Tag Archives: Japan

Royalty Lands in a 737

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I nearly missed this one.  A JAL 737 was taxiing in at Haneda and the guy next to me seemed very interested in it.  He was shooting it when it was still a long way off and I didn’t know why.  As it got closer, I could see two Japanese flags flying from the cockpit windows.  I figured it must be something so grabbed a few shots.  As soon as it was gone, he packed up and left.  Talking to someone the following day, he told me that JAL currently has the royal transportation contract and that includes some flights on the narrow body fleet.  I guess someone royal was on this flight.

City Center Fishing Pond

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Looking out of the window of my hotel in Minato, there was a pond behind the building.  It took a while to work out what it was but, on the weekend, it was easier to see.  This is a fishing pond.  It is in between all of the hotels and, even on a hot and steamy day, there were plenty of people fishing.  I don’t know what the pond was stocked with and what the rules are once you catch something but I was more taken that this existed at all.

Tranquil Park Space in a Busy City

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Cities are bustling places but old cities tend to have an advantage over newer ones and that is decent park spaces.  When modern cities develop, all the land is valuable and there is a problem with preserving space.  Older cities dealt with the preservation of space a long time ago and Tokyo is no exception.  I got off the train at Shibuya and was walking up to Shinjuku.  I went past some of the buildings from the ’64 Olympics and in to Yoyogi Park.  On a Sunday morning, it was a really pleasant place to be.

In common with most of my trip, even first thing in the morning it was very hot and humid.  Being close to the ponds and fountains provided a bit of relief although only a bit.  Walking through the trees at least kept me out of the sun and that was a welcome break from the warmth.  There were trails around the park that were getting plenty of use, some of the open spaces were being used for exercises by groups and individuals and some people were just sleeping.

I had hoped to walk all the way through the park up to Shinjuku but the area where the National Olympic Youth Center and the Meiji Jingu Shrine were meant the top area was blocked off the way I went so I had to divert out on to the street to continue my trek.

Completing the ANA Star Wars Set

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ANA painted three jets in special schemes in association with Star Wars.  They have an R2-D2 scheme on a 787-9 and a BB-8 scheme on a 777-300ER and I have shot both of them in the US.  They have appeared on the blog here and here.  The third jet was a C-3PO scheme that was on a jet that was used in the Asia regional flights so I did not anticipate seeing it.  However, it showed up at Haneda while I was there.  Consequently, I got to shoot it at last.  Sadly, it departed off the other runway so I only got a distant backlit shot.

There was another 767 that also showed up with some Star Wars markings on it.  It wasn’t a complex scheme like the first three but it was a Star Wars scheme.  I guess I must have got all of them by now unless anyone knows of another one that is out there?

Phantastic Phun

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I was able to have a day out while in Japan after the work was done and the meetings were complete.  I have seen plenty of pictures from Hyakuri and I was keen to get there.  Mark had kindly brought me up to date with the latest arrangements for visiting, a rental car was booked and I was all set.  Starting out from the center of Tokyo on a Monday morning was surprisingly straightforward and I was soon cruising through the countryside heading to Ibaraki Prefecture.

The weather was a bit overcast.  After days of heat and sun, this was a bit of a surprise but it actually worked a bit in my favor.  I didn’t have a ladder so switching sides in the afternoon was not going to be too simple.  With the clouds, there was far less need to move.  However, that was an issue for later.  I drove up and, as I got close, I had a Phantom pass over me as it was on final approach.  A promising sign.

I got to the towers and got myself settled in.  There was plenty of action on the ramp of the recce unit.  Soon a couple of jets spooled up and taxied.  The came right by me.  I was shooting away but there seemed to be a bit of a focus issue.  Repressing the AF button brought things back into focus so I kept shooting.  Only after they took off did I realize that I had somehow switched to One Shot focus mode.  Crap.  No doubt most of the take off shots would be out of focus – they were.  However, problem fixed and then things were performing as intended.

What followed was a day of Phantom fun.  Recce and fighter jets went up in regular waves.  They taxied right by and then took off in front of us.  What a great way to spend a day.  The recce jets would do a straight in approach and landing.  Some of the fighter guys were more happy to bash the pattern for a while when returning which added to the fun.

As the afternoon wore on, there was a hint of sun showing through the clouds.  Backlight was becoming a bit of an issue but at this point I was staying put until I called it a day.  I had the drive back to the city to deal with, rush hour was beckoning and I needed to get the rental car back.  I made the most of what was on offer before packing up for the day.  The whole trip was so worthwhile.  Plenty have been so it was nothing original but it was pure fun.  There were also other types flying and they will get their own posts.

Narita

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wpid9389-AU0E0607.jpgMy trip back home departed from Narita Airport. The journey out there was swift so I got there with some time to spare. Narita is one of the airports that still has a viewing terrace. Not only that, they provides holes in the wire fencing to stick your lens through! I wasn’t there for terribly long and it was the afternoon when the sun is pretty much in your face. However, it was a far nicer place to be than sitting at the gate. This was the side of the airport where the US airlines tended to operate so I saw a lot of planes that I can see at home. However, there were some interesting operators departing from the runway on that side of the field that I hadn’t seen before so I sat back and enjoyed the new sights along with the old.

Shrines

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wpid9486-AU0E0484-Edit.jpgThe reason for being in Asakusa is that there are some famous shrines there. This is a very popular tourist area and there is a market on the grounds of the shrine which is designed to suck up the cash of the passing tourists. While there are some awfully tacky things for sale, there are also some very classy artisans at work too. Quite a contrast. I am not a souvenir person so, while I paid some attention to these stalls, I was more interested in the shrines themselves.

wpid9478-AU0E0475.jpgThey are impressive structures and hugely popular. There are some massive paper lanterns at the entrance which apparently are very famous (shows what I know). They do look great. What was strange to me was that, while the main shrine was very impressive and very busy, there were a number of other buildings, sculptures and gardens in the area that were also very cool but far less busy. Everyone appears to go to the main shrine and then leave. They certainly missed out in my opinion.

Asakusa Figures

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wpid9476-AU0E0472.jpgOur next part of the Tokyo exploration took us to the Asakusa district. On the way we headed through a street that had some history related, I think, to the entertainment industry. There are a number of figures that are on the street or, more appropriately on and above it. These characters represent the history of the area and adorn a number of the buildings as well as the ground. They were pretty cool to try and spot.

Imperial Trees

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wpid9434-AU0E0337-Edit.jpgWalking back from the Imperial Palace towards the hotel to check out, we passed through an area with many trees planted. Not only were their locations carefully planned, they also seemed to be beautifully manicured. The whole effect was very impressive. All of the trees in the grounds looked great. There was one particular tree that was leaning right over alongside the moat that looked like a lot of effort had gone into getting it just right.

Imperial Palace

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wpid9440-AU0E0346.jpgWhile I didn’t have an invitation from the emperor (and I don’t even know if he was home), I did have a wander around the outside of the Imperial Palace grounds. There is a substantial moat surrounding the palace itself so I was stopped from getting too close. However, it is still a very pretty area and worth a look, even if time is limited. One of our colleagues had said the palace is open for tours at certain times but, if that is the case, we weren’t there at the right time and had a busy morning planned so it was a quick visit. Well worth doing though.