A 30-minute snow delay at the very end of the platform, in freezing wind — redeemed when an N700 Series Shinkansen pulled in and I got to study that nose up close.

This photo was taken on February 3, 2008. Snow actually accumulated in Tokyo — apparently an unusual amount even by recent standards.

Dozens of Tokaido Shinkansen rides and I’d rarely caught Mt. Fuji — then came a rare cabin announcement: ‘Mt. Fuji is now visible on the right side of the train.’

The photo date is January 22, 2008 — nearly a month ago — but when I cracked an egg, there were two yolks inside!

A 19 km ride toward Odaiba that ended at Rainbow Bridge (expressway only, lesson learned) — with NTT Docomo and Sony towers, and a blimp over Shinagawa for good measure.

The slightly dated business hotel near my place got a ‘renovation’ — and a very particular new color scheme. Is that even a renovation??

Finally photographed the inside of my home server: a bare-bones Sempron build with 12cm fans everywhere and two HDDs — one live, one syncing overnight as backup.

Tokyo Station on the morning of January 6, new camera in hand — and barely a soul around. Tokyo during the New Year holiday is a shell of itself.

Happy New Year, everyone. It’s been a while on the blog.

Today I went to Tsukiji for an end-of-year party and passed through Ginza on the way. This is the Sony Building in Ginza, decorated for Christmas.

At Roppongi Hills. Found a giant mailbox.

First doctor visit since moving to Tokyo: a neighborhood dermatologist who turned out to be the opposite of scary — and a lesson in how prescriptions work now.

Good weather today, so I went out on the bike for a wander.

It was cold today so I made hot pot! Simmered carrot, napa cabbage, garlic chives, green onion, tofu, enoki mushrooms, and pork in a kombu and bonito broth.

Simmered kabocha squash: fresh from the pot the sake came on strong, but chilled overnight the flavor balanced beautifully. Same dish, surprisingly different.

Tokyo tap water doesn’t agree with me, so I bought a filter that removes everything — and the before/after difference was striking. Almost Nagoya water. Almost.

Geki×Cine at Shinjuku Wald 9: a filmed stage production where you see the sweat after action scenes and every scene from its best angle. Worth more than the ¥2,500.

Sunny weekend in Odaiba: the surprisingly small Statue of Liberty, Venus Fort, and a newer ASIMO at Miraikan that can actually run — all for a ¥500 entry.

A typhoon is on its way… And I was actually planning to go out this weekend. Disappointing.

Returning a prayer tablet at Naritasan in Inuyama, I spotted a familiar name on a prominent pillar: Tokitsukaze — yes, that sumo stable from the news.