Tokyo is Working

My first impression of Tokyo is 'oh my god - everything is grey!'. That is the view out the limo bus window that is streaked with rain from a spring storm. But it spite of the gloomy weather, it seems like the city is drab and grey as well. I get to my hotel with enough time to grab a quick shower before joining some of my group for a jet-lagged extended sushi dinner. I stay up as late as I can, but my sleep is fitful and I am up at 4:00 to go outside and see if I can photograph anything interesting in the rain but it really is too wet and no fun at all and I head inside and wait for 6:30 breakfast.

 

The rain lets up and I decide to explore with a possible destination in mind. The streets are full of all the office workers in identical dark suits and leather briefcases - the women are similarly attired with large purses in place of briefcases. There is a lot happening, and I take note of all the activity - window washers, street repair crews, moms with kids in the parks, a street crew flagman directs traffic with a wand and white gloves and gives a little bow to each passing car. The crew at a firehouse are doing warm up exercises next to their fire truck, with one man calling out directions. I realize that the city is not so grey after all and I am intrigued with the architecture and the massive overhead highway system. 

After about an hour of wandering I reach my destination with a gaggle of tourists outside a sumo training stable and realize something remarkable. Up until then I don't think I had seen a foreigner, had not seen a hat of any kind, nor a camera, or a t-shirt, but this group is the exception. Behind the windows of the sumo stable, the trainees are grunting and sweating their way through the early morning exercises. One of them has taken a break and is sitting dejected in the alley holding an ice bag on his ankle.

 

By this time, I am getting tired and head more or less directly back but this time I do pay a little more attention to the crowd. I spot one older gentleman wearing a fedora, and one man with a grey pin stripe suit. I also note that the younger hipper office workers have black leather backpacks instead of briefcases.

Tight Fit

This is the part where I pat myself on the back for my packing prowess. I have a new smaller carry-on bag that will fit in the overhead of smaller planes, and is less bulky to carry - downside is no wheels. It looks more like a briefcase than a photo bag or a backpack, although it does have hidden shoulder straps, just in case. When I loaded it up, I was pleasantly surprised to find how much gear was squeezed in the shallow main compartment - easy to access:

Olympus camera body and lenses, lens filters, battery charger, portable backup drive, Pentax 8x43 binoculars, small tripod with ballhead.

Other compartments contain my laptop, misc photo gear case, toilet kit, carry-on liquid bag, umbrella, rain shell, miscellaneous cables, batteries & adapter case, "travel office" bag with money, pens, paper, passport, e-tickets, hotel confirmations, etc.

Some things that I might wish to have in my carry-on were sacrificed to checked luggage - basically hiking poles, hiking boots. 

Two Destinations

One of these places is not like the other...

They have some things in common, but could not be more different. They are ancient Asian nations, are both strongly influenced by Buddhist beliefs, and are governed as constitutional monarchies.

So what's the difference? A look at the national flags is interesting.

One is ornate, with the likeness of the traditional Thunder Dragon of the Kingdom of Bhutan. I had to look a little deeper to be sure that it is not on roller blades and not juggling tennis balls - the spheres in its claws are actually precious jewels. The yellow half of the flag represents the authority of the ruling Dragon King and the orange represents the Buddhist faith of the country.

The other flag is the flag of Japan and is the opposite of ornate; whichever word you choose to use. Maybe the most recognizable flag in the world. The simple rising sun motif is an acknowledgement of the emperor's descent from sun goddess Amaterasu. The country's name, Nippon, means "The Sun's Origin" or "Land of the Rising Sun".

If these images from the internet are any indication, visiting one country immediately after the other will cause me some major cultural whiplash. Japan is a thriving modern nation with strong roots to ancient cultures. But Bhutan is only now emerging from self imposed isolation, and is just beginning to find its connection to the modern world.
I will be in Japan on a photographic workshop tour with Arthur Meyerson. I've been on several amazing trips with Arthur - to Cuba (twice) and Mexico - and I know this one will be special too. After that, I will be in Bhutan with my friend Michael Ellis who leads natural history tours around the world. I've been with Michael on so many trips that I loose track, but they are all unique,  amazing, and fun.

I will try to post along the way and people can check what's happening on my website at http://www.johndhunter.com.

 

Cherry Blossoms

How cool.
Japan's weather forecasting agency includes a cherry blossom forecast. I will be arriving in Tokyo on April 17th, and it looks like peak of the blossoms will have passed by then. But the forecast shows we will catch up as we move north over the next two weeks.

Our trip starts in Tokyo and moves north with stops along the way, ending in Hokkaido.























The April 6 Forecast update!