Mailboxes

Mailbox (Corte Madera) - Marin County  2016

Mailbox, Bar - Sausalito  2016

Both taken with a Canon G5X.

Redwoods, October and December

Redwoods (October) - Marin County  2016

Bay, Redwood (December) - Marin County  2016

Quite a bit of rain this autumn . . . note the ferns growing on the bay tree in a photo taken this month.

Leaving Osaka

Onward (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Leaving Osaka by taxi and train, heading for Kyoto. The train ride only took about 20-30 minutes, much shorter than Mike had anticipated, maybe because he was thinking of his 2008 train ride to Kyoto. It turns out that going from the Osaka airport to Kyoto takes much longer than going from central Osaka to Kyoto.

Anyway, much frantic grabbing of suitcases and stumbling off the train at Kyoto Station.

Osaka Sightems - 4

Moon Tower (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Vending Machine (Osaka) - Japan  2016

More from Osaka. The sign on the establishment below says, in part, "Spacious Playrooms."

Spacious Playrooms (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Osaka Sightems - 3

Ice Cream Stand (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Wedding (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Two photos taken with my Canon G5X. Jpgs, actually.

Quite nice . . . I'm wondering what the wedding shot would look like in a print. Must try it out some day.

Monday Pigeon Blogging

Little Girl, Pigeons (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Taken with a Nikon F during my first visit to Japan, in 1966. Hm. Let's do the math . . . why, that was 50 years ago! How time flies, like pigeons about to be rousted by a little girl.

Toyon Berries

Toyon Berries, Oak - Marin County  2016

Taken earlier this month on a walk up the hill.

Santa in Osaka

Hotel Chapel Christmas (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Hotel Chapel Christmas (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Taken as we were wearily making our way back to our hotel after spending time in the Dotonburi District. "Hotel Chapel Christmas" struck us as being a "love hotel." Certainly looks like there's lots to do in there.

Below, a legitimate Xmas store seen during our rainy early-morning walk.

Xmas Store (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Japan: Culinary Adventure (25): Chosoan's Family

Beer (Chosoan's - Osaka) - Japan  2016

Cigarette (Chosoan's - Osaka) - Japan  2016

A slightly run-down skewer restaurant a short walk from the hotel. But in the end, very satisfying: real food and real beer.

We left just as people in the opposite booth had started to light up.

Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Osaka Castle Moat (Osaka) - Japan  2016

As featured in Godzilla Raids Again:

Godzilla arrives on the shore of Osaka. While a blackout of all city lights is enforced, JASDF jets are sent to shoot flares from their planes to lead Godzilla away from the shore. Godzilla sees the flames, and starts to leave.

Meanwhile, a prison truck transports dangerous criminals to another part of the country. The prisoners beat up the two policemen guarding them inside the truck, and run away. A few of them find a gasoline truck, and use it to escape. The truck crashes into an industrial building and starts a massive fire.

The fire, much brighter than the planes' flares, attracts Godzilla back to the shore of Osaka. A few minutes later, Anguirus swims to shore and attacks Godzilla. The two creatures fight an intense battle, while destroying several buildings. Godzilla finally bites Anguirus's neck, and throws it upside down into a moat near Osaka Castle. Godzilla then fires its atomic ray at Anguirus, burning it to death in the ruins of the famed castle.

As Dan says, "I wish I could have gotten photos of that while I was walking around the castle."

Osaka: Dotonburi District (Video)

Osaka - Dotonbori 2016 from Mike Mundy on Vimeo.

Making takoyaki, etc.

Japan: Culinary Adventure (24): Takoyaki in Dotonburi

Preparing Takoyaki 1 (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Preparing Takoyaki 2 (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Dotonburi: Osaka's tourist/food district. Takoyaki: octopus balls.

Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼?) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special moulded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion.Takoyaki are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and mayonnaise, and then sprinkled with green laver (aonori) and shavings of dried bonito.

Takoyaki was first popularized in Osaka, where a street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935.

- Wikipedia

Hali and I stood in line at two different takoyaki vendors, both good. 

Monday Steller's Jay Blogging

Steller's Jay - Sierra Nevada  2016

From my Sierra camping trip last August. Mr. Jay was looking just a little bit droopy.

