change feed

Tokyo Times

Tranquil time out #75

The sounds, supplemented by those from the encroaching city, Listen! and the common sights, of a temple in Tokyo.

Posted on July 30, 2010 at 9:00 AM

Japanese kyotei camaraderie

Japanese boat racing (kyotei) certainly doesn’t have the same image as its bigger and much more respectable relative, horse racing, as there are no fancy hats or royal connections down by the river. No families either. Just boats and lots of betting. A sport that unashamedly boasts a collar as ...

Posted on July 28, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Bonsai blush

Despite the red seeming somewhat unseasonal, this sensationally-shaped bonsai is still an absolute delight to behold. And yet rather sadly, having spoke to one of the men managing this one and many others, it seems that who exactly started it, or even saw it through its first century, is totally ...

Posted on July 26, 2010 at 7:00 AM

To (be able to) squat, or not to squat

It could well be because of a lifetime of having to squat when squeezing one out, although thankfully that’s mostly avoidable now due to the welcome abundance of western bogs. Or there again, maybe squatting is as compulsory as kanji in education. But either way, the ability to ‘sit’ in ...

Posted on July 23, 2010 at 9:00 AM

Tokyo Times slight summer slowdown

Continuing what has become a really rather enjoyable routine, I shall once again be leaving Japan for the summer, returning home for five weeks to a land where the national football team is now worse than the nation’s infamous teeth. However, that’s not to say that whilst I’m away Tokyo ...

Posted on July 21, 2010 at 10:30 AM

Amazingly melancholy mannequin

A mere mannequin it may be, but there’s something amazingly melancholy. Downright depressing even. About this strangely unsettling scarecrow silently going about his business in solitude.

Posted on July 20, 2010 at 3:30 AM

Long weekend laze

On a long weekend when it’s absolutely boiling, a bask on the baking concrete and even the baring of bottoms is unquestionably befitting.

Posted on July 19, 2010 at 7:00 AM

A monumental monument member

The decidedly Jolly looking face below belongs, I believe, to the perhaps rather aptly named Daikoku — a deity said to bring wealth, food and good fortune. And when it comes to the latter, he is obviously not opposed to also partaking, happily endowing himself, in this case at least, ...

Posted on July 16, 2010 at 9:46 AM

Japanese workers (having a rest from) working #30

After working all morning without the comforting cool of air-conditioning, lunch time is understandably a case of quickly wolfing down some food and then enjoying an exceedingly well-earned forty winks.

Posted on July 15, 2010 at 10:00 AM

Somewhat excessive cycling safety?

Presumably it’s due to Tokyo’s busy roads and pedestrian packed pavements, but when cycling around the city, it would seem that one really can’t be too careful.

Posted on July 14, 2010 at 10:30 AM

The sorry sight of the Queen Chateau soapland haikyo

When its doors opened in April 1984, in an area where it was, and indeed still is, surrounded by other soaplands and countless other establishments serving sex-related services, it must have seemed that success for the Queen Chateau was a certainty. But it wasn’t. And, according to different sources, it ...

Posted on July 13, 2010 at 2:00 AM

A phone farewell

After finally receiving my new iPhone, it’s a fond farewell to its trusty, but at the same time far from fast, forerunner. A once cutting edge piece of kit that only had a life-span as long as this ladybird that for some reason really rather liked it.

Posted on July 12, 2010 at 6:00 AM

Under the bridge

With a constant stream of commuter trains raucously rattling overhead, this particular place certainly doesn’t seem ideal for a spot of saxophone practice. But there again, bar the few minutes I was faffing about photographing him, it does offer that most precious of commodities in the capital, privacy.

Posted on July 9, 2010 at 10:34 AM

Tranquil time out #74

The perfect spot for some quiet contemplation. And the soothing sight of some colourful koi.

Posted on July 8, 2010 at 5:00 AM

Rice and reptiles

Despite having spent more than a decade in Japan, the sight of rice fields is still something I find fascinating, and even more so, especially as I’ve seen it just this once, when they are somewhat surprisingly supplemented by a snake — which may well have been a マムシ (mamushi) ...

Posted on July 7, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Rodent revenge?

An awful lot of Japanese zoos leave an awful lot to be desired, especially the small, half-arsed affairs often found in parks, or even the compounds of castles. And so, with this in mind, although I’m not for one minute suggesting that this fella deserved to be clawed down and ...

Posted on July 6, 2010 at 3:00 AM

Japanese workers (after) working #29

The cycle home after work, which, for this fella if he’s fortunate, will not have also involved a further stretch on some form of unpleasantly packed public transportation.

Posted on July 5, 2010 at 7:00 AM

A few iPhone photos #4

Quite how less crap the camera on the new iPhone 4 is I can currently only read about, as my pre-ordered handset is presumably still being produced, but hopefully, along with the added help of a few apps, it will produce noticeably better results. In the meantime, however, my trusty ...

Posted on July 2, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Minuscule motor car

Electric cars are all well and good, and Nissan’s upcoming Leaf will surely sell, but with their constant need for recharges, and a current lack of locations to supply them, ecology could seriously curtail convenience. However, by considerably reducing the size of the car, battery usage it seems can be ...

Posted on July 1, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Homage or habit?

In a time when religious belief is often used as a rallying cry, Japan makes a refreshing change with its decidedly carefree approach to faith, happily allowing for Buddhist funerals, Christian weddings and Shinto ‘christenings’ — the various doctrines of which, for many at least, are taken, quite literally in ...

Posted on June 30, 2010 at 10:00 AM