How's your summer?
Here it's probably my hottest summer since I've been living in Japan. It 's the first year the lack of AC is bit of a problem at home.
I am still working at UltraSuperNew for some Red Bull projects and an other website for an Ayurveda clinic in Tokyo. We already released the keitai site for Red Bull Japan. Keitai meaning "mobile", this website runs only on traditional Japanese handset. For iPhone and Android, things will come a bit later. We are also working for other Red Bull sites but I can't say more for now.
So it is a busy summer, I had to stop for now my Shamisen class (that was fun I will continue when more time will show up...) but I managed to keep some time for my training for the Fuji Project. Condition is here now, I haven't been so fit for at least 2 years. It looks like my heart and legs are still okay. Many moons ago I used to practice triathlon and I am planning to race again next year. I also registered for the Tokyo marathon 2011, I will know in October with the lottery if I am selected. I ran it in 2008 and it was a great experience despite a poor preparation.
Fuji project is planned for the end of this week. (next article coming soon)
I have less time recently to take some photos but still when I go to interesting events I bring the Nikon D5000 with me. It's already a bit old now but we went for the first time to Sea Paradise, not too far from Yokohama.
It was a pleasant day until we decided to ride the roller coaster, it is definitely not for me as I was feeling like having a car sick during 3 hours after... :/
Anyway the place is quite nice. Felt a bit sad for some animals who should not kept in such small spaces. I am thinking of the Arctic bears or the walrus for example.
But dolphins and beluga were quite impressive, I think actually it was the first time I can see some so close.
The sharks gave me the bad eye and I was quite happy of the few millimetre of glass between us...
After the sea the countryside!
We went 2 times near Odawara to pick some blue berries in a farm (Shin-Matsuda was the closest station), you first pay a fee and then at the end what pay for what you picked. What you eat during picking is free :-)
After the picking we went back to the Odawara station and noticed it was a Matsuri day (festival) so we joined the crowd.
My wife and I were taking this shots when suddenly one of the team leaders came to me and asked me to wear the yukata (more precisely a happi ). I first thought he wanted just to take a picture with us but then he invited me to join his team to carry the Mikoshi (portable shrine)...Oh boy!
Pretending to be cool...
Looks like I've done a marathon... and it was just the half way...
I noticed some guys had huge bumps on the shoulder because they do that often... It is quite impressive, not really aesthetic (maybe some like it :/) to understand check this link on google image (but come back after ;-)
An other fun stuff I've been involved recently and much less painful, is the cover of a book!... My wife knows a photographer who asked us to be "models" for a hamburger book! Ah!
I received the book just few weeks ago, it is a guide for "burgers gourmet" in Tokyo and Kanagawa.
I am the blurry guy in the background, ah ah.
I have to say that the ones we could eat the day of the photo shooting was really good (with blue cheese...mmm)
If you are a burger gourmet in Tokyo, you can buy the book on amazon japan! (I don't make money on that...).The publisher of the book was here during the shooting, I should have proposed her to publish a Tokyo Fixed Gear book!...mmm thinking of it I must have her name card somewhere...