Main Gate Stone Bridge in front of Imperial Palace
My next destination was the Main Gate Stone Bridge in front of the Imperial Palace.
You can find very traditional Japanese nature scenes in and around the Imperial Palace, scenes which are now a rarity in the city. And so every day there are many tourists from abroad, as it was on this day as well. The Stone Bridge that sits in front of the Imperial Palace’s Main Gate is breathtakingly beautiful.
Everio GZ-HM550 with GPS logger (Imperial Palace, The Stone Bridge)
Exact location marked with GPS logger!
By the way, since the GPS logger receives information from a satellite, it is important to constantly keep the top facing upwards. As for myself, I used a mobile phone strap that my colleague gave me, so that I can hang it from my neck. As long as there are no objects in the way, it is able to retrieve information from the GZ-HM550 within a 10m radius. I keep it around my neck for two reasons. First, so I won’t lose it, and second, because it actually feels like more an accessory. I recommend this to everyone.
Oldest tied arch bridge, the Eitai Bridge
And now as the sun sets, I head towards the Eitai Bridge on the Sumida River. The Eitai Bridge was highly recommended as a location by my boss. According to my boss, it is most beautiful during sunset.
The Eitai Bridge is the oldest existing tied arch bridge in Japan. It has been known by this name since 1698 when there were many waterways that ran throughout Edo, the former name of the nation’s capital city, Tokyo. It was frequented by many people and is a very historical bridge for many reasons.
I noticed a number of people jogging along the banks, cargo boats going up the Sumida River, and many cars crossing the bridge.
Everio GZ-HM550 with GPS logger (Eitai Bridge)
As this location hunt was for bridges, an object that doesn’t move, I had thought perhaps still photos were all I needed. But as the scenery changed with time, I was reassured that there were moments only a video could capture. I shot some video from on top of the Eitai Bridge as well.
Everio GZ-HM550 with GPS logger (on Eitai Bridge)
Bridges place themselves into the lives of people and create many "connections."
This outing really made me realize this, and was an experience that truly left an impression on me.
Marking location information on Google Earth from the Everio MediaBrowser!
OK, so now is the time the location hunt really gets fun!
We’re going to check the location hunting story of the three bridges on Google Earth!
Google Earth is the virtual globe software that Google provides and since it uses satellite footage, it can look as if you’re really turning the globe in your hands.
As soon as I got back to the office, I copied the video I shot onto my PC. Then I played the video on the Everio MediaBrowser. That’s when the Google Earth software automatically started up and moved in sync with the video locations that were recorded!
Marking location information on Google Earth from the Everio MediaBrowser!
This is really fun. When I continued to play the video, the locations jumped from the Umi Hotaru in the middle of Tokyo Bay to the front of the greenery-rich Imperial Palace. Then it moved to the Eitai Bridge, creating a very visually dynamic video. The location information was a lot more accurate than I had expected and the locations where I shot were recorded in the exact locations. I really recommend this for recording during travelling.
*Google Earth needs to be installed prior to use. For details, please click and see below link.
http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html
The Everio MediaBrowser also allows for users to create kmz files with thumbnails for Google Earth. Start up Google Earth and click on the "Play tour" button and the GPS-recorded locations will continue jump to each location automatically. Since I created a file for the bridge location hunting, you can go ahead and download to see for yourself on Google Earth from the link below.
Still photos with recorded location information can be uploaded onto not only Google Earth but also onto other GEO tag sites such as Flickr. I hope everyone will find their very own unique way of using the GZ-HM550 Bluetooth GPS recording function.
Next time, we will embark on a location shoot featuring the GZ-HM550 Bluetooth remote recording function. We look forward to introducing to you some more great GZ-HM550 features!
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