Shinjuku is very becoming of misty weather. If only I had taken my camera.
Friday, 21 October 2011
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Friday, 25 June 2010
Meeting Erika
On the 17th, a friend from out of town came to visit. Erika lives not far from Tokyo, but far enough that she doesn't come here too often. On the way to Tokyo station, a found a woman taking her monkey for a walk. This is not a euphemism. I tried to take photos but it was devoutly staying in the shade. At one point it put its hand on the side of my lens and stared into the depths on my glass and silicon eye. I cursed not having screwed in a macro lens. Much as I wanted to stay and play with him, I had an appointment to keep. The woman waved me goodbye and the monkey showed me its anus.
I finished my walk, and waited by the barriers. Me and Erika had never met in person before this, but I felt sure she would recognise me. When she arrived, I found her different from the photos I had previously seen. For a start, her hair was short. Secondly, she was not wearing a wedding dress. She lacks confidence but is seemingly endlessly proud of her marriage and the wedding ceremony itself. It certainly looked like a nice affair.
We walked out and headed straight for the Marunouchi building. The sun was hot, so I figured we might as well sit in comfort. We arrived and I found us some seats before getting down to proper talk. She handed me some furikake, a clear sign that she knows at least something of me. We spent a good half an hour talking before deciding to move on. I showed her the views from the higher floors. The weather was "good", so the stationside looked incredible. The building work is still in full swing, and it reminded me of a view I had seen six months ago. The Tokyo station area is a big part of me.
We went down and headed directly for another place I like. The fountains are a great place to sit when it's hot. There's plenty of shade, and something about flowing water is relaxing during high humidity. She asked questions about English and I answered. I took photos of the fountains while doing so. She seemed happy watching me run about like a child.
At one point, some very loud Americans arrived. They came and sat next to me for some reason. I felt a little bit uncomfortable. In a really rather large area, with many free seats, they had all chosen to cram in next to me. What made me feel worse was that they seemed to think because I wasn't directly facing them, I couldn't tell when they looked at me. This problem only got worse when Erika started talking to me, and I obviously replied in Japanese.
Eventually the really very large family, here I talk of membership and not the size of each individual, left. Erika wanted to look at one of the fountains, the large spray one at the back. When positioned right, a rainbow is clearly visible. We then walked out and round to the moatside. The air was filled with dragonflies. None of them would stay still, making photography impossible. Tokyo is a dense city like no other, but it still has some surprising wildlife. In the height of summer I often see huge butterflies. The day before I had seen one with a wingspan approaching that of my palm while walking through Harajuku. There are bats at night by the water sources, and water rats. Of course there are also cockroaches and normal rats.
We went round through Tokyo station so Erika could get some lunch. Then out to the nearest shaded place to sit so she could eat. There was more talking and teaching of English.
Then we walked over to the Yurakuchou area. This was even cooler, so we sat and talked while people watching. One man with a rather astonishingly square hairline became a conversation piece. She showed me some Kanji. I felt possibly a bit too proud when she wrote down her husbands name and I knew the meaning and pronunciation. Akatsuki isn't a particularly well known kanji, but I cooly pronounced it, wrote it and then talked about its individual components.
After a lot more discussion, it was time for her to head back. I walked her to the most convenient station, and waved goodbye. It was a relaxed, but fun day.
On my way home, I stopped to look at the cityscape, found some cheap milk, and then saw a small gecko by the roadside.
I finished my walk, and waited by the barriers. Me and Erika had never met in person before this, but I felt sure she would recognise me. When she arrived, I found her different from the photos I had previously seen. For a start, her hair was short. Secondly, she was not wearing a wedding dress. She lacks confidence but is seemingly endlessly proud of her marriage and the wedding ceremony itself. It certainly looked like a nice affair.
We walked out and headed straight for the Marunouchi building. The sun was hot, so I figured we might as well sit in comfort. We arrived and I found us some seats before getting down to proper talk. She handed me some furikake, a clear sign that she knows at least something of me. We spent a good half an hour talking before deciding to move on. I showed her the views from the higher floors. The weather was "good", so the stationside looked incredible. The building work is still in full swing, and it reminded me of a view I had seen six months ago. The Tokyo station area is a big part of me.
We went down and headed directly for another place I like. The fountains are a great place to sit when it's hot. There's plenty of shade, and something about flowing water is relaxing during high humidity. She asked questions about English and I answered. I took photos of the fountains while doing so. She seemed happy watching me run about like a child.
At one point, some very loud Americans arrived. They came and sat next to me for some reason. I felt a little bit uncomfortable. In a really rather large area, with many free seats, they had all chosen to cram in next to me. What made me feel worse was that they seemed to think because I wasn't directly facing them, I couldn't tell when they looked at me. This problem only got worse when Erika started talking to me, and I obviously replied in Japanese.
