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Strange looking Reds game

brad eldred hiroshima carp baseball

Brad Eldred of the Hiroshima Carp

@CARP__Hiroshima

At first glance this may look like a Cincinnati Reds game. A white, right-glove guy on first in a Reds uniform conjures up visions of Sean Casey, right? But the crowd gives this one away. This game was in Hiroshima, not Cincinnati.

Eldred had a mediocre first couple of seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (.250 average and never more than 13 home runs in a season), but last year (2014) he emerged as a star. He hit .260 with 37 home runs and 104 RBIs in just 118 games. A mostly career minor leaguer, Eldred played a bit for the Pirates, Rockies, and Tigers in MLB between 2005 and 2012 before resurrecting his career in Japan last year at the age of 34.

Players in MLB will be trickling into their spring training camps over the next week or two. Preseason has already begun in Japan and preseason games will begin in less than two weeks.

不動院 panorama from room

photomerge koyasan fudoin room view

peaking out my room window, this is a photomerge of Fudoin on Koyasan

昇仙峡

shosenkyo kofu japan

Shosenkyo near Kofu, Japan

Kakuenbo (覚円峰) is the normal “face” of Shosenkyo, but the rocks in today’s photo have a similar appearance, even from this different angle. Maybe this is the backside of Kakuenbo; I’m not sure.

When I took this photo I had just come from more than a month of looking at and hiking through somewhat similar rocks in the mountains above Gwangju in South Korea.

BTW, I took today’s photo from a place called Yasaburotake (弥三郎岳), a giant rock you can get to easily from the top of the Shosenkyo Ropeway (昇仙峡ロープウェイ). Most people doing the ropeway are heading to this spot so just follow the Japanese people.

Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk

hilton fukuoka sea hawk hotel atrium

Atrium (dining area) in the Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel (ヒルトン福岡シーホーク)

@hiltonfukuokaco

Winter festivals

taiko drumming bon odori tokyo

Taiko drumming @ a summer bon odori in Tokyo

@Visit_Japan @BonOdori513

Although Japan’s temples and shrines can sit rather quietly during the winter, tomorrow is Setsubun so if you are in Japan February 3 is a good day to give your local shrine or temple a visit to see if they have something going on.

Kofu from the castle ruins

kofu mt fuji

Kofu during the Takeda Shingen Festival

Today’s photo is from the 2010 Shingen Ko Matsuri (信玄公祭り). That’s Mt. Fuji in the distance, partially obstructed by clouds.