Where did you go this summer?

I spent a few weeks away Down Under in late June and escaped Tokyo's summer and had a wonderful winter holiday in Australia.

Although this blog is mostly about Tokyo, it's my blog, and I'll post what I like! Anyway, I hope that someone enjoys these photos.

At the time I took this photo, I was't sure what this thing in the Bennelong area of the Royal Botanical Gardens was.  From this angle it sure looked like a bird cage. 

I should have taken a photo of the plaque but I after doing some research I discovered that this is sculpture is the "Folly for Mrs Macquarie" by Fiona Margaret Hall.

I really like this angle of the opera house with the sails and the clouds in the corners and just blue sky in the center.

This is another of the many shots that I took of the Sydney Opera House.

This is the beach at Miami across the street from the apartment we rented.  It's one of the best beaches that I have ever visited.

This photo is of the chapel where I married my wife in 2003.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great celebration.

Baseball bat hashi

Walking through Hiroo, I spotted a store that sells Hashi, chopsticks.  Out on prominent display in the front of the shop were hashi inspired by baseball bats.

In addition to the chopsticks, this shop sells utensils with handles that also look like bats...

Anyway, I'm not sure which ones would I rather have, these or the Shinkansen hashi?

Mikoshi jyutai (traffic jam).

There was a traffic jam on side street near our Tokyo apartment on Sunday.  There must have been at least three (maybe four portable shrines (mikoshi) bouncing down the street on the backs of revelers.  We couldn't even drive up our street.  I had to circle around to park.

Mikoshi Decorations

These colored paper decorations were on a children's mikoshi that I spotted in Hiroo.  I'd never seen decorations like this before.  The heads of the people in yukata look like donguri (acorns).

In the suburbs...

I went out with some friends several weeks ago for a Sayanora party. I usually don't go and I don't usually take my camera, but I did. Anyway, on the way back I stopped to take a photo of this motorcycle (Suzuki Tempter) parked in front of this yakiniku shop. 

Here's a close-up of the Tempter.

Can you believe someone lives here?

I've been driving by this house a couple times a month since I returned to Tokyo in 2007.  It's located near Meiji Dori in Hiroo. It's amazing that it doesn't blow down in a strong wind. Considering Tokyo can be such a modern city, this house disguised as a shack seems very out of place. 

Usually, such eyesores get quickly trampled, disposed of or recycled by progress.  Very few older structures ever seem to survive, get restored and protected.  It seems so arbitrary, but I guess in such a large city there are always a few buildings that slip through the cracks....  It makes me wonder if the property taxes for this house are worth more than the actual house.

If you were wondering, I am absolutely sure that someone does live here. While I was taking this photo, I saw someone walking around inside, and I'm sure it wasn't a ghost...