Trains and More Trains at the Railway Museum

The family visited the Railway Museum in Onari, Saitama last week. Although it was very cold, we enjoyed seeing all the exhibits even the ones outside! We will have to visit again in the new year.

There was plenty to see. However, it would be wise to review the English museum guide before charging in to see the exhibits. Reserved tickets for the miniature train are offered at the front when the museums opens, there are several tours offered during the day, and probably other things that we missed out on.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 29 mm, f4.0, ISO 400, 1/100 sec.

The ticket machine and the entrance wicket takes Suica Cards!

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 25 mm, f4.0, ISO 400, 1/40 sec.

The card we purchased at the entrance is only good to enter the museum. I even scanned it on my Nexus 7, but it read as having "no value".

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 31 mm, f4.0, ISO 400, 1/40 sec.

The main hall of the museum has a railway turntable with a steam engine. It is a Class C57 Steam Locomotive and was JNR's last steam locomotive (1975) used to haul regular passenger trains on Muroran Main Line between Iwamizawa and Muroran in Hokkaido. It was manufactured in 1940. The turntable is activated several times a day and the train blows it's whistle.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.6, ISO 400, 1/10 sec.

Roppongi Hills 2014 Christmas Market

My wife and I took a walk over to the Roppongi Hills Christmas Market to check out the festivities. Just as in previous years this market was busy, full of Christmas decorations and ornaments for sale, and beer and German treats to eat and drink.

Before we arrived at the market we were greeted by this enormous upside-down Christmas tree. The market itself is not that large with a few shops selling handmade German decorations and the remaining space taken by the seating. These shots were taken by my positively ancient but well performing 24 mm f2.0 AI Nikkor.

Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f5.6, ISO 400, 1/100 sec.

Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f4.0, ISO 400, 1/20 sec.

Matsumoto's Shave Ice in Yoyogi 2013

I was going through some old shots and thinking about summer the other day when I came upon these taken in August 2013 near Yoyogi National Gymnasium and NHK Hall across the street from Yoyogi Park. Although I didn't take the opportunity to buy a cone of shave ice for a taste from Matsumoto's, it sure looked delicious! They are a famous shave ice shop that started on the Oahu's North Shore in Haleʻiwa. Their neighbor and competitor, Aoki, isn't as famous but is quite delicious and usually has a shorter line. When my family lived in Honolulu, our trips to the north shore usually included a stop for shave ice, and we were never patient enough to wait in line for shave ice from Matsumoto's.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f2.8, ISO 100, 1/250 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f5.6, ISO 100, 1/100 sec.

Midtown Maple Leaf Illumination

The Christmas Illuminations are up at Tokyo Midtown. Not sure if I fully understand the theme this year, but according to the Midtown event website the theme is "Midtown Cruise," allowing you to journey away from Earth and out into Space!

Although the contrast and sharpness are good considering the challenging conditions, the colors tend to blend a little and the maple leaf takes a back seat to the bokeh from the Christmas lights. The performance by the 24 mm f2.0 AI Nikkor is amazing considering this glass is about 35-years old.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f2.8, ISO 1600,1/80 sec.

Even more from the Invader!

Here are two more of the street artist known as the Invader. The first was taken the same day that time I took photos of his Atom Boy piece in Shibuya and the second one was taken on Thanksgiving Day near Nishi-Azabu crossing.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 100, 1/50 sec.