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My goodness. It was -3ºC at lunchtime (-12ºC with windchill - and it is chilly). Around 6-12cm of snow has fallen over the course of the day here in Tokyo - with the rest of the Japanese mainland (Honshu) also experiencing huge amounts of snowfall.
Read MoreI suppose it's something of a New Year's resolution... but on the Chinese calendar?! I dunno. I've finally printed some photos, after over 3 years in Japan. I've had the odd print done (and even a canvas!) back in the UK, but I take far more photos now that I ever did before moving to Japan.
Read MoreWe've had a very uncharacteristic haze the last couple of days; with visibility lower than I've ever witnessed in Tokyo - even Beijing was cleaner! Contrary to what many may think, this is just Tokyo sitting in its own filth, due to a lack of wind; high pressure, and a peak temperature of 17ºC.
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I've shown photos from Jiyugaoka numerous times. It's a lovely place in central Tokyo, and is definitely worth a visit.
Read MoreRAW or JPEG, m43 or Full Frame... if you know what these terms mean, then you've also fallen into the trap. There's so little between different camera formats and their respective file output, yet I and many others discuss the relative merits of any particular system at great length. Why is this?
Read MoreI thought I'd close out January 2014 with a few photos from sometime in the last couple of weeks, taken around my neighbourhood in Tokyo.
Read MoreThese fascinating structures are dotted all around Fukui, holding back the rocks. I estimate the size of each grid to be around 50cm squared. To be honest, they're rather unsightly. The natural folds in the mountainside are broken up by these structures, but they make for an interesting composition.
Read MoreWhatcha makin'?
Though my destination is usually the same each night (same train line, same final stop), I try to walk through different backstreets to increase my chances for inspiration.
Sometimes, I see something "new" in an object or building I've seen hundreds of times. Other times, random situations present themselves.
Can you guess which photos are taken with the RX1 and which with the NEX-7?
If I am not in the mood or the weather isn't favourable, I won't bother even taking my camera out of my bag. Sometimes I walk the entire distance with my camera in hand, looking for things, but not seeing them.
Sparky
I think my message, if there is one, would be to not force yourself to take photos, or capture a moment. Some moments are better described verbally, and others visually. Whatever happens, keep the picture taking as a fun activity.
Happy snapping :)
This is Part II of my two-part photo-journal related to a fieldwork trip in Fukui (Part I).
Previously, I described our journey from central Fukui towards the coast at Cape Echizen. It's not a popular tourist destination - there's not really "anything of interest" here. That's probably why I like the area so much. It's quite simply just a part of Japan far away from the neons, anime, and hustle-bustle of city life, or the pseudo theme-park of geisha, temples, and sushi.
Here's a map of the approximate route and its relation to Honshu:
When I left you last, we were facing a rather long, narrow tunnel which passed straight through the mountain to the other side. Upon entering the tunnel, I had to check I had the headlights on - I couldn't really see anything at all, as it took a good minute or two for my eyes to adjust to the complete darkness. Popping out of the other side, we were in for a treat...
There was a very small village in the narrow valley. Just a few small clouds were scattered overhead.
Slipping down
I always love a bit of rust
Over the next 20 minutes, we were subjected to strong winds, rain, sleet, snow, and hail. The works! However, once we reached the coast, we caught another break between the clouds.
日本海 ｜ The Sea of Japan
See the rain in the not-too-far distance, with the sun bursting through?
I'm impressed with the new FE 55/1,8 Sonnar lens
Less than 2km from the coast, there's ~50cm of snow covering the ground. At the coast, it felt almost like spring - if it weren't for the biting cold wind.
Rain coming!
We'd reached our destination, and got to work. I still have a few photos to show from the trip, but this concludes Part II.
I hope you enjoyed the ride through the cold mountains, preferably from the comfort of a nice warm room.
Every time I've visited Echizen Province 「越前国」there's been some kind of precipitation. The region is fairly central to the main island of Honshu, north of Kyoto. There are no bullet trains going directly to the area, so one must change first at Maibara 「米原駅」to a more local train.
Out of the window of the Hikari bullet train
Due to the rather extreme topography of the region, there's something of a microclimate in Fukui. The mountains separate the land into different blocks, which may have their own weather system at any given moment. This made for a rather adventurous voyage from central Fukui to the coast at Cape Echizen 「越前岬」, our final destination.
Rather you than me
After collecting the hire car, we decided to escape the central city area with its generic eateries, and take our chances finding something more "local" and hopefully a little more authentic. We were in luck. We found an interesting looking Soba place - an extremely old building covered in melting snow.
Some light reading during lunch
After wolfing down our soba noodles, we hit the road. Cutting through the narrow mountain roads, covered in snow, was really very good practice for my drifting, erm... I mean driving, skills.
The little Nissan March did rather well
We experienced hail, snow, rain... and clear blue skies on our journey to the coast.
At our highest elevation, the view was quite magnificent.
We had driven over an hour from Fukui city, and only had to cross one final mountain before reaching the our goal...
Can't go over it, can't go around it...
Hint: Designed by Herzog & de Meuron
NEX-7 & Sigma 19mm DX | 1/80s f/11.0 ISO100 19mm
In contrast to yesterday's post, the area of Aoyama (Blue Maountain) in central Tokyo is about as upmarket as one can get before the famous Ginza district.
We don't really do any shopping here, but it's an interesting place to visit, and I do enjoy seeing (and hearing) Ferraris and Lamborghinis driving around.
The above building is quite striking - any ideas which building it is? I also have the shot in colour - which do you prefer?
NEX-7 & Sigma 19mm F2.8 DX | 1/400s f/5.0 ISO100 19mm
The sky was the typical pastel blue which characterises the Japanese winter. Oh how I will miss this some day. The UK this time of year is much wetter, and often cloudier. Though temperatures here are similar (~5ºC), it's possible to warm up a little by standing in the sunlight. However, once the sun goes down, you'd better have a hat!
There's not much else going on (festivities-wise) this time of year, but adverts for Valentine's Day have already appeared to keep the mind of the consumer focussed on something. Valentine's Day is an odd one in Japan - I've covered it previously.
NEX- 7 & Sigma 19mm F2.8 DX | 1/320s f/5.0 ISO100 19mm |
The areas pavements/sidewalks are mostly brickweave, with yellow bobbled paths leading the way for those with poor vision.
I really enjoy the long shadows we're granted all-day-round during the winter. It's become one of my favourite seasons for photography, even if it means bracing the biting cold.
All pictures taken with NEX-7 and Sigma 19mm F2.8 DX
NEX-7 & SEL55F18ZA | 1/100s f/1.8 ISO100 55mm | This particular street is less than a 3 minute walk from my office.
I would argue that there are two zoos in Ueno; the official Ueno Zoo, and downtown Ueno. Downtown Ueno is home to one of the more "seedy" [みすぼらしい] areas in Tokyo, with questionable stores and love hotels in abundance. However, it's a pretty interesting area to walk around, especially as a foreigner. I'm either ignored by touts, or they'll ask me in English (sometimes Japanese) if I would like to visit their establishment (whatever it may be). "結構です。"（I'm OK thanks!）