Traveling Man Joe: March 2014

Mar 31, 2014

Hanami Eisa

The cherry blossoms have begun to come out, which means its time for Hanami. Everyone has a picnic in the park under the cherry trees. There is talking with friends, eating, drinking, long waits for the porta potty, and of course dancing.

Yoyogi Park, Tokyo

Mar 28, 2014

Mar 26, 2014

Down the Road

A lunch of fried chicken. Their lunchboxes are good, but not the best in Tokyo. However each time I go there, read the menu thats only in Japanese and then order something in the same language it feels special.

Buying lunch there is a culmination of my entire time overseas.

First you must know where to go, then what to order, the rest can be accomplished with pointing and smiling. However to be able to read and ask for what you want is something only a child can appreciate if you have never lived abroad.

Guess I have reached the age of five or so in Japan.

Mar 20, 2014

Timing

What happens to a dream deferred? Mr. Sinclair posed that question to me nearly 20 years ago.

The line between deference and creation is a fine one. Much as one can rush into creating something, they can put it off into infinity. So funny how it all landed in the middle today.

A younger me would have been so happy to have created the moment where I finally rode my motorcycle through the busiest crossing in the world. However he would have also been unable to have started the motorcycle after its aging engine shutdown soon after. Had I rushed into creating, the day would have been remember for its shortcomings.

Timing. It would seem Mr. Sinclair forgot to mention timing. For what is a dream deferred to the right time?

So as I parked my motorcycle illegally this afternoon and the parkinglots owner approached me, I knew it would all be OK.

While I usually would not have been eligible for parking, a bit of Japanese, salesmanship, manners, and timing completed the puzzle.

Tonight, after nearly 6-years, a dream deferred for nearly a decade has now been dreamt.

Mar 17, 2014

Nittochi Nishi Shinjuku Building

Nishi Shinjuku, Japan

The Beginning

Most rooftop doors are locked. For every picture taken above Tokyo countless rooftops are scouted, tested, and usually found to be off limits. Today it all came together. An iconic Tokyo intersection, an open door, and blue sky's.

My timing could have been better. There's the train and increasing traffic in the intersection. The only thing missing are the pedestrians. This shot does little justice to the level of pedestrian traffic at this intersection.

If only that meeting had not been so soon.