Angles & Shapes

Walking through central Tokyo, the numerous lines of this ~2m tall water feature caught my eye.

Political climate

There's politics in the air. Local elections are taking place all over Tokyo, which means that there are numerous posters and political campaigners with loudspeakers (more on that another time).

This poster caught my eye. The Prime minister is looking upwards, in the usual "thoughtful" pose, but the forming storm-clouds overhead created a nice analogy. Is he considering what to do about the ageing Japanese population? Immigration?  Or is he simply wondering which tie to wear next week?

Graffiti

There's not much graffiti around Tokyo, but there's some really high quality stuff tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the city. 

Tengu & Mt. Takao

Yesterday, I took my brother to visit Mt. Takao, on the western edge of Tokyo. It was my brother's first time to visit the mountain, and I thought it might make a nice break from the extreme hustle-bustle and crowds of Tokyo.

The above picture shows the image of Tengu imprinted on an Ema, a wooden plaque on which worshippers write their wishes at shinto shrines.

Tengu (天狗, "heavenly dog") are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and are also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural beings)). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is widely considered the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination.

I last visited Takao in October last year, when the weather was much cooler and the long-range visibility significantly better. However, the late afternoon sunlight broke through the trees and lit our way in a very pleasing manner.

View fullsize

My brother at the shrine

It was a very hot day, but the trees provided welcome shading from the intense heat of the sun. 

View fullsize

Suspension bridge across the valley

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

We finished off our 3-hour hike with a "2-hour-all-you-can-drink & all-you-can-eat" buffet near the summit. In typical Japanese fashion, no-one was taking advantage of the facilities, or being disorderly. I suppose I'm a bit of a cynic, but I can't see an all-you-can-drink/eat buffet lasting very long in the UK before it was shut down due to health and safety concerns, or drunk people destroying it. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

I definitely recommend a trip to Mt. Takao, if you have time. It can be easily and cheaply accessed from central Tokyo, via the Keio line. It's a day trip which leaves one feeling completely removed from the neons and 24-life of the city.

Pollen

I rarely use my macro lens outside of the house, probably as its 30mm focal length is duplicated by the smaller and slightly faster sigma lens. I'm not sure which lens is officially sharper, but I've found the sigma to be extremely capable. Having said that, the Sony macro lens for E-mount is very sharp, and has a minimum focussing distance of ~1cm - useless for shy animals, but great for plants and food.

Anyway, the above photo is a crop from a handheld shot of a flower (click it for a larger file). I saw the flowers at the side of the road, and wanted to take a photo to show my brother the resolving power of the NEX-7 vs his Galaxy S3. His phone took a great photo, but only when I digitally zoomed in on the flower did we notice a small insect atop the pollen! We struggled to make out the insect with our eyes! 

Drawing Crowds

Rather a short post, but I wanted to share what I saw tonight as I walked through Shinjuku station in Tokyo. There were easily 100+ women of all ages, taking photos of what was apparently just an advert featuring five boys (men?). I have no idea of whom this quintet comprises, but it's one of those scenes I'll never forget.

Summer Storms

Summer is definitely here. For the last two days, the temperature in central Tokyo peaked somewhere over 35°C. North of Tokyo, in the mountains of Gunma-ken, 900 people were hospitalised and 2 died from heatstroke. It's rather hot, to say the least. It's also very humid (between 50% ~ 95% RH).

The strong sun easily burns, and it's not uncommon to see ladies with parasols. The heat causes the moist air to rise high, creating these magnificent cumulonimbus clouds. When I took this photo, we could already hear the thunder in the distance. Two hours later, the thunder was above us, and we endured another huge thunderstorm.

Missing Mosaics

I've spent so much time with the 24mm Zeiss on my NEX-7 that when I went out for the day with my Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm attached, I had to completely recalibrate how I pre-framed the surrounding scenes. In order to get all of the above shapes in-frame, I had to back up to a fence and crouch down low - much to the amusement of my brother.

