I found a cup of tea in a window of the Prince Hotel
July 31, 2013 6:36 PM Subscribe
You might want to check out this video primer first, just to get the idea, or you might just want to dive in and zoom, zoom, zoom into the Tokyo Tower Gigapixel Panorama
Judging by the long shadows, I would guess it's an early weekend morning.
posted by Celsius1414 at 6:47 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Celsius1414 at 6:47 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
There's someone checking out a cell-phone in front of the Meat Sauce Pasta store. A little ways past the tennis court.
posted by mittens at 6:48 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mittens at 6:48 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
no kittens
posted by shockingbluamp at 6:49 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by shockingbluamp at 6:49 PM on July 31, 2013
In a city of 13 million I've found about 13 people.
This is crazy. I'm sure the NSA wants to hire this guy though.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:50 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is crazy. I'm sure the NSA wants to hire this guy though.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:50 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
WASD, press SPACE to stomp, left click to punch, right click for atomic fire breath.
posted by Artw at 6:51 PM on July 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:51 PM on July 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
Holy mackerel. I zoomed in on 2 people in a restaurant high up in a building and can see all the food on their table.
posted by jquinby at 6:54 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by jquinby at 6:54 PM on July 31, 2013
If the circular park is at the bottom left corner of your screen, then right between 12 and 1 o'clock, there's a white building (about one set of buildings back from the highway) whose top is completely blurred out. I wonder what it was? A sign? A camera glitch?
posted by mittens at 6:55 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by mittens at 6:55 PM on July 31, 2013
Everyone's at the combination running track and miniature train ride.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 6:58 PM on July 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 6:58 PM on July 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
I will make it my mission in life to find people in this photo having sex just so I can call it porn.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:00 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by cjorgensen at 7:00 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
cjorgensen, I found only two windows of the Prince Hotel with people in them: both single, white shirted guys, back to the camera, just sitting there. Disappointing, I know. A few windows where beds were visible, but alas... empty beds.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:04 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:04 PM on July 31, 2013
I hunted balconies for ten minutes, hundreds of them, all unpopulated. It was starting to freak me out. But you can see a few faces in the cars on the freeway, and on the streets in the lower/closer bands of the picture.
This picture is fantastic. Physical interactions with physically rendered images cannot do this kind of thing. It is amazing to me that the web is still amazing to me sometimes (eg: now).
posted by damehex at 7:11 PM on July 31, 2013
This picture is fantastic. Physical interactions with physically rendered images cannot do this kind of thing. It is amazing to me that the web is still amazing to me sometimes (eg: now).
posted by damehex at 7:11 PM on July 31, 2013
The unfortunate thing about this, IMO, is that it's shot from Tokyo Tower. The area with the most detail, therefore, the immediate surroundings, are not the most visually interesting Tokyo has to offer. Doing this from the new Sky Tree would be much better, I think, because there aren't so many tall buildings around there, and you'd get a much more varied view of Tokyo. You'd see so much more of low-rise Tokyo: houses, residential neighborhoods, where you'd find a lot more people and a lot more interesting zoomable detail. The area around Tokyo Tower is kinda boring, truth be told.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:17 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:17 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
The camera seems to stop at walls and windows ... but I am going to try and zoom inside as soon as I find an open window! The zoom function seems to know when it's hit a solid surface.
I see a fair number of people though ... look on the roof of the building covered in green tarp, or in the park. I found one street with early morning shoppers on it.
No porn though. Still looking ...
posted by kanewai at 7:19 PM on July 31, 2013
I see a fair number of people though ... look on the roof of the building covered in green tarp, or in the park. I found one street with early morning shoppers on it.
No porn though. Still looking ...
posted by kanewai at 7:19 PM on July 31, 2013
By the way, you can use Shift to zoom in, Ctrl to zoom out, and arrow keys to pan. This is really cool.
posted by archagon at 7:36 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by archagon at 7:36 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
I sent this to my brother and he sent back a screenshot with a red arrow pointing out the exact apartment he and my sister-in-law lived in for 3 months when they went to Japan to adopt my niece.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:59 PM on July 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:59 PM on July 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
There's a ton of people in the white and blue hotel. A couple of beds with people sleeping. Other people drinking and talking. I'd bet it's a summer weekday, to be honest. Everyone is at work, inside, and it explains the people practicing at the schools.
Never opening my curtains again.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:31 PM on July 31, 2013
Never opening my curtains again.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:31 PM on July 31, 2013
Duh, shot in September 2012... right at the bottom of the picture.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:32 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by Ghidorah at 8:32 PM on July 31, 2013
"Enhance."
posted by justkevin at 8:35 PM on July 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by justkevin at 8:35 PM on July 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
Just thinking, a really fun easter egg would be to have, say, after a certain number of windows looked into, somehow the picture is altered, and every window after that has faces staring out at you, with accusatory looks. After, say, ten or so more, if you keep looking, the last window has Sadako standing there, and the picture just autoscrolls all the way in until the whole of your screen is just her eye, glaring out at you from your computer.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:36 PM on July 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 8:36 PM on July 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
Celsius1414: "Judging by the long shadows, I would guess it's an early weekend morning."
There's clearly students in the schools. I'd say it's midday, so people are mostly at work.
posted by pwnguin at 9:01 PM on July 31, 2013
There's clearly students in the schools. I'd say it's midday, so people are mostly at work.
posted by pwnguin at 9:01 PM on July 31, 2013
Aww crap, there's also a stage on the running track, maybe they're having a weekend festival.
posted by pwnguin at 9:15 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by pwnguin at 9:15 PM on July 31, 2013
"Enhance."
