Hara Model Railway Museum (Part 3)

This will be the last post on our recent visit to the Hara Model Railway Museum.

One of the displays included an exposed interior of the Orient Express Dining Car. The care and detail is amazing. You can see the passengers, attendants, menus, drinking glasses, tablecloths and everything else that belongs in a dining car!

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 800, 1/60 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0, ISO 800, 1/80 sec.

There are two controller stations available. If you get to the museum early, you can sign-up to operate the model trains. The screens are actually linked to a live feed from the engines on the track, and the controls were adapted from an actual electric train!

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f4.0, ISO 1600, 1/25 sec.

This final detail is from the Chinatown street scene in the Yokohama diorama. As you can see it appears to be set around Chinese New Year's and a dragon is making it's way down the street.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6, ISO 1600, 1/50 sec.

Kiyomizu Kannon-Do in Ueno

The Kiyomizu Kannon-Do temple in Ueno modeled after the famous Kiyomizu Dera in Kyoto.

Nikon D600with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec.

This dragon was guarding the water basin at the entrance to the temple.

Nikon D600with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f2.0, ISO 100, 1/80 sec.

Year of the Dragon (part four)

Seems that there are lots of dragons hiding in plane sight here in Tokyo. Here are some more random dragons that were spotted at the Gojo Shrine in Ueno Park.

There was a selection of wooden boards or plates called ema, to write your prayers on an leave at the shrine that had dragon designs celebrating the new year.

At ¥2,000 or about $30 USD, the ema do not come cheaply at this shrine. I am used to seeing them cost about ¥500 at most shrines and find this very over priced.

There were also several dragons that formed the boarder of a large signboard on the shrine grounds.

Year of the Dragon (part three)

Did you know that there is a dragon hiding under the Kaminarimon lantern that marks the entrance to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa?

Year of the Dragon - Baked Treats (part two)

Mont Thabor my favorite place in Azabu Juban for baked treats had these lovely Dragons on sale today.  I bought a dark one and a light one to share for breakfast on New Years Day. 

I hope that 2012 finds all my readers prosperous, healthy and full of delicious treats.

Year of the Dragon (part one)

The New Year's banners and decorations are going up in Azabu Juban.  There's only a few hours left in 2011 and the year of the ox.  The year of the dragon starts tomorrow.  Or will the year of the dragon start after Chinese New Year?