MONKEYS, INDIA

There are a lot in India. Nature and people collide all over the country and like the raccoons of Canada, monkeys clamber amongst the sprawling population.

I love shooting monkeys, they are so interesting to watch. Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/2.8 USM.

This group of families was at the entrance to a park as we travelled to a wildlife sanctuary.

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They are such an intimate species. Clustered together, jumping, playing, taking care of each other.

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As I watched this young man came out of the back of a building. It caused quite the racket as they obviously knew what he was about to do.

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He smiled the entire time, feeding the group.

TREE TRIMMING AND CONES, TOKYO

As I wandered around Chofu I started to get lost. Fortunately I had my iPhone and used it to locate where I was and where I had left the car. Somehow I had gotten quite far off track so I cut through a park to get closer.

I came across these gents heading out for work. They were trimming trees in their tiny little truck. There seems to be a lot of little specialty vehicles in Japan.

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You are not allowed to do a lot of things in the park. The “no golfing” was the one that caught my eye.

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I do not know why, but apparently this guy is a lucky man. Why does his poster have English on it? You have got me.

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I wandered past a train station. It seemed like everyone on the platform was looking at their phone.

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It never stops amazing me how many bikes there are in Tokyo. Probably one of the reasons why there are very few obese people in Japan, they all ride bikes (and don’t eat western fast food). The bikes are everywhere on the streets and at certain train stations, they even have their own parking lot.

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A friend of mine is constantly writing about the cone culture in Japan. They are literally everywhere and often, head scratchers. Cone madness.

The “this is a sidewalk” coning.

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The “garden in waiting” coning.

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The “please don’t walk into my air conditioner that is closely tucked away and you would never hit it anyway” coning.

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My final shots of Chofu. As you walk through Tokyo, a land of 40 million, you will also come across random plots of land that have remained farm land. This “farm land” is often crammed in between apartment buildings and 2 story houses that are 500 square feet per level (including land).

And like so many farmers that I know, they have a tough time throwing things out. You never know when you will need it …

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A greenhouse waiting for spring.

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Love the look of this building. I cannot begin to guess the age.

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A good wander.

YOYOGI PARK: ELVIS?

 

Yoyogi park is a park that is commonly written up in books on visiting Tokyo. Filled with eclectic people, right beside one of the most famous shrines in Tokyo, it is worth a visit.

What is now Yoyogi Park was the site of the first successful powered aircraft flight in Japan, on December 19, 1910, by Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa,[1] after which it became an army parade ground. During the post World War II Allied occupation of Japan, it was the site of the Washington Heights residence for U.S. officers.[2]

It was later the site for the main Olympic athletes village of the 1964 Summer Olympics[3] and the swimming, diving, and basketball venues. The distinctive Yoyogi National Gymnasium which hosted swimming, diving, and basketball was designed by Kenzo Tange for the Olympics,[4] and is still in use, but most of the area north of the gymnasium complex and south of Meiji Shrine was turned into a city park in 1967.[5]

Today, the park is a popular hangout, especially on Sundays, when it is used as a gathering place for rock music fans.[5] The park has a bike path, a public basketball court,[6] and bicycle rentals are available.

A few weekends ago we dropped over for Earth Day, which is a farmers market. We did not think that the bands would be there, they were. They were REALLY enjoying themselves.

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It was a beautiful sunny day, and people were out in droves enjoying themselves. These lads were having fun with sticks.

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Drummers.

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Not really sure what these women were up to?

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This man was entertaining people with his bubbles.

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It is still the winter (ish). So no roses.

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Some brilliantly colored graffiti under the bridge.

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Cool place. Can’t wait to go for a wander in the spring.