Point and Shoot Japan

We've moved!

2011-01-29T21:18:00.004+09:00

And by "we" I mean "I". Since I can no longer link to this blog on facebook I've moved to a new location. You can find the blog here:

pointandshootjapan.blogspot.com

Sorry for the confusion.

City Gate

2011-01-20T07:00:00.001+09:00

This gate is located in a business district near Shiba Park and it leads up to the Zoujou-ji temple as well as Tokyo Tower.

Temple and Tower

2011-01-19T07:00:00.000+09:00

This is the Zoujou-ji temple in Shiba Park, Tokyo. It has stood in this location for over 400 years and it's founding dates back further. Behind it you can see the Tokyo Tower. Incidentally, yesterday was a good picture day.

Just for you Cameron

2011-01-18T07:19:00.000+09:00

In short, I've been really busy since my move and it's really put a cramp in my ability to take pictures. Or at least pictures of somewhat not quite boring things. So you might have to put up with the mundane for a little while.

Tokyo Dome Amusement Park

2011-01-17T13:14:00.000+09:00

Infractions

2011-01-16T08:54:00.003+09:00

It's been a busy week. It's going to be a busy month. This could hurt the pictures.

Going Down

2011-01-15T07:00:00.000+09:00

This was taken at the south end of Ikebukuro station near where I work.

Reflective

2011-01-14T07:00:00.000+09:00

City Kitties: Two of a Kind

2011-01-13T07:00:00.000+09:00

Leaves of Grass in Japan

2011-01-12T09:57:00.004+09:00

"Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"
-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

東京ドーム

2011-01-11T08:47:00.003+09:00

When I went to sign my new lease and pay the first month's rent the other day I discovered something I haven't seen yet, the Tokyo Dome. This is where the Yomiuri Giant (Japanese version of the Yankees) play. It also plays host to a wide range of other events.

I Have Some Unpacking to Do

2011-01-10T07:00:00.001+09:00

So this is my new room in the Oyama area of Itabashi ward. I just brought my stuff in, dumped it, and then took a picture.

Blast from the Past Sunday: The Belin Wall

2011-01-09T08:19:00.000+09:00

In some way foreign study seems like it was a long time ago, but it certainly doesn't feel like it was six years ago. Yet it was six years ago this month that I was in Berlin (and other places). Here's a picture of the Berlin wall that I took on that trip.

Pretty Clouds

2011-01-08T08:19:00.001+09:00

That is all.

Perfect Head Placement

2011-01-07T07:00:00.002+09:00

New Years Day was all about Turkish food this year. Mine ended up being like a cheese calzone (apparently spell check doesn't recognize "calzone" as a word), not too different than the ones I used to get at Bertolo's in Greenville. This is a picture of Insook and Tugce with Tugce's crazy hooka thing. Insook has achieved perfect head placement.

Shinjuku at Night

2011-01-06T07:00:00.002+09:00

You might recognize this as the new background pictures on the blog. Like the original one and the sunset one, these were taken from the building that I work in in Ikebukuro. It's a pretty good pictures for a point and shoot camera.

鳥居

2011-01-05T09:34:00.002+09:00

This is the last day of pictures from the Meji Shrine. These pictures are of a 鳥居(torii) which is a kind of archway often found at Shinto shrines. This particular one is near Harajuku station where the path to the shrine begins. It's a relatively long path. As you can see, I wasn't the only person snapping pictures that day.

Kimono

2011-01-04T08:42:00.003+09:00

Once I got to the shrine I noticed this person in what I do believe is a full on Kimono, she kind of stood out. I wasn't the only person who noticed, as some other foreigners visiting the shrine asked if they could take her picture. As you can see from behind, the obi (belt) looks pretty complicated. It is my understanding that kimonos are difficult to put on and uncomfortable to wear. They're also expensive and you can rent them as you would a tux, but I feel as though she owned that one. At any rate, it certainly makes a statement.

In Search of Fortune

2011-01-03T08:52:00.002+09:00

Somewhere in these first two pictures, possibly both, people are getting their fortunes. I explained this back in August but you pay about 100 yen, draw a random number and that corresponds to a fortune. Lucky people get "Big Luck" the less fortunate ones get no luck. But hope is not lost if you draw a bad fortune. You can take your bad fortune and tie it to a series of ropes set up along the path in an attempt to ward it off as you can see people doing below.

