Momiji

The trees line the path nicely

Autumn colors

What are your plans for Spring?

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Hiroshima Atomic Dome

I finished putting together another book on Canon’s PhotoPresso site. This one is from a trip to Hiroshima.

You can see other books in the shibuya246 collection here also

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Tokyo Elections

This weekend is election time for Tokyo and many Prefectures. The 2 big name candidates in Tokyo are the incumbent Ishihara-san and former Governor of Miyazaki-ken, Higashikokubara-san.

After Ishihara-san preventing people from holding hanami at various locations in Tokyo, the above shot of the candidates shown under Sakura in Shibuya seemed strange.

I don’t really want to discuss politics here, but If I had a vote it wouldn’t be going to politicians who try to control the free gathering of its people.

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Keeping the kids warm in the park

There was a major earthquake today in Japan in the North just off the coast of Sendai. Reports at the moment are saying it is somewhere between magnitude 8.4 and 8.9. Every time I hear the figure it seems to go higher and higher.

I was out at the time and felt the street underneath me shake a lot. Everyone seemed a bit panicked and made a run for the middle of the street. I thought it seemed more dangerous to maybe get run over by traffic than it was to be flattened by a building.

Straight after the quake, people standing outside not wanting to go back in their buildings

Here are a few photos I snapped from my iPhone. So far the news looks fairly ok for Tokyo, mainly with a few fires, and transportation problems. Up North there are tsunami waves moving through villages and airports. The TV coverage tends to show the worst of a disaster, although it is real. On the street here in Tokyo at least, I can say people are helping each and other and hoping it is not too bad up North.

Ebisu park

Maybe I should take the rocket out of here

Maybe this plane could load up with a few people and leave the scene quickly

Phones were down for a long time, but mails / twitter etc were able to keep people in touch. Very convenient.

Fire truck

For a good update on what is happening and some extra links click here to @gakuranman

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Face mask

I caught a cold recently, so have been wearing a face mask at night when sleeping to try and keep my throat from getting to dry. I found these eucalyptus scented moist masks that are quite interesting. So far they have been good.

Showing the details on how to setup and wear your steam face mask

There is a well designed pouch for the scented moist pad to sit in

Face mask with eucalyptus scent

The scented moist pads are kept in special packs before being used in the mask

Setting the mask up ready to wear

Have you ever tried face masks like these? What did you think?

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The subway was just getting started

I was up early and decided to take a walk around Ebisu and towards Naka-Meguro. It was dark at the start and without a tripod some of the photos were a bit shaky as I was taken 5 frames for each photo to merge in HDR. Maybe next time I should take the tripod.

Some stores were still open from the night before

The makings of an nice day

A little bit of character about this vending machine trio

Walking back up this hill soon warmed me up

These were a bit rushed in the cold and without any planning. I might try and find a good place to capture the sunrise with Tokyo scenery in the background. Does anyone know good places?

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Xmas Tree

Merry Xmas to all of the shibuya246 readers. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Season. This is the tree at the Westin Hotel in Kyoto, where I attended a conference.

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Ebisu

How is your Saturday weather?

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Eataly Pizza at Daikanyama

The weather has cooled down and this weekend was really nice, even though we had some stiff breezes and a little rain. Autumn is one of my favorite times in Japan, perfect for walking around and checking out new places.

I took a walk around Ebisu and then upto Daikanyama and enjoyed a great pizza at Eataly. I tweeted this out offering anyone a bite, but didn’t have any takers.

Weekend Reading

After seeing a lot of great shops and cafes from the outside I decided to go to a bookstore and discover some hidden gems. I picked up a few books and a magazine on cafes in this area. Looks like I’ll be back next weekend to follow up.

I also got an introductory cooking book by Kurihara Harumi. My cooking skills are limited with a range from blueberry pancakes to carrot cake. Hopefully I can pick up a few tips from Harumi. The book includes a free cooking apron which was what attracted me to it. At least if I can’t cook, I will look good !

Easy Listening

To round out the weekend, I also bought some CD’s. An aroma listening CD and a David Foster collection.

Lastly, I bought a bento dinner to eat tonight, but managed to drop it on the floor before I had taken the first bite. Sometimes when you are trying hard, things just don’t go right. Tomorrow is a new day.

How was your weekend?

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Just your typical weekend in Japan

I almost missed this photo as I walked straight by a cafe in Shimokitazawa on the weekend and then realized, theres a guy having a coffee with a cat!!

As is typical in Japan, everyone’s on their mobile, even when they could be talking to the person sitting right next to them. The only odd thing is maybe that the cat doesn’t have its mobile phone out as well.

I will upload more photos of Shimokitazawa later in the week.

Do you think the cat has gone to sleep?

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Kachidoki Bridge

The night view of Tokyo is always quite colorful in a tasteful way. There is neon, but its not over the top, there are lights but everything seems to blend and match wonderfully. Here is the scene looking back at Kachidoki Bridge.

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The drinks look really good in digital form

I came across this new vending machine at the station. It looks like its modeled on a big iPhone. You just point at the picture of the drink you want rather than clicking a button underneath an empty can.

This was the busiest vending machine I have seen recently, with people crowding around to see what it did. Quite an eye catcher.

This family gather around to try the machine out.

Just click and point to choose the drink you want. A bit like the iPhone really!

When you select a drink it appears center screen

The machine gives you a nice Thank you after your buy your drink.

What are your favorite things to buy from vending machines in Japan?

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