Photo of the Week : Mount Fuji

I just got back this afternoon from a great week off in Yokohama and Tokyo, celebrating Christmas and getting some much-needed R&R. The weather was great on the way back today, so I was able to get several shots of Mount Fuji while speeding by on the bullet train. I’m really wishing I could post wider pics on this blog, because stuff like this looks better big. If I find the time this week, you may just see a new design that will allow this. In the meantime, you can click here for the full-size version of today’s pic.

Photo of the Week

Nagoya TV Tower, as seen from the bottom level of Oasis 21. I haven’t posted a photo of the tower in a while, and recently found this nice angle to shoot from. So here you go.

Photo of the Week : the Girls

This week’s photo features some of the “future heartbreakers of Japan” who go to my church. They make me smile.

Two more weeks of language school before the winter break! I’m not gonna’ lie to you; I’m really looking forward to it. Half of it will be vacation, and half of it ministry and private study. Christmas in Tokyo with some fellow missionary-type friends, and New Years back here in Nagoya. Should be good.

Photos of the Week : Nagoya Station Illumination

Here’s my attempt at getting some good shots of the towers in their all their Christmassy glory. For low-quality cell phone video, see my earlier post HERE. Much better in person.

Photo of the Week : Towers

In this shot we’re standing in an open-air area of an underground mall, looking up at Midland Square — the tallest building in Nagoya. Reflected on the glass surface are the twin JR Towers of Nagoya Station.

Photo of the Week

This is another shot from the recent Nakamura Festival.

Photo of the Week

I live in a church in Nakamura Ku (ward) here in Nagoya. We’re on the street leading to a major Shinto shrine in Nakamura Koen (park). In fact, at either end of our street are tori (gates) pointing the way to the shrine. A great place for a church.

This photo was shot on back October 25th. That weekend was Nakamura Festival. Because of our location, any time there’s a festival in the area, this usually quiet street begins bustling with activity. That particular Saturday, there was a parade coming down our street. It featured lots of people, young and old, dancing, carrying mikoshi (portable shrines), playing music and singing. Like most Japanese festivals, this one probably has its roots in traditional Japanese religion. But judging by the Winnie the Pooh and Cookie Monster mikoshis, these festivities have lost some of their religious significance.

The kid in this picture is a neighborhood boy who was in one of the groups of kids carrying a mikoshi during the parade. He also comes to our church on a regular basis, even though he comes from an unchurched family. Our church seems to have done a good job of attracted kids like him to the church, and like a lot of them he feels really at home here.

Let’s pray that these kids can feel at home with our Lord as well.

Photo of the Week : Sunrise Over Nagoya

Photo of the Week

This one comes from my recent trip to Hamamatsu, and features a young lady from my church and a kid from the Hamamatsu church; I believe he was the pastor’s kid. It’s a little blurry at points, and I wish I hadn’t cut my friend’s foot off, but it was too cute to pass up. And as many shots as I tried to take of them together, this is the best one I got, because the kid just didn’t want to look at the camera.

Photo of the Week : Freshly-Picked in Sayama, Osaka

I just got back a couple of hours ago from a weekend in Sayama, my Japanese “hometown”. On Saturday, I went with my friends and former employers to pick some sweet potatoes with their kindergarden students. I took a lot of photos, but this girl’s facial expression made this pic the clear winner for Photo of the Week.

I’m back to school tomorrow morning after a couple of weeks’ downtime between courses. Time to take it to the next level. がんばります！

Photo of the Week : Sort-of-smiling Japanese Kid

This shot was taken at a recent potluck meal at our church. I made stew, and it was a huge hit.

This was a quiet weekend, but this coming weekend I’m taking off to Osaka for a visit before diving back into the Japanese books and classes next week. That means that between now and Thursday I should work hard on studying and working ahead. October is going to be busy, by the looks of things.

PS – I just re-booted my photoblog with a new look. It’ll be auto-posting a photo a day, 5 days a week.

Photo of the Week

Shot during my recent trip to Matsushima, this photo is a good example of traditional Japanese architecture, which I love. I thought it looked better in black and white; it was a pretty gray day anyway. For more from that trip and lots of other stuff, visit my photo blog at OutlookOnJapan.com