In recent weeks, as the kids sleep in on the weekend, my wife and I have been taking early morning walks around the city, hitting temples and shrines before the tourists. We chitchat while strolling…
Browsing Category photography
Greeting the sun and moon for 2021
We turned in at about 1AM after watching 紅白 and ゆく年くる年 I roused the kids out of bed at 6am so we could drive to a spot for a view of the first sunrise of…
Sakyōbana, crumbling pillar of Heaven
In my last post I explained about the “Pillars of Heaven”, the eight objects sent down by the gods to prevent Iki island from floating around the Sea of Japan at its own free will….
Monkey Rock, a pillar of heaven
On the eastern side of Iki, jutting 45 meters out of the ocean is a giant rock formation, somewhat covered in moss-like greenery. From a certain angle the rocks look uncannily like a massive gorilla,…
The National Mall, Washington DC
I am travelling in the capital region of the United States right now on business. I took a day to walk the National Mall in Washington, DC. It was a gorgeous day, sunny but not…
New camera: Canon G7X
Before going to Japan in March, I sold my Canon 60D and all my lenses. My intention was to buy a Sony RX100iii or a Canon G7X. I agonized over the differences. I like the…
Shinran and the Buddhist Evangelical movement of Japan
A fifth of Japanese — about 25 million people — identify as practitioners of Jōdo Shinshū, the largest denomination of Buddhism in Japan. My family in Japan are all Jōdo Shinshū, also known as “Shin”…
Random pages of Coupland
Previously I praised Douglas Coupland’s typography, and explained that: Often when reading Coupland’s books, I use my smartphone camera to capture the unique layouts I have collected a number of those photos and gathered them…
The Japanese Friendship Gate in Salmon Arm
The Japanese Friendship Gate （友情の門） in Salmon Arm. On our cruise around the Shuswap region today we spotted this Japanese-style gate from the road and had to take some pictures. It is located in MacGuire…