It's not easy being green

We found this little guy in my son's hair at Kitanomaru Koen. This grasshopper was really tiny, smaller than a fingernail.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f4.0 ISO 100, 1/320 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f5.6 ISO 100, 1/160 sec.

Imperial Palace Tokyo

Back in January I walked around the Imperial Palace or Kōkyo. My favorite weekend runs in the city include a lap around the palace; however, I don't usually drop by for a visit unless I am playing the tour guide. Anyway, I was playing a tour guide of sorts this day and we stopped by Nijūbashi or Seimon Ishibashi.  If you are interested in reading more about the two bridges there's a great post on the Japan This blog.

We also stopped by the walked by Sakuradamon and the nearby walls. There's a runner's meeting point here and the lack of traffic entering the palace grounds guarantees an uninterrupted 5-km loop along the moat and around the palace.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f4.0, ISO 100, 1/200 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f4.0, ISO 100, 1/80 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f4.0, ISO 100, 1/160 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f4.0, ISO 100, 1/400 sec.

Statue of 14th-Century Samurai

There's a beautiful statue near the Tokyo's Imperial Palace of the 14th century samurai Kusunoki Masashige riding into battle on horseback. It's quite impressive in scale and conveys a sense of motion and drama.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f2.0, ISO 100, 1/4000 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f4.0, ISO 100, 1/6400 sec.