A few from japan

not the best shots, but i thought i'd share just for people interested in seeing japan haha. i regret leaving my camera at the hotel and missing all the shots of shibuya and harajuku.

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Greetings - Gold Pavillion (Kinkakuji) photo is quite good. I recognize Nijubashi, Tsukiji Higashi Hongashi Temple and Tokyo skyline and what appears to be Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, but not the others. Might help others to ID locations.
Cheers,
John

2nd one is imperial palace east garden?
last one is probably akihabara (though without knowing the name of the building, that could be anywhere in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, etc)

I didn't go to the other places, so I wouldn't know - where are those?

WOOHOO YODOBASHI AKIBA!

sorry lol, john, all the places you listed are correct haha. 5th picture is from Aoshima and the 6th picture is from Miyazaki. and yes last place is indeed in akiba. its the biggest electronics store there, the name slips my mind. everything was ID'd i think. thanks for commenting.

it is rare when a photograph can make a stranger feel completely at home in an unknown place. this was one of those occasions for me. you made me feel Japanese, as if this was a land i knew, something about the photos feels very melancholy and familiar.

^^ why thank you! i shouldve posted larger pics. im on my netbook and its hard to see w/o squinting haha.

interesting, in the 18 years I`ve been in Japan I can not recall ever saying that to myself...that I felt at home. I feel comfortable at my wife`s father`s house, especially when my brother in laws 3 daughters are there, feel more or less comfortable in the apartment we live in...but never really felt at home. Regularly reminded by passers by that I am a gaijin...they say it to me as they walk past. Had far worse situations that I won`t get into. Of the 100+ teachers at the junior high I work in, I`d say 85% don`t even look at me as they walk past let alone offer a good morning. Nah...I`m tolerated...but not at home here.

^ i completely understand. i'm only 17 so my experience probably varied a lot from yours (esp since you LIVE in Japan), but i remember all the old people giving me dirty looks on the street and trying to yell at me in japanese, despite the fact that i am and speak japanese (i have the complexion of a pacific islander or hispanic person so i can understand why they would be confused).

in fact i think only the kids or people my age really gave me a warm welcome. anyway, ganbare!

Greetings - I came here first in 1964 and stayed for 2 years. I have been here this time since 1988 and I call it home and feel at home. My two children and four grandchildren live here and I am a permanent resident, so calling it home is natural for me. I build a house here - a home. I have not noticed 'dirty looks' (maybe because I'm older) and never experienced anyone yelling at me. Kids may call me gaijin (I prefer Gaikokujin) but am not offended by the term. I think it is a great place to live and work and it is very safe. And...a great place to photograph! It is not for everyone, but it sure agrees with me.
Cheers,
John

john-in-japan wrote in post #11158002
Greetings - I came here first in 1964 and stayed for 2 years. I have been here this time since 1988 and I call it home and feel at home. My two children and four grandchildren live here and I am a permanent resident, so calling it home is natural for me. I build a house here - a home. I have not noticed 'dirty looks' (maybe because I'm older) and never experienced anyone yelling at me. Kids may call me gaijin (I prefer Gaikokujin) but am not offended by the term. I think it is a great place to live and work and it is very safe. And...a great place to photograph! It is not for everyone, but it sure agrees with me.
Cheers,
John

i'm glad you like it! i would love to move to japan if i could find work or something there.

about three weeks ago I was walking home from my in laws place with my wife when we heard some guy sitting in a parked car hollering something at me as we walked past, couldn`t make it out...wife said he`s drunk...never mind. Have had people step onto an elevator and back off once they saw that I was the only other person on it. Have had people panic as they pushed the close button on elevators as I approached. Had another older guy recently say something to me while I was standing in a bar that has open doors in the front, I was chatting with a waitress as he did that....just minding my own business. Have had too many people to count prefer to stand on public transportation than sit next to me. Continue to have shop staff literally flee from me as I walk in the door, and have left too many stores to count because I couldn`t get anyone to serve me. I have no reason to make any of this up...and theres a lot more...when I meet my other foreign friends we exchange stories about the things that happen to us. Had a blond haired blue eyed Canadian woman friend who had much scarier stories about what she experienced at night while walking home alone. I have met more than a few foreigners who came to Japan under contract to teach, went home for Christmas and never came back...some people HAD to leave, they just could not handle it. Now, I always said when it got to be no more fun I would leave and have talked it over with my wife and we decided to begin visa proceedings in the spring to get her into Canada. Told the powers that be yesterday that I will not, under any circumstances, return for a second year at the junior high. I have had some very pleasant experiences while here, had many that were not so pleasant, the thrill is gone and the time has come for me to leave...much of the charm has worn off, Hardest thing will be to leave my brother in laws girls...I hope they will understand why we`re going and it will be toughest on the 4 year old who just loves me to bits, and vice versa. Japan has been an endless photographers dream, and should be experienced by anybody who is attracted to Asia, a trip that will never be forgotten I`m certain. Read up on your rights before coming, they are different from what we North Americans take for granted.

