Shinjuku at Night II

To walk to Memory Lane from Shinjuku station east exit, you need to walk under the JR tracks. I was lucky this night, as a young man was playing an acoustic guitar and singing. This underpass feels like the transfer passages of the New York City subway. The overhead steel I-beams rumble and shake as each train passes. The walls have been painted, layer over layer, year after year, probably for more than fifty years. The caged florescent lighting casts a jaundiced glow over the walkers and players.

This is the major pedestrian passage to the other side of the train tracks, so an endless variety of people pass through. At one point, when I was taking photographs, a salaryman stopped to have a chat with the musician. From what I can gather, they discussed his repertoire of tunes. The man made a request, then waited and listened, impressed.

Most street musicians create CDs to sell when they play in public. Most are very good on the street, so I try buy the CD. I used to do the same in New York City. Unfortunately, musicians are not allowed to play in the Tokyo subway stations, so they play outside. Some neighborhoods have a regular stream of musicians stopping to play their instruments -- Yurakucho, Ikebukuro, and Shinjuku are three good ones. And I have yet to see the same player twice.