The celestial ballet

Have you ever set a reminder so far ahead in time that it really, truly, becomes a reminder? I did just that around a year ago, when I created a calendar alert for "good views of venus". I'd taken some photos of the moon and venus, but it was a little cloudy. I looked up when venus would next be so visible in this part of the world, and the internet told me "Dec 5th 2013". I made a reminder in the calendar application on my computer, and forgot about it until 4:30pm this afternoon, when my phone reminded me. I quickly grabbed my RX1 (a focal length of 35mm is not usually considered ideal for taking a photograph of the moon) and made my way to the stairs at the end of my building. I often take photos from this position, but rarely after sunset. The sun had just gone down, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky - just perfect colours. I watched venus and the moon perform their annual celestial ballet, as Tokyo descended into darkness.

Double Rainbow

(click the photo for full-screen)

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.

Goroawase

Tokyo Sky Tree towers above Tokyo at a height of 634m, broadcasting HD television (amongst its other uses). Its height of 634m was no accident; it stands in the old province of Musashi and the numbers 6 (mu) 3 (sa) 4 (shi) spell out mu-sa-shi.

Using numbers to spell out words in this manner is called Goroawase in Japanese, and is extremely popular. In another example, the number 23 can be read as "ni san", and the car manufacturer Nissan frequently enter cars numbered '23' into motorsport events.

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Rooftop garden

As you can see from the first photo, space is at such a premium in Tokyo that the most likely place to find a garden, is on a rooftop! 

Here's a direct link to a 100% JPEG of the first photo, which was taken at a distance of 6.1km from Tokyo Sky Tree

Shinjuku

Shinjuku | NEX-7 & SEL18200LE |  97mm, 1/8s, f/10.0, ISO100, RAW [Lightroom edited] Shinjuku is the neo-Tokyo at the forefront of most people's minds. Come here on a rainy day, and you'll think you've stepped into Bladerunner. though we're still waiting for the flying cars. It's not rare to see the horizon, or further than 500 metres... it's nigh on impossible. Skyscraper central. Old and new. Shops going up 10 stories, restaurants going up 11. One can't walk around here as one does back home. One must look up. One must embrace neck ache.

Shinjuku houses the world's busiest train station, but more on that another time. I pass through, or under, Shinjuku each day. Sometimes I'll meet Charlie there for a bite to eat, sometimes I will go and look in electronics shops until 10pm... Shinjuku never sleeps. It's the town of neon. There are some temples, tucked away, in between car-parks and tall buildings, but for the most part, Shinjuku is a life-size Lego city. Stacked to ridiculous proportions, like some kind of Goliath game of Jenga.

It's easy to spot the twin-towered government building (Tocho), which gives generous views to the west. Here, it's in the top left. There's the cocoon:

Shinjuku is an absolute melting pot of activity. I don't think there's any chance that we could eat in every restaurant in Shinjuku in our lifetime... if we ate out for every single meal. There are thousands. Coffee served all through the night, too. Ah, I'll miss this place when I live somewhere without trains. Somewhere without 7-storey camera stores. It's far too easy for me to take it for granted. I guess that happens to all of us, as one point or another. Complacency, a dangerous thing!

P.S. The main shot was inspired by Holger Feroudj. Please check out his fantastic website.