Bright Blue on a Rainy Day

When my parents came to visit for two weeks this summer, it rained most of the days. Mostly light, but some days heavier than others. On this particular day, we went to Omotesando and Meiji Shrine.

My favorite time to visit shrines is when it rains. Usually, tourists stay inside. A jacket and an umbrella is all I need to enjoy a rainy afternoon at a temple.

Venturing out to the center of the main shrine, my parents snapped some photographs of me with a bright blue umbrella. This shrine is beautiful for its simplicity. Many attempt to overwhelm the visitors with a wealth of detail crammed into a small space. Meiji Shrine is different; structures are grand, but simple in design. The spaces are wide-open.

THX 1138

Part of George Lucas' THX 1138 used the unfinished San Francisco BART Transbay Tunnel. This station reminds of the film settings. During the end of the bubble in Tokyo, the metropolitan government began construction of an inner loop subway line. Today, it is called the Toei Oedo line.

Nearly every station in the loop has a connection with another line. Since it was built so late, it is built very deep underground. Stations are normally ten flights of stairs or more under the streets. The cars are tiny and screech around tight corners.

The stations are very modern and each has a designer feel. Artwork adorns many station walls, and each is distinct. This is a photograph of the Shiodome station. It is a large commercial development on the east side of Shimbashi, one of the oldest transit centers just south of Tokyo (main) station.

Shiroyama Hills Amphibians

During the month of August, I have seen a few large toads in the pathway behind my office building next to the Swedish embassy. My guess is they live in the artificial stream built in the surrounding gardens. Even in Tokyo...

Walking home one night, I was startled, having almost stepping on this large toad. It was as large my clenched fist and sat frozen as I snapped this photograph.

Deep Nikko: Italian Embassy, Summer Home

The Italian embassy has a summer home that was recently rebuilt by an American architect. It was converted to a museum for visitors. Set in Deep Nikko on the lake, it is a peaceful, nearly silent getaway about three hours from Tokyo.

Overall, I wasn't as impressed with Deep Nikko as the temple area in Nikko city. The lake isn't as accommodating as I imagined or the guidebooks described. Regardless, the summer home was nice nugget.

The weather was random -- alternating between cold and cloudy to sunny and warm -- so it was difficult to dress accordingly. As the afternoon wore on, the clouds broken open as the sun was settling. This is a nice parting shot.

Chiba Clouds

The longer you live in a place, the more local your concerns become. At least, that seems to be my pattern. When I first arrived in California, I was interested in large trends moving the entire state or famous places; later, I was interested in community-level planning for new developments. In particular, with the expansion of mass transit, its impacts on communities were studied closely and written about extensively.

During August, I spent a weekend in Tateyama, Chiba. It is a town in the prefecture east of Tokyo. I stayed in a tiny pension which is a family run bed and breakfast. Sometime these places are called ryokan, but I don't really know the difference. Mine was called Nanohana.

The walk to the beach was about five hundred meters. Along the way, I passed other pensions and some small farms. What impressed me the most was the sky. On the other side of Tokyo bay, the development is much less intense. As a result, the sky is less polluted, and at night, stars can been easily seen.

Kasai Rinkai Park Sunset II

I promised a pair of pictures; here is the second. Just when I though the sun would hide for the remainder of its sunset, it burst through an opening for its finale. Enjoy.

Kasai Rinkai Park Sunset I

I wrote about Kasai Rinkai Park in previous posts about a year ago. With the sunsets being so incredible this August, I decided to return again. I rode the giant Ferris Wheel. It is so large, you can easily see it from Google satellite maps here.

I timed my ride so that I left the ground about twenty minutes before sunset. Miraculously, there was no queue. This is incredibly rare in Japan, let alone during a beautiful summer evening.

The views of central Tokyo were amazing, complemented by the colorful sunset. Here is the first of two pictures from my ride. The pictures remind me of sunsets in Los Angeles. The refracting polluted air provides for intense and colorful sunsets.

Toranomon Sunset

The sunsets have been stunning during the month of August in Tokyo. One afternoon at the office, the whole sky was gray except for one brilliant explosion captured here.

A co-worker commented that it reminded him of a classic European oil painter. (I cannot recall the name.)

This photograph was taken from the twenty-second floor of my office building, Shiroyama Trust Tower, part of the Shiroyama Hills complex.

Lovely Hotel

Yokosuka is to Tokyo as New Jersey is to Manhattan. Imagine all the bad haircuts and two seasons out-of-date styles crammed into one military city dominated by one liter sodas sold at the American military base McDonald's branch. Far, far down in my blog is a ridiculous picture of the most ferocious mullet I have ever laid eyes upon. It defines business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back.

(Read about it on English Wiki or Japanese Wiki.)

I was out in Yokosuka under the guise of watching fireworks. In truth, I was there to ensure my style was at least three months ahead of all locals. Hairstyles included. The gigantic American military base is opened to the public once or twice a year. This day was to allow for better viewing of the hanabi (fireworks).

Upon entering the base, I was stopped and questioned by a Japanese guard in halting English. "May I see some identification, sir?" Startled, I rummaged through my bag to find my passport. Without even realizing it, I spoke in, albeit baby, Japanese to the guard. "One moment." (Chotto matte.) "Are you military?" "No."

Once inside the main gates, I was instantly transported back to the United States. Everywhere, military mothers could be seen with haircuts last seen when Kim Zmeskal was still an Olympic gold hopeful. (Call it the "high pressure parent" haircut -- a close relative to the Church Lady style.) Their husbands could be seen wearing shockingly white cross trainers with knee-length shorts and three-button polos. And one liter sodas were featured at the local McDonald's branch. (Japanese children were using both hands.)

In the grilling section... wait, all the food was grilled, except the plethora of American fast food chains... chicken legs were sold to Japanese tourists that were literally larger than the receiving arms. The shoulder was the size of a softball. Instead of selling slices of pizza, they only sold entire pies. Groups of Japanese tourists failed to finish these pies.

What about this entry's picture? Prior to the base entrance, there is a prominent love hotel featuring a reproduction Statue of Liberty. Inquiring, I was told it is a trademark of this chain of love hotels. Lovely.