The Wayfarer Blog

I know this movie is old news for everyone in the US, but I just rented Casino Royale, the latest James Bond movie. I’m not sure how popular it was in the US, or if it was well-received, but I really liked it. Daniel Craig’s performance was even darker than Timothy Dalton’s, and every bit as charismatic as Sean Connery’s. Every actor who has played Bond has brought his own unique touch to the character, and they were equally valid, in my opinion. But this movie was quite different from any of the others. If by chance you haven’t seen it, I would highly recommend it.

(more…)

Some days are grayer than others…

I actually took this picture last week (5/24/07). It was a decent color picture, but it was destined for grayscale…I have been very interested in black and white photography lately. I hope you like it.

It is a part of my ongoing photoset, Shades of Gray.

On Wednesday, I went to buy shoes. When I buy shoes, I have to go a special store for big shoes. It’s in Shinjuku, but I don’t go there very often, so I always have to spend a few mintues trying to remember where it is. (Before you get critical, you come to Shinjuku and not get turned around!)

The good news is that I took my Nikon D70s with me, and took some nice pictures of trains, stations, and also areas of Tokyo I had never been. I just uploaded them and looked at them. Some of them look really interesting. And the best part is that next time I go to that store, I will be able to look at my pictures and remember how to get there!

I need to go to bed for now, but I can’t leave this post without at least one quick picture. Here is one I took on the way to get my shoes. This is in front of an arcade in Shinjuku. According to the sign, you can win this doll inside, but I didn’t go inside to check!

I’ll upload the rest tomorrow. By the way, if you want to check out some pictures of Tacoma, Washington (near Seattle, Washington), check out the last two posts from my friend:

http://77killdeer2.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-everyday-scenes-of-tacoma.html
http://77killdeer2.blogspot.com/2007/05/chins-teriyaki-and-philly-cheese-steak.html

Photography is interesting. It is fun to take pictures of things and share your vision with people around the world. It is also fun to learn how to improve your skills and find new ways to do things. And it is frustrating when you get home and realize that your pictures didn’t turn out the way you had wanted.

But I think the best thing about photography is that it makes you more observant. You constantly look for new stories and viewpoints…

(more…)

I often go to Mitaka, but I haven’t been to this museum. It is really famous. I thought this bus was interesting….a bit of Halloween in May!

As I’m sure you know, I take lots of pictures of trains and train stations. They are a huge part of my life. I don’t take the bus very much, but I have started taking more pictures of them recently.

I’ll write more tomorrow. I have posted a lot of pictures recently, including a set of pictures from Ikebukuro in Tokyo. I hope you enjoy them.

I saw the whole thing, officer.

I took this in front of Takadanobaba Station yesterday. I had some time to kill after I had finished grading the tests at my high school, so I got off here and had dinner before i went to teach my night class. In the midst of so many people, this desolate umbrella really caught my attention.

Ideally, I try to post something every day or every other day; even if only a quick picture or a post to say I am ok, but busy. I have written a couple drafts to post, but they are not finished. I have mid-terms tests at my high school tomorrow (Thursday), and I also have to go in early for a medical exam at my high school (you read that right…they are making us take a full-on medical exam on a TEST DAY!)

Anyway, I really want to post something interesting, but everything I have tried to write just sounds forced and lacking in focus. The truth is, I am tired, so I am going to go to bed early. But I have updated a lot of pictures recently. As a matter of fact, I uploaded 84 pictures today alone! By the way, Flickr recently upgraded the slideshow feature. If, like me, you were not a fan of the tiny little window they had before, you should check it out.

Today is the day we celebrate the gift of life that our mothers gave us. We honor their beauty and strength, and the lessons they taught us. (And still teach us.)

No matter where we go, or what we do, we take the memory of our mother’s love with us. Of course, we don’t need a special day to celebrate and honor our parents. But on this day, we can take a special moment to say “Happy Mother’s Day.” And “Thank you.”

I would like to share some pictures I have taken of a couple statues that honor the special love between a mother and her child. The first two were taken last October, at Sensoji Temple, in Asakusa, Tokyo. The third one was taken in the Country Club Plaza, in Kansas City, Missouri. As always, you can click on any of them to see a larger version.

Tokyo

Kansas City

Shinjuku. It embodies so much of what makes Tokyo convenient, fun, and modern. It is also overcrowded and noisy.

I could post 1000 pictures of Shinjuku, but I wouldn’t be able to accurately portray the contrasts. World class dining and shopping, pachinko parlors, bars, and more places to waste money than you could throw a stick at!

I had to teach at my music college in Saitama Prefecture again. And the trains were extremely late (there were some really strong winds in some areas, which caused delays). While I was in Shinjuku waiting for my train, I managed to take a few pictures. I also helped a couple from Denmark find the right train. I told them I had worked briefly at The Northwest Danish Foundation, and the man mentioned the name of a Danish person he knew in Seattle. I wasn’t sure if I had met him, but his name sounded familiar.

(more…)

One thing I sometimes do to amuse myself while I am riding the train is take pictures from the window. I often stand on the side of the door, and look out the window. Of course, sometimes I have to duck to get a level view, because I’m taller than the door (I have had the joy of hitting my head on the train getting out before!

(more…)