Leaving Eri and, to a lesser extent, Japan, was the most difficult thing I've ever done. We went out that evening to do some last minute shopping and then to visit the 8bitcafe - a cafe in Shinjuku dedicated to the 8bit era of video games, with Famicoms and Master Systems to play. It was really nice, as was the expensive hotel, but we weren't really in the mood. Anyway, after that glowing introduction, here are some photos I took...
Tag Archive for 'Japan'
What with my manic attempts to move out of my flat by tomorrow, I haven't had time to post much recently, so here are some of the Contax shots I've had developed recently. I like these shots. I think of any film I've taken with the T2, this film probably had the highest proportion of decent pictures. Not that that was to do with anything more than luck, but still, nice to get.
Unlike in England, where we have stupidly decided to have our fireworks season when it is bloody cold and miserable in November, here in Japan (and pretty much every other sensible country), summer is the season for sitting out with friends, and getting pissed under the fireworks. Yesterday was the big display along the banks of the Edo River, one of the biggest in Japan. To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed by the actual display, the firework hearts were nice, as were the Doraemon faces, but I reckon Ravenscourt Park's Guy Fawkes night display was better. The evening though was very nice. There was a really nice breeze along the river so it was nice and cool, unlike the sweaty evenings recently, and despite there being 1.3 million people there, I managed to get to the Portaloos quickly and easily, which is, afterall, the most important thing. Here are some photos from the night - all the photos I took of the fireworks were crap. Very annoyingly.
Yesterday, for the first (and probably last time), I went out for a cruise in Tokyo Bay. It's a big piss-up on a boat, 2 hours at 2500円 (about £12) for all-you-can-drink beer and wine. Good fun, and lots of young, drunken Japanese people to chat with, which is always a laugh. Also lots of chances to fail to take good photos. These are again probably the better ones of the night. Click to open the gallery, or just click read more to see them all.
Today, I went to my school for the last time, to collect the last of my things from my desk, and to check the progress of the speech contest students as they start trying to learn their speeches. I also wanted to take a photo of the Emotion beauty salon on the main street on the way to my school. It's a pretty average beauty salon, mainly used by local, well-off housewives and students at graduation and other important occasions. Walking past this place on the way to work every day for the past year, I have always wondered about the decision making progress that could have lead to the following being chosen as one of the photos used to illustrate the talents of the artists within. Maybe the area is, unbeknownst to me, big with circus performers...incidentally, the other two photos chosen seem to be of continental European lesbians circa 1990, and it gives me great pleasure to know that somewhere in the hinterlands of suburban Chiba, there is a sect of militant Prussian lesbians, shunning the modern world, whose only contact with the rest of us is when forced to work as clowns to earn money to make ends meet...it must be true. Emotion is the proof.
The last time I was invited to a wedding, I managed to take 3 photos in the entire night. This time, I was determined to take more, and bought a new film on the way. In the end, I got so overexcited snapping away, that I had to leave the after-after party karaoke to buy another film, which I proceeded to shoot all of without adjusting the focus at all from one shot to the next. I don't think I was attempting some kind of peculiar avant-garde technique, I think it may have been just because I was a little bit pissed. Anyway, these were the best shots from the night - I really like the two shots of Seri and Jacob. There's a calmness in the storm there. Congratulations again to Matt and the missus.
After going to the Moriyama exhibition, I wanted to see how my T2 performed with some B&W film, so I bought some Fuji 1600. The shots are obviously quite grainy, but I like how they turned out. If anything, the grainyness adds something to them. The first one below is my favourite, but I think I will need to experiment a little more before I can really get to grips with it. Not bad though at 900円 a roll to develop.
