Friday, April 24, 2015

An eclectic life

This is the first time I've used the word eclectic in one of my posts. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and it doesn't even rhyme with anything but I'm going with it anyway. So, here are my eclectic life images from a couple of days last week.

Children don't walk they float on a cloud of energy. Parents walk.

The tulips in Yokohama park were still going strong.




Enter the white tulips.

They possess an elegance that their multicolored neighbors can't quite match.

They bend but the don't break.

The tulip security guard

Capturing an image.

Moving on... the cherry blossoms are gone and have been replaced by green leaves. Green is good.

A walk in the park will do me some good.

The Noge district looks better at night.

Another sign of spring is the outdoor cafe.

When I said eclectic, I meant eclectic! Samba dancers!

This is why I always make Yoshida-cho a part of my walkabout. They know how to throw a block party.

Dancing in the street!

And, here comes the drum corps.

Can't dance without a beat.

Another day in the park...

...followed by lunch at the wine bar.

The window on my world is filled with soft light. Actually, this is part of the Yokohama Historical Archive; a building that was originally the British Consulate.

On a warm spring afternoon Yamashita park is a nice place to be.

If one prefers a little solitude, French Hill Park is good.

More cherry trees gone to green. It should be noted that Yokohama city is a pedestrian friendly place to be. The promenades are wide and well maintained.

A clean city is a happy city.

End of the day for me, back to the train station.

Last shot of the day: One of my neighbors Azalea bushes is looking quite beautiful as it escapes from the garden fence.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike

Friday, April 17, 2015

A walk at the beach - Minami Izu

Last weekend we went to the southern end of the Izu peninsula to enjoy a lovely walk on the beaches.

Far to cold for swimming but that doesn't stop the surfers.

A little further down the road is this beach. It's the least popular of the Izu beaches because it's covered with stones. For that reason it's my favorite; this place is never too crowded in the summer.

In Japan it seems that every beach has a seawall.


Next to the stony beach is the amazing Ryugu Sea Cave.

It's like a big crater with one opening to the sea and another opening on the inland side.

This is a must see to believe kind of place.

This is the view from the top of the Sea Cave.


Driving along the western side of the peninsula one is treated with some wonderful seascapes.

The view is fantastic!

The last beach of the day is Yumegahama. Some good old boys out for a leisurely motorcycle ride.

More surfers.

Surfs up! Ride the wild waves! Hang ten!

Or, just take the dog for a walk.

It doesn't matter that the waves are small, the important thing is to just get out there and have fun.

It must be tea time.

I don't think that it is well known that such nice sandy beaches exist here.

A nice quiet place to sit and relax.

After leaving Yumegahama we needed to kill a little time before we could check into our inn for the night so we went for a walk around the seaside town of Shimoda.

Quite a picturesque place.

Dried fish... yummy!


A building was recently demolished and it exposed this long unseen sign.

Last shot of the day: the bar is this way!

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike