Seems everywhere you go a place named after a hill exists. Here is the well known Isaragozaka area.

Automatic lift parking like this is very popular when space is tight.

You can often find police boxes (koban) on the first floor of apartment buildings, if there is an embassy close by.

Koguku no Kagaku society. Nice building. I think their society is centered around the science of laughter !

One of the shops at the entrance to the temple.

Sengakuji, a very well known temple in the area where the 47 Ronin are said to be buried.

Entrance to the temple.

The main temple at Sengakuji

Incense burning allowing us to cleanse ourselves with the smoke ^^.

Some lanterns from a restaurant nearby Sengakuji.

Outside the toilets at the local station, the names of the 47 Ronin.

Careful not to rush into the train here.

Train approaching the station here at Sengakuji.

Blue and red color coding helping drivers remember which way to go.

Left (blue) for the Tomei Highway, right (red) for the Inner City Highway route. These colors were also followed through on the road below to help drivers steer their course.

It was raining outside, but inside the tunnel the weather was fine and quite warm.

At ground level the road looked really clean.

Inside the tunnel it looked as if Disneyland had been set up.

Looking back down the Yamate Tunnel towards the entrance.

Some of the illuminated archways people could walk through.

The colors on the arches changed every few seconds.

A display of lights also was shown on the roof of the tunnel.

Inside the tunnel it seemed like a Christmas illumination show at times.

Plenty of people were taking a look at the many rescue trucks on display.

There were various demonstrations being given. This one was showing people how to use the tunnels manual fire hose systems.

As the tunnel curves around it gets quite wide.

The sliding fire escape door which leads to the emergency stairs.

Bumped in to @lhuga and her crew whilst in the tunnel.

The tunnel splits between heading for the Tomei Highway and the Inner City Highway.

Up ahead you can see the existing highway where the tunnel traffic can merge onto.

A good opportunity here for people to get a souvenir photo in front of the official sign.

Looks like we have a broken down vehicle in the left lane here.

Nice large crash barrier looking very clean. Lets hope no one needs to use this.

Getting the chance to ride in the fire truck had many people lining up. This was probably the most popular attraction.

Let's hope that not too many people need the fire truck called out to them when they are in the tunnel.

A few uniforms waiting for the next group to try them on.

Displays by the fire crew allowed you to sit in the fire truck and also try on some of their protective clothing.

Fire Chief at your service.

Ambulance on standby

The Love Tokyo sticker on this fire truck looks great.

One of the many patrol cars.

This Mazda 8 police car was getting quite a lot of attention by people.

A police bike gets checked out.

The Tokyo Smart Driver sticker looks good here.

The Tokyo Rescue logo on the fire and rescue truck.

These bikes are special patrol bikes for checking close up what is happening on the route. These are not police opearted by the police but by the Highway company.

A very colorful display set up in the middle of the tunnel.

Walking back down the tunnel passing through the illuminations.

There was a video racing game set up for the kids with the screen projected on to the tunnel wall. The sound of the racing cars echoed through the tunnel which was a nice effect.

The 3km walking course set up inside the tunnel.

Mr ETC made an appearance in plastic form. I hadn't seen this character before except on TV.

Lots of photos being taken of this Highway character. Not sure why he has the mask on. Maybe to cut down on the exhaust fumes?

A closer look at the Highway character. Like his hat.

Nice clear signs above and color coded markings on the road make it easy for drivers to see which lane they should be in at an early stage.

Some of the pictures taken during the construction phase had been projected onto the tunnel wall in black and white. Nice effect.

The construction calendar shows the progress points for the Ohashi Junction work.

A scale model of the Ohashi Junction and highway.

A closer look at the calendar showing construction progress, including some pictures of the various stages completed.

Displays on the tunnel wall showed what type of equipment had been used to help construct the tunnel. This picture shows the large cutting shield machine, which weighs the equivalent of 11 jumbo jets!

One of the components that make up the huge cutting machine which carved the tunnel.

A few folks getting a closer look at the cutting machine.

A school orchestra provided some music and entertainment inside the tunnel during the day.