Have a Great 2011: Year of the Rabbit

2011-01-02T07:00:00.001+09:00

This is the gate into the main grounds of the Meji Shrine, one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan. In Japan, New Year's is a pretty significant day and many people head to shrines with their families to pray and wish for luck for the upcoming year. With the exception of a few businesses and necessary services like the trains, everything is shut down from the 1st to the 3rd. From December 31st to January 1st is the only day all year that the trains run all night. Meji Jingu, located in Yoyogi park, is heavily trafficked, so I decided to check it out yesterday morning. I took a lot of pictures, many of them good, but I've decided to spread them out over a few days. I decided to start with the main attraction itself, the shrine as seen below.

Also, if you didn't see the previous post, on the right I've added a link to a map of Tokyo with most of the places I've taken pictures marked on it. Many of the marks are approximations, most often pointing to the station I used for each location. There are some absences too, most notably Saitama, which isn't in Tokyo.

Map

2011-01-02T00:58:00.003+09:00

You'll notice on the right under the locations list I've added a link to a map. It's a map that shows most of the locations my pictures were taken. These locations are only approximate, as I do a lot of walking. Most often the label points to the nearest station in each area.

You'll also see Oyama, which hasn't featured in any pictures. I'm moving there the 9th though so I figured it was a good idea.

Today is 1/1/11!!!!!!!!11111

2011-01-01T07:00:00.001+09:00

Happy New Year!

We finished at the izakaya around 3AM when they gave us the boot. Of course, the trains don't run at 3AM so we had to do something. One of the typical options for people who miss the last train is karaoke, and so it was. I think this picture captures the action the best. And what is he singing with such great gusto? Why Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid of course!

忘年会

2010-12-31T08:45:00.003+09:00

In Japan at the end of the year pretty much everyone has a 忘年会 (bounenkai), which is an end of the year party. I met one fellow who had 9 of them this year. Gaba was no exception so after work at 11:30 off we went. And here are my intrepid leaders Kunito and Kevin along with Emi, one of the Japanese staff. This capped off four very full days of work. I got home at 5:50 the next day and am glad that I'm off till the 4th.

Tokyo Tower at Christmas

2010-12-30T05:51:00.000+09:00

Here's a picture of Tokyo Tower kind-of sort-of decorated for Christmas. This photo was taken from Roppongi Hills.

Shinjuku at Sunset

2010-12-29T07:00:00.001+09:00

Before, I posted a picture of the skyline of Shinjuku during a clear day. Today I present to you Sinjuku at Sunset taken from the 10th floor of the Metropolitan Building in Ikebukuro.

Ginza: The Silver Seat

2010-12-28T07:00:00.001+09:00

The kanji in Ginza mean "silver" and "seat" (or "squat") and the district was named such because of a silver mint located here in the Edo period. Today, it is Tokyo's most upscale shopping district. It was named well. This is looking northeast down this Chuo Dori in Ginza...

..and this is looking southwest.

Lights at Roppongi Hills

2010-12-27T07:00:00.000+09:00

I have an extra Christmas picture or two to get through. Look at all those people taking pictures over there. I apologize for the tree. This is sadly the best shot I got of this. Right after I took this my camera's battery died. I pulled out my phone, but the iPhone just doesn't do low light photos like my camera does.

Blast from the Past Sunday: London

2010-12-26T08:00:00.002+09:00

In 2005 we went to London over Christmas. That was mistake. Don't got to England for vacation over Christmas. We did get to see a castle though. Happy Boxing Day. Keep it real England.

Christmas Bonus

2010-12-25T09:45:00.002+09:00

Two pictures for the price of one day. I wasn't the only person taking pictures as you can see here.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:00:00.001+09:00

Roppongi Hills, Christmas Eve 2010.

Shinjuku East

2010-12-24T09:19:00.001+09:00

Outside the east exit of Shinjuku station.

A Quiet Part of the City

2010-12-23T08:00:00.000+09:00

This is the Takashimaya entrance to the Shinjuku Sanchome Station at 11:50 PM. Pretty quiet place.

Cars! People! Lights!

2010-12-22T12:26:00.002+09:00

This is a picture of the traffic outside the south exit of Shinjuku station.

City Kitty: Chillin on the Roof

2010-12-21T10:28:00.000+09:00

Rabbit Apples

2010-12-20T10:35:00.002+09:00

For many children in Japan, parents cut apples into these little rabbit looking things.

