We were driving around the very-rural countryside of Toyooka, Japan the other day at dusk, when the beauty of some hills rising out of the mist caught my eye, and I stopped to snap some pictures.

The first picture shows the slightest hint of the sunset glow still remains...

I ended up chatting for a while with a farmer preparing his field for rice (it's his white truck in the center of the second photo). By the time I left, it was very dark, but the D700's low-light prowess brightens everything up. The lead photo is the last one I [...]

This post picks up from "Day 2: Bridge Bicycle Ride Part 2", about our short trip to Imabari earlier in the month. After spending the day riding bikes across a long suspension bridge, we made the drive south to the city of Matsuyama, to visit the oldest (or one of the oldest) hot springs in Japan, the Dougo Onsen. It's mentioned in literature more than 1,200 years old, but the building itself is brand spanking new, having been built a scant 117 years ago.

There's some legend related to the creation of Japan and some rock that some mythical/legend dude [...]

I often make the short drive up to the Shogunzuka overlook to catch the sunset or just enjoy the nice view, but it's usually to the public overlook, and only a few times to the actual Shogunzuka gardens next door (500 yen to enter... about $6). I should go more, because it's quite pretty in its own right, and the views are wonderful. Last time I went was about two years ago when my friend Ram was in town. I went today, and though it was quite pretty, you could definitely tell it was two weeks deeper into spring than [...]

This post picks up from yesterday's post about our relaxing bike ride over the long Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge in Imabari Japan. The photo above is from the bike path that juts out a bit from the bridge proper as it makes its way around one of the huge suspension towers. The island and tower visible in the foreground are at about the halfway point of the bridge.

We paused for a bit...

We eventually made our way to the end of the bridge, at which point the bike path peels off, and the expressway eventually dives into a tunnel.

The [...]

I've covered the first day of our short trip to Imabari City earlier this month here, here, and here), and one event from the third day (a visit to the thrilling Towel Museum, here, here, and here), so now I'd like to start filling in the second day of the trip.

It started with the breakfast buffet at our hotel, the Imabari International Hotel. But only the non-dieting non-ballerinas in our party opted to partake, so it was just Anthony and me for breakfast, as Fumie suffered for her art....

We made our way to Sunrise Itoyama (サンライズ糸山), a business [...]