Lava rocks topped with creamy mist... Apocalypse landscape lost in the Nagano prefecture. Welcome to onioshidashi stone magma park, born from the eruption of Mount Asama in the XVIII Century.

Apocalypse now

I let you appreciate the stunning mix between the green and the black...

New planet

Still so many eerie landscapes to discover in the archipelago...

One billion pictures later. Sorting. Comparing. Croping. Editing, editing, editing. And finally here there are : my best shots of New York City. Enjoy, dream, and go!!

As long as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with the Eastern world. I travelled to Canada with my class when I was in high school, but except the striking beauty of the deep snow covering the immensity, and the fun to be abroad, I can't remember nothing but the feeling not to be at the right place. No public transportation enough. Too much emptiness. Insanely large roads leading to insanely large malls and insanely large campus. Driving your car all day long as the only way to survive. Obviously I had not been shown the sides of the country I would love desperately, and my appetite for travelling has no borders, so nothing is written forever; but at first sight, America is not my continent.

But New-York is not America. New-York is the world.

Landing in NYC - Welcome to the world

It was a clear, sunny morning when I arrived on Manhattan by the North, from the emptiness of the Canadian lands. Little by little the neverending mountains and lakes turned into woods and then, civilization. Giant surburbs. Neverending cities. We were asked to fasten our seatbelts and to prepare for landing; then I saw it by the window : the dark square of Central Park, and behind, the familiar skyline of New-York City. And there on the right, twinkling on the sea, the pale green spot of the Statue of Liberty. Everything was looking so huge, and so tiny.

Emotion

This strip has been special in many ways : first time in the USA, reunion with my parents after a 8-month separation, and last but not least, meeting in real my keyboard-friend Sonyan, the great blogger I had been following for so long. It's not too hard to imagine how excited I was when I left Japan.

First thing to do after dropping our luggage : rushing to Time Square. Time Square, the crossroads of the world.

Time Square

Best photo-bombing ever... great shot by Sonyan

Time Square, or the depth of emptiness. Giant advertising boards. Lost in translation foreigners. Greedy cosplayers scaming tourists. Meaningless shopping. Power waste. Noise. So why does it feel so fantastic? Well, maybe because you stand at the center of the world, at the peak of our era. Fascinating... 

This is the city of dreams. Every single pieace of it looks familiar. You've been walking there in your teenage daydreaming, you've been visiting the city again and again through your movies, your dramas, your books. You didn't know it, but somehow you partly belong here. It's yours. And you share it with everyone around.

Manhattan

For someone living in Japan, the verticality of NY buildings is not so shocking - I've been far more impressed by Hong-Kong thin needle-skyscrappers. But they're not only high : they're large. Massive. There is no space enough on the Japanese ground to allow the building of these heavy, giant-size concrete monsters. I felt like a little mouse between the legs of square-shaped mammoths.

Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Tower is the star of NYC. There is no prettier building around. Elegant and slim, it's your number one navigation support in Manhattan.

Empire State Building

Less beautiful, but not less legendary. And this view from its top!! Suddenly I understand why King-Kong felt the need to climb on it. It feels high and safe, and provides the best view ever on the city. Don't try to sell me the Rockfeller Center : the view is great but we can't watch in all the directions and the Chrysler tower is hidden by a stupid building... Trust the King, follow the Kong.

Rockfeller Center

OK ok, I confess: the Rock offers the best view ever on the Empire State!

Central Park

Parks are relaxing, parks are peaceful, parks are harmony ; parks are absolutely necessary to survive for anyone who lives in a big city, but parks are not supposed to be exciting. Central Park is an exception. Its is so exciting to be there. Not only the landscape is gorgeous and provides various atmospheres, but there is something special in sharing the same garden with every single citizen and visitor of NYC. This is not a park among others, this is not any square of green : this is THE Park.

Magnificent, relaxing, heartwarming Central Park. The place is huge, but you can always spot the top of a building indicating the limit of the oasis. It feel so great that the center of the city is a park. Not a church, not the city hall, but a cool, green, breathing park.

Playing the mermaid with Hans Christian Andersen.

Brooklyn Bridge

Crossing Brooklyn Bridge by foot is an amazing experience : stunning view on the skyline, stunning view on the Manhattan Bridge... And it doesn't cost a cent! Maybe my best memory of NYC.

Brooklyn

Charming, peaceful, trendy Brooklyn streets.

credit photo : Sonyan

Little Italy VS Little China

A few touristic restaurants apart, there is nothing left of the old Little Italy. One has to use her imagination to find on these streets the remains of the Gangs of NY. Instead, some made-in-China products "shops" invaded the area. Two different pages of History.

Flying tramway to Roosevelt Island

Let's fly between the buildings! For the price of a subway ticket, the city ropeway leads you to the Eastern island of the City.

Upper East Side

The place to be for every gossip girl. It looks insanely expensive, and posh, and cold. Not a single supermarket around. But pretty tulips on the road...

West Side

Almost as ridiculously unaffordable as Upper East Side... if it wasn't for the the small shops and cafes. Beautiful and lively area.

Harlem

Our shelter, our home in NYC! Harlem is just as safe and touristic as the rest of Manhattan now. Fans of Black-American culture, this is the place to stay.

Statue of Liberty Boat Cruise

A long time ago, some of our European ancestors came here, hoping for a new life, craving for Liberty. They left everything behind. They risked their lives crossing a pityless ocean on archaic, unsafe boats. They had to take healthchecks and to undergo uncertain administrative procedures. The whole thing was a nightmare, but it was the price to pay to contemplate this. Liberty enlightening the world. The gift of France to the youngest nation of History. It was so moving to stand there, in 2014, from the deck of a touristic boat.

 Don't hesitate to go and see by yourself if you got the chance...