Walking Family Dogs in Rice Fields in Aomori, Japan

Walking the family dogs in the rice fields in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan a couple of weeks ago.

Jun, the little female, was new to the family and a bit uncertain about going for long walks far from her new home, but quickly warmed to the activity.

She got a tad freaked out a couple of times, and needed some reassurance, and Eito, the older dog, wondered why the heck she was getting special treatment. 

dog walking aomori rice fields


Walking rain, sleet, snow, or sunshine!


Rewarded with a rainbow


We saw a few of these raptors soaring over the fields and forests. Got this shot at max zoom with my pocket Canon SX730HS.

Arriving in Tokyo in Early April

Welcome to Japan – We Have the Coolest Toilets in the World!

narita airport toto advert

Arriving at Narita Airport near Tokyo a few weeks ago .

I will be posting several shots of several high-tech throne controllers from various hotels.

Japanese development of cool toilets continues to amaze — and occasionally baffle.

When I first got to Japan in the mid-80s, many toilets were still squat type, which took some getting used to .

tokyo skytree
A snap of Tokyo Skytree captured from the window of the Narita Express airport train heading in to Tokyo a couple of weeks ago.

Tohoku Shinkansen Tokyo Station
The Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train), pulling in to Tokyo Station. This was my ride up to Yumi’s parents’ place in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan.

You can see a restored dome from Tokyo Station in the background. They’ve done a magnificent job over the last decade or two restoring the station to nearer its original exterior appearance.

Burnaby Lake Birds and Bees

We walked trails at Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, BC, for a couple of hours this morning.

bee blossom burnaby lake
Busy bee

chickadee tree cavity
Chickadee working on a cavity

Yellow Jacket Burnaby Lake
Yellow Jacket

bullfrog burnaby lake
Bullfrog

red winged blackbird burnaby lake
Red-Winged Blackbird

western painted turtle burnaby lake
Western Painted Turtle

tree swallow nest box burnaby lake
Tree swallow nest box

tree swallow peekaboo burnaby lake
peekaboo!

great blue heron brunette river burnaby
Great Blue Heron in the Brunette River

bushtit nest
Looks like a bushtit nest

Lots of Wildlife at Deer Lake in Burnaby, BC

We spent a few hours rambling trails around Deer Lake in Burnaby, BC, today.

great blue herons deer lake burnaby
Great Blue Herons were active at the rookery and all around the lake

anna's hummingbird deer lake burnaby
Anna’s Hummingbird

western painted turtle deer lake burnaby
Nice to see a native Western Painted Turtle among the dozens of invasive Red-Eared Sliders

bullfrog deer lake burnaby
Unfortunately we also spotted this invasive bullfrog

violet green swallow deer lake burnaby
I’m thinking Violet-Green Swallow?

yellow-rumped warbler deer lake burnaby
Yellow-Rumped Warbler?

red-tailed hawk light phase burnaby
On our way home we saw this raptor soaring high above Marine Drive. Light phase Red-Tailed Hawk?

 

Streamkeeping, sustainability, community, business, photography, books, and animals, with occasional forays into social commentary. Text and Photos © Paul Cipywnyk