Modern Progress: Japan’s First Utility Wires Coming Down After 120 Years

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/8000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 360 —
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And The Angels Sang

unremarkable photo showing a remarkable situation

yesterday   昨日、やっと電気線なし！

Yesterday, for the first time in 120+ years, Niomon Street in Kyoto is not draped in utility wires.

日本初の電気街灯の位置場仁王門通り(京都市岡崎)は昨日やっと都市美化で120年ぶり電気線等が無くなりました。

The first electric-power generator in Japan was built just up the street
from where I live, around 1890. As such, the street in front of my place
became the first in all Japan to have electric streetlights. At the time, I'm sure the associated power lines were a source of pride as a symbol of
Japan's march toward modernity, but of course now they're just urban
blight, and urban blight that Japan has traditionally taken to extremes.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR at an effective 142mm — 1/350 sec, f/10, ISO 400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Eight Years Ago

八年前、電気線いっぱい






Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR at an effective 63mm — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 400 —
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Yuck

8 years ago — 八年前

The photo above appeared on my blog more than eight years ago, in
“It will be a traffic nightmare….. but I can’t wait!!”, when I found out about
the urban-beautification initiative that would bury the utility wires under the street. At the time, the view from my place was marred by 20+ utility wires:

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR at an effective 157mm — 1/80 sec, f/14, ISO 100 —
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Eight Years Ago

八年前、電気線いっぱい








Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR at an effective 27mm — 1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 —
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Part of the Construction

Eight years ago

八年前、都市美化は始まりました

Unfortunately, the construction eight years ago to bury pipes and such
merely paved the way for the removal of the utility wires, but the wires
and the utility poles didn't actually get removed.

結局、八年前の工事は準備だけでして、電気線や電子柱も残りました。

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500 —
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Ugly Utility Poles in the Sidewalk

four years ago, from this blog post

四年前、醜い電子柱は残りました








Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 640 —
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Right in the Way!

邪魔！

It's difficult to imagine just how ridiculously in-the-way these utility poles are. Check out this photo from
a post four years ago showing Anthony on the way to a haircut:

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 —
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めっちゃ邪魔、電子柱さん

Every few years a few of the wires would come down, but it was slow progress. Just a year ago it was still pretty much the status quo.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
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One Year Ago

一年前でも、ほとんどのワイヤはまだ残りました。








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/11, ISO 1100 —
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Same Pole as in “Yuck” Above

a year ago

But finally they've been coming down more quickly!

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/640 sec, f/5, ISO 100 —
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Same Pole as in “Yuck” Above

two weeks ago

二週間前、ほとんどなくなりました！








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Much Cleaner

wire-wise, at least, but the ugly in-the-way utility pole is just to my back in this shot

邪魔な電子柱は残ってるけれども、ワイヤはほとんど奇麗になりました、二週間前

As nice as it is to get down to just one wire, the difference between 1 and 0 is substantial, a point brought home in spectacularly clear
fashion a couple of weeks ago as I walked to the
Higashiyama Lightup. Jingu Street had apparently just had all its wires taken down,
and though I'm sure the following photo doesn't show it, it felt surreal to walk down it sans wires. It felt as if I was on a movie set.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2800 —
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Surreal

Jingu Street sans wires, two weeks ago

二週間前の神宮道、ワイヤ無しでシュルレアリスムな感じ。撮影所みたい。

Later that evening I noticed that all the wires and poles were down in
one of the more quaint areas of Kyoto, as illustrated by two photos
starting here. It was wonderful.

So finally, as of yesterday, all the wires strung in front of my place
are down. The utility poles are still there, just as in the photo of Jingu
Street above, but hopefully they'll be down soon as well.

And in other in-my-neighborhood news, cherry blossoms have started to bloom.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/8000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 500 —
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Shirakawa River

yesterday

白川の桜は開花始まりまし