Saw Avatar today. It was amazing. First movie I've seen in a Japanese theater in 10+ years.

Was worth the wait.

Amazing on all levels. Some complain that the basic story concept is not original, and that's true, but that doesn't mean that a well-told story is not well told. The original Star Wars somehow managed to get past the "just another good vs. evil story" gauntlet, and Avatar gets by the "Just another Dances With Wolves" gauntlet for me.

The last movie that I saw more than once in a theater was Top Gun in 1986. I'll definitely be [...]
View full post »

Japanese culture has people sending New Year's cards en masse just before the end of the year, with Japan Post holding them until the morning of January First, at which point they then deliver them in accumulated bundles to households across Japan.

The card above is what we sent this year, with pictures from:

Anthony Starts First Grade Anthony's Shichi-Go-San Hakama Portrait Visit to Tokyo Disneyland: the Second Day Anthony's First Grade-School Sports Festival Growing Up Quickly: Off To First Grade On His Own Anthony's First Ski Experience Anthony's First Solo Outing Quicky Passport-Photo Photo Session

and our [...]

View full post »

My fall-foliage photos always seem out of season compared with the rest of the world, Kyoto not getting its color until mid November after much of the Northern Hemisphere's autumn has passed. In line with that, this post features an out-of-season element in an out-of-season photo: cherry blossoms in late November.

Five minutes away from my place, buried back in the mountains of eastern Kyoto, is the small Himukai Shrine, featured in "Thatched Roofs and Colored Canopies" and "Changing Seasons, Changing Lenses" earlier this month. Among the spectacular colors I didn't even notice the lone blooming cherry tree off to [...]

View full post »

I mentioned in "Stone Carvings: Curves, Crowns, an Ouchie, and More" how drawn I was to the curved shapes among the many items in the gardens behind the Nishimura Stone Lanterns stone-carving workshop. I recall several moss-covered basins, but I seem to have neglected to take pictures of any. I'm really drawn to them while reviewing the day's photos, but I apparently didn't pay much attention while I was there because the only photos I have of them are Paul Barr's, who went with me on that trip.

One of my favorites is the plain curved water basin that I [...]

View full post »

At the end of my previous post, about Taketomi Island in the far south of Japan, we'd stopped at a cafe for cake and coffee.

I felt bad that we inadvertently chased him out of his home. When he returned to the beach, we put his shell back near him, and left him alone.

View full post »