My friend Zaq

I don't think that this advertising ploy had any effect on these little girls, other than a few moments of happiness. I felt sorry for the person inside, though they're probably keeping warmer than we were. I was debating taking a video - the little girls were running around and around, giggling, whilst the mascot bobbed up and down and waved its arms.

Only in Japan.

J:COM, Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Ltd, is the largest provider of digital television and broadband internet in Japan, and this little guy is its brain child.

Never appearing alone, ZAQ is actually a species of little egg-headed beings who inhabit everyday appliances around the house, creeping out every so often to convince residents that they need faster Internet connections and more channels.

Created in 2003, he was modeled after the forest sprites found in the beloved Ghibli filmPrincess Mononoke. ZAQ is obviously the three leftmost keys on a QWERTY keyboard making his name easy to type, and the letters stand for Zone Access & Quality.

More recently, it has been translated into Japanese as Zutto, Anshin, Quality, meaning “Always, Safety, Quality.”

Representing your area

These political posters end up in the most unflattering of places.

Where's my wallet?

It's fashionable in Japan to keep one's wallet in one's back pocket - something my father told me never to do under any circumstances. I suppose that's the difference between Japan (even in a massive city such as Tokyo), and the West - street crime is so low here. I notice open bags, wallets half out of jeans, and handbags used to reserve tables in coffee shops, on an almost daily occurrence.

A side effect of Japan being so safe is that Japanese tourists are extremely vulnerable when abroad. I recall seeing the sign "pickpockets operate in this area" in the Japan Store in London, back in 2010, and thinking "wow, this place must be a hotbed for crime!". Upon closer reading, the sign meant London itself, and to keep your bags zipped up and valuables out of sight - something which I do without thinking.

I suppose the fact I actually notice this, shows that I haven't lost this part of my upbringing.

A Walk to Jiyugaoka

The last time I walked in this direction, I was alone, after a day of photography in Jiyugaoka (a nice residential district in Tokyo). For this journey we decided to walk from our place, through the many backstreets, on a ~ 2.5 hour winter afternoon stroll.

View fullsize

Delivery bikes awaiting their next mission

The problem with winter in [mainland] Japan, is that sunset is so damn early. 4:29pm today! That means after a lie-in, some TV, and lunch, there's not much daylight left! The flip-side is that the available light is at a low angle, and creates some nice shadows.

View fullsize

I wouldn't want to stay in these rather scary-looking dorms...

Of course, once the sun goes down, it takes any available heat with it. By the time we got to Jiyugaoka, we were frozen! We hopped onto a train (and very much enjoyed the heated seats) and made the journey back home.

View fullsize

Graffiti

There's not much graffiti around Tokyo, but there's some really high quality stuff tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the city. 

Mantis

I saw this little guy scuttle up to the top of a bollard. Only around 1inch (2.5cm) long, I crouched down and made use of the "touch-focus & capture" ability of my new Nokia Lumia 920. I'll do a review of the phone after I've had a little more time with it, but so far I am finding a lot to like. The camera is obviously pretty decent, as there's good detail on the mantis, and a pleasing out-of-focus background. 

In line

This set of posters caught my attention as I walked through the Roppongi district in Tokyo. My brother's here for a few weeks, having a much deserved holiday. I'm also taking some time off, which is always nice.

Criss Cross

I went for a stroll on Saturday afternoon during a break in the near-constant rain. I was meeting friends for drinks in Ginza, and thought I'd walk there from Asakusa-bashi, as I fancied a walk by the river.

The contrast of the hatchings on the wall with the round wave-like patterns on the ground, caught my attention. Through my polarised sunglasses, the scene was similar to that above - devoid of any colour. 

Showers

Showers are the theme for June. Rain showers, and bathroom showers. It's almost constantly raining at the moment, and is predicted to continue raining for as long as weather forecasts dare... erm, forecast. The rain's fine, really. I am from the UK, after all. I lived in Manchester for 7 years, which is famous for its near-constant rain. It's the elevated temperatures and humidity that are the killer in Japan during tsuyu, the rainy season.

