So, finally getting back to Anthony's shichi-go-san event (explained in the "getting prepared" post), after finally getting all dressed up in a traditional hakama for the first time, Anthony got his formal sandals and we headed out toward the Heian Shrine's main entrance...

Continued here...

Anthony was looking forward to his shichi-go-san wishes-for-a-long-life children's blessing event because he had been assured that it involved candy and toys. We were looking forward to it because we knew he'd look so cute, as the Anthony in a Hakama picture I posted the other day bore out.

It's just a short walk to the shrine, and it was a wonderful day, so we headed out with Fumie's folks...

The shrine does a brisk business as a venue for marriage ceremonies and photo shoots. A friend of a friend got married here a few years ago, and you can [...]

Another photo from yesterday's Shichi-go-san event with Anthony. Anthony gestures to his grandfather with his ougi (folding fan).

I thought I'd give this one a try in B&W, which is a much more difficult proposition than you might expect if you've never done it. In Adobe Lightroom you can adjust all kinds of parameters for how the conversion from color is done, completely changing the character of the result in wild swings with a flick of a slider. Even while remaining in the grayscale world, the creative opportunities are endless... and if you are not guided by an innate sense [...]

I got together with long-time Kyoto resident Nils Ferry for the first time in more than a year, for lunch and a photo-walk. He introduced me to an out-of-the-way temple he likes, Rengeji (蓮華寺), not far from the river where Anthony and his son Greg played the last time I saw Nils, last summer.

(Nils was the premier Kyoto photo-blogger prior to becoming a daddy. Now that Greg is in kindergarten, he's thinking of getting back into it...)

The temple is small, but pretty, and very quiet. During the two hours we were relaxing there, just one other pair of [...]

Well, no, not any kind of business like the KidZania play spot in Japan that I've posted much about, but perhaps even better: Grandma and Grandpa's place in Ohio.

Anthony generally spends the summer at my folks' place in rural Ohio, both to bolster his English ability, and, well, to be able to see Grandma and Grandpa. They live in the countryside, so it's always a great experience for him.

We arrived yesterday evening. Our luggage arrived this morning. It didn't take long before he was playing outside, power-washing some heavy machinery. The toy backhoe has been a recurrent theme [...]