This is alwasy a tough time of year for us as a family. Early August sees the anniversary of the death of my beloved Isobel – my partner of 18 years. Gone forever and it still brings a bitter sting and tears to my eyes. A few days later, her birthday. What would have been her 46th. My own 46th a few days after that. And this week, we celebrate our eldest son’s 21st birthday. I don’t mean to bring you all down. But this is my reality. A bittersweet time. My son has grown, and despite all the shitty challenges, he was forced to endure, he has survived every day. He is not the same person he was before her death. None of us is. But I am proud of him and the loving bonds he has with his family. So the earth continues to spin around the sun. And my last trip to Tokyo is still relatively fresh. Having a purpose of blogging and editing my photos is great therapy for me. And nothing makes me happier than to write about Japan and my travels. Thanks for hanging in there. Here is a little take on my second last afternoon in Tokyo.

Wednesday 29 May 2019 – Afternoon

I set the alarm for fear I might wake eight hours later. I woke really disorientated but got myself up and ready for some more adventures. I returned to the grounds of Senso Ji and took more street style shots with the X70 in hand and a spare battery in my pocket. I chose to leave my X-T3 and camera bag back at the hotel and travel light. I made the rounds and walked along many side alleys and maze of back streets that surround the temple complex. The architecture seemed mostly untouched for some time. It suited the age and feel of the temple buildings adding to the charm of the area. I found a tiny bar and restaurant and grabbed a seat outside for some Karaage Chicken and a cold beer. This little shop only made a few dishes. So damn good. Strangely the place closed at 5pm. Perhaps it would open later when a lot of the other little bars were to open.

I got myself over to Hoppy Street and a little bar for some beers. Oh and of course I was waiting for the light to drop so I could take some more shots at golden hour. I met a local elderly man who spoke quite good English. We chatted for a while as we watched the world go by. I also met a couple at the same bar with a little white fluffy puppy. We were sitting outside. It made me miss Yuki. I played with their puppy and showed them photos of Yuki. Proud papa! I made the rounds again and got some great street shots in. I also stopped at an arcade that had a batting centre on the second floor. The batting centre is a big cage where people can hit as many baseballs as they like. They are shot out of a ball machine. Got some shots there too.

I returned to my room but found I was still not ready for bed. It was only 8pm, and I was still a little hungry. I took a stroll only a few hundred metres and found a cheap restaurant serving all the classics. It was filled with locals, so that is always a good sign. I got a plate of pork Gyoza with a small bowl of fried rice. So yummy. I finished my night in bed dozing off to some random television show. All shots in this blog were taken with the Fujifilm X70.