A year of photos

Well, I could blog about how sick I am. This sickness is indeed epic. After a cold that turned into a brutal cough for weeks, I know have the flu... luckily, I've found one thing I can stomach -- jelly/jello peach things. so it looks like I will survive.

But enough of that. I'm creating a meme. Copy me if you like. Or not, then it won't be a meme though.

Favorite picture of each month of the last year.

Starting with January 2007.
Unfortunately, the only pictures I have from that month were from my phone...

Central Tokyo Wildlife.

February

Nikko, Tochigi.

March

Yoyogi Park just before sunset, Tokyo

April

Ueno Park, official open outdoor drinking season, Tokyo.

May

Bewildered? Amazed? In Tokyo.

June

Akatsuka, Ibaraki.

July

Todaiji Temple in Nara. The biggest wooden buliding in the world. 2/3 the original size!

... and July gets a runner up.

Student explain the facts of life to new teacher. Mito, Ibaraki.

August

Jizo (god who protects children) statues in Kamakura.

September

Abandoned bicycle, Yokohama area.

October

I pass this graffiti every day going to work. Toyosu/Shinonome Tokyo.

November1

The spiders get big here. But no one's really scared of them...except me. Kamakura.

November2

Though the leaves are turning red and brown, the climate is so messed up that the cherry blossoms make an early showing. Nagatoro, Saitama.

I'm sure I'll take 200 more pictures in December... so I'm going to leave that slot open for now.

... and the adventures continue.

Chichibu Festival 2007

Chichibu
This is my favorite small town in Japan. It's got charm. It's also got a huge festival in the winter. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this year.

I love taking pictures of old people.

Then again, most of the pictures I took this year were of people.
Making themselves purdy.


sitting on top of one of the huge wooden shrines they drag through the town
The Japanese never miss a chance to humiliate their pets. The other few dozen people with cameras commented that the dog was cool or handsome. No accounting for taste I suppose.
And while every one here thinks it's cold or winter. It still feels like autumn to me.

Last year I took more pictures of the actual festival. I'm sure mr. sonicllama will post all about it soon too.
Here are some fave pics from last year.
So yeah, they pull--on round wood squeaky wheels--7 mikoshi, or portable shrines, through the streets. The turn corners, chant, and steadily drink themselves silly all day. Apparently if they need 30 people to pull a shrine they'll recruit 50 to account for lack of sobriety. Ah Japan, how I love you.






and the adventures continue...