Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Old Friends
“old” as in “since a long time ago”, and “old” as in “old farts”

I made a weekend trip to Tokyo to visit two old friends also visiting Tokyo, brothers Ram and Krish Kulkarni. (“Ram”, short for “Ramchandera”, rhymes with “prom”)

Ram has been my best friend for 30 years, since grad school at the University of New Hampshire. When I then moved to Japan, his twin brother Krish, who was at the time a graduate student at the University of Tokyo, picked me up at the airport.

When I got married almost 20 years ago, Ram was living near Mt. Fuji and came down to Kyoto to be my best man. Fumie and I were at his wedding in Ahmedabad, India, the previous year.

I hadn't seen Ram since a visit to his house three years ago. I hadn't seen Krish since a visit at Kyoto Station as he was passing through the year prior to that.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/800 sec, f/5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Snowy Mountains of Shiga
from the window of the bullet train

I never tire of looking out the window of a bullet train to watch the countryside pass at 300kph (185mph). I thought I'd done various “out the window of a bullet train” posts in the past, but at the moment the only ones I can find are this and this.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inviting Temple
nestled near the top of the mountain
taken while moving at 258 kph (160 mph)

These kind of scenes catch my eye as I think of the lovely road that must lead up to it. In the case of this temple, it turns out that there are three routes up, including this Strava segment. The location is a ways beyond where the cycling races were held the other day... I should be able to get there in about two hours. (It had taken the train 12 minutes.)

I didn't do much in Tokyo except hang out with Ram, Krish, and Akemi, Krish's friend of 30 years who kindly let us crash at her place for the duration. But we did go out for a walk one day.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Little Inari Shrine
not quite a dazzling as its Kyoto parent shrine

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28mm — ¹/125 sec, f/8, ISO 110 — map & image data — nearby photos
Out-of-Focus Tokyo Tower
rushing during the red light, I screwed up what could have been a nice photo opportunity

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 55mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ginza Dusk

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/3.5, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Food Arrives
at the Raj Mahal Restaurant, Ginza Tokyo

Ram got along famously with the waiter, or so it seemed from their happy animated banter in Hindi. Thankfully for me, the waiter also spoke Japanese and English.

I know little about Indian food, so I was happy to let Ram and Krish order, and was not disappointed. We all agreed that it was very, very good.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/3.5, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 44mm — ¹/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sweet Chai
a most splendid end to the meal

Krish currently lives in India, while Ram is currently on long-term assignment in Europe, so we never know when we'll be able to meet, but with both of them, the years melt away when we get together, so whenever it is, this meeting will feel like yesterday.