Reminds me of Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA pen work, the ordered lines and organic geometries of the city's architecture.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:27 PM on July 31, 2013
Reminds me of Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA pen work, the ordered lines and organic geometries of the city's architecture.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:27 PM on July 31, 2013
The Prince Hotel has two dog statues in its rooftop garden.
posted by moonmilk at 9:48 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by moonmilk at 9:48 PM on July 31, 2013
(I opened up Google Maps and Google Earth and spent a lot of time trying to match up the map with the view from Tokyo Tower so I could find out where those dog statues were. Then I noticed the ten foot high letters that spelled out PRINCE HOTEL.)
posted by moonmilk at 9:52 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by moonmilk at 9:52 PM on July 31, 2013
I found a cop trying to untangle his radio from a snarl of cables. He's got his hands in the air like he just don't care.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:55 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:55 PM on July 31, 2013
I can see my house from here!
Actually I haven't found it yet but it's only a matter of time.
posted by 23 at 10:59 PM on July 31, 2013
Actually I haven't found it yet but it's only a matter of time.
posted by 23 at 10:59 PM on July 31, 2013
Oop, got it. If you can see a kangaroo you have the right place.
posted by 23 at 11:01 PM on July 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by 23 at 11:01 PM on July 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
... I actually forgot I put a futon clamp outside that window. Oh.
Oh wait, that's the neighbors.
posted by 23 at 11:03 PM on July 31, 2013
Oh wait, that's the neighbors.
posted by 23 at 11:03 PM on July 31, 2013
I can see my house from here!
23! I *knew* you were Jesus!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:11 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
23! I *knew* you were Jesus!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:11 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
Holy shit you guys, I think I just saw Anthony Weiner's penis! It really DOES show up anywhere you look for it!
posted by GoingToShopping at 2:15 AM on August 1, 2013
posted by GoingToShopping at 2:15 AM on August 1, 2013
Metafilter: If you can see a kangaroo you have the right place.
posted by GoingToShopping at 2:19 AM on August 1, 2013
posted by GoingToShopping at 2:19 AM on August 1, 2013
I've been looking at the Park Hyatt Tokyo for hours, and I still haven't found Scarlett Johansson sitting in any of the windows. Guess she finally got to go home.
OK, I tried, but I couldn't find it. Maybe behind other buildings? Or lost in the haze?
posted by dhartung at 4:16 AM on August 1, 2013
OK, I tried, but I couldn't find it. Maybe behind other buildings? Or lost in the haze?
posted by dhartung at 4:16 AM on August 1, 2013
I kept mistaken the tombstones in Japan's tiny graveyards for people until I zoom in.
There is a man in a maroon tie with his sleeves rolled up standing behind the Rheon building ("In the several thousand year history of mankind, man has been creating his own culture in the palm of his hand through the shaping and forming of his food. This has not only produced a convenient shape to facilitate eating, but has also resulted in the food tasting better, a large step forward towards civilization.")
posted by Redfield at 4:37 AM on August 1, 2013
There is a man in a maroon tie with his sleeves rolled up standing behind the Rheon building ("In the several thousand year history of mankind, man has been creating his own culture in the palm of his hand through the shaping and forming of his food. This has not only produced a convenient shape to facilitate eating, but has also resulted in the food tasting better, a large step forward towards civilization.")
posted by Redfield at 4:37 AM on August 1, 2013
Japanese Ice Cream Man! One of the signs on the back of his truck says "Chocolate Vanilla?" I kind of want some ice cream.
posted by Redfield at 4:40 AM on August 1, 2013
posted by Redfield at 4:40 AM on August 1, 2013
I found Waldo.
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 5:50 AM on August 1, 2013
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 5:50 AM on August 1, 2013
I think you mean "Warudo".
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:53 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:53 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
OK, I tried, but I couldn't find it. Maybe behind other buildings? Or lost in the haze?
This is very disorienting but I think it's behind other, closer, taller buildings. If you can find the cocoon you are very close.
http://goo.gl/maps/TdBSN
posted by ftm at 6:38 AM on August 1, 2013
This is very disorienting but I think it's behind other, closer, taller buildings. If you can find the cocoon you are very close.
http://goo.gl/maps/TdBSN
posted by ftm at 6:38 AM on August 1, 2013
I was having fun until I found a woman with hair covering her face standing in a window. Now she is showing up in all my applications....
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:14 AM on August 1, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:14 AM on August 1, 2013 [5 favorites]
What was that video from a few weeks ago that explained the word for that feeling you get when you realize that everyone around you has an equally complex life as you.
Yeah, that.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:32 AM on August 1, 2013
Yeah, that.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:32 AM on August 1, 2013
From the video, the pictures is composed of 8000 separate pictures taken during a period of several hours. This means that some people could show up in it more than once.
posted by beagle at 11:42 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by beagle at 11:42 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Found an example (see previous comment) — to the right of the circular park is a green building. Swing down from there to the bit of street showing. You will see the same Toyota Prius three times, one right behind the other. It's the same Prius, because each one has the same license plate: 71-65. (Also, directly below the temple complex you will find just the hood of a car driving along.)
posted by beagle at 11:53 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by beagle at 11:53 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by cjorgensen at 6:45 PM on July 31, 2013 [1 favorite]