A day out...

...to a park (3/365, 3 January 2022)

You know how you can live in a place for a long time and never really get out and about? You live there, you go to work, you travel home, you go to regular spots whether for shopping or theatre or observing the passing traffic. 

It is probably fair to say life in SE Queensland, in as much as I can remember it, involved pretty much that--work, sleep, and occasional trips to the bay to take photos, for a blogpost. Tokyo has become a bit that way too. It is where I work, where I live. I really only get around to touristy sites when friends and family visit and they want to 'see' places. Well, of course, that hasn't happened for a while, quite a while. And let's face it, movement has been rather restricted in the last two years. 

Anyway, reviving this blog gives me reason to get out and about on non-work days. Today was to a park not far from here but travel there is first by bus, then train. The roundabout return trip involved a ride on the Sakura tram back to Ikebukuro then home on a train and another bus (after picking up tonight's groceries, it's not all touristy after all). 

The park, Asukayama Park (飛鳥山公園) is quite a large one here in the northish-westish part to Tokyo. Initially established by one of the Tokugawa family members in the 18th century, it was one a several parks designated for the public in 1873. It has become more famous more recently however, following the relative popularity of a recent NHK Sunday night drama, about Shibusawa Eiichi, considered one of Japan's early industrialists (soon to feature on the new ¥10,000 note). It became his residence and you can visit museums and walk in his garden (with a few artifacts remaining). 

Today, it had a reasonable crowd, out enjoying the last of the official three-day break under brilliant blue skies. I reckon this park in spring, with all its cherry blossoms, would look amazing. Maybe a return visit is on the cards. 

Marker at the 'top' of the mt

Lots of monuments

A part of the Shibusawa tea gardens

A lovely blue sky day, I just enjoy the patterns of the foliage against the sky

Pidgeon in a bare tree

Parts of a shrine, brought over from Nihonbashi (long story) stored here too

Love a cobbled path

Plenty of stone lanterns around too

The Shibusawa Library, would like a look inside

Window detail

A small dwelling built for Shibusawa, a kind of lounge/dining, greet the guests place
I like the way the window reflects the houses in the neighbourhood

Looking inside from outside

Of course there is a statue of Shibusawa

Old steam train, something for everyone

Looking back as I leave. There were people, but not everywhere.

After a leisurely walk around, I hopped on one of the tram lines from the park back to Ikebukuro.

Just because. Well, just because, in all my years here, I don't think I've ever caught it. Another thing off that imaginary checklist. 

The tram tracks

Towards the Park

I caught the purple one

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Pics today on the Canon EOS90D with a change of lens, the 24-105mm and pics of the tram off the phone cam, iPhone 12 mini. 

 

A day in...

 ...a little nostalgia, a few surprises (2/365, 2/1/2022)

Today started out overcast. And cold (around minus 2degC when I woke up). The second day of the year in Tokyo is busy--department store sales, people are still going to shrines, and being a Sunday, you can double the usual numbers. I had thought about going out another park, a combination of short bus and train trip...but the weather. Also, the second and third days of the New Year feature the Hakone Ekiden, live on television. It is a relay marathon where the top university teams run from Tokyo to Hakone and then make the return trip the next day. I have an interest in this event because around the time I was here studying as an undergraduate student (last century), my university was at its peak, and always top contenders in this comp. We all got behind the team. They haven't done as well in recent times, but, I still follow along anyway. (Around the same time, back then, the rugby team was also among the top teams, taking out the national championship a few times too. Quite a sporty uni back then.)

Anyway, given the weather and the crowds...and my determination to not do any work, I opted for a morning at home at least, and decided to tackle a box of lego that found its way home here last week. 

I was a child of the earlier lego era, some decades ago when the bricks came in maybe a dozen variations, half a dozen colours, not much in the way of instructions, but plenty of imagination. It was our main form of indoor play back in the day, on a rainy day. 

Over the years I've watched the bricks develop, syndicated into various forms, and always thought 'it's just not like it used to be'. Anyway, in recent times, well, months really, Lego seems to be aiming for a particular market, a particular demographic, and that might be me. The recent appearances of flowers, cars and a Beatles box (which I haven't entirely eliminated) well, piqued my curiosity. 

I have a fondness for flowers (real ones) for decorative and photographic purposes (especially here last two years of largely working from home). And I decided, if not today, then when.

So today, instead of going out very far, with a determination to avoid crowds, and with all the sport on telly (the uni rugby semi-finals followed the ekiden), and consistent with the nostalgia of the day, here we are. Probably more hours than should be confessed, more fiddly than I remember and more parts then...well, many parts. But nice colours.

How it started...

But first, a practice run

Right, getting serious, organisation required

Kind of getting through this

How it's going

54 of those little mauve pieces...54!

Upper level anxiety complexity

Spare parts (I hope)

The end (except for a new vase...maybe tomorrow)

I do like jigsaw puzzles, so I figured this was just a variation on a theme. More in store? Let's wait and see. Tomorrow I'll get out and about, on behalf of this project (after the return leg from Hakone to Tokyo). 

Cheers.

Photos on the iPhone 12 mini, (and tweeted in parts).

Back on the bike...

 ...quite literally but also metaphorically (1/365, 1/1/22)

Welcome to 2022. And a reboot of sorts. I am thinking about reviving ye olde project 365, last seen here in 2018, 212 days out of 365. That was in Melbourne, on a work trip (remember those?) and I returned to Japan, only to be hit by an overwhelming workload. That will continue for a little while but in the meantime, I'd like to try and get back into writing and photographing again, in the hope that 2022 might be the year I get home, as was planned in 2021. 

But that wishful thinking aside, who really needs an excuse to get back into doing things that are fun. I haven't stopped taking pics per se. There are a few posts here when the photography led to an interesting comment or two to make; and I've been posting pics over on my Insta account (@psephyspix), if not every day then almost daily. 

It is easy to let work overtake everything, especially in the last couple of years when we have been living in fairly unprecedented times. So this will be my effort to craft habits I want to get into...more writing down the track. I figured it might be an opportune moment to document all that could be, should be, documented. It might be personal reflections, it might note particular issues of the day. It begins with the intention of being a daily, project 365, that is, 365 days of the year. It might at times convert to a project 52, a weekly version, or a project 12, a best of the month version...who knows. But I'll do my best, do what I can in these times. 

Today 1 January, begins with a bike ride. A sunny blue sky day in Tokyo, but remembering it is winter here...a ride in 4degC and a strong headwind, well, it is a chilly start. 

My trusty little two-wheeler

Pine nuts for New Years

From the pine tree

Always love the bark of the eucalyptus at home,
but the local version can be pretty stunning too

Dancing with sunlight

I enjoy riding my bike, I don't intend to go too far, today was from one neighbourhood park to the one near where I used to live, and a cycle around the backstreets, maybe 6-7km all up. Being 1 January, the roads near the Tokyo Daibutsu (our local Big Buddha) were rather crowded as people went to take their New Year's blessings. I'll do that in a couple of days time. 

In the meantime, let's see what the year has in store. 

Enjoy. 

(Today with the little Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens)