Louvre in Japan

Recently, we visited the National Art Center in Tokyo to see an exhibit of works borrowed from the Louvre. The theme was the history of portraiture, and included a wide variety of styles and mediums from ancient through modern times. In the hall outside the exhibit, they had a clever photo frame where you could put your face into a frame to become one of the pieces of art. I'm also including a picture of some of the postcards that we bought at the museum shop.

Golden Week 2018

The first week in May is Golden Week in Japan. (For Wikipedia's explanation, click the link.) In past years, we've taken longer trips, but this year was more relaxed. One of the days, we went to a nearby town in the countryside and visited one of my favorite local restaurants (Brazilian food- BBQ, yum!), the uniquely styled train station next door, and a large nature park with walking paths and gardens.

Whenever we visit Mōka City,
this restaurant is my first choice for lunch.

Creative architecture for a train station that operates antique steam locomotives.

There's a museum next to the station.

Even the clock is themed.

A small exhibit of prints inside the
station included this one of... uh...

Despite this sign's "be careful of squirrels" message, in eleven years I've never seen a wild squirrel in Japan.

The roses in the garden had just started blooming.

No squirrels, but we did see many birds including dozens of herons.

Sunset Rainbow

We've lived in this apartment on the sixth floor for a few years now, and sometimes I take the view for granted. Even though the view is mostly just a typical part of town, in the evening the golden light of the sunset striking the buildings can be beautiful. A few days ago, the sunset was combined with a rainbow to make it even more spectacular. If you look at the right side of the photo, you can see part of a second rainbow near the ground.

Eclipse & Family Reunion August 2017

I'm hoping to start posting on this blog more often again. Sharing photos of last summer's family reunion and eclipse viewing party seems like a good place to start. The eclipse was indescribably spectacular, but unfortunately, due to the limitations of my camera, the photos of the event itself are not so great, so I'll post mostly photos of our activities and interactions. First, the group shot:

Fun and games and food:

This photo is actually from the "pre-party" at Jane's house.

Getting ready and the main event:

Until we meet again: