The Skinny Buildings of Japan - 8/13/15

On a side street in Numazu, Japan

I am still digesting my trip to Japan. Everyday that I was there was filled with too much detail to process in real-time. Going back through my photos I found a series of shots that I took of skinny buildings. Real estate is a premium in Japan, so buildings are slotted in on the slimmest lots. 

Somewhere in Tokyo, Shibuya maybe?

The Japanese are also masterfully efficient users of space, so I'm sure these buildings, though compact, have fully functional interiors.

Shinjuku, Tokyo

I fell in love with this brick apartment building, though not as skinny as the others, I couldn't resist the Smart Car tucked in so cozy.  

SakeStand - Shibuya, Japan

Sorry to say that I did not get to sample any Sake from this marvelous SakeStand. Notice the umbrellas; yes it did rain a lot while I was there, but that didn't slow me down. 

The skinniest building in Tokyo

The skinniest building in Tokyo is a slight wedge of a noodle restaurant, perched somewhere in Harajuku. The place is so small that the kitchen spilled out the back door into the alley behind the place. No, I didn't eat there either. Next time.

The Littlest Bunker

The last place is the "Littlest Bunker in Tokyo". When I saw this joint I fantasized about owning a hideaway like that. Some tiny place to hang-out and listen to music and read books between trips to the conveyor belt sushi restaurants or noodle stands.

I love Tokyo and Japan!

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M-78 - The Latest Lo-Fi-Ga - 8/9/15

Today was a good day. I spent some solid time in the studio catching up on some mundane, but necessary tasks. I've been having a lot of fun carving new Lo-Fi-Ga figures and they've been stacking up. The boring bit is fabricating the bases and doing the final finishing work. I guess I need an assistant. The good news from today's effort is I have doubled the number of Lo-Fi-Ga pieces in the world from six to twelve!

This new one is called "M-78". Is he a secret agent? Is he a wrestler? Maybe a secret wrestler? He is marked and mysterious and blind.

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My Eight Mile - 8/1/2015

 Yesterday I got out for an eight mile hike. It's a route I know well in the neighborhood. I have mapped out several routes of varying lengths that begin and end at my front door. I'm fortunate to live in an interesting area with a beach close by and a park only a mile and a half away, so the walks are not just a bland sidewalk stomp through suburbia. I've been thinking about the passage of time lately; how quickly time moves through me or am I moving through time? How my walks and runs and hikes are small journeys that slip away before I can focus them to a point in my life. I wanted to do something to document what an average walk like this is like because one day, I may not live here anymore or I may not be able walk eight miles. I do know I am getting older and the old body will waste away sooner then I expect and the eight mile walk will be something I'll miss. So, "Hello there elder Hal Weaver in the future! Remember when you would tie on the old hike boots, plug-in the ear buds and stride on strong and springy legs down the lane? If not, then here's a little reminder of this time in the summer of 2015. Enjoy old boy!"

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The link to the route. You can match the photos to the mile markers.

Mile One - The Happy Mailbox - Those colorful reflectors always catch my eye.

Mile Two - Bayville Park - I love the tall pine trees in this park.

Mile Three - Pleasure House Point - Great nature area that I did not hike through on this route. Note- mind the low hanging fingers.

Mile Four - The Lesner Bridge - Here's the construction gantry lurking through the trees. The new bridge will be ready June 2017.

Mile Five - Live Oak Trees - Also in the Pleasure House Point  Nature Area.

Mile Six - I Got Fat Hands! - I must have had a lot of salt in my system as my hands ballooned up.

Mile Seven - Random Crepe Myrtle - My neighborhood is full of these beautiful trees and the bloom is on!

Mile Eight - The End of the Line - This is not my house, just a little cottage behind our house.

Dreamtime - The Japan Trip - 7-25-2015

It has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Japan and hike Mt. Fuji. With my fiftieth birthday falling this year, it seemed appropriate to finally get this dream trip done. Besides, who knows how much longer I'll be in good enough shape to hike a mountain. I diligently saved (and hacked) as many frequent flyer miles as I could and managed to score a business class pod; Washington DC direct to Tokyo. The trip last two weeks and I did indeed hike to the Top of Mt. Fuji, spent time in Lake Kawaguchiko, Numazu and Tokyo. In the following weeks, I'll be posting about different parts of the trip, but for now, I want to share some photos from the trip. Here's the link.
Photos from the Japan trip on Flickr.

Enjoy!

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