The children's orchestra gets ready to play. The Omedeto sign is missing a character in the middle. Also, I thought it was o-me-de-to-u, not o-me-de-to-o, but then realised that these signs are printed on both sides for people to read walking in both directions.

One of the many sensors in the tunnel to look for any sign of trouble.

The cable and box running to the machine that checks for the sign of any changes in the tunnels structure.

The tunnel looks a little narrow here, but once you get further down it widens out quite a bit.

These devices help to send back signals showing whether the road is crowded or not. That information is then used in the VICS road reports which can tell you in advance whether to take a different route.

Breakdowns can be called in from these phones that are places along the way.

Can you make out what kanji sign I have the camera sitting on top of?

SOS calls can be made through this phone.

Plate marks are set along the route, Shibuya A - 28

Loads of red on display and a few face masks in the crowd as well.

Just another day walking to school through the Yamate Tunnel. Well for today only

At times the traffic in the tunnel was getting quite crowded just with pedestrians. Once the cars roll threw it will be a different scene.

Everyone was keeping to the main asphalt track and not crashing in to the cones or wall.

Recognize anyone in the photo here. Strange who you bump into in the Tokyo tunnels.

I liked the image of the child running down the road while everyone else is getting into their lane.

A very clear sign here.

A little bit of traffic crossing the sign. Straighten up guys!

Looks like these guys didn't notice the direction of the arrow.

A look across the water to the T.Y Brewery and restaurant.

Bright pink bus taking people to the Aeon Jusco store at Shinagawa Seaside.

You can see the Rakusuibashi with its lime green color as well as an interesting mix of buildings in the background. Some old, some new, some apartments, some business.

Very colorful manhole cover courtesy of the fire department.

Looking South towards Haneda and Yokohama.

T.Y. Harbor Brewery. A great place to eat and drink.

The equipment on the barge had some really bright colors. The contrast of the rusty looking barge was great.

Buildings crowded in on either side of the water.

These steel pipes with concrete wheels were in the water. I am not sure what they were used for, but they shone well in the sunlight when I took this photo. The water took on a very deep blue color and the reflection of the building in the top right was fantastic.

Another look at the steel and concrete objects in the water. I couldn't lean far enough over the rail to get the exact view I wanted. Kept thinking I was going to drop the camera in the water.

Lots of people out walking their dogs in this area. If you have a dog in Japan you can expect complete strangers to come up and be very friendly talking to you. It is probably one of the best ways to get to know people in your neighborhood. A great conversation opener.

Liked these wavy lines in the park next to the water. Very warm and inviting.

Some colorful boats tethered to the barge, ready for some time of work in the area.

Colorful outfits on these dogs helping them to keep warm.

The Fureai Bridge, about to cross over from Shinagawa to Tennozu Isle.

The baseball game just about to finish up, both teams say thanks to the coaches and umpires.

North, South, East or West.

The gates open here to let boats in, but can be shut in case of flood or tidal warnings to protect the inner waterways of Tokyo.

Not a big fan of this architecture at the Shinagawa City Towers building. This complex is quite new, but is far from the station.

Bird of Shinagawa-ku, Yurikamome.

The Fureai Bridge. We have now crossed to Tennozu Isle.

The address post outside the T.Y. Brewery. In Japan addresses normally are stated in blocks of land. This address is in the Shinagawa Ward (Shinagawa-ku) and is East Shinagawa, 2-chome, 1-ban

Restaurant and Floating Bar at the T.Y. Brewery, Tennozu Isle.

Looking back towards Shinagawa from Tennozu Isle, you can see the main SONY building.

Getting off at Osaki to walk towards Shinagawa. With the Station on my left, the road here goes dips down under this walkway. Nice and close, big city feel.

They had some interesting spinning balls on the walkway. Cool feature. I didn't see anyone else stop to take a look at them.

I like the view of the buildings through the trees over the water. My eye blurred the tree out a bit more than the camera. I wonder what f/ stop my eye was set on?

There are still quite a few old factories and buildings in the Osaki area. There were a few printing and dye companies around.

A mix of companies, factories and apartments all in the same area.

This Post Office looked really tiny. I wonder what the history behind its placement here was.

The Gotenyama Kindergarten celebrating its 52nd set of graduates.

