Summer fragments

35/365: Aug 14 2008. Got a funny bulky letter in the mail today. Opened it and out fell pieces of a jigsaw. When I pulled the pieces together I was gazing at the beautiful face of a little one I love. This is her eye. Photo jigsaws - such a great idea.

36/365: Aug 15 2008. In a shibuya park I had never seen before, I sat on a park bench and watched the ducks waddle, the carp jump, the mozzies eat and made pinky promises while on a dusk break from a long day of event planning.



37/365: Aug 16 2008. The full moon (in Sagittarius I believe) came out to play at the Tamagawa Fireworks festival. You ain't never seen fireworks till you've experienced the delights of a major summer fireworks festival in Japan. They run for a full hour, and every man and his dog dons their kimono, grabs a bunch of beers and bento's and treks to the location to sit and shout with delight at the awesome display above. The Tamagawa one is special as it's actually 2 festivals in one - Setagaya-Ku and Kawasaki-Ku synchronise their festivals and there is a point of about 5 km's I guess where you can sit between the 2 festivals and see both displays. Helen, Kevin and Cynthia arrived at the riverbank early to get a spot between the 2 displays, by the time I got there at around 6.30, there were probably over a million people jammed along the river bank. Such a seething mass of delighted humanity. We were sitting so close to the Kawasaki display that with the opening uber-display we were all screaming and dodging the chunks of soot landing on us (and which continued to land on us for the whole display). Cool. Very cool. After the shows were over we settled onto the tarp, watched the ominous lightning displays in the east and let the crowds dissipate as we finished our beer supplies. I do love summer.

38/365: Aug 17 2008. My friend Nate held a come-and-empty-out-my-apartment-with-whatever-you-want-to-take sayonara party. I headed out there with Tyler and Mihoko and sorted through his junk and watched it all disappear as folks came and went. I didn't actually take this photo - as so often happens, I left my camera on the ground and someone (a stranger friend Ryan) picked it up and started clicking away.

I like this shot coz it shows the guy Jason sitting next to Tyler and Mihoko. It seems at that party everyone had these weird connections - strangers who found others who lived in their same city block, others who came from the same small districts in the States, others who studied at the same universities in the States.... Me and Mihoko sat there laughing about our lack of connections until Jason arrived. He came - to help a guy he had just met through another friend - to collect Nate's bed.
"Right, let's talk about connections, then." he said. "How long have you been in Japan?"
"Almost 6 years" I replied.
"Have you always lived in Tokyo?"
"No, I used to live in Yamanashi-ken".
"Yeah, Fujiyoshida, right?"
"Yeah! No Way! How did you know that?"
"We met at a party at a restaurant at Kawaguchiko in 2003".
Needless to say much merriment ensued. He's a nice guy. Working as a head hunter now.

39/365: Aug 18 2008. Brazil Flavour BiZ Nite at the lush restaurant/lounge Tableaux was a delight. We knew numbers would be down because in summer virtually the entire foreign community leaves Tokyo and heads back to their respective home countries for a visit, and despite the worries about covering costs, I was kinda happy it would be a chill night - it's been a manic month. We had 10 presentations including a magic show by David John, a fabulously fun hoop display from the delightful Deanne, as well as some serious presentations from greats like advertising legend Graham Thomas and film maker David Chester, and a great presentation from the Peace Boat to name but half.... We had about 170-ish people in the house, and the vibe was exactly what we've been trying to achieve - relaxed, friendly, interesting. It helps that Tableaux is such a gorgeous space. It also helps that so many of my own good buddies are helping out with staffing: Thanks especially to Masao, Deanne and Christian in the photo above, and also to James, Joe, Isaku, Micky, Jade, Francesca and Vincent. You all rock. The next Biz NIte will have an Australian Flavour and guess who's going to be doing a photography presentation there? Yes, indeedy. Moi! September 8 at Tableaux. Mark it in your diaries, and please come along and support me as I nervously stutter and stammer my way through my presentation. :)



