In A Tale of Two Cities, Shaleen Ladha (a.k.a. “SL Snaps”) presents candid street photography in 14 sections that highlight the similarities and differences between the cities of New York and Tokyo. Starting with the artist’s work in Times Square and Shibuya Crossing, the exhibition expands to explore the energy of these vast metropolises. Through striking portraits and still-life images, the artist captures the similar density of the two cities while illustrating the beautiful dichotomy between the underlying calm of Tokyo and the relative chaos of New York City.
Shibuya Crossing – Shibuya, Tokyo
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The Shibuya Crosswalk is one of Tokyo’s most identifiable landmarks where as many as 2500 people can be seen crossing at once and approximately 500,000 a day. Located outside Shibuya Station, the famous scramble has been seen in movies and media including, “Lost in Translation” and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.”
Times Square – Midtown Manhattan, New York
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Similarly enough, New Yorks Time’s Square is a major tourist attraction with bright lights and swarms of people. The commercial intersection and retail hub is situated in Midtown Manhattan and draws in between 330,000 and 460,000 people daily.
Meiji Shrine – Shibuya, Tokyo
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Takoyaki is a popular Japanese snack made with wheat flour batter and cooked in a rounded pan. Although it can be filled with many different ingredients, the most common include octopus, tempura, pickled ginger and green onion.
Brookyln Bridge – Brookyln, New York
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Developed in Chiapas, Mexico a favourite snack for New Yorkers is diced mangos smothered in lime, chilli powder and salt. It can even be bought on the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Shibuya 109 – Shibuya, Tokyo
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Although available, taxi’s in Tokyo are generally expensive and an inefficient way to travel through districts. However, as trains and busses stop running at midnight this serves as the only means of transportation for long distances.
Financial District – Manhattan, New York
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Famously known in New York, the medallion yellow taxis are known to pick up passengers anywhere in the five boroughs. The taxi system began running in the late 1890’s and still is a popular choice of transportation among New Yorkers.
Ginza Six – Ginza, Tokyo
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Known as a luxury shopping area, entertainment district and filled with numerous boutique stores, galleries and nightclubs Ginza is a popular area for residents and tourists alike to walk around after work.
Greenwich Village - Lower Manhattan, New York
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Although less on the luxury side, the still famous “village” neighbourhood is known for its vibrancy in the residents it caters to. Catch anyone from college students to celebrities in this popular area. The historic Bleecker Street running west to east is now known for its night clubs, but once was referred to as the centre of American bohemia.
Shibuya Crossing – Shibuya, Tokyo
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Rules in Japanese culture are not to be broken, including jaywalking. Most Japanese people will happily wait at a crosswalk until they are given the signal to walk. This helps processes, which are something the Japanese people value run smoother especially in high traffic areas in Shibuya.
Times Square – Midtown Manhattan, New York
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In a city like New York, jaywalking has become a norm, even in front of law officials. Unless overly dangerous or disruptive to vehicles or other pedestrians, police officers will now ignore jaywalkers all around the city, including Times Square.
High Line – West Side Manhattan, New York
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Known to be the city that never sleeps, finding a place to meditate can be difficult in New York. However, The High Line, previously a railroad track is now a 1.45-mile-long elevated park that serves as a peaceful area for reflection, yoga, tai chi and even theatre.
Tsutaya – Daikanyama, Toyko
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Although a city like Tokyo can be busy nearly 24 hours a day, there are areas to relax and kick back. One of them being the upscale and trendy Tsutaya bookstores. Not only do they carry the latest print in every category, Tsutaya also rents movies, instruments, CD’s, DVD’s and even has a listening station with complimentary green tea as well as a backyard patio with a full service (including alcoholic beverages) Starbucks.
Dog Vintage Boutique – Harajuku, Tokyo
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Fashion in Tokyo is like nothing you’ve ever seen, but in the Harajuku district both males and females are known to push the societal norm with eclectic choices. This movement started in the late 1980’s and was originally to rebel against the pressures of fitting in with mainstream culture.
Williamsburg – Brooklyn, New York
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There is no shortage of individuality in New York either. Through fashion, art, music and the freedom of expression New Yorkers are known to be unique individuals and are fearless of societal judgement especially in the gentrified area of Williamsburg.