And as forecast...

...the snow came (6/365, 6 Jan 2022)

And off I went to the local temple, well, the Tokyo Daibutsu in fact. I've photographed it in autumn, I've photographed it in spring, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom (in fact there is a post here); but how often do we see it with snow? Well, not often was everyone's verdict today and in spite of still being early in the New Year, and at the tailend of the week where people can make their first visit to a temple for the year, I was kind of fortunate that there weren't many people around. OK, the weather might have had something to do with that but that's what I was here for. 

And apologies in advance but...there are lots of pics. Even though I've spent a fair bit of time in Japan now, and even though I am kind of used to the snow...there's still a bit of 'wow, it's snowing' Queenslander in me. In the suburban areas, it is actually a bit dangerous, it is easy to slip and/or fall and you have to adapt your walking style to make sure you stay upright (says me the resident Tokyo Queenslander now sounding like an expert...). The road down to the entrance is quite a steep slope too so I wasn't quite sure what I might be in for. 

Anyway, I caught the bus there to make it in time before they closed the gate, but walked home. It really is that close. As I noted in a twitter post earlier, the lovely women in my local convenience store thought it was all a bit funny (as in weird funny) but they're are used to that with me (see, buying all the newspapers on election day etc). 

At the entrance

The snow was really starting to pelt down (does snow 'pelt'?)

Possibly my favourite scene in these grounds

The sakura trees

I'm used to leaving my footprints in the sand...

I did not expect to see...

...flowers in bloom

Prayer offerings

Kind of sums up the year, so far

All seven 'lucky gods' reside here

Palm fronds in the snow

On the path to the Daibutsu

The path ahead

Not just my footprints today

Freshly placed 2022 wishes

I'm sure the gods won't mind the snowdrift

The koi pond--they weren't moving much today

No colour editing, not B&W, just the snow

And on the walk home...

Snow settles everywhere, even making the rubbish nets look picturesque

I have a bit of history with this Great Buddha, the Tokyo Daibutsu. As a student back in the early days, a few of us were first introduced to it as part of a general history tour of Itabashi. About twenty years ago, no, maybe nearly thirty years ago, we featured it in a textbook for language learners my colleagues and I wrote. We thought then, everyone knows the Kamakura Daibutsu, let's showcase this one. At the time it was considered the third largest in the country but now it is a little further down the list. Still I enjoy visiting it on a regular basis. 

None of today's photos was edited for colour, the effect of the snow makes them look black and white. There is a little cropping in places and some editing for balance but all in 'colour'. It was cold, and I did wonder whether the cam would give out on me, but it worked well. But gosh it was cold. Would I do it again? Yep, in an instant. I'm a Queenslander--and it SNOWED!

Today featured the Canon EOS 90D again with the 24-105mm lens. I did take the 100-300mm just in case, but in all honesty, it was too cold (and wet) to manage a safe changeover. Most of the pics on the walk home, on the iPhone 12 mini, I had to really focus on not slipping.

(*Please respect the copyright ©, happy to share if you ask... 😊)

Tomorrow is a work day at home...but I can't rule out some melting snow pics...

A bit of a catch-up kind of day...

 ...don't want to overdo it. (5/365, 5 Jan 2022)

I am presently in that nice state of play where I can have vague plans for the day, and if they don't happen, it is OK. Different when I have timetabled classes, and meetings and things that must be done. That returns next week. I have just a few of these vague-ish days left.

I did think about a few possibilities for today, in keeping with the start of the year, but I had a few chores to attend to as well so opted for the latter, without any added pressures. I did note yesterday that somedays there might only be one or two pics. 

Well, that's today. As much as I'd like to think I'm 'on holidays', reality in this job is that's never really the case. I had an early reminder this morning via email about a paper due in three weeks, and students worried about dissertations (why was I looking at email you say? well, yes, there's my point). And to be honest, I had started thinking about this article yesterday, on the way home on the train, so...

Already, I feel I would welcome retirement at the end of this academic year (March, here). 

So it was a day of combing some recent newspaper articles as the article begins to take shape. After lunch I had to visit the chemist, post a couple of things, do a bit of shopping etc. After yesterday's comparative marathon, today I managed just 3000 steps. 

A very average day really. And dear reader, be warned, there will be a few of those ahead. 