40/365: Aug 19 2008. This was in the toilet at the Inoko-StaBa (that's the Japanese slang for Inokashira Koen Starbucks). I teach English to private students here about 4 days a week, and have been doing so for years. The staff at this Starbucks are cool. Most of them have been working here for many years. They know all the regulars by name and drink, and I have been out drinking with them on a few occasions. I would never set foot in a Starbucks in any other country (except maybe Thailand where, I must confess I have indeed spent time inside a Starbucks in Phuket), but here in Japan they offer one of the only non-smoking cafe environments and real coffee made by an espresso machine and that gets my vote. I have no idea what compelled me to take a self portrait inside the washroom - I guess I wanted a keepsake of this little room I visit almost as often as my own toilet.... :) I quite like the photo considering I was feeling so shattered after last night.

I was told today, after an event planning meeting at the UK embassy, not to mention that I am unavailable at certain times because I have to teach English classes. It looks bad. Ahhhh, English teaching: the bottom rung on the Tokyo Expat social ladder. Funny that the only regular, reliable and decent money I'm making now is from that most looked down upon occupation, while I constantly get screwed for cash in the worlds of photography and event management. I love teaching English. I love my students. Without them I wouldn't be able to eat.

And these are some of my summer fragments. Such as they are. Oh, and some more happy snaps can be seen at my facebook albums page.

Technorati Tags: a photo a day, Tokyo

Some fresh air

34/365: Aug 8, 2008. While the rest of the rest of the world geared up for the Olympics (or so I'm told), I spent a quiet day working. This picture was taken in a lane near the Tiger Office, in Shibuya's fabulously tacky and exciting Love Hotel Hill district. These girls put their pic's up with phone number and meet up with their clients in a local bar or coffee shop for a date before heading off to ..well, you know. Prostitution is rampant, and even school girls routinely suck/wank cocks so they can buy the latest [insert current hot consumer fad item of choice here]. Strange to me that that despite this kind of schoolgirl fantasy tomfoolery, and the commonplace reading of hard core porn manga/mag's on the trains in full view of kids and the general public, and a thriving porn industry, Japan has the most sexless marriages in the world.

35/365: Aug 9 2008. This, my friends, is Chris Lynch, one of the adventurers at fourcornersofjapan.net - not that you'd recognise him straight up since he's lost 12 kilo's since he left Tokyo back in March. We met at the Indian restaurant opposite Nikko Train Station, in Tochigi Prefecture - about 3 hours north of Tokyo. I was waiting outside with my camera ready to get a kind of action shot. We devoured lunch then wandered about 4 km's out of NIkko to a camping ground that was a kind of 4-star settlement of rolling hills, forests, lakes, toilet blocks and cooking areas. Cost 2500 yen just to set the tent up there. We spent the sunset sitting in a hut looking out at the mountains and hills and clouds and lightning still snaking through the skies after the afternoons storms, drinking beer and whisky and having delightfully rewarding philosophical discussions about all manner of things. Later, we cooked dinner over a petrol camp stove and played word games and philosophised some more. I have a bunch more great photos from this trip, I will be posting them somewhere soon.

36/365: Aug 10 2008. We walked 16 km's to the town of Kinugawa Onsen after breaking camp at the very civilised hour of 9-ish. I had slept really badly - it was freezing up there in the mountains and I hadn't thought to bring a sleeping bag. Chris loaned me his jacket which helped but really, sleeping on a yoga mat in a tent in the mountains in a jacket and summer pants and no blanket is really stupid. And then there was the problem with .... dare I mention it.... the.. (how shall I say it?)... interesting aroma's [ok, foul stench] that linger in a tent that has been slept in by a feral dharma bum for 3 months, and packed away every day - wet or dry - with no chance to air... *whoa!. Breathing was difficult. even in cold air. Sorry Chris. Had to be mentioned, it was a highlight of the trip for me. Or should I say a lowsmell....? Bwa ha ha ha. Anyway, we walked. And walked. And walked. Stopped at convenience stores for food and drink and toilet breaks, and stopped after lunch in a lovely grassy forest and dozed for an hour and a half. We mostly used the footpaths beside the major highways, but as we got out of the towns, the views were spectacular. Mountains, rice fields, rivers, bridges... and we got to walk through a 900 ft (i think?) tunnel. That was a pretty disorienting experience actually, I had to run my hand along the wall to keep balance as the sounds and lights were so altered. Chris had some horror stories about tunnel passes he's made. We were lucky to have a footpath. Anyway, we got to the town and headed to the train station where we had a last cuppa and chat and then I made my sleepy-arsed way back to Kichijoji where I met up with Christian for dinner.