Mantis

I saw this little guy scuttle up to the top of a bollard. Only around 1inch (2.5cm) long, I crouched down and made use of the "touch-focus & capture" ability of my new Nokia Lumia 920. I'll do a review of the phone after I've had a little more time with it, but so far I am finding a lot to like. The camera is obviously pretty decent, as there's good detail on the mantis, and a pleasing out-of-focus background. 

In line

This set of posters caught my attention as I walked through the Roppongi district in Tokyo. My brother's here for a few weeks, having a much deserved holiday. I'm also taking some time off, which is always nice.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Japanese airlines ANA and JAL ordered the planes en masse. I recall seeing huge adverts around Tokyo (above). However, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner got off to rather a bad start. On January 16, 2013, ANA Flight NH-692, en route from Ube to Tokyo Haneda, had a battery problem warning followed by a burning smell. The aircraft diverted to Takamatsu and was evacuated via the slides; passengers suffered one sprained wrist and two other minor injuries during the evacuation. Inspection revealed a battery fire. A similar incident in a parked JAL 787 at Boston'sLogan International Airport within the same week led the FAA to ground all Boeing 787s.

Interior of the 787 Dreamliner

I am pleased to report that my journey was a very pleasant experience.  As always, the ANA cabin crew gave excellent service, and the aircraft certainly felt modern, and very clean. All seats had their own entertainment console - identical to that in the 777 I've taken from Tokyo to London. The interior can be coloured according to the desires of the airline itself. During taxiing and take-off, the cabin was lit with a blue hue, which is the corporate colour of ANA. Business class turned to a soft red during the flight. How dramatic!

Something I had not seen, but wanted to try out, were the windows in the 787. 

There are about 7 different shades - 4 are shown for comparison

The 787's windows are larger than other civil air transport in-service or in development, with dimensions of 27 by 47 cm, and a higher eye level so passengers can maintain a view of the horizon. The composite fuselage permits larger windows without the need for structural reinforcement. Instead of window shades, the windows use electrochromism-based smart glass (supplied by PPG Industries) allowing flight attendants and passengers to adjust five levels of sunlight and visibility to their liking.

It's great fun to play with. The very top segment of the above photo shows the thick smog in Beijing in all its glory, and the one below reduces its impact with a blue-hue. By the time I'd reached the lowest setting, I couldn't see through the glass. 

Boeing 787 and a little Buddha

If you do get the chance to take a ride on a 787, I would highly recommend it. And if you're taking one to Tokyo, let me know!

Air Quality in Beijing

China

Day 4 - Air Quality

I took a late-night flight back from Dalian to Beijing, landing in the smog sometime before midnight. The forecast for today was for bright sunshine and a high of 37°C, so I was curious as to how Beijing would look. In short, visibility today has been great.

Practically clear!

Compared to when I arrived, the visibility today is fantastic. The scorching-hot sun casts strong shadows, and people gather under the trees and bridges for shelter. So, conditions are favourable. The weather looks good. We don't have visual evidence of heavy pollution though there are still many old cars, and many factories surrounding Beijing.

A plane landing in Beijing

The visual side of the pollution story is not the only concern for cities. High levels of NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOC) combined with the strong shortwave (UV) sunlight, create ozone. The ozone layer protects us from harmful UV-B rays from the Sun, but that's at high altitudes. Down in the city-streets, ozone does little by the way of protection. Instead, ozone causes severe respiratory problems. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. “Bad” ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue. 

I can't put any measurement data onto the blog, as it needs to go through the proper quality assurance and scientific channels first. I can say that O3 levels in Beijing are extremely high.  If Tokyo is around 50ppb (and wants to reduce it), Beijing is at around 100ppb. For comparison, the remote jungle in Borneo is about 5ppb.

What can be done?

Good question. It all really comes down to policy.  Beijing has shown before, with the Olymipics, that it can reduce its pollution. However, making a long-term commitment to such policies is much harder. Personally, I hope that one day soon Beijing is able to  make the headlines for more than its record-breaking pollution. It's a fantastic place full of lively and fun people. I recommend a visit - just perhaps not in winter.