All neighbourhoods are dotted with small shrines, for all sorts of things. 
This one apparently marks the remains of some battle horses,
commemorating a battle some 500 years ago.

Noted, on the way home, a touch of twilight

Tonight's dinner, preparing for tomorrow's cold (and snow)

See, rather ordinary. 

We are anticipating snow tomorrow. If it happens, I promise, nay, hope to get some very 'I'm a Queenslander, I can't believe it is snowing' pics for you. 

Until then.

Today's pix snapped on the iPhone 12 mini. Didn't even take out the bigger cams. 

One of those days...

...when I wondered why I didn't do this sooner (4/365, 4 Jan 2022)

I'm making every effort to get out and about while I can, and today was the same. Yesterday a local-ish historical park, today, I caught the train in the other direction, almost to the end of the line. Today's adventure was Ogawamachi in Saitama because it is somewhere I have often thought I should go and until now I just haven't got around to it (which is becoming a bit of a theme here isn't it...).

Anyway, a bit of a back story. Ever since I was here as a student, and in the intervening years when I visited and now that I'm back, the Tobu Tojo line has been basically the area I have lived, or stayed. It's a nice familiarity I suppose. It is often the butt of jokes, 'the country bumpkin line', the oldest train stock, and more recently, sadly, because of the high number of level crossings, the highest number of delays as 'accidents' occur along the line. Well, those of us who live here. we kind of like it. The line starts at Ikebukuro in Tokyo, and goes deep into Saitama country where I headed today. As a student, our first-year campus was (and still is) out along this line so I used to travel once a week to Sakado/ Higashi Matsuyama to attend class. In more recent years, I have gone a little bit further to Shinrin Koen, another large park and I may venture there again one day. But today, Ogawamachi, even further out. It is famous mostly for traditional Japanese paper crafts (uh-oh, did someone say crafts?) and also local sake breweries and more recently the craft beer trend is taking off here too (uh-oh, did someone say craft?).

Feeling like like a train otaku however...this blue and white stock was the one we used to catch
back in the olden days. Nowadays it does the rural run

The station

There is always a bit of a danger in heading out in the first week of the new year that some places will not be open (as was the case, including the famous donut shop...next time) and that was largely the case today but a few spots were open, and indeed it was the streetscapes I was mostly interested in (OK, and maybe the crafts and craft beers). 

Amazingly, just an hour by express train from my station, which, funnily enough, is about how long it takes to get to work when I travel in the other direction on a typical morning. But, as you know, if you have come this far, I am trying to do as any untypical things as I can over the next few days. 

If Kawagoe (also along this same train line) is sometimes known as 'Little Edo' (the pre-modern name of Tokyo) for its streetscapes, apparently there is a hint of 'Little Kyoto' around Ogawamachi. Hmm, not sure about that, but it has its own charms, as these few pics show. 

Modern urban architecture

These old 'kura' or storehouses are fascinating. In many places they are being renovated and used 
in all sorts of interesting ways

As I was busy photographing this, a local gent asked me what I was doing, intrigued. 'What's it called?' 
he asked me. Hmm, not really sure, I said. 'Ah, I don't know either, never mind', he said and went on his way. 😊

Fence decoration...

Late lunch, local sake

The 'omakase' set lunch (rather late in the day)...leave it to the chef. Too big to fit in one pic.

Back home, with some of my efforts to help the local economy...little samples of all the little town is famous for...paper, sake and new trending craft beer (which works on a reservation basis...I'll have to make a reservation and return).

The beer and sake part of the tour

Handmade paper goods, a brooch and bookmarks. 

A tray, and small paper container which now hosts the lego flowers (from day 2/365)

Have always wanted some of these, rarely find them in my size...

Three pieces of the most gorgeous handmade paper...and now just to think about what to do.*
*I have some ideas.

More paper goods, all handmade, cards and book covers

Local pottery, of course, somehow it finds its way into my basket...

Today's exploring with the Canon EOS 90D and again with the 24-105mm lens, great accessory for this type of work; and the trusty iPhone 12 mini. Some 10,400 steps in today's workout. 

There won't always be quite this many photos...some days it might be just one, but that's for when I return to work, for now, I'm having too much fun getting out and about. Now, where to tomorrow?