Super sweet potato

Quite a few people showed interest in my "University Potato" post, and I agreed that perhaps I didn't give this rather interesting and utterly delicious snack its proper 15 minutes. So here we go. We went back... 

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The Shop

We ventured back to Ueno-okachimachi in the northeastern quarter of Tokyo, so I could take a few photos, and we could scoff a few potatoes. The proprietor was waiting behind the counter, in the usual unassuming manner associated with Japanese shop-keepers. When I snapped this photo, I believe he supposed that I may have just been taking photos of the area. His face lit up when we made a bee line for the shop entrance.

The top-photo shows the main two types of 大学芋 (daigaku imo) on sale. Komachi and kamote. Upon entering the shop, I conversed with the shopkeeper and enquired what the difference was between komachi and kamote. To our surprise, he tried to answer us in English! The gist of it was, that komachi was a little drier, a little more fluffy, and kamote are more dense and juicy. He also explained a little in Japanese, and then rushed over to grab two wooden forks... so we could taste the difference!

500g of your finest kamote please! 

(▰˘◡˘▰)   (｡´∀｀)ﾉ

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There's no such thing as too much sugar syrup

500g wasn't enough for him; he added two extra chunks! After handing just a few hundred yen in exchange for a half-kilo of carb-goodness, he then said "ahh, service! service!", and quickly picked up his tongs. Top tip: If you're in a Japanese restaurant, or food establishment and hear the word "service", it means for free. He quickly filled another bag with 200g worth of komachi! We couldn't believe it! We won't be needing dinner tonight...

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This is going to get sticky

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After you...

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nom nom nom...

By this point, there's not much left to say. We sustained a huge sugar-high, which lasted until bedtime! If you're in Japan in autumn, be sure to track down some daigaku-imo!

Spiralled

I'm not sure what species of flower this is, but it looked pretty interesting from this angle.

Autumnal Aroma

What's that smell? Oh, it's kinmokusei, otherwise known as "Golden Sweet Osmanthus" (also called the sweet olive). This shrub is found all throughout Japan, and blossoms in Autumn, giving off a very sweet and pleasing aroma.

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Charlotte was the first (between us) to notice this smell, and track down the source. At first I thought it was because she was lower to the ground than I, but the bushes grow to over 5m tall, so she simply has a keener sense of smell! 

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The smell really is sweet. Sweet as in sweets.  The abundance throughout Japan has made this time of year probably the best smelling in all of Japan's seasons. We've decided that when we have a garden once again, to plant some of these close to a window.

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The blue skies of Autumn and Winter are near-perfect

The Chinese character for kinmokusei are: golden 「金」; tree「木」and rhinoceros 「犀」... yeah, I wasn't expecting that either. Tree and rhinoceros together produce the word meaning osmanthus, 木犀, but I have no idea why - I'll try to find out the meaning, as I love the mystery behind the characters. 

Unfortunately, the typhoon this week blew all of the golden flowers away. I'll miss these sweet olive trees, but probably not as much as Charlotte.

Not on schedule

After a large typhoon hit Tokyo last night, the trains are uncharacteristically not on schedule. That usually means that trains are running, but they may be between 1-5 minutes behind their allotted time - but if you were to just stand on a platform you'd be waiting no more than 5 minutes at any rate.

I snapped this on the way into work this morning, as it's a rare sight indeed (usually this TV displays adverts or "everything is fine" messages. My camera is always with me in my bag, as it's so small. Its size and image quality were its main points of attraction. Today, Sony are expected to announce two new cameras - the A7 and A7r. They are 24 and 36MP full-frame mirrorless cameras, with the interchangeable Sony E-mount (the same mount used by the NEX series). The bodies are rumoured to cost around $2000, which is much less than say a full-frame Nikon D800/E. However, you'll need a lens to go with that shiny new camera, and the lenses are most likely going to cost north of $1000 a piece. I would love one of these new cameras, and the no doubt very nice lenses, but owning one is unlikely to improve my photography skills or output by any considerable margin. Furthermore, it's unlikely (to me) that the new cameras and 35mm lens will outperform the Sony RX1, which is a bespoke marriage of lens and sensor, in a near-pocketable body.

I'm not really in the market for a new camera, but I have always loved technology and the latest and greatest gadgets. My NEX-7 is essentially "as new", with no signs of wear and tear, and still gives me very pleasing results. Since owning the RX1, I have managed to avoid buying lens after lens for my NEX-7 and now have a good spread of high quality optics. The A7/r is something I would certainly consider in the future, depending on my needs at the time.

But for now, I've still got a lot to learn about photography, and I've just reached the point where I no-longer need to think about how to operate the cameras and rather what I want to get out of them.

EDIT: I've since expanded on some of the thoughts shared in this post, in the "Reviews/Gear" section.

The grass is always greener

It's still raining here. The plus side is that we can stay snuggled up inside and hide from the elements. It's easy to wish that one's situation were different, as the grass is always greener on the other side.

[photo taken two weeks ago in a park near to our house] 

Dramatic Lighting

This time of year is like a second rainy season. The skies are often very dramatic, with water-laden clouds lining the horizon. If you're lucky, you may even see a rainbow or two. Soon, the skies will be clear in preparation for the amazing blue which characterises winter in Japan. I'm looking forward to that, but in the meantime, I will try to work with what I've got. 

I typically perform very subtle (if any) edits to my photos, as the direct camera output pleases me greatly. However, I had a little fun with the picture below, and slightly tweaked the tint in the sky for a bit more drama.

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Dramatic Skies | RX1 | 1/200s f/11.0 ISO100 35mm | Lightroom tweaks (clarity & tint)

Double Rainbow

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This morning was one of my least favourite kinds of weather - sideways rain due to strong winds. The umbrella is merely used for its placebo effects. The sun broke through the clouds at around 5pm, with sunset due at 5:27pm (so early in Tokyo). As I walked past one of the labs, I noticed an amazing colour in the sky, and made a dash for the emergency fire escape - to be treated by a view like no other... a double rainbow (二重の虹) over Tokyo Sky Tree. I switched my camera to manual mode, as I wanted maximum detail and control over the exposure. The above is the result of a 3-photo vertical stitch, as the arc was just too wide. I think I've probably got an opening slide for the next presentation I give on atmospheric aerosols!

Info: Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50–53° (a single rainbow is at 42º). As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The secondary rainbow is fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky. The dark area of unlit sky lying between the primary and secondary bows is called Alexander's band.