めずらしい

No need for a dictionary to get the definition of mezurashii:*



Antique Japanese autos are a rare sight, let alone a Chevy pickup.

*Rare; unusual; novel

Rainy Day in Jiyugaoka

Umbrella check

Perhaps preparing for the belated typhoon season of 2010. There has only been one to hit Tokyo this year, and had you blinked you would have missed it. The second is predicted this weekend.

Window Shopping

I am spending too much time in Jiyugaoka, as shop owners seem to know more about me than I do myself.

Yesterday a young fellow stepped out of one of the shops and asked me all the standard questions---"Where are you from" and so on---and then asked "Do you take photos around here often? "Yes, a few times a week," I answered. "Every Saturday and Sunday," he replied. Then he told me that he thought it was a good place to take photos, which I suppose might explain why I go there so often. It's a bit different than most areas of Tokyo.

Preparations

Only in Japan: Four seasons

Said to be only country with four distinct seasons---a fact that tends to surprise people who come from other countries with four distinct seasons. I wouldn't call the weather "fall-like" yet, according to the standards of my home, but it is certainly very distinct from the scorching summer weather we had this year.

BALS-y

And no doubt about it.

This friendly lady stepped out of the shop, saw me taking photos and gave me a perfect pose and a nice smile. What else can a man ask for?

Taken on a pleasant Indian summer Sunday in Jiyugaoka. Has to be one of the most interesting little parts of Tokyo.