Mad About Maneki-Neko

One more set from our recent trip to Tokyo. Welcome to the Gotoku-ji temple, dedicated to the Maneki-neko (what you may recognize as those beckoning cat statues, ubiquitous in most Asian restaurants). Part catlover's wet dream, and part creepy crazy cat lady, this Buddhist temple in the Setagaya district was an interesting and offbeat place to visit and get away from the rush of central Tokyo.

Meow please enjoy the photos... or cringe in horror if you're not a cat person.






























This is the Goddess of Mercy.















Colour photos taken with the Fuji XT1. Black and whites taken with a Rolleiflex TLR on Ilford HP5+ film.

Tokyo from the Top

We're back from our short adventure in Taiwan and Tokyo. My sole intention for this trip was to eat my weight in seafood, sushi, and delicious street food, but we also managed to squeeze in some fun bonus experiences in between bouts of gorging.

I have endless photos left to sort through, but here's a quick set of the Tokyo skyline taken from our penthouse hotel suite. <-- Not really. Our hotel room was a poorly air conditioned little box that had a view directly into the cubicle of some salaryman working himself to death. How inspiring.

These cityscapes were taken over a few days from the observation decks of Roppongi Hills Tower, the Metropolitan Government Building, and the Tokyo Skytree, all as the light faded from afternoon sun to dusk. Pro tip: if you're going to head up to any observation deck to snap photos, always go about an hour before sunset, so you get to see the transition from daylight to evening while up there. Enjoy.

Also, 'Dear Salaryman: working yourself to death is bad for your health. Sincerely, Dr. Mach'
































Having a glass of wine at our hotel lounge restaurant (our room was not in the same building as this one, hence the actual skyline lights in the backdrop).