I absolutely adore the bullet train - they're like aeroplanes on rails. The above photo is of the E2 series Asama shinkansen, which took us from Tokyo to Nagano in under 2 hours, at a top speed of 160 mph.
The Pilot
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Walking in a Winter Wonderland
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We returned last night from an impromptu trip to the Japanese Alps. There's no snow in Tokyo, but there was no shortage of snow here. I hope you enjoy the photos - there are more than normal! (as usual, click on a photo to fill the window)
As you will have spotted from the first photograph, we were fortunate enough to see wild snow monkeys (Japanese macaques) around the natural hot springs steaming out of the volcanic mountainside.
Is it safe in there?!?
It's so hot!
Escaping the ice and snow, we boarded a series of trains, including the almighty bullet train, back to Tokyo.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Folding Fields
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The coastline around Fukui-prefecture is characterised by jagged metamorphic rock (of which I took a photo last year), and the vast expanse of the Sea of Japan (日本海). Though it was actually raining (I think it is always raining in Fukui) quite hard, the sun was also shining quite brilliantly through the clouds, giving the sea an amazing blue. I stopped the car half-way up the mountain road, and took this snap.
I was high up in the cold and steamy mountains.
The Steamy Mountain Forests
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I've spent the last couple of days in Fukui prefecture (where this shot was taken), undertaking repairs for work. I'm pretty tired after hours of travelling following a long day of manual labour, but everything is working as it should, so I can sleep peacefully.
A Walk to Jiyugaoka
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The last time I walked in this direction, I was alone, after a day of photography in Jiyugaoka (a nice residential district in Tokyo). For this journey we decided to walk from our place, through the many backstreets, on a ~ 2.5 hour winter afternoon stroll.
Delivery bikes awaiting their next mission
The problem with winter in [mainland] Japan, is that sunset is so damn early. 4:29pm today! That means after a lie-in, some TV, and lunch, there's not much daylight left! The flip-side is that the available light is at a low angle, and creates some nice shadows.
I wouldn't want to stay in these rather scary-looking dorms...
Of course, once the sun goes down, it takes any available heat with it. By the time we got to Jiyugaoka, we were frozen! We hopped onto a train (and very much enjoyed the heated seats) and made the journey back home.
The last of the Gingko
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OK, this is it, I promise! Huge winds this afternoon have completely stripped the leaves from the beautiful gingko trees adorning the many walkways within the University of Tokyo. I managed to snap these shots early in the morning, before the strong winds.
There are many western-style buildings in the university campus, which are arguably more interesting to look at than the newer buildings.
I asked this lady if I could take a photo of her painting - she agreed enthusiastically. The photo has been converted to black and white due to insanely intense colours of her jacket!
The low-level light of this season really does create the best shadows, and highlights.
After these seriously strong winds, and the recent drop in temperature, I really do think that this will be the last significant piece of autumn I catch here in Tokyo. It seems to go on forever, and so much later than back home (it actually does, due to latitude). I know I keep saying that this is the "last of autumn", but I really think it just might be...
... maybe
Keeping the autumn spirit alive
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The autumn colours have all but disappeared from central Tokyo, though some remains aloft. Most leaves have long since fallen, and the weather's turned much colder this week. It really feels as though winter is coming.
And so, with that in mind, it was nice to stumble upon such a rare and distinctive looking out-house in one of the suburbs here in Tokyo. A welcome splash of colour amongst the grey-blue concrete of the neighbourhood.
Venus, Moon, Tokyo | DSC-RX1 | 1/80s f/4.0 ISO800 35mm
The celestial ballet
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Have you ever set a reminder so far ahead in time that it really, truly, becomes a reminder? I did just that around a year ago, when I created a calendar alert for "good views of venus". I'd taken some photos of the moon and venus, but it was a little cloudy. I looked up when venus would next be so visible in this part of the world, and the internet told me "Dec 5th 2013". I made a reminder in the calendar application on my computer, and forgot about it until 4:30pm this afternoon, when my phone reminded me. I quickly grabbed my RX1 (a focal length of 35mm is not usually considered ideal for taking a photograph of the moon) and made my way to the stairs at the end of my building. I often take photos from this position, but rarely after sunset. The sun had just gone down, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky - just perfect colours. I watched venus and the moon perform their annual celestial ballet, as Tokyo descended into darkness.
Icho Namiki Dori
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Icho Namiki Dori, or Ginkgo Tree Avenue, comes alive this time of year. The Gingko are living fossils, with no known relatives in existence. The tree, thought to originate in China, has a very distinctive leaf pattern.
The autumn colours of the Gingko are really intense - turning a very bright yellow like no other tree I've seen before.
The weather this weekend was fantastic - just bright blue skies.
I'll miss these amazing colours in a few weeks... but until then, they don't fail to put a smile on my face every single time.
Layered
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Any idea what this is?
Post answers below :)
Spot the butterfly?
Back in Okinawa
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I'm back in Okinawa - this time for work - but rather than post uninspiring and dull photos of work (plus, this site is my hobby - to escape work!), I have a few photos from my lunch break at the very northern tip of Okinawa's main island. I spent a few minutes with my NEX-7 and manual lens chasing the amazing butterfly in the shot above...
Hanging on
Messy work
It's quite odd being surrounded by such lushness and wildlife, when Christmas music is playing in convenience stores, in their full christmas decor.
I'll be here all week, but the weather forecast isn't so great. Who knows, though. Okinawa has crazy weather!
Autumn descends on Tokyo
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Finally, we had an entire weekend of near-perfect weather. Each morning this week we left for work with sunglasses on, praying that the weather would hold for the weekend. We were in luck. We visited Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in the centre of Tokyo, cameras at the ready.
There were people picknicking and having lunch, but most people were walking around with either cameras or smartphones at the ready. We also took a lot of photos, but made an effort to appreciate the beautiful range of colours with our eyes and not vicariously through our LCD screens.
The maples are a huge attraction, turning from bright green to a vibrant red, via a visceral yellow.
But there were not just maples to behold...
I'm heading to Okinawa this morning, for some repair work this week. There's a chance I'll be able to catch the final stages of fall upon my return to Tokyo - but if not, I'll still be happy with this year's fall photos.