A brief moment of light

 ...really very brief... (151/365, 31 May 2022)

Photography is the art of light and shade, of trying to capture light. It doesn't always work however. But early this evening, as I was planning my retirement (for the day) and after a lot of rain earlier rain during the day, there was just that brief moment when the sun is making its last appearance for the day when there is just this very, shall I say, mysterious, light. I have seen it at home too, where I have tried to capture it...it glows in a particular orangey sort of way at home. Today had the same quality about it but not quite orange. 

I'd love to know the technical atmospheric reasons for it, but maybe I can leave that as a research project in my eventual actual retirement.

Cam today was the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens. Just for added interest, it was 6:09pm, pics taken 17 seconds apart. No edits.

That's five months down already, of this project and quite honestly that about three and three-quarter months longer than I anticipated. Thanks for hanging out this long...

Locked in?

...look up, then look down ... (150/365, 30 May 2022)

...there is always something. 

The day dawned, but the real estate agency doesn't open until 10:00am, just half an hour before my two hour meeting begins...this will be interesting in terms of juggling time. 

While I was waiting, I heard the call of one of the local birds, which always sounds delightful, almost like hearing the call of a magpie at home. It is, I think, the 'hiyodori' or bulbul, I'm still learning the names of the birds around the place. This one turns up fairly regularly and usually on the tv antenna on the apartments across the road.

Meanwhile, I had an appointment with the locksmith after my meeting, and he rang at the appointed time, arrived at the appointed time, and...sprayed the lock with magic spray... that was all. Anyway, I can now lock the door no problems. However, I didn't have to go far for today's pics. After noticing the bulbul above, I noticed my parsley was starting to go to seed...and look, who knew parsley could look like this?

Worth a shot or three I reckon. Back to normal programming, back to school, tomorrow.

Today, the bulbul via the Canon EOS 90D, 70-300mm lens at 300mm, while the parsley taken with the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens.

Summer has arrived...

... in spring ... (149/365, 29 May 2022)

Well, ok, the end days of Spring but nonetheless, all of Tokyo was alarmed to learn that today's temperature was going to top 30degC, likely to get to around 33deg. And indeed it did, with a notification on the phone popping up just before midday to let us know. 

I also had plans to go down the track a little to Oyama, to see a movie but...some troubles with the lock on the front door put paid to that idea. So, a day indoors it was to be for me. 

Well, except for a brief moment when I stepped out to buy the paper. My apartment being situated where it is, I kind of didn't have too much concern about going out for ten minutes without being able to lock the door properly. Seriously. It sounds like the Australia my grandparents grew up in telling us how easy it was to leave the doors unlocked...indeed, if you had locks on the doors. 

So my sort of planned trip to one of my early Tokyo haunts, not far from where I was going to see the movie, will have to happen another time.

Meanwhile, the kids made good use of the water bubbler in the park, it seems they like to fill and then explode balloons on the bubbler...the environmentalist in me is not terribly impressed. But, kids, hot day, neighborhood, suburban, Tokyo...

You'll also note, the trees now have lush foliage, which helped to cool the day down a bit.

Luckily I have a day to work at home tomorrow, hopefully an opportunity to get the door lock looked at... let's see. 

Today, the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens.

Accidental (on purpose) little discoveries...

... real treasures... (148/365, 28 May 2022)

Although it has been a week since the Australian election, change of government, Quad meetings, commentary writing...all the things, you would expect, come Saturday, a psephologist would want a rest day. But no. The Japanese Upper House election is on its way, and all around us, the signs are appearing. Earlier in the week, walking to the station, one of the local representatives was doing his usual meet and greet at the station, including letting us know that Upper House hopeful and long time representative in the lower house, Tsujimoto Kiyomi would be appearing at a town hall meeting down the road, on Saturday. Tsujimoto lost her seat (in Osaka) at the election last year, and since she is someone whose career I have been following for a number of years, I thought it would be interesting (well compulsory really) to go and listen... so I did.

But it wasn't all work. Since the venue was close to the train line that passes through Tokyo's secondhand book district, and since the meeting finished conveniently early in the day, I thought why not. There is an art shop there I've been keen to visit for some time. So I did. (More on that later...)

And since the secondhand book district is just a station away from my favourite little Tokyo goods shop, well, why not...it is Saturday after all. I have to say, I love spending time with the couple who own this shop, they have such a storehouse of knowledge, of the area, of Tokyo traditions past and present, it is like a free history lesson every time. And we laugh...and that has got to be good, right?

I also had another reason...during the week, on their Insta account (@/ kanda_chonko if you're interested), they posted the most exquisite little bento box, a little lunchbox, dated to the early 1880s, within its own little carry box...just the sought of thing people took to mountains or wherever they were going for the day.

Dear reader...it was still there when I got there. My 19th-20th century Tokyo antique collection is growing...

The box, for the lunch box

Exquisite and unusual lacquering style

Its component parts

Oh, and another for the growing collection

And then there was lunch, a late one, on the way home.

Best Saturday since.... last Saturday! But for different reasons, obviously.

Pics on the iPhone 12 mini. 

Over the horizon...

 ... the cloudscape... (147/365, 27 May 2022)

Some days, all it takes to appreciate the world around me, is to look out the window at work. Today was one of those days. Friday is, for the first semester, an early start...that class of first year politics students. And again today, it was raining right through commuting hours. It ends up being a long day... (*I am looking forward to the day when my 'office' commute is just a short walk onto the back deck...)

Just as I was going to take a short stroll around the port, camera in hand, I noticed the clouds on the horizon, and really, with a view from the 10th floor...it really is more than one needs. 

So that's today...

The Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm on hand. 

The return walk...

 ...away from the office ... (146/365, 26 May 2022)

Over on twitter or Insta, I share a few pics sometimes with the tag 'on the walk to the office', 'to' being the operative word. It might a flower or a weedy flower, an occasional ladybird, the way the clouds are forming overhead...it is usually in the morning, and then, I get to the office, and get carried away at work. 

You see, while the #project365 blogposts were rested for a couple of years, I didn't stop taking pics, on an almost daily basis. Can't help myself really. Anyway, Thursday was a busy day once I reached the campus and before I knew it, it was time to head in the opposite direction, away from the office and 'to' the station. 

In an occasional series of 'I'm not sure how much longer I'll be seeing these scenes and I think I'd like a record' photographs, I though I'd like to capture the walk 'from' the office to home, as I left around 8:20pm. 

How many times have I walked this path? How many more times would it have been if not for two years of Covid forcing us to work from home? Grand ponderables indeed.

I haven't adjusted the pics for colour or light, these are straight from the iPhone 12 mini, a little deceptive for the reality. Still, photographically I'm intrigued by the default settings in these situations. Something for later perhaps.

A moment's rest in the park...

... probably not the one you're expecting... (145/365, 25 May 2022)

I am still getting used to the number of hours in my day (week...year...life) that I am reclaiming since handing over the Head of Department reins, now almost two months ago. How long will it take to get used to I wonder?

Today, with no meetings, no work-related chores, nothing in the calendar (it doesn't mean I have nothing to do just, how I spend the day is my own), it seemed like a good day to finish off an article about the Japanese media reporting of the election last Saturday and the Quad visit. Actually, I was committed to finishing the article, it just meant that I had the luxury of opting to stay home to finish it. 

For the second time in three days, I started with an early hike to the convenience store to buy up all the papers--this always amuses the staff, they're used to me doing that for Japanese elections now but they did wonder what I was up to this time. (By way of explanation, Japan still has a comparatively healthy print media, with five or six daily papers, morning and evening editions, none owned by Murdoch; and while sales are decreasing as people move to online editions, or like most of my students, don't read them at all, it is still possible to buy them on the way to work.)

Anyway, it turned out the article took a little longer to draft than expected, mainly because the coverage of the election, the Quad meeting and Albanese's international debut was somewhat more comprehensive than I anticipated (and I say that as a long-term Japan-Australia watcher). 

By about 6:00pm, with the draft done and filed, I did want to get outside, stretch the legs, breathe a bit. I took the cam to the little park across the way, the 'neighbourhood park' I often refer to, where kids play all day, just to see what I could see. 

Interesting light

Patterns and tracks

Actually, although a bit of a luxury, I have to say, taking twenty minutes out just to sit and watch the sparrows was quite a pleasant and settling way to end the day. (Except when I say 'end the day' it really means just have a break before getting back and starting on the next thing, which I will do when I finish this post.) Where did all those hours go again?

Popped over the road with the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens, trying to not look too conspicuous. Never works though, being inconspicuous. 

A day of teaching...

 ... sustainably... (144/365, 24 May 2022)

Or, I try to be sustainable. Another online class today on SDGs, and a couple more first year seminars. Meetings as well, and an eye on the Quad meeting going on down the road. 

So it was quite an intensive day, in many ways, although I know tomorrow will be a bigger day when I have to get into the details and write up a few comments about the meeting. 

Somehow the day got away from me and before I knew it, we were heading towards the end of it. 

The sun sets, the meeting is in that general direction

Home

I'm looking forward to what the papers say, tomorrow.

Pics taken with the iPhone mini 12.  

A busy day for some...

 ...following developments ... (143/365, 23 May 2022)

We are starting to see the outcomes of Saturday's election coming into print here in Tokyo. Much of today was set aside to work through the details, the interpretations, the commentary. I have to say, I haven't seen this much written about an Australian election for quite some time (and I've been doing this for quite time). 

One of the reasons I suppose is that new PM Albanese was flying to Tokyo as I was reading, to attend the Quad meeting. (More on that elsewhere, soon.)

It was a long day but I managed to get out and spot a few nice little things as well. 

Some morning glories, appropriately

The front pages

Spotted at the front door

New graphics

We are headed for new times. 

Pics on the iPhone 12 mini.

Add a little jazz to your day...

 ... another festival returns... (142/365, 22 May 2022)

I was just saying last Friday, how nice it is, if not still a little cautious, to have outdoor festivals starting to return. Japan does a good festival...

And after Friday's food festival (those passionfruit by the way were divine), and the no show of The Australian #democracysausage festival, it was nice to head out to my local hub station, Ikebukuro, where they were holding the annual Jazz Festival, for the first time in a couple of years. A nice way to round out the weekend where Australia elected a new government, and a certain vitality had returned to politics, or so it seems, let's see.

But let's return to the Ikebukuro Jazz Festival. It is free, it is on the streets and in the arcades. It includes professionals and amateurs and draws some really healthy crowds. And some very good music. I say this in the context that Tokyoites who don't live near here tend to bag Ikebukuro as Tokyo's country bumpkin, they fear its grand train station (very easy to navigate, once you know how), and you know, just like every big city anywhere, it has its reputation, its image, its fans, its detractors. (Just like my home town Brisbane, you're either north or south of the river.)

Anyway, I thought heading out late Sunday afternoon, might give me some clear air for pics...not so, it was quite crowded until the end. Not to worry, the atmosphere was good, the vibe great and made me realise, I need to get my instruments out again. 

Main stage

Local characters

Pics on the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens, thinking it would do, but I should have taken the 70-300mm lens, which I did contemplate...oh well.