Blast from the Past Sunday: Tallinn, Estonia

2010-12-19T08:00:00.002+09:00

This is the picture I am currently using in the background of the blog. It was taken in Tallinn, Estonia while I was on foreign study in 2005. With the lamp posts it makes me think of Narnia. Only, instead of going through a wardrobe you have to ride on a Russian bus without heat for eight hours. Magical.

門

2010-12-18T09:38:00.001+09:00

Mmmmm Temmy's

2010-12-17T09:38:00.001+09:00

Direct from Egypt! Found in the import grocery store.

PDA

2010-12-16T08:00:00.002+09:00

Japan is not a country that partakes in PDA, at least not very often. To be honest, it's not exactly common in America, but it's even less so here. For the most part, things are restricted to the occasional hand holding and on rare occasion affectionate cuddling, but never a full on kiss. And that's just what myself and some others came across when exiting an Izakya the other evening. To us, it was just an uncommon, but not altogether strange sight. We merely commented that was something we hadn't seen before here in Japan. The Japanese couple passing by, however, burst out laughing, amused by the displayed. They also approved of my taking of this photo. Pity I wasn't closer though.

My Alarm Clock

2010-12-15T11:57:00.002+09:00

There's one thing about Japan that keep bugging me, I can't sleep in... ever. The days of sleeping till 10 are long past. Typically the culprit is the sun, it comes up absurdly early and my pathetic excuse for curtains are of little help. The other day it was actually raining though, so the sun wasn't an issue. Instead, the construction next door was.

The Magic Camera

2010-12-14T09:33:00.002+09:00

The other day I was in Nishi-Shinjuku for language exchange and we noticed a small temple/shrine. So I did a goofy pose while my picture was taken. However... it doesn't look like me at all. It was really strange. Something to do with the flash? Oh, and the swastika has been a common symbol in Asian long before it's use by a certain German movement, so don't say it.

So Festive

2010-12-13T09:16:00.001+09:00

Suhshine street on Saturday December 4th.

Blast from the Past Sunday: The Master and Apprentice

2010-12-12T08:00:00.000+09:00

Here's Margaret and Dr. Fehler when he had been banished to Johns Hall during the Furman Hall renovation. Look at that hot piece of technology sitting behind him.

City Kitties: Staring at the Window

2010-12-11T10:09:00.003+09:00

The AT&T of Japan

2010-12-10T09:19:00.002+09:00

This is the NTT Docomo building on a overcast fall evening. It's a pretty recognizable building just south of Shinjuku Station. You can see the train tracks running off to the right.

Going Down the Tracks

2010-12-09T08:44:00.002+09:00

I had a pretty nice spot on the Chuo line the other day. This particular picture was taken between Akihabara and Ochanomizu on the Chuo local line.

Adding Perspective

2010-12-08T10:08:00.000+09:00

Light Tree

2010-12-07T08:31:00.000+09:00

Gotta get these Christmas lights pictures out before Christmas is over.

$7.50 for a Movie Ticket Doesn't Seem So Bad Anymore

2010-12-06T08:00:00.003+09:00

On Saturday I finally got to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. This was my first movie experience in Japan. I wanted to see Inception but I never got around to it over the summer. One thing that has been keeping me away from the theaters has been the cost. A general admission ticket costs 1800 yen. At today's exchange rate, that means my ticket for Harry Potter 7 cost me $22.50, a far cry from the $7.50 I would pay with my student ID in Charlotte. Above you can see what 7.50 got me. No Stadium seating and an old school seat that didn't come up to my head and had less than comfortable padding. A lot of things in Japan related to entertainment media is expensive actually. DVDs cost around 40 dollars new, as opposed to 17 in the states, CDs cost more, and video games are at least 20 dollars more expensive. Muse's latest CD is 1200 yen in the iTunes store ($14.50). So was seeing the movie worth 1800 yen? Yes, because I've seen all but the first two in theater and I wasn't about to miss this one. No matter what the cost, not matter the quality of the theater, movies are still magic, especially Harry Potter. Although, this is only one theater and I have heard that there are better ones out there. My time in Columbia SC taught me there are plenty of bad theaters out there in the US. Sadly, movies are more of a luxury here in Japan than they are in the United States because of the costs, but you can expect me to be back next summer for Part 2.

Blast from the Past Sunday: All Smiles

2010-12-05T08:00:00.002+09:00

This resulted in marriage.

