View From Dad's Camera

Last post was one of Dad's photos. Today I went through a bunch more of the photos he took. It was really interesting to see what other people see as interesting. There are photos I would never have taken because I would have judged it as a bad angle, or because there is a tree in the way. Yet, taken with his camera they turned out nice - because he didn't let "perfection" get in the way of capturing the moment. Maybe there is something to learn there...f

Anyway, a brief rundown of their trip as seen through the lens of my dad's Lumix camera.

Living in our tiny apartment was not easy. Not only was it cramped with no privacy other than an impromptu curtain we hung near the bathroom door so people didn't have to dress and undress in the tiny unit-bath, but it was also poop-ridden and full of feathers and birds that like to pick skin.

Every morning they awoke to birds crawling all over them. if anything caused "culture shock", this was it.

The first week was dominated by cherry blossoms. How lucky I was that they hit the blossom season dead on. Without the blossoms I would have had no idea where to take them to kill the time.

We started with Ueno park, which disappointed me in terms of blossoms. Although they have many trees, it seemed like less because they were all along a cold paved walkway. There was no place to just sit and enjoy them. Iinokashira park, on the other hand, was beautiful. A much more "natural" setting, with grass and trees and a pond to sit around. We hopped to treat them to the experience ofHanami , but neither of my parents really drink that much, and sitting on the ground is not so comfortable for them, so we got some snacks from Sun Road and Lon Lon, and found a place where they could sit somewhat elevated from the ground, but still enjoy the feeling ofHanami. This was one of my favorite days.

They returned to Iinokashira park the next day by bike - the infamous bike trip that left mom in a wheel-chair for the rest of the trip.

The next day was spent in the hospital - not many photos from there. But the day after we headed out to Hamura, on the oume line near Okutama. The blossoms where a bit fresher there, and being a Sunday, there were many festivals. Every shrine in the area seemed to be hosting one. The biggest was down by the river where a group of young men carry their float through the cold river. Each year its like a contest to see how long they can stay in the river so it got a bit boring to watch, but over all it was a great day as well. There was also a tulip farm.

The rest of the trip was spent in the city. Shibuya, Shinjyuku, Ginza... the usual. We had dinner at the macrobiotic restaurant where Tomoe has been working part-time, and later had lunch with Tomoe's parents - the most official thing we have done so far for our non-existent wedding.