The walk bridge to cross over the main road - Gotenyama walkbridge.

A bit of construction going on here. Looks like a big project.

The construction cuts through this small road. The houses at the top of this street look quite expensive.

A better look at the construction site. Lots of machinery at work in amongst the manual labor.

I turned around to take a break and see where I had come from here. It is always easy to find a tall building that you passed and then work out where you have come from.

Almost went passed this building without realizing it was the home of the Japan Hula Association.

A policebox (koban) tucked into the corner of the street. It has quite a bit of charm about it.

Mitsubishi Kaitoukaku, the old Iwasaki Estate. Lots of land, lots of history and only accessible if you ware a member of the Mitsubishi exclusive club.

Very nice wall here that runs around the Mitsubishi Kaitoukaku Estate.

Looking back towards Shinagawa down the Dai Ichi Keihin road.

The road on the left cuts back under the one on the right. You can see the Gotenyama Trust Towers in the background as well.

A Keihin train passing over the bridge.

The old Tokaido Route passed through here.

Walking the bridge of the old Tokaido Route.

A quick glimpse of the Keihin Tohoku Line under the bridge. Lots of rails here. Busy area for trains.

The Keihin Kyuko Line passes a level crossing as it heads towards Shinagawa Station.

The people seem to get very close to the train. I preferred to stand back a bit.

Keihin Kyuko leaving Shinagwa on its way South.

You can just see the Shinkansen passing through this area right next to the building on the left.

A look out across the railway lines back towards Shinagawa Station and the Takanawa Prince Hotel.

Venus Fort has changed itself into Tokyo's first outlet shopping mall. With the easy train access it should be a popular destination for shoppers.

Venus Fort looks busy today. Must be the sales at the new outlet stores that are attracting the crowds.

The rear view of the Fuji Television building. Almost became the LiveDoor Fuji TV building when Horie-san tried to buy the company a few years ago. What do you think of Internet companies trying to buy media outlets? The AOL / TimeWarner deal didn't seem to go so well. Do you think Google or Facebook could buy a large TV station? What might they gain by doing so?

Couples and families out taking in the view of Tokyo Bay and the Rainbow Bridge.

A boat makes its way peacefully through the water approaching the terminal at Odaiba.

Odaiba has its own mini Statue of Liberty. I think this was donated by France, after originally loaning Tokyo one of the originals. Can't remember the full story on this.

Two of the apartment buildings built back when Odaiba was set to be host a World Expo. A change of Tokyo local government canceled the Expo and the Odaiba area has slowly been trying to build up clientele ever since.

Joypolis game center and fun park, one of the big attractions at Odaiba.

Solar Bear sheds a tear for the environment.

Street theater and show time. Fun for all.

A mother and child walking down the gravel path. Lovely dress

A workmen keeps the gravel paths clear from leaves

Priests on hand for a wedding ceremony, very popular place on the weekends

The wedding party passes through the courtyard

The walk down the gravel pathway in the shade of the trees is very peaceful despite the crowd

Busy streets

歩行者天国　Hokousha-tengoku

Wako Building clock

Ginza West Go-Ban-Gai (5th Street)

Advertising for building tenants

Fire Extinguisher

Rubbish Collection

Sorry for the trouble

No Entry

Safety First

Safe Houses for children

Rainwater storage barrel for emergency water

Explanantion of water usage

Local noticeboard

Plenty of signs posted everywhere

Small police box

road sign

The ad on the left is for the Komeito party. The dog on the right is not running for Prime Minister, he is advertising a detective agency

The view looking up Koen-dori. Surprisingly not many people out today.

Docomo building at bottom of Koen-dori with Horikita Maki on her docomo phone.

Seibu department store - koen dori

Gap - Koen dori

Parco department store - Koen dori

Looking back down Koen-dori from Parco department store

Three Minutes Happiness - Amusement Variety Store, Koen dori

Tokyo Wonder Site cafe - Koen dori

Coffe & Donut, Koen dori

Shibuya kuyakusho - top of Koen dori

Clock in front of Shibuya kuyakusho

NHK building - top of Koen dori

Looking back down Koen dori from top

Tobacco & Salt Museum, Koen dori

Parco department store - Koen dori