These pictures are from a workshop about fieldwork & mobile technology in Tokyo over two days in early November. Researchers from various parts of Europe, Japan, and the States discussed fieldwork issues together with people from Intel, Nokia, Orange, and NTT DoCoMo. From my part, USC's Mimi Ito was the driving froce with Keio U's Daisuke Okabe.
Workshop and Fieldwork Exercise*
Gate to Keio University's Mita Campus // Rich Ling talking // Daisuke Okabe and Mimi Ito // Ilpo's getting GPS'd // Ken studying a Motorola Phone ... and Ilpo, but see also my temperature and humidity sensor in the strap of my bag // fieldwork results // Ashley cutting pictures // setting up the "cambrian" system ... work continues .... paper cambrian ... but bugs exist in GPS
* In fieldwork, we were divided into groups of 3-5 people, and assigned various places in Tokyo to capture photos, video and sound with Motorola phones from NTT. We spent about 3-4 hours doing the exercise. These were sent to a server and late at night amassed into a "Cambrian wall" by Tokyo University's Shin Mizukoshi & his research students. I went to the Harajuku area with Intel's Ken Anderson and locals three researchers and doctoral studens, who explained things to us, protected us, and took lots of photos from us. The second part of my group, Shin, Christian Licoppe (ENST, Paris) and Intel's Ashley McCorkle went to the Akihabara electronics town while Ken and I explored teenager fashion in what must be the most fashion-conscious corner on earth. Three other groups, led by Keio's Fumitoshi Kato, Nokia's Jan Chipchase and Mimi and Daisuke, went to Shibuya. On the next day, we saw the results of the experiment, both "paper cambrians"and "web-ized" versions.
Related to Mobiles: Shibuya Crossing: Mimi Ito says in her book on Japanese mobile telephony that this crossing apparently has the largest mobile phone density in the world. Probably right! Unlike the first bird's eye pic, this one gives a more phenomenal feeling of how it feels like when a teaming mass of people meets you in the crossing.
Tsukiji Fish Market (ca. 50.000 people work there!): preparing for tuna auction ; view ; squid
Random Observations: Sony dictionary ; Love hotel ad ; seeing across the corner: this mirror helps you to drive to the street at Meiji Dori ; cover your shop with moss! (also a complex near to Prada shop at Omotesando has this); pretty good music goods selection... ; if there are enough pedestrians, you have to stack them to 4 floors: this is from Shibuya ; design weeks pop up everywhere (I saw one in Eindhoven just week before, and there was one in Paris about 3 weeks before. This pic is from Daikanyama) ; ubiquitous technology in Tokyo
Street scenic: Night shots from the Shinjuku area: 1; 2; 3; 4; preparing for Christmas (next to Mitsubishi HQ) ; graphic style differs from Europe. This is the stuff Blade Runner came from?
City scenic: From Tokyo Bay // From Ebisu towards Roppongi and Minato-ku (again, Blade Runner comes to mind)
