I am terrible at blogging | Japan in Black and White (October 2016)

I will be first to admit that I am terrible at updating my blog.  I used to have plenty of time to write and rant about my life, and, indeed, I had several blogs that I kept up starting in high school.

Recently, I’ve taken to ranting more than writing, and, I’ll admit, it makes me feel petty and small.

So what have I been up to since my last post in February?  From a travel perspective, I went to Hong Kong once, Colombia once, Maryland twice, New York once, and I have generally been running nonstop with work.  When you are at work for 12 hours a day, come home to eat, and start working as soon as the dishes hit the sink, there’s not much time for…

… pretty much anything else.

(More about Colombia later.)

From a photography perspective, I met a couple of Instagram friends in real life, and we wandered San Francisco together, shooting and posing.  It was super fun to meet them!  I purchased an Epson Perfection v600 Scanner and began attempting to scan things into my computer; I have remained committed to black and white photography (with the exception of 10 days in Colombia, but more on that some other time).  And, every chance I get, I try to pull out my trusty Canon AE-1 to capture some shots.

Life has been fun.  Life has been busy.

And, if I’m frank with myself, it’s been hard to stop and breathe.

But it’s the little things that are supposed to count, right?  So let’s take it one step at a time, and, when I get enough sleep, that’s not too difficult.  It’s when I don’t sleep enough that things get dark, and the malaise settles in.

Last night, I got six full hours of sleep.  Success!  And it’s a holiday weekend!  I may be fielding many emails from my Asia Pacific colleagues, but, goshdarnit, I’m gonna keep going!

So let’s talk about Japan, shall we?

These images are from my last trip to Japan in October 2016, primarily focused around Shinjuku, a district within Tokyo, Japan.

I always try to find time (mornings, evenings, etc.) to wander on my own and take photos.  My boss was traveling with me, but unless we have something planned, he tends to stay in his room and do his own thing when we have larger chunks of free time.

I, for one, like to wander.

As you can see, before the masses wake up, the streets of Japan are quiet.

As the world wakes up in the land of the rising sun, people begin to populate the streets of Tokyo.

Japan is a unique town.  Fabulous sushi.  Karaoke in strange, downstairs bars that are filled with smoke and look like a snapshot of an 80s living room.  A nation-wide uniform (black pants, white shirt, everyone; think Mormons).  Interesting architecture.

And little alleyway udon shops.

Maybe next time I’ll stop and have a bite.

Looking forward to going back to Japan later this year.

// 35mm film photos all taken with a Canon AE-1 on Ilford HP5 400 black and white film. All shots captured in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan in October 2016.