Ippoippo

Good weekend.
First up was going to Shinjuku and getting myself some new toys for my camera…… a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens and a Canon 85 f/1.8 USM lens. I had a very quick play with them in Shinjuku before it got dark. That included going up the North Tower of Tokyo Metropolitian Goverment Building to get some sunset pictures. It was a little hazy, so you couldn’t clearly see Fuji-san though, but it was still a very nice sunset.

Pictures will not be on the website for a while. At the moment I’m reading through a new book called “The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 3″ by Richard Lynch. Using that I hope to improve how I edit and fix photo’s I have taken before I upload them to the Gallery. I reckon in a month, you’ll see me do a big update of the photos.

After all the camera-geekyness…… me and the missus decided to explore Shinjuku. The Aim….. find places that my friends and family can visit when they are in Tokyo at the end of this year. One requirement is to find some nice eating/drinking places that are slightly more gaijinfriendly….. yet still remain typical Japanese.
We first stopped of at a Tofuro place near the Keio Plaze hotel. Never again!!!! Food was very, very average. Atmosphere was bland. If there is every a night where family are not with us, if they want to do their own thing, I’ll be telling them not to go there (despite the fact the menu was English as well as Japanese).

We ventured back into near Yodabashi camera and found a much better Yakitori place. The food was really good, nice izakaya atmosphere. Menu also in English as well, so family could venture there themselves if they wanted. A few more beers, more food and some Sake was consumed.
After that, we decided to go back to Matsudo, and find another place to drink (and eat). We found an interesting place next to the Yoshinoya that we sometimes go to. The decor was very strange…. and the atmosphere was a bit ‘light’ for me. However, it was certainly the best food and sake of the night.

After finishing up there, Yuko and I headed off back home, where we ended up drinking more sake!!! I can’t remember going to bed that night. Whoops.

On Sunday, I was certainly feeling a little frail. Yuko was feeling frail, but unlike me she never seems to get headaches if she drinks a lot of sake. Lucky, lucky her!!!

Quite an interesting story over at the BBC about trying to find ways to encourage young kids to take up sumo.
Seems they are all shy about where practically no clothes.

Me, my theory. Its just the youth of today. Not just in Japan, but the UK too. Some things are just not ‘cool’ for them anymore. Things move on. Its a real shame though, because from what Sumo I’ve seen its quite interesting. One day, I will go and see some Live Sumo as well.

Actually, I need to start doing some sport or physical exercise. Suppose though I’ll just end up down the gym (maybe).

Been watching some of the extra’s on my Lord of the Rings:Return of the King Extended Edition DVD.

As much as I like the Star Wars films, the presentation and information provided in the LOTR DVD’s is far superior to the stuff put out from LucasFilm.
There is just so much emotion in it as well.
Two days ago, I was watching one of the extras (on Disc 4 I think), about Filming ROTK. The end of it, when they were filming the last scene during the last set of pickups was amazing to watch, and I found myself getting quite emotional.
If you haven’t got the DVD, first…. GET IT!!! But anyway, to describe what I saw.
Basically, it was amazing to see them film this last scene, and you could sense the atmosphere as everyone knew it was over after that scene. Peter Jackson (the Director) in a way just didn’t want it to end, as he had put so much work into it. It was like he didn’t want it to end, as if he felt it would be the end of ‘his family’ of actors and crew. He repeatedly kept asking the actors to do the scene again.
My description just cannot do justice to what I saw.

I still haven’t got around to watching the extended cut yet of the film. I’m watching the extra’s first. Plus, it was only two weeks ago that I finally got around to watching The Two Towers Extended Cut anyway!!!!! (I’ve seen the extra’s already, over a year ago).

Dear Mr Job Boss. Please would you arrange it, so that I am on temporary assignment on a project in the UK, around about May 16th. Working in London would be a bonus. Regards, Mr Star Wars freek

Goddamit…… this sounds a cool thing to do.

I wonder if any Japanese cinema’s will do the same thing!