Friday, December 17, 2010

Day 14: On to the next one

Thinking back, I liked how small Hiroshima felt, and yet I know that we barely scratched the surface of that city. The dome, museum, Tokyu hands, okonomiyaki, and of course the ridiculously good tsukemen. I must go back.


4/27/2010
Bye bye bikes



4/28/2010
Hello passengers



4/28/2010
Hello station



4/28/2010
I have no idea where I took this, but I like it.



4/28/2010
Hello Kyoto!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Day 14: A walk in the park

Pretty sunny so not many good captures here. The park was very nice though.

4/28/2010
The central pond


4/28/2010
Man vs Nature. I imagine the garden's designers purposely creating views like this.


4/28/2010
I liked this bridge. If you look closely there are people on top :)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Day 14: A walk to the park

Another rule of traveling: as important as it is to spend at least one night out, one should try to wake up ridiculously early for one day as well. I started this practice due to the requirements of light when taking pictures. I usually get my best photos in early mornings when I travel because not only is the light better, but it's easier to capture people alone in their environments.

In Hiroshima I slept in. Oh well.


4/28/2010
Rain shield, sun shield



4/28/2010
An example of how awesome the light makes everything look, even something ordinary like a trolley



4/28/2010
Sun's out. When old ladies take cover, your light is too harsh to take pictures anymore. That should be another rule of photography

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Day 13: Night

It was a long day, but as a general rule, one should always spend at least one night out in a city before you go. I'm glad we did.


4/27/2010
The same bridge I took pictures of earlier. It was almost impossible to get focus in the dim light and without a split prism on my manual 50 1.2



4/27/2010
Liked the texture of this one.



4/27/2010
This is in a bar where I had my first cocktail ever in Japan. It was the second best martini I've ever had in my entire life. The best being in Shinjuku. While while the western bar scene may be more creative. Nobody has spent more time making the perfect simple cocktail than the bartenders in Japan.



4/27/2010
The view from the window



4/27/2010
The best. I remember now ordering a vodka martini, simply because it was the only drink I was sure they would understand in English that I also enjoyed drinking sometimes. Seriously amazing.



4/27/2010
Another tasty cocktail. I forget which



4/28/2010
Walking back to the hotel. Liked the colours.



4/28/2010
Liked the shadow on this one.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Day 13: Best meal ever?

Been eating a lot this weekend at random places. This would have made it the best weekend ever.


4/27/2010
Step one: Quench one's thirst



4/27/2010
Step two: Request spiciness level


4/27/2010
Step three: Blow mind away



4/27/2010
Step four: Put out fire on tongue with snack



4/27/2010
Rejoice



4/27/2010
One last longing glance backwards at a perfect meal

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Day 13: Simple

Hiroshima is simple. I like that.


4/27/2010
Underneath the museum.



4/27/2010
Sun is setting




4/27/2010
Such peace in this place. I want to go back.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Day 13: My favourite things

Having trouble remembering details already, which means that I'll have to soon do a massive upload of my images before I forget what I did that day. From what I can remember, we walked around to the Hiroshima Dome, the monument directly below where the bomb detonated and eventually made our way to the museum. Add bridges to the list of my favourite things.


4/27/2010
Bridge + Umbrella = win



4/27/2010
Bridge + Bike = win



4/27/2010
One can see the dome through the arch of this monument. Many people frequented this monument. The thought put into it, and the space around it was just beautiful.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Day 13: Time to eat

There were two main reasons we were in Hiroshima. The first being the museum, and indeed it lived up to its expectations. The second was the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. It too did not disappoint.

4/27/2010
Gratuitous bike photo



4/27/2010
Rain stops. Bus stop.



4/27/2010
Delicious.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Day 13: A pause in the rain

As the rain began to fade, our hunger grew and so the search for a delicious breakfast was on. For some reason most stores and restaurants were closed so we had a tough time finding something. What we ended up with was a cafe that ended up being quite good.


4/27/2010
Everything is closed



4/27/2010
There is a better crop here, I am just being lazy I suppose



4/27/2010
Finally, breakfast. This place was quite busy with men reading newspapers and quietly sipping tea.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Day 13: Umbrellas

Ok, I screwed up the date on the last post, and I had pics from two different days, so I'm setting it straight with umbrellas. It was my sincere wish that it pour when I was in Tokyo. I've forever been a fan of Japanese woodblock prints, in particular Hiroshige, bonus points if you know what print I'm talking about. Anyways, as it turns out, I only got Hiroshima, which for what I envisioned, didn't quite have the population density I wanted for a capture. Also, dreaming about umbrella pics is much more pleasant than actually taking pictures in the pouring rain. Maybe it was a good thing it didn't rain again in Tokyo.


4/27/2010
I wish there were twice the people.



4/27/2010
Seems like the lady sized clear plastic umbrellas were popular. Yes, I bought one.



4/27/2010
This one was unique.



4/27/2010
It only takes a glance to make you feel like you're being creepy.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Day 13: Hiroshima in Black and White

Never been to Hiroshima before, but I felt comfortable walking around late at night with expensive camera equipment. That's a great litmus test I think for how safe a city is.


4/26/2010
Again, love these shelters



4/26/2010
A spiral staircase allows pedestrians to cross the street without disrupting traffic. There should be more of these everywhere!



4/27/2010
Ok, I'm cheating a little because this was the next day, but it matches :)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Day 12: Hiroshima

I've been looking forward to coming here for a long time. Mostly for the memorial, but also for the sign of something different. Of a city that had undergone some dramatically obvious change. Instead I find the resilience of the Japanese people. The city is different than others, but it didn't feel defined or scarred by tragedy. It makes me wonder how long the world trade center site will remain a gaping hole, and a center for controversy.


4/26/2010
Love the shelters in this city.



4/26/2010
Also love the trolleys. Electricity for the win.



4/26/2010
The best tsukemen I had was here. One of my most memorable meals.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Day 11: Goodbye

Last day on this island. I will be back.


4/25/2010



4/25/2010
Frog!



4/26/2010
Goodbye Yakushima. I will miss you forever.