Marugame udon in the city of Kai (Japan)

@MarugameUdonID

Before dinner things looked like this. After dinner, on my way to Kofu by bike, things looked like this.

Should you find yourself a bit west of Kofu (as there is a different one right in Kofu), here is the address:
丸亀製麺甲斐店
山梨県甲斐市中下条字三味堂908-3　

Posted on January 23rd, 2015 under Japan. Tags: clouds, dusk, kofu, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, signs, skywatch, udon. Comments Off on 丸亀製麺

Shugakuin Imperial Villa (Kyoto, Japan)

This is a photo of the Upper Villa (上離宮) area including Yokuryuchi (bathing dragon pond or 浴龍池) from Rinuntei (隣雲亭). Unfortunately, I did not get to see the bathing dragon because that would have been cool.

Posted on January 22nd, 2015 under Japan. Tags: kyoto, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Shugaku-in Imperial Villa 修学院離宮. Comments Off on Shugakuin Imperial Villa

Japanese party signs

While wandering through my old neighborhood in Tokyo a little over a year ago I noticed these signs for the 2013 version of the Bon Odori I went to in 2009 and the matsuri I went to that same year. Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to be in Tokyo long enough to experience either of them again. Instead, I ended up at this place.

The poster on the right is for the 2020 Summer Paralympics which will also take place in Tokyo. That announcement came down shortly after I took this photo.

Posted on January 20th, 2015 under Japan. Tags: bon odori, matsuri, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, nishi-waseda, signs, 天祖神社. Comments Off on Summer festivals in Japan

Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs @ Coors Field in 2014

… can they?

“We’re going to play and we’re going to win the NL Central, you can quote me on that… [winning the World Series] will be fun. Once we do, we’re going to figure out how we’re going to do it again. That’s a long ways away. That’s nine or 10 months away… I know in ‘Back to the Future’ we win it in 2015, which is kind of crazy, to say the least. We’ll do our best to make sure that happens.” — Anthony Rizzo

Posted on January 16th, 2015 under Other. Tags: Anthony Rizzo, baseball, Coors Field, Denver, Nikon 300mm f/4 VR ED-IF AF-S Nikkor Lens, Nikon D600, sports photography. Comments Off on Anthony Rizzo and “Back to the Future” can’t both be wrong …

five-story pagoda 仁和寺五重塔 in Kyoto, Japan

Posted on January 15th, 2015 under Japan. Tags: kyoto, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Ninna-ji 仁和寺, pagoda. Comments Off on Ninnaji’s 5-story pagoda