Sakura at Tama

I spent Thursday out in the west Tokyo suburbs "camping" with some friends at the US Air Force's Tama Hills Recreation Area. The cherry blossom's there were out in force.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f406, ISO 200, 1/800 sec.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0 ISO 200, 1/250 sec.

Nogi Shrine Sakura at Night

I braved the evening spring showers and walked to Nogi Shrine located just a short distance from Nogizaka station. The cherry tree is in full bloom and is beautifully lit at night. The dramatic lighting resulted in an attempt (hopefully you may think it is successful) to use HDR. High Dynamic Range or HDR is used to capture a greater dynamic range between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than can usually be taken with one exposure. For my attempt, I bracketed from 7-exposures in 1/3 stop increments. Photoshop CS5 was used to assemble the HDR final HDR image. Be sure to click on the individual photos because the Blogger reduced images don't look half as good without the extra pixels.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.6, ISO 200

Nikon D700 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.6, ISO 200

Nikon D700 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f8.0, ISO 200

A little green

Tokyo was a little greener on this past Sunday. It was St. Patrick' Day and the Irish (and those who love the Irish) celebrated with a parade down Omotesando in Harajuku. Japanese flags shares space with Irish flags down the median.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF @ 200 mm, f5.6, ISO 200, 1/500 sec.

Four-legged friends from Ireland also participated in the parade and were decked out like the other in green.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF @ 80 mm, f5.6, ISO 200, 1/640 sec.

Others wore green with a little style and whimsy. Everyone was smiling and having a grand time.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF @ 185 mm, f5.6, ISO 200, 1/500 sec.

Spring is around the corner

It's the second week of March, and signs of spring are budding and sprouting in Tokyo. At the request of my daughter, the family spent part of the Saturday at Arisugawa park. The weather was perfect. Just the right amount of sun and warmth in March for an enjoyable day in the park.

Prince Arisugawa Taruhito statue looked a little bare, but he will be surrounded by cherry blossoms in several weeks.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 200, 1/500 sec.

Signs of spring were blooming nearby in several planters placed near a fountain.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 200, 1/320 sec.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0, ISO 200, 1/125 sec.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0, ISO 200, 1/320 sec.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0, ISO 200, 1/640 sec.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0, ISO 640, 1/250 sec.

Hinamatsuri Theme Snacks

On 3 March, it was my daughter's birthday and it was also Hinamatsuri or Girl's Day. Dolls representing the Emperor (Odairi-sama) and Empress (Ohime-sama) are on display almost everywhere. Our family has made it a tradition to have a Hinamatsuri themed birthday cake each year. Sometimes the cake is from Fuji-ya which feature their popular mascots Peko-chan and Poko-chan in place of Odairi-sama and Ohime-sama. Fuji-ya's competitor Cozy Corner often feature's Disney character's such as Minnie and Mickey Mouse, or Donald and Daisy Duck in place of Odairi-sama and Ohime-sama.

This year I noticed that that one of my Australian wife's favorite Koala shaped chocolate filled snack had a Hinamatsuri theme.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 200, 1/60 sec.

Good Form

Setsubun is on 3 February, and the family spent the day at Zojoji Temple near the Tokyo Tower. We missed getting to the stage to see the first round of tarento, oni and mame throwing. By the time we got close enough to the stage, the oni were driven away and the mame throwing was almost over. I'm sure there must have been only the second or third tier tarento remaining. This lovely lady in a kimono must be some Japanese tarento. She had great form throwing out treats.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF @ 200 mm, f4.0, ISO 200, 1/2000 sec.

Nikon D700 with Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF @ 200 mm, f4.0, ISO 200, 1/2000 sec.