Xmastime in Marin

Xmas, McDonalds - San Anselmo  2016

You can tell it's Xmastime when you can see the skimpy Xmas decorations on the ledge in front of the San Anselmo McDonalds' window.

Autumn in Marin

Autumn, McDonalds - San Anselmo  2016

You can tell it's autumn when you can see the gingko leaves turning color through the San Anselmo McDonalds' window.

Osaka Sightems - 2

Tile Roof (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Building Front (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Traffic Light (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Three more Osaka photos, taken during a walk from our hotel to the Dotonburi district.

Osaka Sightems - 1

Bridge, Umbrella (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Coffee and Lounge (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Mike set out by himself for some early morning Osaka photos.

Umai Steak Moo (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Jet-Lagged Walk Through the Rain-Swept Streets of Osaka

Hali, Rain (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Reflections (Osaka) - Japan  2016

It was 3 AM when Hali and Mike woke to discover that it was raining heavily. They donned their parkas, picked up their umbrellas and ventured forth. It wasn't easy finding a way out of the hotel lobby, but they managed. The light cooperated for a few color shots, but the color balance in Mike's photo of the fire department is way out of whack, and needs to be converted to black and white.

Fire Department, Rain (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Osaka Arrival

  Subway Corridor (Osaka) - Japan  2016

For our most recent trip to Japan (in October) I had scheduled a short stay in Osaka in order to a) visit the city and b) have a little jet lag recovery time. What I hadn't realized was that the route from the airport into Osaka proper is actually quite long. We traveled via train and subway to the center of Osaka and when we finally emerged the sun had set.

Help Finding Hotel (Osaka) - Japan  2016

After a short time blundering around we were assisted by some passersby, in particular one young lady on a bicycle who was able to lead us directly to our hotel. The hotel was nice enough, but not particularly tourist-oriented, seemingly focused mainly on bridal events.

Bridal Festa (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Monday Horse Blogging

Horse, Oak - Marin County  2016

Horse, Oak, Fog - Marin County  2016

Top shot taken with an Olympus E-PL5 and a 25mm (50mm equiv) lens.

Bottom taken with a Canon G5X.

Scene was right opposite Tuffy's paddock, so I've taken many similar photos.

Autumn

Lichen, Maple Leaves - Marin County  2016

Maple Leaves, Grass - Marin County  2016

Autumn in Marin County. Top photo taken with a Canon G5X. Bottom with an Olympus E-PL7 with a 25mm lens.

Agave

Agave - Sausalito  2016

I took this photo ourside the Sausalito Fire Department building last November 8. Election day.

I'd like to think that the spiky, shadowy forms of the plant act as symbolic omens of impending disaster.

Kansai Airport / Osaka

Kansai Airport (Osaka) - Japan  2016

Kids, Kansai Airport (Osaka) - Japan  2016

The main KIX passenger Terminal l is a single four-story building designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Renzo Piano and Noriaki Okabe) and has a gross floor space of 296,043 square metres (3,186,580 sq ft). As of 2008, it is the longest airport terminal in the world, at a total length of 1.7 km (1.1 mi) from end to end.

- Wikipedia 

Earlier 2008 blog post with photo of the airport: "Journalism vs Art".

Approaching Osaka

Clouds over Japan - Japan  2016

Windmills - Japan  2016

As I said, the flight took a big loop around the Osaka area, passing by several islands in the process. By this time a certain amount of tiredness had begun to set in.

Over Daly City Towards Osaka

Houses - Daly City  2016

Approach to Osaka - UAL Flight 35  2016

OK, so I think that's Daly City. Not sure. Our flight left San Francisco 11:15 AM on a Friday, and got into Kansai Airport at 3:00 PM Saturday. Note the interesting, somewhat circuitous flight path.

Somehow Hali managed to get us into Business Class! Very nice . . . you could get used to it.

Business Class Aperitif - UAL Flight 35  2016

Heading Towards SFO on the Marin Airporter

Truck Approaching Golden Gate Bridge - Marin County  2016

Playing Tennis - San Francisco  2016

I always humbly request a window seat, because you never know just what you'll see.