The other day I posted something about taking lots of photos of herons 
. Well, here’s a bunch of photos from Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu, Japan, from our trip last year.
Spending tons of time on the computer in these Covid days, and discovering photos I barely remember looking at, much less having culled and edited!
I have reached the end of 2007 in my stay-at-home review of my photo archives. Deleting some redundant shots, and posting some old “finds” to FB.
Here are a few from today:
Northwestern Garter Snake on the Byrne Creek dike in SE Burnaby, BC in October, 2007. We used to run across snakes at least a few times every summer, but the last few years sighting have dwindled to near zero.
Black-Crowned Night Heron in Inokashira Park in western Tokyo, Japan, October 2007.
Juveniles?
Ruddy Kingfisher, Nagasaki, Japan, fall 2007.
Koi, Nagasaki, Japan, fall 2007.
Egret, Nagasaki, Japan, fall 2007
Herons on the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, Japan, fall 2007.
In this overall view, the herons are top right, on the flashing at the second ring from the top.
Just watched Old Man Crazy to Paint on Knowledge Network on the life of Hokusai.
Excellent documentary. Renowned artists and art historians are interviewed on the verge of tears in appreciation of his amazing artistic career, talent, and lifelong dedication.
He completed one of his most famous paintings at the age of 90 just months before he died.
Yumi and I have been fortunate to see some of his works in Tokyo and Washington, DC, and have a book of collected works, but this documentary also uses 8K super high-def video to reveal some his secrets and the incredible detail that makes up his best works.
Astounding.
Yumi and I spent a few hours at the Nikkei Matsuri summer festival at Nikkei Place, just a few minutes walk up the hill from our place in south Burnaby, BC.
Yumi’s outfit
Thank you for your bounty, sockeye.
I’ve cut it into little steaks that Yumi will salt and freeze for Japanese breakfasts and bentos.
Just thaw a steak or two in the fridge overnight, and broil in the morning. With bone and skin on, the flavor as you flake off the flesh is incredible.
Yum!
The famous Naruto whirlpools and the Onaruto Bridge in Japan. These shots are from back in April this year. Unfortunately we missed the peak whirlpool tidal action by about half an hour.
As someone who is not that great with heights, this was quite the exercise in willpower for me .
The 1930-built sail training ship Nippon Maru permanently docked at Yokohama, Japan. Wow, can’t believe that a couple of months after our last Japan trip, I’m still catching up on photos to post! Also can’t believe how much this area has been built up and transformed since I first visited decades ago. . .
I love shotengai, or shopping arcades, in Japan. Here are a few shots from the one in Himeji leading from the station to the castle.
Visiting the statue of Sakamoto Ryoma at the memorial museum on the island of Shikoku, Japan, in April.
Ryoma is likely one of the most popular figures in Japanese history, with many a TV drama and movie about his life. Wikipedia.
We visited this research center and museum on the island of Shikoku in Japan in April. Loggerhead turtles use the nearby beach for nesting, but unfortunately records of nests have dropped precipitously 
.
