Me & Alleys. A confession
I have "a thing" for alleys. I don't know why, but I find them fascinating places.
Maybe it's the way they seem to focus the mind down to an end point.
Or how they sometimes frame a slice of life at their end.
These were taken during a night walk in Motomachi around China Town late one night. All shot on with my trusty 35mm lens, f-stop below 3 and ISO 4000.
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Pigeons in winter
It is snow and winter at the streets. So little birds are living here. They are winter birds. It is pigeon. There are lots of them. They are living somewhere in there. So, now, you can see lots of them at the streets. Little birds are good and kind. They are jumping there, walking, doing their things.
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The epic Port Liner walk
A monorail connects downtown Kobe with its airport. The Port Liner is a 9km long, fully automated light rail running above street level for its entire length. I've wanted to walk it for a couple of years, and finally I had my chance.
With Mrs H safely delivered to the terminal and the car parked, I followed the monorail armed with my trusty Fujifilm X-T20 and a 35mm prime lens. The weather promised to be pleasantly cool and sunny, perfect for a few hours of walking and shooting.
Kobe Airport is built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay. It's a domestic hub, and you can turn up about 20 minutes before your flight and still catch it. There are decent amenities and a viewing platform that I might touch on in a future post.
The monorail runs out to Port Island, another artificial island with the lion's share of Kobe's docks. The road and foot bridge is close to 1km long, taking a lazy arch next to the docking station for Kawasaki's Hydrogen Road project. The walk offers stunning views of the docks and the mountains beyond.
Then the monorail veers left. We run past corporate headquarters, the home of Japan's Super Computer project and a zoo. This part of Port Island has an open, almost desolate feel.
Turning right, we're on our way to the main residential block. The walkway is still underneath the raised monorail, but things are about to change. The path rises and we come almost to the same level.
Then out into a park adorned with concrete structures imprinted with messages of peace from the cities Kobe is twinned with. Look a little closer, and those structures are revealed as light and ventilation wells for the car park beneath.
Around us are the city's General Hospital, medical research centers and homes. Look hard enough and you might see the Ikea's deep blue box.
We keep on, past more apartments and parklets, once more beneath the twin tracks of the monorail. Onwards to the final park and the bright red arches of Kobe Bridge.
Up we go, climbing high. On our left, the double-deck highway runs back and forth, cars and trucks roaring by. On our right is the monorail, running along its bridge, carefully styled to blend into the box structure beside it.
Now down to the Port Terminal. Navigating the complicated mass of structures and supports keeps Kobe's transport flying through the air. Dare to stop and you will feel it shuddering and shaking through the soles of your feet.
Another small park. There are so many of these escapes, both figurative and literal. Created and maintained as refuges should history repeat and an earthquake come calling.
Now we're in familiar territory. These streets are ones I pound regularly to get here and there. So familiar I barely pay attention until I arrive at the terminus for the Port Liner.
Just over 3 hours to walk here. 11km covered with all my diversions and back-tracking. It'll take less than 30 minutes to get back.
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