Tag: snapshots

Photos/images that I have made. Sometimes with a description, sometimes just the photo.

Morning Osanpo (Walk)

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Morning Osanpo
Morning Osanpo

I took the photo above early in the morning when I was taking a walk from our hotel room to the outside onsen. It was probably about 6am and Mariko and the kids were still asleep, and I could have just stayed in bed as well but I really wanted to make the most of our stay so I made the sleepy walk along the path.

Just do it

One of the things I am trying to do is to be more active. By active, I don’t mean exercise, but rather if there is an opportunity to do something, I want to take it rather than just stay in and relax. The problem I’ve had in the past is that it is difficult for me to get started doing an activity. Once I am actively engaged in that activity, however, I almost always have fun and it is worthwhile. But just taking that first step has been a barrier. I’m not talking about a large project or adventure, but more like daily things. For instance, I always remember my brother Kevin would ask me to go golfing, but I would be hesitant to go. I’m not sure why, but I would rather take the “safe” option and stay home. But of course when I went golfing, I had a lot of fun and couldn’t wait to go again. Kevin mentioned something about that… how I should just get off my butt and go. (Not his exact words)

Let’s go

Back to my vacation… I arrived at the outside onsen and joined several other guests to enjoy watching the sunrise over the mountains, which was a pretty dang cool thing to do! But it didn’t stop there… after I returned to the room and changed into my regular clothes (and the family was still sleeping), I decided to go on a short hike. The hotel we stayed at has a few trails of varying lengths that start near the entrance so I took a short one, which led to a small stream and waterfall. I thought I might see a few other guests on the trail, but I ended up not seeing one single hiker. (I found out later that there was a longer, guided hike that left earlier.) The hike itself was good, but it was already starting to get muggy and I was constantly in motion trying to keep the mosquitoes at bay, and spider webs out of my face. However, I am glad I went for the hike. It was a new place that I would probably never go to again, I got some exercise, and I created some lasting memories.

I’m glad that I am making decisions that lean towards taking action rather than ones that follow the “safe route”. We only live once, and thinking of all the possible memories and experiences that we are missing makes me a little sad.

Sunrising
Sun Rising
Pathway
Pathway
Morning Sky
Morning Sky
Forest Stream
Forest Stream

 

Summer Fireworks

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Summer Fireworks at the Park
Summer Fireworks at the Park

We had a lot of fun one evening when we visited Koa’s classmate’s family for dinner and summer fireworks. After we ate the delicious food, we all went to the nearby park with our bag of sparklers and other small fireworks and then spent the next hour or so setting them off and having a good time. It was really cool and a very “Japanesey” summer activity. I loved it! It’s just one of the many things I love about summer in Japan and why it’s my favorite time of year to visit. I hadn’t spent a summer in Japan since I lived there in the 1990s and I miss it so much… I love summer!

Summer Fireworks at the Park
Summer Fireworks at the Park

Nice Model – Fuchiko

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Towel Fuchiko
フチ子 (Fuchiko)

My mother-in-law bought me a bunch of these small “Fuchiko” toys, which are meant to adorn the rims of glasses. They are so much fun to take photos of! During our vacation we took a lot of photos of them and enjoyed the silliness of posing them on sodas, beer, dinner plates, inside sushi, on fingertips, etc.

You can find them for sale in the little toy vending machines, but the special “Towel Fuchiko” are found in gift shops and come with a little plastic cup. These are about 500 yen, but the regular ones from the vending machine are 200 each. But, you don’t know which one you will get! Luckily I didn’t get any duplicates. The one above is my favorite, but I like them all.

There’s also a variation called “Fuchio” which is her wearing a scary mask. They are pretty funny as well. If you have a chance, pick one of these up and use as a fun photo subject!

Fuchiko Loves Ikura
Fuchiko Loves Ikura
Ice Coffee Fuchiko
Ice Coffee
Fuchiko Island Style
Island Style
Sushi Fuchikos
Sushi
Soccer Fuchiko
Soccer
Bento Fuchiko
Bento
Makapu'u Fuchiko
Makapu’u

 

First Day at the Pool

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Today was the first day at the pool for us this year. It was just Koa and I who decided to go — Mariko was out at the Farmer’s Market and Bay stayed home to read — so Koa didn’t have anyone to play with in the pool. I swam for a bit, and played with him, but I’m sure it’s a lot more interesting to play with his friends! Still, it was fun and we got some good exercise. We got there at 2pm, and there was a nice crowd of people there. Not too much that we didn’t find chairs, but at around 2:30 it seemed like the rest of the neighborhood decided to drop by. When we left at 3pm, there were cars parked on the street and no empty chairs to be found. I need to remember to arrive before 2:30!

Also, I continue to be enamored with my Panasonic DMC TS2 camera. It’s a waterproof/shockproof camera that captures some good pictures and video, and with the magic of post-processing, you can get some fun images out of it. Plus I love the peace-of-mind knowing that I don’t have to take care of the camera as much as a dSLR. I think it is definitely worth it to have one of these rugged point-and-shoot cameras in the bag at all times!

Homemade 2DS Pouch

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Homemade 2DS Pouch
Homemade 2DS Pouch

I’ve been searching for a cool case for my 2DS that is different from what you can normally find in the store. The official cases from Nintendo are too big and just overkill for what I really need — a small 2DS bag or homemade 2DS pouch so the 2DS doesn’t get scratched while it is in the backpack. I told Mariko about this a while ago and asked if she could make something for me since she is really into sewing and crafts these day.

I was so happy when she presented me with this AWESOME pouch that has K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing (my favorite game) stitched on it. Isn’t it amazingly cool?!?!! I told her that she needs to make more of these. You know, I’d really like a Yoshi version, and a Godzilla one would be cool too. But honestly, my Animal Crossing 2DS case can’t be beat!