https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en A cinematic journey through the quiet beauty of Japan. en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/13/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/13/1 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT The filming location for the opening scene of Netflix's First Love, where teenage Yae greets a shopkeeper on her way to school. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/06/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/06/1 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT A night stroll through the illuminated National Treasure castle keep and the streets that retain the atmosphere of an old castle town https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/4 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/4 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT Hida-Kanayama, rumored to be the model for the world of SILENT HILL f — a walk through its silent streets and tangled kinkotsu lanes after dark. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/3 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/3 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT After the tourist crowds vanish, the black-walled streets of Kurokabe Square take on a different character — and the city's former red-light district comes quietly alive. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/2 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/2 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A night walk through Yokaichi Station's Honmachi shopping arcade — where a global denim destination coexists with the quiet charm of an old merchant street. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/05/1 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:00:00 GMT A night walk through Tsu's Daimon district and its remarkable Showa-era arcade — a place where the past hasn't quite let go. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/04/3 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/04/3 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:00:00 GMT A night walk through Matsusaka's downtown — from the station arcade to a former pleasure quarter and the retro back streets that still feel alive. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/04/2 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/04/2 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT On Halloween night, a walk through Wakayama's lively Arochi district and its vast, nostalgic covered shopping arcade. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/04/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/04/04/1 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT A night walk around Fukushima Station — weaving through neon-lit shopping streets and quiet back alleys that feel worlds away from nearby Umeda. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/02/26/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/02/26/1 Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:00:00 GMT A walk around Ina-shi Station on the JR Iida Line — photographing the snow-dusted streets and whatever else caught my eye. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/02/22/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/02/22/1 Sat, 21 Feb 2026 15:00:00 GMT A walk around Kofu Station — udon in the station building and a look at the festively lit statue of Takeda Shingen out front https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/02/07/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2026/02/07/1 Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:00:00 GMT I had no idea who to vote for, so I made a comparison matrix https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2024/1/2/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2024/1/2/1 Mon, 01 Jan 2024 15:00:00 GMT I walked through a shopping street with a fairly impressive arcade near the station in a city where temperatures can drop to -30 degrees Celsius in severe winter. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/31/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/31/1 Sat, 30 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT What machidori.ch felt when visiting and filming Tsunashima Station, and the atmosphere of the city visible in the filmed video, which may be helpful for people looking for a place to live. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/27/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/27/1 Tue, 26 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT The shopping street near the station has a good atmosphere but feels desolate and a bit sad. The population hasn't decreased much, so maybe it's because it became suburban? https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/19/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/19/1 Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT Walking through a city with a charm of an end-of-the-world atmosphere, with fog covering the easternmost city https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/10/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/10/1 Sat, 09 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT What machidori.ch felt when visiting and filming Komagome Station, and the atmosphere of the city visible in the filmed video, which may be helpful for people looking for a place to live. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/2/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/12/2/1 Fri, 01 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT What machidori.ch felt when visiting and filming Ageo Station, and the atmosphere of the city visible in the filmed video, which may be helpful for people looking for a place to live. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/29/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/29/1 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Chiba's entertainment district might not be what you'd expect — but this is what it looks like. Too many station names with "Chiba" around Chiba Station Around Chiba Station, there are too many statio https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/23/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/23/1 Wed, 22 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT machidori.ch asks for support for travel expenses for filming, equipment and material purchase costs, etc. to operate the YouTube channel https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/21/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/21/1 Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Walking from around Korakuen's Shiromi Chaya, passing through Omotecho Shopping Street, to around the South Clock Tower, while looking at Okayama Castle, famous for its black keep called "Crow Castle" https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/19/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/19/1 Sat, 18 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Introducing Wakkanai Central Arcade Shopping Street with eye-catching Russian signage, stretching west from Wakkanai Station, the northernmost station https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/18/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/18/1 Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Introducing Hokkancho Shopping Street on the west exit side of Okayama Station, an arcade shopping street that's disappearing from Japan https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/16/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/16/1 Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT When walking through Matsuyama, remembered because a certain prefectural governor in Tohoku was served jakoten and said it was "poor-looking" or didn't say it https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/14/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/14/1 Mon, 13 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Traveling through Hokkaido, moving from Obihiro to Kushiro - comparing them seems to show Japan's future https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/11/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/11/1 Fri, 10 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Recently, my love for drinking seems to have decreased, but a city still full of love for drunks - video introduction of walking through Hachinohe's city center https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/09/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/09/1 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Recently, my love for drinking seems to have decreased, but a city still full of love for drunks - video introduction of walking through Hachinohe's city center https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/06/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/06/1 Sun, 05 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT Walking from my alma mater Kobe Municipal Hibarigaoka Junior High School in the mountainous area of Kobe where I was born and raised to Kobe Electric Railway Hiyodorigoeshi Station https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/03/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/03/1 Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT A walking guide from Okayama Station to Okayama Castle (1.8km, about 20–30 min), plus why Okayama City is one of Japan's most appealing cities to visit or live in. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/02/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/11/02/1 Wed, 01 Nov 2023 15:00:00 GMT I changed jobs to a company in Nishi-Chiba, and I'm nothing but grateful that they would accept an old man of this age https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/10/30/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2023/10/30/1 Sun, 29 Oct 2023 15:00:00 GMT machidori.ch YouTube channel has passed 3 years, and channel subscribers have exceeded 26,000 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/11/08/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/11/08/1 Tue, 07 Nov 2017 15:00:00 GMT Walking through Kobe, the city where I lived from birth to age 18, from Maruyama, Nagata Ward to Hiyodorigoeshi for the first time in about 30 years https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/10/08/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/10/08/1 Sat, 07 Oct 2017 15:00:00 GMT Walking through Kobe, the city where I lived from birth to age 18, from Maruyama, Nagata Ward to Hiyodorigoeshi for the first time in about 30 years https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/09/21/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/09/21/1 Wed, 20 Sep 2017 15:00:00 GMT Walking through Kobe, the city where I lived from birth to age 18, from Maruyama, Nagata Ward to Hiyodorigoeshi for the first time in about 30 years https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/09/20/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2017/09/20/1 Tue, 19 Sep 2017 15:00:00 GMT Walking through Kobe's Maruyama district in Nagata Ward — the neighborhood where I lived until I was 18 — for the first time in about 30 years. https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2011/11/23/787_boeing_787 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2011/11/23/787_boeing_787 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:51:25 GMT A Boeing 787 departure was delayed at Okayama Airport on the way back to Tokyo, causing a crowd at the boarding gate https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2011/08/31/1 https://www.shigekitakeguchi.com/en/blog/2011/08/31/1 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:51:53 GMT A photo guide for walking from Okayama Station to Okayama Castle (1.8km, about 20–30 min). Covers Momotaro-dori, streetcar stops, Korakuen, and the castle's famous black keep.