We've moved!

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

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

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

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

Infractions

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

Going Down

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

Reflective

City Kitties: Two of a Kind

Leaves of Grass in Japan

"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

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

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

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

That is all.

Perfect Head Placement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!