Fishy Fish

Koi at Tokugawa Garden.

Retro Photography

Here in Japan, there is something called a Lucky Bag, which is sold around New Year’s. The draw of such bags is two fold. First there is the perceived value of getting a bag full of items worth more than the retail price. Second is the mystery aspect of what will be in the (often sealed) bag– although in recent years stores have been becoming much more transparent.

This year, I droped $50 on an instant Polaroid-type camera set. The set came with a camera (in either pink or yellow), a carry case, and a packet of film. I purchased a few extra packets on the side.

It’s nostalgic for me since I remember a time before even disposable or one-time-use cameras. Looking through the tiny viewfinder, which has a little circle to denote where to aim, brings back memories of borrowing my mom’s camera in middle school and walking into the woods with my uncles to take not-so-great photos.

The set included the rainbow border film, but I couldn’t resist the monochrome and classic white either.

After dinner, I figured I would try experimenting with said camera. I choose one of the plants in my indoor garden, to mixed results. On one hand, it doesn’t exactly match what I saw in the view finder and the plant is blurry as all get out. But on the other, the textured window came out real nice. I’m thinking pictures taken in well lit areas should be better and plan to hold the camera steady for a few seconds after shooting to see if that improves image quality. If nothing else, it should prove an interesting experiment.

Toyohashi Station Flower Arrangement

I love that even in winter, we can still see flowers and such. This was an arrangement that was placed adjacent to the turnstiles at Toyohashi station around Christmas time. This is actually the second of two arrangements, the first of which was displayed from the week preceding to Christmas eve, followed by this one which was displayed until the New Years holidays.

A Belated HNY

Here’s to hoping that this year will be better than the last.

A Tiny Taste of Christmas

Even though I had to work Christmas eve and day, I could still celebrate in a small way. This is a sweet made of colored sweet bean paste from a shop in Toyohashi.

Illumination in Kanayama

There’s an interesting illumination display in the shopping center next to Kanayama station.

I’m not sure what the theme is per say, but I imagine that it might be fantasy or something similar.

Regardless, it’s rather unique and incredibly beautiful when lit up at night. In the day, it’s a bit…

Well, you judge for yourself.

A Tree in Nishio

Waterfalls

I’ve been so caught up in RL things that I haven’t had much time to even think about blogging. To be honest, I haven’t been very motivated to do so either. I’m hoping that’ll change once things have calmed down and a few other things have sorted themselves out.

Rocks, Leaves, and Water

Fish

He’s in your pond, eating your food. Lucky for you, he’s friendly.