At a shinto cemetery

From the top floor of the prefectural building

My dearly beloved hates all the reflections in this photo, but I don't mind at all.

There's one in every family - 我が家のコメディアン

Walking to JR (train station) at night - 宇都宮駅散策

One of the cemeteries in the city

Chop chop chop

Ready:


Set:


Go!
chop

chop

chop.

Our work here is done.

Lonely Planet is featuring a post from my other blog today

on their home page.

Here's a screenshot to prove it:

Yay for me!

Casting for a Kurosawa remake? - 黒澤映画キャスティング?

Nah, it's just a fest at the Nakamura tenmangu (shrine) in Moka:


old samurai never die, they just... get old:


but instead of seven, there were only three:


channeling Kurosawa:

Stone Buddhas in Nikko - 日光石仏（アロハ一体）

Shrine in Motegi - 茂木町八雲社

and looking in:

SL train from Shimodate to Motegi

train parts:


at Motegi:


In Motegi they use a funny, round contraption to turn the train around:


tickets:


"speeding" forward:


young but grumpy train driver:


inside the beast:


Here is a complete write-up on the history of the Moka line and its SL trains.

Bobble heads

during the Yabusame festival at the Nakamura shrine in Moka

before a sword competition

before something else

before a sword fight

before a horse race

and just because.

Indy Japan 300 - Motegi

Neo psycho moon?

Yep, we got that.

Definitely not one of Santa's reindeers

Small gods

the turtle moves

Because "Brain" is a great name for an apartment building

No, it's not a photoshop disaster - the power lines looked like they were disappearing - the photo was taken against the sun.

Seizan park

Train station in Moka - 真岡駅

Don't ask

because I don't know.

Summer school part 4

taken by a very hungry 8-year old using a cheap, disposable camera

Oya illumination festival - 大谷フェスタ

pyro paradise:


Daiju Kurasawa played:

But as far as I know, he didn't set anything on fire, except for a couple of older ladies sitting next to me.

Other than that, it was all pretty-pretty:



and pretty-pretty:

Lighting candles at Oya - 大谷夢明かり

oya stone illumination in 3...



2...



1...

Preparation for illumination - 発火準備中

Getting the candles ready:



And more candles ready:



candles everywhere: