Another long day at the office...

... in the classroom, and beyond... (181/365, 30 Jun 2022) 

But let's face it, that's every day at the moment, or so it seems. They start early, with the birds chirping--they really do chirp at the *crack* of dawn, and I'm basically awake to see it (and hear them). Not that I mind, I do like the dawn chorus.

But yes, a fairly intense teaching and meeting schedule. And again, meetings after classes tonight meant not leaving campus until about 8:30pm. I thought about going down to the water but then I thought, maybe I could look at it from above, from the bridge. So I headed there.

The angle and lighting was such that, in fact, I couldn't see very much at all. I took a couple of pics of the wheel given its days are numbered...and it seems to be putting on a very special light display for its last days. (I must remember to ride it, soon.)

Then for some reason, looking at the lights, I remembered a somewhat silly but fun technique from a nighttime photography class I did many moons ago. Just drag the zoom...

A straight pic...

Bokeh...

Well, that was fun. I must try harder. Hehe.

And here we are, at the end of June, the end of the financial year at home, a new month here tomorrow. I've never quite been able to work out the half-way point of the # project365, but it is getting close (much easier when it is # project366).

Today's muck around was with the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens (and *all* the mm in between).

Starting with sustainability...

...ending with more spectacular colours ... (180/365, 29 Jun 2022) 

Another early start, another 'should I stay or should I go' moment of decision making. This morning's class is online and I could do it from home but then...I have more meetings at work and tomorrow's classes to prepare...you can see a pattern developing here. 

In previous weeks I have opted to take this class at home, a class on SDGSs (so sustainable travel is front and centre today)... Today, a little voice inside said 'go to work' which I did...but Japanese trains, goodness me, when they are good they are very very good, but when they are bad...gosh they can be frustrating. 

And so it was this morning. My decision to head off early was thwarted by some delays with the trains, some 30 minutes in the end. Sometimes there is enough notice via social media and the rest to make the necessary changes to different trains, but not today. Nope. Stuck. 

Made it to the office with a few minutes to spare but it can be touch and go sometimes. The long day (more meetings) was rewarded, as it were, with some spectacular colours as the sun set. I know yesterday's pic was also the sun setting but I don't know whether it is the heat or what in the atmosphere, but there are some brilliant skies at the moment, morning and night. I know about those morning ones because I'm up with the birds as they greet the day.

This might be my favourite sunset pic

Pics today from the office on one side, and then on the other side of the building. Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm.

There's an election...

 ... I'm excited... (179/365, 28 Jun 2022)

...but the challenge is to translate that excitement to 200 students in an online environment. I should add these students are taking a Japanese politics course, so... but I accept, students are students and maybe they've enrolled for all sorts of reasons.

Tuesdays for the time being, are long days, starting at around 4:45, out the door by 6:15 and then hope the trains work sufficiently well to allow me to get to campus in time to wind up the online machine.

Without much of a break, it is on to the next class, face-to-face this time...a long 200 minutes teaching a class with, frankly, little point. But more of that later.

Once that's done, it is back to the office, check email, speak to colleagues in the International Office to see what has happened during the day, and then get ready for Wednesday's early start. There is a kind of rinse/repeat about it all.

A little earlier, I had a request to do an interview on ABC radio about this current heat wave, which in addition to the heat, we've been asked to conserve power at peak times in the late afternoon / evening.

Not much chance to get out and about but the sunsets from the tenth floor can have their moments.

Snapped on the iPhone 12 mini.

Monday meetings...

 ... just another day... (178/365, 27 Jun 2022)

...on screen. Meetings filled the morning until early in the afternoon. It is interesting the days that we have that 'choice' to sit in front of a screen at home, or make the train trip into work to do the same in the office. I am of two minds...when I'm not meeting, I have classes to prepare and often that is better done in the office. Sometimes though, I don't know, now we have the option...it seems much more can be done with those three hours a day spent commuting if I stay home and work. (Tuesdays for the time being have very very early starts, so being home Monday has its attractions.)

And somehow, with meetings and class prep, the day just got away from me. And that just left me with...well, photos of a late lunch / early dinner because somedays, that is all there is. Not that that is a bad thing, necessarily. 

No, not ramen...

Summer 'ramen' in Japan is often a cold dish, 'hibachi chuka', it is really just right for the times. I also found a new summer bowl to go with them...lovely shades of blue, evoking the cool. Anyway, on to tomorrow.

Pics with the iPhone 12 mini.

All in a day's work...

... for a psephologist at least... (177/365, 26 Jun 2022) 

After a day in yesterday, in the midst of an election campaign, there is only one thing to do on a Sunday... rest! I hear you say; but no, with the RikkenDems, one of the key opposition parties, due to hold their rally down the train line, just a short elevator ride from one of my favourite restaurants, well...what's a psepyto do?

Pity the candidates having to get out and about in this weather really, it is very hot but at least today's rally was due to start around 6:00pm, once it had 'cooled' to about 32degsC. Really.

So, as with the other rallies, most of what I have to say about the politics of it all, will be over on the other blog as the campaign continues (until Election Day 10 July).

Meanwhile here's just a few pics from the day, including the (unexpected) appearance of Yoshino Tomoko, the first female leader of the labour union umbrella group Rengo (for Australians, think ACTU). 

The National Broadcaster NHK was there

Another candidate, driving through, turned off his speakers

As promised to self, afterwards I popped up to what is fast becoming one of my fave places for a meal...and a power up for the rest of the week.

Pics the rally, on the Canon EOS 90D, 70-300mm lens.

Where online is the new normal...

