FORGOTTEN BITS

At and around the Kurino station in Kagoshima. I can't remember why I had forgotten to upload these before with the rest of the Kyushu photos, but here they are.

Waiting to drop off a roll at the lab tomorrow. Last week had been a fun one with friends dropping in from HK and Tokyo. HC and I played tour guide and I got the chance to pick up my Minolta again while doing a bit of exploring around the island.

Trying not to let the blog lay fallow for so long. I had a grand total of 1 post in March and this is already April! Will post something again soon, meanwhile hope everyone gets a good recharge before the new week begins.

Oh and just in case you might be interested, a great book that I've been eating up in chunks. It makes me feel less bad about wanting to potter around at home all the time ;)

HERE AND THERE

A jumble of photos from 3 countries, but all from the same roll. It explains why when I brought it to the lab for developing I couldn't for the world recall what I had shot. 

I really need to stop letting film sit in the camera for so long ;)

LAST OF KYUSHU

Our last day in Kyushu was spent shopping, walking and eating in Hakata. The place reminded me a lot of Tokyo, with the familiar shops and city walkways, though it was a lot less crowded.

Next time we'll like to spend a bit more time there.

THINGS I REMEMBER, THINGS I LOVE: NAGASAKI PART ONE

A drizzle on our first day in Nagasaki. These little transparent umbrellas always remind me of Japan.

The senbazuru.

A beautiful prayer for peace.

There were so many of the old tram systems still in use in Kyushu. They might not be as fast as you want them to be but it was lovely being in one.

At Dejima, where Japanese did business with foreigners for the first time.

The former Dutch residences were only re-creations.

But I was blown away by how stunning the Western and Japanese elements worked together.

I want to live in one.

A short walk away was the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum.

We saw an exhibition about Finnish design, and bought a little spoon as keepsake by the late Sori Yanagi.

The beautiful lines of the building architecture continued up to the little rooftop garden.

And we were lucky to be greeted by a pretty pink sunset after an all day of rain.

Hello Nagasaki, I think I just might have fallen in love.

KUMAMOTO RANDOMS

Meet Kuro-chan, the adorable mascot for the Aso Boy train (sorry I meant the dog, not the guy).

Looks like a run-of-the-mill library well enough. But wait... ...do you see what I see?

View from the top. At the Kumamoto castle.

I loved the lines and shapes and colours I found there.

And that big lovely Icho.

I always end up with too many tree photos *lol*

HAYATO NO KAZE

The Hayato no Kaze.

Highly recommended for all like-minded train dorks who appreciate old diesel trains, woody interiors, and railway switchbacks. For everyone else, there's the scenic sea-view, active volcanoes (Sakura-jima), and old wooden stations more than a hundred years old.

Oh and the locals who dish out little paper cups of comforting green tea and waving from their front-porches along the line were very lovely too ;)