An Olympic flame and a full moon

Not what we were expecting

The Tokyo 2020+1 Olympics are underway. I'll be writing and reflecting on the politics of it all over at the other blog, but with last night's full moon over the bay, and the first night of the mini-cauldron being lit up at Ariake (I get a bird's eye view from my office), well, it all deserves a post of its own.

The mini-cauldron has been under wraps for a few weeks, and preparations were made late last week and the flame was lit some time after the main flame was ignited by tennis champion Osaka Naomi. 

Hidden under the grey tarp

View from the office

Cauldron with wheel

Lit

Looking back to the campus

Moon rising over the Bay, 7:37pm-ish

Ideally, the moon could have risen a little further to the left, or, the fencing around the cauldron could have been a little less onerous, to allow the ideal pic of the moon rising over the mini-cauldron. But it was not to be. 

More to come, on the road to renewing #project365

Top photo taken on iPhone-12 mini; all others, Canon EOS 90D, 70-300mm lens

On the way to a 'pinkish' 'superish' moon...

 Some amateurish shots...

No, I don't really know why I do it, shoot the moon that is. It is a challenge. I have some nice equipment but it is not quite the right equipment. Bought myself a 2x tele-extender hoping to improve things but... none of the lenses I have are compatible which means looking at buying another lens (which kind of defeats the purpose of getting the extender in the first place)...this is the life of an amateur photographer. Le sigh.

Anyway, this month we were due a 'Pink Moon' with a bit of 'Super' thrown in. Back home I would be one of those people to drive out to Manly on the bay or Moffat Beach to capture the rise over the water. Here in Tokyo, I live in the suburbs but have an office on the tenth floor at work with excellent views over the port. Sometimes the angle doesn't work from the confines of the office, but sometimes I'm lucky.

Anyway, just because I should be exercising my writing muscles more and getting back into the swing of writing more often* (here and over on the other blog) here are some views of the moon over the last few days, from my balcony in the 'burbs (25 and 26 April) and the full moon from the office (27 April). 

*I marvel that there was a time I wrote here every day...every single day. Goodness me.

25 April

26 April

27 April

27 April

27 April (some cropping)

27 April (no cropping)

I am really quite determined to get some moon-photo-equipment one day. And I still haven't quite got the hang of the M5...

(Cameras: 25-26 April Canon EOS D90, 70-300mm lens, cropped; 27 April, Canon EOSM5, 18-150mm lens, some cropping...yes, I would have had the big cam with me at work on this day.)

Tulips: a year to the day...

 Twelve months later

It was back to campus today, readying for the start of classes on Friday, the new academic year, kind of hoping that the gamble to go with face-to-face classes in the time of Covid...well, hoping it works out OK. First class is Friday morning, 8:50...preceded by peak hour train rides. I'll at least have my fingers crossed and mask on secure and straight.

On this very Tuesday last year, the government announced it was declaring a State of Emergency commencing at midnight, we were all sent home and asked to work from home, including online classes, for at least a month. As it turned out, as we know, that ended up being the entire academic year. As an interesting aside, there were far fewer daily cases this time last year and we are not up to speed with vaccinations just yet, so it is a gamble, if you ask me. Anyway...

On this very Tuesday last year, as I walked back to the station, I took a few pics of the tulips, thinking it would be my last viewing of them for some time. Today, I walked to work a bit earlier to capture what remains of the the tulip festival, after the rain. Like last week's sakura, there is something quite enjoyable about photographing flowers.

I hope you enjoy the selection...

(Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm)

©️Please respect the copyright of the amateur photographer. Thank you.

Sakura in a time of Covid

Taking in the blossoms while avoiding the crowds

The State of Emergency has been lifted for Tokyo and surrounds, but authorities want us to remain cautious but it is peak (peek) season for sakura--the cherry blossoms. I'm fortunate to have a few blossoming in and around the neighbourhood, though actually, they bloom pretty much anywhere, such is the reverence for the sakura that they are planted all over the place. We have just two out of the usual five blossoming in the park across the road since the council called by a few weeks ago and cut all the branches right back. 

Luckily, I live within walking distance of the Tokyo Daibutsu, one of the larger Buddha statues in Japan, and it doesn't attract the sorts of crowds that other famous places do. There is another temple close by too, Shogetsuin and although I've walked or bussed past it many times, I've never been inside the gates. Until yesterday.

Yesterday, Saturday was a fine, at times overcast day but according to the weekend forecast, Sunday was to bring wind and rain and a certainty to blow away the ephemeral pink petals of our imaginations. So a stroll around the neighborhood temples was in order. 

First stop, Shogetsuin (松月院）

And then a short walk down the road to the Tokyo Daibutsu, (東京大仏) which I have visited often, over the years...

And then, a little further down the road to Akatsuka Park, for a little lunch break and some experimental macro shots (in a park better known for its plum blossoms...).

The wind and rains of Sunday are yet to eventuate as I write, the rain clouds are around, the breeze turns to wind at times but the petals are hanging in there for now. We might not be quite finished after all.

I experimented a little with the macro lens, my macro skills still need some work...

(Canon EOS90D, EF70-300mm, EF100mm macro)

©️Please respect the copyright of the photographer. Thank you.