Eventually the really very large family, here I talk of membership and not the size of each individual, left. Erika wanted to look at one of the fountains, the large spray one at the back. When positioned right, a rainbow is clearly visible. We then walked out and round to the moatside. The air was filled with dragonflies. None of them would stay still, making photography impossible. Tokyo is a dense city like no other, but it still has some surprising wildlife. In the height of summer I often see huge butterflies. The day before I had seen one with a wingspan approaching that of my palm while walking through Harajuku. There are bats at night by the water sources, and water rats. Of course there are also cockroaches and normal rats.
We went round through Tokyo station so Erika could get some lunch. Then out to the nearest shaded place to sit so she could eat. There was more talking and teaching of English.
Then we walked over to the Yurakuchou area. This was even cooler, so we sat and talked while people watching. One man with a rather astonishingly square hairline became a conversation piece. She showed me some Kanji. I felt possibly a bit too proud when she wrote down her husbands name and I knew the meaning and pronunciation. Akatsuki isn't a particularly well known kanji, but I cooly pronounced it, wrote it and then talked about its individual components.
After a lot more discussion, it was time for her to head back. I walked her to the most convenient station, and waved goodbye. It was a relaxed, but fun day.
On my way home, I stopped to look at the cityscape, found some cheap milk, and then saw a small gecko by the roadside.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Quick post
OK, I've been rushed, but I'll try and do some catch up.
The 14th, 15th and 16th were spent working in the lab.
On the sixteenth, I was having a nice time. Some specific was going to be in. I'd been greeted by numerous students participating in several studies. The person arriving was a post-grad who specialises in Eye-tracking. She was exactly the person I needed to meet.
She arrived in the early evening and was instantly very kind. I didn't detect any coldness from the outset and thus far she has maintained this record.
We talked about software, and I found out that they have the exact software that I want. I even got to see the equipment being in proper use. Compared to my lab, it works faster, better and it looks damn sexy while doing so.
I spent some time talking to the rest of the lab team about numerous things, Yuuta specifically is interesting in my project. As I left one of them took a photo for his senpai, so I posed ridiculously in front of the lab machines. I walked home, finding a wholesale store on the way.
At home, the apartment was busy. Sunyoung is leaving, so everyone was generally saying goodbye via the medium of food. We talked, laughed and photos were taken. Everyone recorded a message in their native language. I found this somewhat of a challenge, I hadn't spoken any English for a while. I tried my best and recorded a sincere message in English. This prompted cooing from the females. Apparently native british English, presumably only when spoken eloquently, is considered to be attractive. I shrugged this of as imperial hangover.
Everyone said goodbye to our older sister. I didn't get the chance to see her again.
The 14th, 15th and 16th were spent working in the lab.
On the sixteenth, I was having a nice time. Some specific was going to be in. I'd been greeted by numerous students participating in several studies. The person arriving was a post-grad who specialises in Eye-tracking. She was exactly the person I needed to meet.
She arrived in the early evening and was instantly very kind. I didn't detect any coldness from the outset and thus far she has maintained this record.
We talked about software, and I found out that they have the exact software that I want. I even got to see the equipment being in proper use. Compared to my lab, it works faster, better and it looks damn sexy while doing so.
I spent some time talking to the rest of the lab team about numerous things, Yuuta specifically is interesting in my project. As I left one of them took a photo for his senpai, so I posed ridiculously in front of the lab machines. I walked home, finding a wholesale store on the way.
At home, the apartment was busy. Sunyoung is leaving, so everyone was generally saying goodbye via the medium of food. We talked, laughed and photos were taken. Everyone recorded a message in their native language. I found this somewhat of a challenge, I hadn't spoken any English for a while. I tried my best and recorded a sincere message in English. This prompted cooing from the females. Apparently native british English, presumably only when spoken eloquently, is considered to be attractive. I shrugged this of as imperial hangover.
Everyone said goodbye to our older sister. I didn't get the chance to see her again.
Friday, 18 June 2010
Photos with Maki
This had been arranged since the beginning. Today I was meeting Maki, and we were going to a tabehoudai photo exhibition. That was all I knew, but it combined two things I like, and one was unlimited.
I walked to Shibuya, and spent some time looking for a 711. The exchange rate is hard right now, very hard. My three thousand yen is what used to be my five thousand. Still, I keep going.
I got out a crisp ten thousand note, and headed to Hachiko. Here I waited in the crowd. It was a busy day at the scramble and I felt like I was out of place without my DS to keep me occupied.
Soon, a small yet familiar voice penetrated the crowd. Maki had arrived, wearing a dress and with a new, or at least not older than six months old, haircut. It looked like Shoko's current one. With her, was a friend I had met before. I think his name is Masa, but I'm not quite sure and this make me feel terrible as he is more than pleasant. He is humorous, kind and funny. His face is essentially fixed in a permanent smile which makes him look like he might laugh at any moment. I wonder what he would be like at a funeral.