37/365: Aug 11 2008. Gertrude, my 5 year old red eared slider turtle had quite a growth spurt this spring. I bought this kiddy-paddling pool at Seiyu for ¥900 and set it up in the garden for her. She loves it. She spends most of her time climbing up on top of her mountain then leaping off it. I love this turtle. She is such a character.

38/365: Aug 12 2008. My litle bro turned 38 today. When we spoke he was just on his way back from Cairns where his wife, Elissa had taken him for a movie date while the kids were in school. Things have been full of change for him lately - he is officially starting up a new real estate agency of his own in Port Douglas. Exciting stuff. Anyway, the photo for today is one of the reasons why I live where I do. Where else in Tokyo are you gonna find kids paddling around in a leafy stream in a big lovely park? Kichijoji. The most liveable city in Tokyo. I passed this scene on the walk into Inokashira Koen where I spent the afternoon drinking coffee, taking photo's and just sitting and thinking about stuff. I've been a little distracted by silly things lately and wandered off the photography path but I'm back on track now. It's hard juggling 3 jobs at the same time but I have to find the balance to make it work.

39/365: August 13 2008. My kitchen fridge. The fridge polaroid project keeps my kitchen noisy and full of life and good times, even when there is no-one else home (Greg is away scuba diving in Izu this week). One of these days I'll scan them all for posterity and put them up on the web, facebook probably.

The house behind us is being knocked down this week, and I just received a visit from an old man who had something to do with the house. He told me that there would be a lot of dust and noise and he was deeply sorry for the trouble that it would cause us, and then handed me his name card should I need to complain, and then an elegantly wrapped gift box, offered with three deep bows and as many yoroshiku onegaishimasu's.

Sometimes I forget that it's Japan outside.

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It's 35 degrees and I just ate a frozen mango over the kitchen sink.

28/365: August 2. Jon and I spent a sunny Saturday working on Tiger Music/Biz NItes stuff at the Juice Office in Shibuya.

29/365: August 3. My old friend Michelle was in town from Melbourne for a few days. She comes every year to attend the Matsumoto Suzuki Violin Summer Session. I've been out of Japan during August for the past couple of years so this was the first time we've hung out since 2005. Last time she came, she brought her violin down to the park and played wild gypsy songs at midnight for Kat, Darin, Tyler and me as we drank beer and let our souls soar as it should when listening to live wild gypsy songs in a park at midnight.

30/365: Aug 4. My turtle Gertrude has had something of a growth spurt and her tank is too small for her now. I put her in the bathtub as a special treat - she loved it.

31/365: Aug 5. Actually, this is another cheat shot. I took this on the morning of Aug 6. On Aug 5th, we hosted Music Biz - a huge event in Roppongi organised in collaboration with the UK Embassy. No chance to even scratch my nose let alone pull my camera out. I woke up the next morning, exhausted and feeling battered, bruised, uptight and late for my first English lesson of the day, and snapped this pic before slowly pouring myself out of bed and into the shower.

32/265: Aug 6. My room mate, Greg the Canadian geneticist micro-biologist brought some pictures of his own home from work. He thinks they are way cooler than mine. I think he's right. He did explain what these were but not being particularly sound of mind at the time, I can't remember.... I know they were taken using a massively powerful microscope and that they are little bits of bacteria that have been soaked in formaldahyde and that the spirally ones are completely mutated from the experiments he's been doing on them in the name of alternative fuel options. Did that make me sound intelligent? I hope so.