its me wrote in post #11165215
=it`s me;11165215]about three weeks ago I was walking home from my in laws place with my wife when we heard some guy sitting in a parked car hollering something at me as we walked past, couldn`t make it out...wife said he`s drunk...never mind. Have had people step onto an elevator and back off once they saw that I was the only other person on it. Have had people panic as they pushed the close button on elevators as I approached. Had another older guy recently say something to me while I was standing in a bar that has open doors in the front, I was chatting with a waitress as he did that....just minding my own business. Have had too many people to count prefer to stand on public transportation than sit next to me. Continue to have shop staff literally flee from me as I walk in the door, and have left too many stores to count because I couldn`t get anyone to serve me. I have no reason to make any of this up...and theres a lot more...when I meet my other foreign friends we exchange stories about the things that happen to us. Had a blond haired blue eyed Canadian woman friend who had much scarier stories about what she experienced at night while walking home alone. I have met more than a few foreigners who came to Japan under contract to teach, went home for Christmas and never came back...some people HAD to leave, they just could not handle it. Now, I always said when it got to be no more fun I would leave and have talked it over with my wife and we decided to begin visa proceedings in the spring to get her into Canada. Told the powers that be yesterday that I will not, under any circumstances, return for a second year at the junior high. I have had some very pleasant experiences while here, had many that were not so pleasant, the thrill is gone and the time has come for me to leave...much of the charm has worn off, Hardest thing will be to leave my brother in laws girls...I hope they will understand why we`re going and it will be toughest on the 4 year old who just loves me to bits, and vice versa. Japan has been an endless photographers dream, and should be experienced by anybody who is attracted to Asia, a trip that will never be forgotten I`m certain. Read up on your rights before coming, they are different from what we North Americans take for granted.

isn't miyagi in the country side? i think its in tohoku right? have you ever thought about trying to transfer to a bigger city like tokyo or osaka? my uncle in atami told me a lot of older japanese are still kinda sore about the whole hiroshima thing haha. it's almost like in california where san francisco is pretty diverse whereas if you go out to somewhere like sonoma county (not trying to generalize here) they get more and more discriminative. it sucks to be treated like an intruder in somewhere you've been for so long, i hope you can at least go back and visit for the photos!!

I will be transferring out of the country, it is time. Miyagi is in Tohoku, Sendai is the biggest city in Tohoku but still relatively small, about 1 million give or take with an attitude that is quite bumpkin. Living in a bigger city like Tokyo or Osaka is not something I considered, sorry...I wish Sendai was bigger but not that big...I mean there are almost as many people in the greater Tokyo/Yokohama region as there are in all of Canada. I probably will come back to visit my wife`s family but not to live again...it will be nice to have a place with central heating and more space...and just to be back among friends and family who I haven`t seen in 8 years. Been interesting but I knew coming into this that I would not stay forever.

its me wrote in post #11166594
=it`s me;11166594]I will be transferring out of the country, it is time. Miyagi is in Tohoku, Sendai is the biggest city in Tohoku but still relatively small, about 1 million give or take with an attitude that is quite bumpkin. Living in a bigger city like Tokyo or Osaka is not something I considered, sorry...I wish Sendai was bigger but not that big...I mean there are almost as many people in the greater Tokyo/Yokohama region as there are in all of Canada. I probably will come back to visit my wife`s family but not to live again...it will be nice to have a place with central heating and more space...and just to be back among friends and family who I haven`t seen in 8 years. Been interesting but I knew coming into this that I would not stay forever.

well whatever makes you happy right? i haven't been to canada in awhile, but it's such a really laid back place. i hope everything goes well for you back home!