After some helloing and bowing, Maki produced a map. We began to walk towards the area behind the station. I've been to bars and arthouses here before and after a few minutes we were standing next to somewhere I'd never been before. The two establishments either side of it were familiar to me, but not here.
We went upstairs and paid three thousand yen each, before I was introduced to the hosts. The photographer was a young woman, and the man hosting the evening was possibly her partner. He worse a multicoloured shirt, and was what one might call "heavy". He was appropriately jolly, and very sociable. Cards were exchanged, people were spoken to and photos were looked at. Then, we moved towards the ever-refreshing buffet. It wasn't Japanese food, it was instead a mish-mash of european style food, prepared by Japanese chefs who have never been to europe. This isn't a bad thing, much as English curry is a wonderful thing in its own right. I favoured the pizza rolls, while Maki was waiting for some chicken to arrive. We stood around talking to eachother in our nice little hang. We interacted with others, but always had the safety of our own group.
Drinks were free too, so I essentially tried one of each. The bar tender asked me a new question each time I ordered.
I swanned to the back of the establishment to look at the station view. Here I met some new people, I talked to them for a while before heading for more food. I would later return and talk to them for a good twenty minutes. E-mail addresses were exchanged, and one gave me a drunken hug when he left later in the evening.
Another friend of Maki's turned up. He had cycling clothes on, and was apparently into figure skating. I wasn't sure whether he just liked it, or actually did it. Either way he was nice. We talked about life in Tokyo, and phones. He used his iPhone to show her some interesting things, he's apparently big on Twitter, and at one point even went to my photoblog. This lead to a rather odd portion of conversation, where he stood flicking through photos while I explained them.
Over time, beers were drunk, people were talked to and we all took those strange photos you take at parties. At nine, the food and drink was over. People didn't leave right away, but there was an increased amount of movement towards the door. We were part of this.
The four of us walked to the station, and split up. I walked with Masa to his entrance after leaving the other two. Me and Maki had an agreement to eat lunch together "sometime" and Masa wanted to meet up sometime. The evening had been involved art, food and friends. It seemed like a good one to me.
I walked to Shibuya, and spent some time looking for a 711. The exchange rate is hard right now, very hard. My three thousand yen is what used to be my five thousand. Still, I keep going.
I got out a crisp ten thousand note, and headed to Hachiko. Here I waited in the crowd. It was a busy day at the scramble and I felt like I was out of place without my DS to keep me occupied.
Soon, a small yet familiar voice penetrated the crowd. Maki had arrived, wearing a dress and with a new, or at least not older than six months old, haircut. It looked like Shoko's current one. With her, was a friend I had met before. I think his name is Masa, but I'm not quite sure and this make me feel terrible as he is more than pleasant. He is humorous, kind and funny. His face is essentially fixed in a permanent smile which makes him look like he might laugh at any moment. I wonder what he would be like at a funeral.
After some helloing and bowing, Maki produced a map. We began to walk towards the area behind the station. I've been to bars and arthouses here before and after a few minutes we were standing next to somewhere I'd never been before. The two establishments either side of it were familiar to me, but not here.
We went upstairs and paid three thousand yen each, before I was introduced to the hosts. The photographer was a young woman, and the man hosting the evening was possibly her partner. He worse a multicoloured shirt, and was what one might call "heavy". He was appropriately jolly, and very sociable. Cards were exchanged, people were spoken to and photos were looked at. Then, we moved towards the ever-refreshing buffet. It wasn't Japanese food, it was instead a mish-mash of european style food, prepared by Japanese chefs who have never been to europe. This isn't a bad thing, much as English curry is a wonderful thing in its own right. I favoured the pizza rolls, while Maki was waiting for some chicken to arrive. We stood around talking to eachother in our nice little hang. We interacted with others, but always had the safety of our own group.
Drinks were free too, so I essentially tried one of each. The bar tender asked me a new question each time I ordered.
I swanned to the back of the establishment to look at the station view. Here I met some new people, I talked to them for a while before heading for more food. I would later return and talk to them for a good twenty minutes. E-mail addresses were exchanged, and one gave me a drunken hug when he left later in the evening.
Another friend of Maki's turned up. He had cycling clothes on, and was apparently into figure skating. I wasn't sure whether he just liked it, or actually did it. Either way he was nice. We talked about life in Tokyo, and phones. He used his iPhone to show her some interesting things, he's apparently big on Twitter, and at one point even went to my photoblog. This lead to a rather odd portion of conversation, where he stood flicking through photos while I explained them.
Over time, beers were drunk, people were talked to and we all took those strange photos you take at parties. At nine, the food and drink was over. People didn't leave right away, but there was an increased amount of movement towards the door. We were part of this.
The four of us walked to the station, and split up. I walked with Masa to his entrance after leaving the other two. Me and Maki had an agreement to eat lunch together "sometime" and Masa wanted to meet up sometime. The evening had been involved art, food and friends. It seemed like a good one to me.
 |
| Photos with Maki |
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