Karaoke Booth

2010-12-04T08:45:00.002+09:00

Yeah, an empty room second day in a row, only this one comes with an explanation. This is a karaoke booth; it fits about 6 people comfortably. There are a couple of speakers in the corners and the TV is in the corner to the right, outside of the picture. You select songs with remotes The selection of J-Pop is huge and the western music selection isn't half bad (no Guster though). As you can tell, you can also order food and drinks from a kitchen to be delivered to you, and it's pretty tasty too (well, to be fair, just about everything in Japan is tasty). Point is, in Japan Karaoke is a fairly intimate activity to be shared with a small group as opposed to sharing it in front of a group of drunk strangers in a bar. Japan does Karaoke better than we do.

My Workspace

2010-12-03T14:31:00.001+09:00

Penguins!

2010-12-02T22:38:00.000+09:00

Sorry, busy morning. Posting on the blogged slipped by. Here you go.

Let's All Shop at Seiyu

2010-12-01T08:44:00.005+09:00

Yesterday I left Tokyo for the first time to travel out to Tokorozawa in Saitama. Out there, the Seiyus are much more like the Walmarts back home rather than just a really cheap grocery store. Surrounding Seiyu were bikes, lots and lots of bikes. This is only a small number of them. Speaking of bikes, mine got a flat tire the other day. Such a pain.

Sleeping Beauty

2010-11-30T09:10:00.002+09:00

While the majority of the people on the Tokyo metro system stare deeply into their cell phones, myself included, there's also a group that try to get a few extra minutes of sleep. This gentleman was definitely out of it. The other remarkable thing you'll read about is how, despite sleeping, they manage to wake up for their stop. I know from speaking to a few people though, that sometimes they do miss their stop and wake up at the end of the line.

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiights

2010-11-29T08:38:00.000+09:00

Blast From the Past Sunday: The J-207 Trifecta Is Completed

2010-11-28T08:00:00.003+09:00

First there was Sandy. Then there was Wendell. Now there's Mr. Ruggles.

Karaoke

2010-11-27T08:00:00.002+09:00

No explanation needed. Okay, a little. On the left is Enrique and on the right Satomi. I met them both last night.

You Shall Bring Us a Second Shrubbery...

2010-11-26T10:21:00.002+09:00

Here you can see the buildings in Otemachi rising above the Imperial Palace Grounds, a respite from the busy city beyond.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:46:00.002+09:00

Happy Thanksgiving USA. As you can see in this picture, Japan is also gearing up for Christmas. No doubt the experience here will be very different from the one in America. But hey, at least I don't have to put up with Jared's commercials.

Thanks for the Nightmares Dole

2010-11-24T09:17:00.001+09:00

This does not make me want to buy a banana.

Mt. Fuji and Clouds

2010-11-23T08:25:00.002+09:00

Yep, another Mt. Fuji picture. This time with the clouds in the picture and the sun reflecting off them. BTW, I've got a lot of these pictures.

The Sun! Opportunity!

2010-11-22T09:57:00.002+09:00

Very few of the Japanese use dryers so on nice sunny days you can see lots of clothes/comforters/futons out to dry.

Blast from the Past Sunday: Wendell Kimbrough, Laruen Moon

2010-11-21T08:00:00.002+09:00

This was taken Sophomore year at the FUSAB Spring Carnival on E-Field. No one, NO ONE, is cooler than Wendell Kimbrough.

Chuo Line Incoming

2010-11-20T08:00:00.003+09:00

I took this picture Wednesday evening. It was, without a doubt, the worst weather so far this Fall.

This is Important for Unclear Reasons

2010-11-19T09:35:00.001+09:00

The Lady in Pink

2010-11-18T10:26:00.003+09:00

I saw this interesting young lady by Hachiko outside Shibuya Station. I apologize for my hand being in the pictures, stealth photos are a bit tricky. There's a few interesting characters around Tokyo. One of these days I'll get pictures from Harajuku and Akihabara.

天気

2010-11-17T15:25:00.007+09:00

It's been a while since I've talked about kanji compounds but today I came across a sweet one.

天気

This reads "tenki" and it means weather. I've known the word for weather for a long time, and I've known the first kanji, 天, for heaven or sky for a while too. What is new for me is 気, which I have just learned in the past couple of days. This kanji means spirit or temperament. Thus the compounds for weather is literally, "The spirit of the sky." HA! Genius!

Old Building

2010-11-17T09:54:00.000+09:00

This is a picture of an old armory on the Imperial Palace Grounds.

