As you well know, dear reader, I'm just as likely to take a photo of a crane fly dancing on the ceiling or a Tokyo manhole, as I am the lorikeets in a birdbath. And then, there are just some times of the year you wish you could take photos forever.
Two of my favourite seasons are autumn and spring...followed by summer and winter (let's face it, when is it not a favourite time to take some pics...hehehehe).
I'm fortunate to be in Japan for my research trip at the moment, the leaves are going through their marvellous transformation from green to reds and oranges, yellows and other shades, on the way to dropping off for winter. Perhaps it is because I don't see this phenomenon all that much back home, it offers scenes I marvel at every time.
These last two days, I've been up north, in Akita, the northern part of Honshu, Japan's main island; part of the Tohoku region, we also passed through Fukushima, scene of the major and lasting devastation of the 3.11 triple disaster--earthquake, tsunami, power station meltdown.
Anyway, this was a work assignment (requested by my university, while I was on long-service leave on a privately-paid research trip...but I digress). I was asked to represent the university at a 10th Anniversary event with one of our partner institutions, Akita International University (国際教養大学).
I agreed, mainly because I knew that at this time of year, the leaves, (or kouyou 紅葉 in Japanese) would be running into the best time.
And they were. Here are just a few examples...
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| Heading into Senshu Central Park, Akita City |
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| Sometimes, it is subtle |
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| Sometimes it is just bold and brash |
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| This was the reddest, a Japanese maple |
It's work...but not as we generally know it...
[Camera : Canon EOS 60D, 28-80mm, 3.00pm, 3.01pm, 3.26pm]
