Earthquake in Japan

The devastation from the earthquake and tsunami that occured in Japan are hard for me to imagine.  When I lived in Japan we had drills and training for earthquakes and stored water and food to cover several days in the apartment.  This picture of Sendai was taken in 2005, what we see now is overwhelming.  My prayers for those who are impacted....

Year of the Rabbit ( 兔 )

It is cold outside.  It was down to about -20 deg. C over the weekend.  Anything lower than -15 C is cold in my book.  Especially if it is windy, and last weekend was windy.  Anyway, that is why there were no nature pictures last week.

So what about the picture above?  It is a gift from my good friend Hatta-san in Japan to Megan.  Each year he sends me a small display representing the animal for the Chinese lunar year and each year I give it to Megan.  Clearly this is the year of the rabbit.  Thank you Hatta-san!

Pencil Sketch #2

I like the way this one came out. It really does look like a pencil sketch. I do these by turning them into a contrasty B&W photo and then using the "find edges" filter. There is usually some more manipulation needed but it still pretty easy.

Little Girl Feeding Koi

This little girl was feeding the koi at Atagoyama Shrine with her father. I have visited it many times and it is one of my favorites in the Tokyo area. You buy the fish food as a donation and the koi go crazy. Usually, there are only a few people there, but on this day there were a fair number. It was warm and sunny - everyone was out just enjoying the weather I think....

Shinagawa

Today I am in Tokyo, having spent yesterday in meetings, and am preparing to catch a plane to Brisbane. This is a shot from the Strings Hotel in Shinagawa towards downtown Tokyo. I have noticed that my camera has dust on the sensor that I'm going to have to clean off. It does that at times when you change the lens. New cameras vibrate to shake it off.

Three pairs of hawks are circling outside the hotel window on the 31st floor. I don't know what their prey is but will get a picture and try to identify them later....

Lake Shikotsu

Lake Shikotsu is near Sapporo and is a very scenic place. There are supposed to be a lot of birds but these swans and some crows were

about all I spotted...

David does the Pacific Music Festival

Here is the bass section playing taking a bow at Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara. The program featured Don Quixote Op. 35 (Strauss) and Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 (Berlioz). It was a nice concert and a very nice venue. David also got to play with the Sapporo Symphony.

Japanese Shinto Wedding

Today we saw a wedding at the Hokkaido Shrine in Sapporo. I was lucky enough to be able to take some pictures and you can see the rest here.

I guess that makes me an international wedding photographer.

Fireworks along the River

The fireworks were spectacular! This isn't my best ever shot (I'll make an excuse - I didn't have a tripod), but it does show the crowd and it was a large and enthusiastic one.

Summer in Japan

It is summer in Japan and this stylish couple is wearing the proper attire to go watch fireworks. There are usually a lot of girls wearing yukata at these events but I thought there were an especially high percentage here in Sapporo.

Fashion News from Hokkaido

I saw these high heeled tennis shoes on the train from Sapporo to Otaru. Remember you saw this first here on my blog. By this time next year they'll be everywhere.

Tanuki

This is a giant flying tanuki (I think) in the long arcade in Sapporo. Japan is still the land of cute. Sapporo is much cooler than Tokyo, but it has been raining. Hopefully, we can get out and see some countryside as well as Dave play his concert.

Sensoji Temple

When you get to the top of the temple stairs and look up at the ceiling at Sensoji, this is what you see...

Sensoji Gate

I am back in Japan again, but not lost at the moment. This is Sensoji Temple Gate at Asakusa just past where all the markets are. It looks like it has been recently repainted and looks great. Japan is a bit warm though...

Fuji san

This last week I was back in Japan for the first time in over a year. There wasn't much time to take pictures since it was a business trip. But we were lucky enough one morning to see Fuji clearly from the hotel and I got this picture. Of course it instantly brings memories of Japan for anyone who has seen it. But when I lived in Japan I used to look for it first thing almost every morning. The view from my apartment was not too good really. Fuji was small and distant even on a good day - and most days there was no view at all. But from Yokohama it is much closer. Beautiful...

Yokohama at Night

This is a view from the Yokohama Intercontinental Hotel. Japanese cities always seem prettier at night to me - even new areas like this one in Yokohama. The city and the people seem to come alive. This area has been built out into the bay and is popular with Japanese tourists as well as foreigners (usually on business).

Kanji

I am posting this picture for one reason - I like the reflection at the very bottom of the picture from the Landmark Tower. It kind of looks like Japanese Kanji characters written in the old style with a brush.

Succession Crisis Averted

I guess I was out of touch. I didn't even know the Princess was pregnant. A boy was born September 5th at 8:27 a.m. and weighed 5.64 pounds according to the Imperial Household Agency. Mother and child are said to be in good condition. Princess Kiko had been under considerable stress last year, said to be at least partially attributable to not having produced a male heir. A 1947 law allows only males to ascend the throne.

This is the 3rd child for the royal couple - a rare situation in Japan today. The average children per couple is 1.25 and the population is dropping. This has led to concerns about labor shortages in future and who will take care of the aging population. Thank goodness that Prince Akishino and Princess Miko are doing their part to avert this new crisis...

Last Day in Yokohama

Here is the group photo on my last day in Japan. My going away gift was a man's yukata and geta - traditional Japanese daily wear and wooden shoes. I haven't tried the yukatta on yet but it is very pretty. I was assured the shoes were large, but my feet are XL by Japanese standards.

I am in Doha now and all is fine. The weather is plenty warm and the sun is out. I'll start writing about that (I miss Japan but will try not and make that the topic of my postings).

Hashioki

I have a few strange quirks. Most are harmless like this one of collecting hashioki (chopstick rests) but only those that are in the shape of a fish and where there is both a "boy" and "girl" fish. I display them on a piece of cloth showing a scene from an Edo era screen with koi on it. Most are ceramic.

Anyway, I am up to 12 pairs of hashioki now. Starting in the upper left hand top row they are: tai (sea bream), kingyo (goldfish), some little critters I forgot that look like gobies, koi no bori (carp streamer shape); left middle row: another pair of koi no bori made from glass, kingyo, some Vietnamese haishioki made from horn, tai, fugu (poisonous blow fish); bottom row: kingyo, tai, hirame (flounder).

In Japan, pink is for girls and blue is for boys. You might also see other pairs like the orange and black or gold and orange in the picture. Tai are popular because they are thought to bring good fortune. They are often eaten at ceremonious meals and Yebisu is usually seen holding one. Of course this is the time of year to fly koi no bori with May 5th coming up.

The fish shaped ones are a bit hard to find in pairs. I asked about them once and was told that they are a little old fashioned and really only used on special occasions at home. Some nice restaurants have them. They are kind of fun though. If you have special china and silver I suggest you get them out and use them. They aren't doing much good in the cupboard. Have a tea party :-).

The weather is great right now! This morning was very clear and Fuji was clearly visible.

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