33/365: Aug 7. As part of a concerted mental health push, I spent the day chilling round the local 'hood in Kichijoji with Kat and Jake - lunching, drinking coffee, shopping and hanging out in the park. Jake is so damn cute. Look at that smile wouldya. ADORABLE! Also caught up with Tyler and Mihoko who just got back from the States where they had their 2nd wedding party, complete with yodelling cowboys. Damn, wish I had gone to that one.

I'm off to Tochigi tomorrow to go hiking for a few days with Chris. Cannot wait to hit the mountains and escape this goddamn city. Tonight, Deanne is organising something for world hoop day in Yoyogi, gonna go along and help her raise some money and be somewhere where I have no responsibilities whatsoever. And probably drink a beer or 3 with Christian and Yuiko who are also coming along. Yay.

Technorati Tags: a photo a day, Japan, Photography, Tokyo

The past week in pics...

23/365: July 28. Sandi at a little Thai restaurant in Centre Gai, Shibuya. She is clutching the cracked pepper she pulled from her kitchen to give me. On this day, she and the family officially moved out of their apartment of the past 2 years, and into the landmark Tower Hotel for their last 3 days in japan. After dinner, we moseyed on down to the 300 yen bar and met with Dr Dave, Frederik (moving to Singapore to live the same day as Sandi & Jeff leave) and Nordine (who had tried to straight perm his hair that day with disastrous consequences and was forced to wear a black kit cap, turning him into a dodgy stevedore) and pretended we were in a seedy underground Parisienne basement bar rather than a seedy Tokyo bar, as the Frenchmen at our table bantered in French, English and Japanese. Ah, so multicultural. Oooh la la.

24/365: July 29. Let's play a guessing game. What is this a photo of?

25/365: July 30. I was left by myself on the platform at Yokohama to head far far north after the final final final last night sayonara dinner for Sandi, Jeff, Max and Dexter in Yokohama . The rest of the crew headed south. This was good-bye. Actually, took a ton of hilarious pictures this night and will be sharing them with you all some time soon... A lovely night. And now they are gone. Sandi made us promise that we will come visit them in Seattle one day. I'd like to honour that promise. I've met some great Seattlers since living in Tokyo.

26/365: July 31. The next event for Tiger Music is next Tuesday and things are getting pretty frantic. I had an afternoon meeting with the management at Tableaux lounge for the event after next (August 18: Biz Nite). They are such awesome people, such a pleasure to deal with after the dubious quality of the management at the other venue we are forced to use next Tuesday. Anyway, the meeting went well and the relationship there is set in booking stone for the coming year, which is a seriously great thing. I love this job. And I love this room. I snuck this picture at Ryota-san was making me a coffee. Gorgeous, isn't it!

27/365: August 1. Friday night in the big city. At home, having a quiet night. This is my special things shrine. When I need downtime, I put on some music, turn on the faerie lights, light some candles and incense and sit on my futon in front of this and try to shut off my brain chatter and be still and recharge. It's hard. Sometimes I chat to Mum and Dad. Sometimes they answer. But mostly they stay quiet. As they should, I guess.

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Akiko

The delightful Akiko Otao, soprano star and fabulous model. She was a delight to shoot, and I hope we get a chance to work together again some time soon.

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22/365: July 27 2008

The Love Juice Stall at Kugenuma Beach, Tokyo.

I'm sunburnt and ready to sleep 12 hours. Ran into an old flame at a beach cafe today. It was nice to see him. We chatted for a while until the storm clouds in the south started moving ominously close. He's having an exhibition next month, down there in Odawara. I was impressed with how he's managed to get his shit sorted out at last. There seems to be a lot of that going around lately. It's cool.

This 365 project is proving challenging and time consuming.... and I don't think it's been doing much for my photography. But it is nice to have a kind of regular journal thing going, so I'm going to make a serious effort to keep up with it. I'm looking forward to day 365 and being able to look back on the year that passed.

