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You can probably tell from this picture that it was super sunny today. It's nuts. We're in the middle of March and I'm out in a t-shirt. You never realize how much the weather sucks in Toronto until you see other parts of the world. |
So, I'm armed an ready to go. I brought these boots from Canada, they've been to just about all the places I have been, since I was 17 or so. I have this strange feeling that they are going to outlive me. |
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Caught this funny scene as I was walking to Miyazakidai station. Sleeping on the job is one thing, but creating a make-shift futon out of your cargo is something else. |
Well, at least he looks comfortable. I often see these delivery guys catching a quick snooze in their trucks, but I suppose as the weather becomes nicer, I'll see more and more street-sleepers. |
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Futakotamagawa now. I have this thing for Japanese graffiti. It's somehow more elegant, but probably because I can't read it. This is an exception. |
This was right beside it. I wonder if is a continuation of the thought. |
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Futakotamagawa means twin rivers (I think). Here's a shot of it. It's really a beautiful area. I spent a few hours here, just soaking up the sunshine and spring smell. |
As you will see in the following pictures, there were lots of other people who decided to do the same thing. This is a really popular area for people to just sit around and do nothing. My kinda place. |
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This is something you will see at the station. It's a bagel shop, but somehow I don't trust the cream cheese they have there. Japanese advertisements are a little more flamboyant than the ones we see back home. I don't think this would work in Canada. |
Skip forward to night time. Well, it's not really night time, only about 6:30, but it gets dark around these parts quite early. This is Garden Place, in Ebisu. The bright lights and cobbled streets, coupled with the pointy buildings and cleanliness remind me of Disneyland (minus the giant foam rodents). |
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I am accompanied by (L to R) Baseball Gina, Hawaiian Meg, and M. Baseball Gina and Hawaiian Meg are M's co-workers, they teach kids at an English school. You can tell when someone works with children because of the way they speak. They've all got this gentle enthusiasm for whatever you happen to be talking about. They reminded me so much of my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Roberts, that I was getting scared that they would send me to the corner to sit by myself (which happened more often than it should have). |
We stalked around Ebisu for a bit, trying to decide what to have for dinner. We finally settled on a restaurant that has garlic in all its dishes. This was upon Baseball Gina's recommendation, as she used to live in Japan. In Ebisu, no less. Kindergarten Teacher Symdrome quickly dissapated upon the arrival of the beers. |
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So you're probably wondering at Baseball Gina's nickname. Well, it's because she's dating a prominent baseball player in the Japanese league. He's so famous in fact, that they make mobile phone accessories in his image. You know you're famous in Japan when you are immortalized in plastic. It was my first time meeting BBG, and as we were exchanging info on our respective boyfriend/girlfriend, I showed her my photo of Frances. She, in turn, whipped out a baseball card. Wonder if Janet Gretzky does the same. |
You may not be able to tell from this crappy picture, but this lamp is made from four abaci (plural of abacus?). M wanted me to shoot this, but I was feeling shaky from all the garlic. The meal was pretty good, not like anything I'd ever had before. I got a little lost in the girl talk and had to sit through some periods of the three of them drooling over our waiter, but overall it was interesting. I've noticed that conversations with real people beat the hell out of the conversations I make up on my own. They're so predictable. |
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Here are some night-time shots of cherry blossoms that I promised you. |
Yeah, they just look like popcorn on twigs, but I assure you that they are quite beautiful in real life. |
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I almost got run over for this shot. |
Forgot that I had a night time setting for my camera. |