 ... but there's always a window of opportunity... (176/365, 25 Jun 2022)

Last weekend involved two days indoors following an academic conference in the online mode. We've become used to it and indeed, as conferences go, they do have their advantages. While those who prefer face-to-face mode for conference will extol the 'corridor' chats or conversations over the bar, I've never been quite one of those people. Although I used to attend four or five conferences a year, I really don't mind if I don't attend in person again. 

This weekend was another online event, which I was a tad disappointed to learn was that, rather than in person. You see, it was a reading of a work by Mayu Kanamori, early Australia-Japan relations, the development of which I've been following quite closely over the years. (You might recall, back in March, I made a trip to Osaka to see Mayu's exhibition.) It was happening 'just down road, as the train line goes', so it was convenient. As a regular theatre and concert goer (though not of late) I was looking forward to getting back into the theatre. Anyway, online it was. And a very good program it was too. 

It went longer than I expected so by the end of the day, it was time to turn my attention to today's pics. Just in time, one of the locals turned up as I stepped outside to take in the view from the balcony. It had been a rather hot day so quite lucky really that it was a day of work indoors...

Chirpy little bird

And away...

Thank goodness for the neighbourhood birds.

These taken on the Canon EOS 90D, 70-300mm lens. 

It is beginning to look a lot like...

 ...the 'new' normal, I think ... (175/365, 24 Jun 2022)

We've made it to Friday, somehow and yet it still feels tiring. The first full week of term 2, I know it only lasts seven weeks and I know teachers at schools have longer tougher days (not to mention frontline health workers) but it is going to be a tiring term (keeping in mind I wasn't expecting to be here, I think that is playing into things a bit). Today, at the end of the day though, I had an appointment to keep with friends to have 'drinks' at the end of the week...something we've all been out of practice with a bit I think. 

But before that there was a moment to have a bit of a walk down by portside. Here towards the end of June, we have had extraordinary high temperatures which is fuelling a bit of concern about what 'summer' is going to be like... today there has been quite a strong breeze as well which I have to say has offered some relief. The water too, today, looked a different colour from its usual blue, kind of brown. I was a bit interested to see what the water looked like close up. (Narrator: it was very brown)

Reminded me of a #GoMaroons stubbier holder

Windy enough to register 'waves'

The wasps are invading the cherry trees

A little later, it was off to a place just a couple stops up the rail line, Tsukijima, famous for the Tokyo version of the better known okonomiyaki, what we call monjayaki. Some people are rather unkind about its appearance but we like it nonetheless. 

The pics of the port, on the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens; the delightful monjayaki evening, on the iPhone 12 mini.

The times, they are a'catching up with me...

... almost done ... (174/365, 23 Jun 2022) 

I have to say, that in the life of an election hunter, yesterday was pretty exciting--two PMs and a Governor, in one sitting, albeit rather longer than expected and in the rain. I certainly felt it this morning as I woke up and wondered for a moment 'am I getting too old for this' and 'why do I do this?'...

After an early online meeting it was off to campus, firstly for a meet and greet session with second years to talk about their seminar selections, and to my senior seminars where I was excited to tell them all about yesterday ... after all, students choose their seminar based on the professor's research interests...

Well, to say the students were underwhelmed would be an understatement. And the second question from this morning (see above) returned to mind. Oh well, I suppose I do this for now, for later there will be a book or three to be written. 

A bit of a full day then which meant that before I knew it, it was dark outside, time to head to the station but also 'no pics' yet for the day. Decided to walk down towards the working port I can see from my office to get a few pics. As I walked past the recently cleared building lot (they've knocked down a faux French village wedding palace themed place, for a TV studio, soon to be built) I noticed that it cleared the air for a view of the Trusty Hotel that I haven't seen before... pulled out the medium cam, the M5, only to find there was enough battery power for one shot...the bane of picsters everywhere. So, your challenge today, should you choose to accept, is that one of these pics is taken with the M5, the other on the iPhone 12... which is which?

It offered a view of the soon-to-be dismantled ferris wheel too that we don't usually see. 

I charged up the battery as soon as I got home.

One with the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm, two with the iphone 12 mini. Seriously, on a day I should have just given it all away.

And so it begins...

 ...the Upper House election is underway, officially ... (173/365, 22 Jun 2022)

When this morning's class finished, I looked up the public rally plans for the main political parties since the election campaign starts today, 'officially'. I intended to plan out the weekend movements, following the candidates around the city, just to gauge the mood. It is my approach to election observing, reasons for which I will spell out in more detail over on the other blog (along with more detail about each of the rallies) but I find it interesting to see the make-up of the crowd, their reactions, all those things, Occasionally, I get a chance to speak to the candidates too. 

I also planned to go to the office to continue the work things...but then I 'discovered' that later today former PMs Abe and Suga would be at Tachikawa station for some LDP rallies. While my research mostly focuses on the key opposition parties, I thought it was probably reasonable, nay, necessary to go and observe the ruling party rally.

Glad I did really. The contrast was interesting. I expected both Abe and Suga would be on the platform together, but they were there quite separately. Not only that, just as I was getting ready to depart, I noticed another party was getting ready to set up, quite literally where I was standing...green bunting...had to be...Koike's group. That is Koike, Governor of Tokyo, appearing there to support her candidate Araki Chiharu (and former staffer, who coincidentally, I spoke to last week at my local station). Quite the score in political terms--two former PMs and a Governor. 

Tachikawa is about 50 mins away (when the transfers run on time) and it was raining for much of the time but I took the big cam, having learnt from my experience last week that I'll need the 300mm in the event of the crowd...good thing I did. Anyway, more on the politics over on the other blog soon. Here are a few interesting pics, from a photographic point of view, of the day's work. 

Not in a great position to capture Abe,  the zoom through rows of people in front of me

Got quite close to former PM Suga

Canon EOS 90D, 70-300mm.