Epic Bowling

2010-11-16T09:01:00.001+09:00

Went bowling the other day, I made a video. Soyhan's got style.

Mt. Fuji at Sunset

2010-11-15T10:03:00.002+09:00

Blast from the Past Sunday

2010-11-14T11:10:00.007+09:00

New feature here in Barrett blog land. "Blast from the Past Sunday" is when I dig into my photo archives and post one of the many pictures that have been sitting on my hard drive unloved for years. I decided to start with this one, which is the picture I used in my silly photoshop job below. As for the poster. When the year began Sandy's room was a stark white, so I took it upon myself to make him some decorations. He didn't appreciate it, and they soon ended up out in the hall. Sandy did eventually add a demotivational poster and a plant.

Drill Baby Drill

2010-11-13T07:50:00.001+09:00

That's the biggest drill I've ever seen.

新幹線

2010-11-12T09:41:00.002+09:00

This is a picture of the Shinkansen, the bullet train arriving home at Tokyo station. 新幹線 literally means "new trunk line". It travels at speeds up to 186 MPH in service, but has been clocked at over 300 MPH in test runs. It makes the trip to Osaka in a little over three hours. We so need these things in the US.

富士山

2010-11-11T10:04:00.004+09:00

The weather has been spectacular here recently. So spectacular that you could see Mt. Fuji from my apartment. Typically the sky is not clear enough to see Mt. Fuji but this past week has been the longest stretch of great weather since I've arrived. I managed to get some great pictures. Here's one at dusk with the twilight behind Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately it is not quite as impressive in a picture, but it really is cool to watch Mt. Fuji rise up behind the cityscape towering over everything around it. Mt. Fuji is about 3700 meters tall (12,000 feet), and is approximately 60 miles west of Central Tokyo.

Bridges Two Days in a Row!

2010-11-10T10:35:00.002+09:00

Here is a bridge leading up to the Imperial Palace grounds. The grounds are rather large and divided into a public and non-public half. Obviously, I saw the public half.

橋

2010-11-09T09:59:00.002+09:00

Here's a picture of the Rainbow Bridge taken from a boat in Tokyo Bay.

So This Happened

2010-11-08T09:20:00.003+09:00

I suppose it was only a matter of time before this blog became a platform for my sillier antics. You'll also noticed that I've redesigned things a bit. You can now use the sidebar to browse through older posts. There are a few posts that are unlabeled because I have to confirm where I took them. I've labeled the photos based on where they were taken.

City Kitty: Glowing Eyes Edition

2010-11-07T08:06:00.001+09:00

Yeah, I'm running a little short on pictures, I'll work on that.

2010-11-06T08:22:00.001+09:00

New zero calorie refreshment with a plentiful of vitamin c.

Care Bear Sighting!

2010-11-05T12:47:00.003+09:00

I saw this fun fellow outside Kanda Sation last night.

窓を開けれました

2010-11-04T10:45:00.004+09:00

So at the end of the hall outside of where I work there are some windows, they have a nice view. And there's a little red button on the windowsill. Typically this button is covered by a plastic plate but the one here had falling out. I accidentally pressed the button while fidgeting and lo and behold, the window open. It was unfortunate that the one person fluent in Japanese ABANDONED me after it opened. He just grabbed his banana and split (oh yes, I said it). One angry Lumine (they own the building) woman and a good humored security guard later, the window was closed. It was nice of them to put an open button on there but no close button...

A Minor Offense

2010-11-03T08:39:00.001+09:00

Doumo Arigatou Mr. Sign-o

2010-11-02T09:32:00.002+09:00

The construction outside my apartment got even more interesting.

City KittyTrio

2010-11-01T09:42:00.002+09:00

Gotta keep those energy levels up

2010-10-30T22:05:00.004+09:00

One thing you notice quickly about Tokyo is the lack of trash cans. Trash cans are incredibly hard to find, so most people just carry their trash with them till they find one. Apparently these folks were less than willing to do that.

Trick or Treat

2010-10-29T11:36:00.003+09:00

I Encountered these guys about an hour ago. Halloween isn't a very big in Japan yet, but it seems to be picking up steam. Japanese retailer Tokyou Hands has a rather large Halloween display, and more and more people seem to be talking about it. After Halloween conquers Japan we'll need to start working on St. Patrick's day.