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21/365: July 26 2008

Awesome band, Golden, playing at Club Lizard in Motomachi Chukagai (Yokohama Chinatown) for Sandi & Jeff's official sayonara party (organised by Mackey Ramone and the Buzz Buzz gang). A big night. I crawled into Jeff & Sandi's bed to pass out in peace at about 3 am (the house party went all night) and woke up the next morning to find Sandi on one side and a little Japanese girl I'd never seen before curled up next to my feet - I had to do a triple take to make sure it wasn't Jeff wearing a dress...

If you get a chance to see Golden play, do it. They are really interesting, and any band that can rock out with a mandolin deserves some attention.

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20/365: July 25 2008

Friday night. Shibuya. 300 yen bar.

Yet another stupid drunk shot of me and Christian. I think I must have close to 50 of these now. Our semi-regular piss ups are such a joy to me. This night we had some lively company who kept the beers coming at a steady pace but their photos are a little trashy so I shan't share them here.

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19/365: July 24 2008

I adore this photo. Can you see her? The little one looking up at her future in the skies?

A line of little kids waiting to dance a traditional Obon dance at the Inokashira Obon matsuri. This little matsuri (festival) is a very small, local affair, with a small stage for the taiko drums and dancers to do their thang. Some of the more popular dances saw spontaneous rings of people dancing in a circle around the outside of the stage.

Simply lovely.

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18/365: July 23 2008

Burlesque dance star Cherry Typhoon plays up for the audience at the July Dr Sketchy's Anti Art School life-drawing party.

Last night was an utterly fabulous evening. Seriously, if you like drawing, you should be coming down to the Pink Cow in Shibuya on the 4th Wednesday of every month to join in the fun. It's not a competition and the spirit is one of camaraderie and joie de vivre.

Cherry Typhoon is one of only 7 professional burlesque dancers in all of Tokyo. She performs regularly around town, do yourself a favour and check out one of her shows: she's a doll with a great sense of humour and a fabulous dance style - she shimmies like nobody's business! We can happily say that now that we've tapped into the burlesque scene here, that the Dr Sketchy's models each month will be real, bona fide burlesque dancers - as is meant to be. My portfolio is sooooo gonna rock.

You should check out the gorgeous blog from the original Dr Sketchy's Anti Art School in New York.

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17/365: July 22 2008

It's summer holidays and there are kids everywhere. I took this while walking in to to Kichijoji to teach a class.

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16/365: July 21 2008

OK, I'm cheating again. Technically this was taken late on the 20th after the BuzzBQ Jeff/Sandi sayonara party in Yokohama. Jeff drove us from the park to the Blue Corn so we could continue the party, dropped us off then took the kids home. They were both asleep about 5 minutes after this photo were taken, cuties. We didn't get home till the wee hours.

In this pic (taken by the german, Kevin, in the car en route to Blue Corn) clockwise from top left: Max, Sandi, Helen, Cynthia, me, Felicity. Lots of white girls. Such a fun day. Shit I look old. Might have to stop posting pictures of myself so I can stay hidden in glorious mystery.

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15/36: July 20 2008

Felicity and I went into softbank in Shibuya to check out the iphone - this is what it looks like when it has cool websites displaying....

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14/365: July 19 2008

Felicity's parents were among my parents oldest and best friends - and the night her parents got engaged, wayyyy back in - oh, I'd guess around 1966 or so, they came back to my parents apartment in Brisbane (where they had been staying) and jumped around excitedly on their bed as mum & dad cracked open the bottle of champagne they had readied earlier.... yeah. Great friends.

I haven't seen Felicity since we were kids - there are cute photos of her and her 2 brothers and me and my brother all squished into a bath as littlie's. Her family lived in Sydney and we kind of lost contact with the siblings. Happily, she had to make a stopover in Tokyo on her way back from photographing a wedding in Sweden (she's a photographer too). It was great to get to know her and extend the bond between our families. Go check out her work.

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