Just look at that forecast!

You wake up, sticky. You shower. Within 5 minutes of leaving an air-conditioned room, you want a shower. You arrive at work, feeling as if you've jogged the entire way wearing a polyester shell suit. You go through the entire day wishing you were in a desert, or some kind of arid landscape. Occasionally you think back 6 months, when you were wearing moisturiser due to the severe dryness, a scarf, a duffel coat, and shivering in the street. Rushing into the relative warmth of the trains with their heated seats. How on earth can this be the same place?

Green and Yellow

The green and yellow of this taxi, which did not run me over, perfectly matched the banners hanging from the second level of the adjacent shopping street.

An afternoon in Jiyugaoka

After my orange juice this morning, I headed to Shibuya to catch a train on the Tokyu Toyoko line. The train terminus has actually moved, now serving as a through-train to the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line. Remarkable, really. Today, I wanted to find the quickest way from my usual exit, to the Toyoko Line, as when we tried the other week, we were going around downward spirals deeper into Shibuya's underground. Anyway, my aim today was to visit the popular and chic neighbourhood of Jiyugaoka.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Any visitor to Tokyo will ride a train. It's unavoidable. Thankfully, it's a joyous experience. Helpful staff and punctual trains make life easier for tourists, but if you try to catch a train before 9am... good luck to you! My train to work is quoted as being at 225% capactiy. Yeah. 225%.

If you can manage it, I recommend going to the very front carriage, as there are usually windows into the driver's cab.

View fullsize

Driving  | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/30s f/1.8 ISO100 24mm

I like to find new and interesting coffee shops when I'm out and about in Tokyo. Japan's the world's third largest coffee bean importer, and it's evident. There are both chain and independent coffee shops within a few metres of every train station. Sometimes, there are even two or three shops next to each other. You'd never see that in the UK. I remember people dissing Starbucks in the UK for destroying the independent coffee shops... yet I never remember seeing anywhere decent in the UK. Most "coffee shops" were just greasy spoons, and I never wanted to go into one. I'd pay for a good coffee, in a good coffee shop in the UK. Maybe I'll cut to the chase and just open a shop one day.

Anyway, I walked past an old fellow separating out the "good beans from the bad" in his (translated) words. Wow. I don't even know what the difference is. He said that he looks for whole, well shaped beans. I asked him if I could take a photo, to which he agreed with a big smile. Of course, I went in straight away and ordered a good strong coffee.

View fullsize

Mr. Bean | NEX-7 & Canon nFD 50mm F1.4 | 1/1250s f/2.0 ISO100 50mm

View fullsize

Espresso Blend | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/60s f/1.8 ISO320 24mm

Energised, I went back to the streets. I'd waited until the afternoon to avoid the strong midday sun, and to catch the favourable low-angled light. 

I wanted to practice what I preached, so I slowly drifted away from the busiest shopping areas and headed down the backstreets, passing more and more residential areas, and independent shops.

View fullsize

Yellow underbelly | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/30s f/8.0 ISO100 24mm

Jiyugaoka is consistently listed as being the most popular residential area in all of Tokyo. The apartments are expensive, and an expensive car will most likely pass you at some time.

View fullsize

Apartment | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/1000s f/1.8 ISO100 24mm

View fullsize

Bridge | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/160s f/2.5 ISO100 24mm

Rain was actually predicted today, as Japan has started its rainy season. Thankfully though, there was none. Not only that, but the forecast for tomorrow is favourable. Rain will come on monday and last for a few days. 

View fullsize

Green man | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/160s f/1.8 ISO100 24mm 

These days, I've become really used to all of the overhead cables here. It's really quite interesting how quickly something so different can become normal. I had a similar thought today, as I've been using this NEX-7 for around 9 months now, and know it like the back of my hand. I can use it without having to think about what I'm doing, which I've never felt with a camera before. It's a really nice feeling, and has meant that I can focus on the photo, rather than the camera.