13,540 persons per km²

2010-10-28T09:00:00.012+09:00

A couple weeks ago I posted a picture of the crossing outside Shibuya station. That evening I only had my phone on me. The other night I was back in Shibuya but this time I had my camera. I took a couple of videos and pictures. The pictures are in temporal order as I cross from east to west and then turn south.

A Moment Frozen in Time

2010-10-27T08:36:00.003+09:00

Saw this dude in Shibuya last night. It was pretty cool, I was impressed how he stood so still for so long. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Maid spotting!

2010-10-26T10:24:00.002+09:00

About the best shot I could get. They're not big fans of having their pictures taken, so I had to grab the shot as surreptitiously as possible.

Babysitting

2010-10-25T15:36:00.001+09:00

Not my video but I wanted to share.

Izakaya

2010-10-24T23:57:00.003+09:00

This is Andrew and Soyhan. Andrew is from Australia and Soyhan is from Turkey. They are co-workers. After work tonight we went to a nearby Izakaya. An Izakaya is a Japanese drinking establishment that is sort of a cross between a bar and a tapas restaurant. Also, you generally have to take your shoes off when you enter and eating without shoes is a wonderful wonderful thing.

The group closest to the food table...

2010-10-23T23:47:00.004+09:00

Really busy 24 hours here, actually a busy 36, so this is late. This is the amazing group F, my group at my job's Halloween party. We came in second place, a solid all around showing in the games. The first place team had three native English speakers though, cheaters. And yes, I do need a haircut.

I couldn't fit on the train.

2010-10-22T10:03:00.003+09:00

The Marunouchi line was a bit too crowded for me to fit on Tuesday around 6:30. The next train was only 2 minutes behind though, and was much more pleasant to be on.

City Kitty

2010-10-21T10:56:00.002+09:00

Superfluous?

2010-10-20T16:05:00.004+09:00

Ever since I moved into my apartment there has been construction going on nearby. Sometimes they have to close down one lane of the road. Today this was the case and there were eight crossing guards on dutry, or as I want to call them, "traffic flow coordinators". I couldn't help but think that this was overkill. You can only see 6 in the top picture, one is around the corner and the other is on the far side of the bridge. The gentleman under the yellow arrow was even so kind as to gesture me across the street... after I had already begun to cross. Which, I must admit, sort of irks my American sensibilities (it apparently also irks Finnish sensibilities).

Something that I try to keep in mind is that every country is different, and each has it's own unique approach to things. After all, this sort of points to something Japan does much better than the United States, service. No doubt there are quality salesmen and service providers who will bend over backwards for you in the states, but Japanese service tends to run circles around American service. In this particular case though eight seems a bit much.

The picture below is the same site from the other side of the bridge.

The Busiest Train Station in the World

2010-10-19T19:01:00.000+09:00

These pictures were taken outside the Central East exit of the JR section of Shinjuku station. Shinjuku station is the busiest rail station in the world with over 3 million passengers a day moving through it. In addition to the JR lines, Shinjuku hosts several train lines and the Tokyo Metro. I live near Shinjuku station and pass through it just about every single day. The station is huge and I, like many others, got lost in it my first week in Tokyo.

NOUNS NOUNS NOUNS!

2010-10-18T15:47:00.001+09:00

I'm trying to figure out exactly what business they are in.

I spoke too soon

2010-10-17T22:53:00.005+09:00

So I posted my previous post right before I walked out the door to work. The last thing I said was "In Japan, the trains run on time." Well, that was a stupid thing to say because the Fukutoshin line (the one in the picture) was all kinds of messed up yesterday. The trains were running behind schedule and when the express train finally arrived it just sat there on the tracks with red lights turned on. I ended up going back a station and taking the Yamanote line to work, just barely getting there on time.

Yesterday was a bad day for me and trains as a whole. I also ended up missing the last train and couldn't make it home. I had a lovely night on a couch last night. I was fading fast by then end of work today. (Also, why am I still up now?) At any rate, I wasn't around today, therefore, this post is late.

This picture was taken in a pretty good, but reasonably priced Thai restaurant in Ginza. They went all out on the drinks. The lass (yes, I just used "lass") in the photo is Tugce (pronouced tu-che), who is here from Turkey studying at a language school.

Incoming Arrival

2010-10-16T08:35:00.002+09:00

This is the Fukutoshin line headed towards Ikebukuro. It's the train I take to work. Only not that train, that's the local. I took the express that came in right behind it. In Japan, the trains run on time.