.: Hata3's Free Note :.

Photo by myself of the forest of Syousenkyo on Yamanashi prefecture.
I am glad of there being such nature in Japan.

On the end of last week, Hata3 and my partner went for a drive to Shousenkyo of Yamanashi prefecture. This is a photograph of the states of a river flowing through Shousenkyo.

The river passes through big rocks and stones rolling rumblingly and drifts. I tried that I photographed dynamism of the streamflow by an exposure for a long time.

They are stray cats which I saw at the neighborhood of my house. They were looking at the different direction each other for a long time. I was wondering that they did not see each other.

Photo by myself of the mysterious dog at the entrance of a building of 1, Ginza.

This dog is a sculpture, but seems to come out of the wall.
The face is expressionless, and I feel slightly sorry.

Photo by myself of the scenery which I found at the side of the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. The building of the city has many straight lines, I think.

Photo by myself of Entrance Pavilion of Yebisu Garden Place.

The Yebisu Garden Place is a commercial facility near Yebisu Station of Yamanote-line, Tokyo. In the site, there are many facility other than Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

I like this museum, and I sometimes go there.

Reference information:
"SYABI" Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography

This photograph is the bus stop which I always use.

Photo by myself at a platform of the subway Hanzomon Line in Tokyo.
There is nothing worth special mention about it.
But it's my usual commuter line.

Today, Hata3 and my partner went for a drive to Yokohama city. Yokohama is about 1 hour by car from the town where we live in.

At first I stoped my car in the public parking lot which there is underground of Pacifico Yokohama of the Minato Mirai district, and we walked in the neighborhood of "Pukari pier".

Though "Pukari pier" (above photo) looks like a building, in fact, it is a wharf of sea bus floating in the sea. There is a nice seafood restaurant on the second floor. Unfortunately it was chartered today.

Afterwards we went to the Red Brick Warehouse on the sea bus. Then we enjoyed walk slowly to Oosanbashi (a large pier) from there.

Now, various events are opened under the name of "A Grand Exposition for Yokohama's 150th Year" in Yokohama city. The year 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the 1859 opening of the Port of Yokohama.

Because it was fine today and many couples and families were everywhere, we became somewhat happy.

Reference information:
■A Grand Exposition for Yokohama's 150th Year

I made up my mind to part with my favorite car which I got into for six years at last. The photograph is the Mini of my precious car which I bought for the first time. Mini is the car which both of my partner and I like most because it's small and pretty and is fit for narrow roads of Tokyo.

But we drove our car for many years, so many troubles came to happen in any places. In a particularly terrible thing, the lower part of the left door has been rusted, and some holes have opened. These holes are very little size, but it is said to have to change the whole door by a man of service garage.

I did not think that it was so painful experience to sell my precious car. But the memory of the Mini remains in our mind.

I might be slightly sentimental today because Tokyo was gloomy weather. But I want to say that thanks for a long time and good-by our Mini.

Related information:
♣ Mini (Wikipedia)

Today (May 5) is a holiday named "Children's Day" in Japan. It is also called "Tango no sekku (the Boy's Festival)" from ancient days. People express the hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong by flying carp-shaped streamers outside the house and displaying a warrior doll. Originally the Boy's Festival was an event to expel an evil spirit and an accident.

The upper photograph is the excellent warrior doll which attached an armor and a helmet. I took this photograph in the house of the acquaintance of Yamanashi prefecture last year.

Unfortunately, in recent Tokyo, it is difficult to display such an excellent warrior doll in the room because many of urban houses are too narrow and expensive.

Related information:
♣ Observance of Children's Day around the world (Wikipedia)

I can't believe it's May already this year. I could not update my blog in this April because I was very busy attending to my work. But I took some photograph while I was busy, so I update my blog for the first time in a month.

This photo by myself, is a big closeup of the tulip which my partner planted last year.

Since the average temperature for April was high, this tulip completely opened her petals everyday. It would seem that this tulip was a kind of heat-intolerant variety.

But this tulip was very beautiful color, I enjoyed them when I went to work every morning.

"The Photo Imaging Expo 2009" (PIE2009) will start in Tokyo Big Sight East Hall from March 26 (Thu) to 29 (Sun). This annual event is Asia's biggest trade show of the field of photography and camera industry.

The theme of this 5th show is "'Shooting', 'Viewing' and 'Sharing'. Photo Imaging enters a new phase". The exhibition aims to transmit the development of photographic culture and the pleasure of image-based lifestyles to users and to offer cutting-edge prodcts, services and technology information to the world. More than 130 companies gather from both Japan and abroad to exhibit their products and services this year.

According to official brochure, the exhibition of the photograph at the site seems to be filled up this time such as the participation-based photo exhibition "Onaeba", astronomy photo exhibition, photo exhibitions by big exhibitors and so on. Also a lot of seminars about photography and the finish-work as well as various talk shows by well-known photographers are planned by organizer. The design of the complimentary ticket and the poster turned slightly good from last year, too.

Moreover you can get free admission with advanced registration at official site this year. I recommend that you arrive to this event if you are in Tokyo.

"The Photo Imaging Expo 2009" (PIE2009)
Venue: Tokyo Big Sight East Hall 4, 5, 6 and conference building
Date: March 26 (Thu), 27 (Fri), 28 (Sat), 29 (Sun), 2009.
Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Hata3 and my partner went to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park yesterday. I wanted to see an exhibition named "Fukuzawa Yukichi: Living the Future" (January 10 - March 8. 2009).

Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901), who is the founder of Keio University I graduated, is best known as one of modern Japan's first statesmen, a man responsible for introducing Western education, institutions, and social thought to Japan. In addition, he is most visible as the man portrayed on Japan's 10,000-yen note.

His belief is based on people's freedom and equality. The first sentence of his first essay to the general public in 1872 is particularly famous and most of all Japanese know it.

"It is said that heaven does not create one man above or below another man. Any existing distinction between the wise and the stupid, between the rich and the poor, comes down to a matter of education."

These words are signaled the start of a new system of beliefs for the Japan of the time. Key among these tenets was the belief that all members of society are equal, and are entitled to equal opportunities in education so that the best and brightest, no matter what station in life they were born into, can assume positions of power and influence for the betterment of society as a whole.

Anyway, I respect Yukichi Fukuzawa as a teacher of my life and am proud that I was able to learn from his university.

For More Information
♣ Keio University
♣ Keio Founder Yukichi Fukuzawa
♣ Tokyo National Museum

The global economic downturn of this year seems to be having a serious effect on many campanies and people of the world. Everybody have a discontented look in everywhere. And I never heard any encouraging news around me in these days.

This economic condition might be the lowest level, and people might not be able to find the way out of this economic situation soon. But I don't want lose my hope. It's always the darkest before the dawn. There's always tomorrow.

Hi friends, let's give it our best effort!