Day 202

in
not your average train

not your average train

The Seven Stars Kyushu train pulled into the station as we were heading the other way. From the outside it looked only a little special with burgundy paying, gold lettering and stained glass windows, but it must be one of the most expensive ways to travel in the world! http://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.com At almost 2 million yen (about 16 thousand euros) for a couple traveling only 4 days it's not surprising they don't need more than 30 people on a tour. However, given the reception the staff put on at the station and the type of travelers that have the train fully booked for ages in advance for one of the suite rooms, I was more than a little jealous when our regular local train showed up with standard bench seating.

Day 200

in
End of an era

End of an era

I struggled to find the right photo for my 200th blog post and lost a day or two in feeling most of the photos I had taken were not epic enough. However, this is a photo of something which will soon be resigned to the past. For many people, Polaroids are a complete mystery, to some hipsters and photo enthusiasts they are still something that doesn't have a digital equivalent. It's the photographic equivalent of an LP. The thing is, the slip of paper in the packs that I bought say that Fuji won't be making any more. They might make some small versions still for instant cameras but this was the last model in production that was used by professionals and Polaroid lovers still. I'm going to try not to waste the last few packs I have.

Bamboo Shoot

in
 They are bigger than they look!

 They are bigger than they look!

Dug up a bamboo shoot for the first time ever! There was only 2 or 3cm of the top poking out of the soil but somehow a kind man had found it and let me dig it up. They have seriously strong roots and took me about 15 minutes to dig down and under it before prising it out of the ground! We dug up for in total and put two on a fire to roast in tin foil and kept this one for dinner. They look and taste nothing like the bamboo shoots you might get in sweet and sour dishes in the supermarket back home.

100 Strangers

in
Akari in Seattle's Best

Akari in Seattle's Best

I've been meaning to do a 100 Strangers project for some time to motivate me more in approaching people on the street. I have taken photos of random people in the last year or two so might back date it, but until then I think this makes for a nice official first photo.

I was particularly drawn to Akari's fashion sense and especially her hat. Japanese people have a special way of being uniformly fashionable and unique at the same time, often by combining Western brands and items in a distinctly Japanese way. 

Day 188

in

Japan is the only country in the world where you can drive a Bentley, park it on the street with your Louis Vuitton handbag on the front seat, with the doors unlocked, the keys in the ignition AND the engine running while you go into a shop for a wh…

Japan is the only country in the world where you can drive a Bentley, park it on the street with your Louis Vuitton handbag on the front seat, with the doors unlocked, the keys in the ignition AND the engine running while you go into a shop for a while and expect it to be there when you come out.

Day 187

Pretending to watch a free boy band concert in canal city with his girlfriend. I hope she doesn't expect to see a recording from the show.

Pretending to watch a free boy band concert in canal city with his girlfriend. I hope she doesn't expect to see a recording from the show.