morning sunlight.
In Nakameguro, it seems like early morning every day. The sun beams feel gentler, and everything takes a well-loved glow.
旅サビ (tabisabi)
I’ve been traveling around Japan the past five months I’ve set foot here and so far, the country hasn’t disappointed me. The mad rush on trains and planes stopped about a month ago and strangely enough, spring break has been utterly devoid of travel.
That is, until next week.
11 Mar - 22 Mar: Osaka, Kobe, Okayama (Niimi, Naoshima etc), Hiroshima booked
2 Apr - 3/4 Apr: Mount Fuji/Kawaguchi-ko tentative
5 Apr: Kawagoe
10 Apr: Kamakura tentative
30 Apr - 2/3 May: Matsushima/Sendai not booked
14 Jun - 19 Jun: Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, Hida-takayama, Gero Onsen, Nagoya confirmed
August before I return: Kyoto (+Amanohashidate), Nagasaki (Gunkanjima), rest of Kyushu
I’m also planning weekend trips in whatever leftover time to: Tottori-ken, Oshima/Hachiojima, Kiso Valley, Akita… The latter is a little tough for a weekend trip though.
I’ll also be revisiting Enoshima before I leave, preferably in the muggy summer.
I have to remember to book my accommodation for Kawaguchi-ko as soon as possible too.
Any other places to recommend?
my life in a bowl.
If I could describe my life as a bowl of food, it would probably be this. The mouthwatering seafood rice bowl over in one of Ueno’s quieter streets.
simpler things.
from the wonderful people at keibunsha books.
I like the clean cut lines, the simplicity of the design. White, faded black/grey lines. Unobtrusive. I can only imagine how wonderful the paper must feel. I’ve been taking photos with my Nikon the past few days, so much so that my Canon is feeling neglected.
I was lunching at Egg Farm’s the other day and I decided that I should blog in Japanese here too. Even if it’s a line or two. Basic translation practice. So here I go!
月曜日の昼、Egg Farm’sに昼ごはんを食べました。そのとき、黄味さんが「日本語あまり書かないよね」と言った。今までも、「怖い」と「自信がない」と思ったけど、それは全部言い訳だった。簡単な翻訳とか、書きたい。
forest in my mind.
Lately I’ve been feeling very uncertain about my present. I’ve always heard how it’s natural for people to feel afraid and wary of the future, but for me, the now is a lot deeper and darker that I had ever foreseen. But that’s just it. It was always a projection, and never reality so I had confused it with the dreams I had in my head. Now that it’s so different, I am always feeling a little lost, a lot more unsure.
I recently got back the first two rolls of film I took with my Nikon. In them were memories and images that I thought I had created during the period my parents were around and the immediate weeks after. I say ‘thought’ because I never imagined them to turn out like this. Much like the present I am feeling so ambivalent about, the photos presented themselves as some sort of comfort to me. That typical adage that out of uncertainty promise can spring forth. It’s not just that, but there is that assurance that as long as I push down on the shutter, something will form.
This photo was taken in the early afternoon at the Nagoya castle grounds.
I stumbled, much like how I stumble upon nearly everything, upon this lovely young lady’s blog earlier today. Maybe because I feel a secret affinity for people whose names start with ‘A’, but her photos have a sort of heart-wrenching personablity (hi, I just invented a word here) that make me want to continue reading.
Onwards to a new day! This weekend is going to be pretty crazy. I’ll be queuing overnight at Ginza for a chance to grab an antique camera, and then it’s a flea market on Sunday afternoon, followed by dinner with my mum’s friend’s family at Sendagi.