Watching my every each step
Is the task at hand
So i’ll watch yours instead
Rolling Elsewhere – Thunderbird Limited Express Train (excerpts), Japan
Just rolling ambient views looking out window at countryside and stations in-situ while aboard the Thunderbird Limited Express train – from Shin-Osaka station toward Kanazawa via Kyoto.
No narration, or whatnot. This is all, roll on pleasantly.
PS There are more, plenty.
Tea Ceremony in Sketches
My darling Ryoko studies Japanese tea ceremony with a group of others from Okayama and Kurashiki. Recently i was invited along to a special tea-drinking session at her sensei Ms. Matsuke’s house (she’s moving house so wanted to do one last one shindig at her home).
We gather around, have some snacks and chat while setting up and then convene in a room to go through the process. As a new-un to the routine, i sketched a variety of quick scribbles to remind myself the process and find the moment of stillness (not always easy for this eager fella). Brief notes accompany the sketches.
Wedding Speech / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki
Wedding Speech, Delivered by Neal Cropper at Rural Caprine Farm, April 21, 2019
(Written by Dave Olson with Neal Cropper)
<Neal> Dear assembled beautiful people, We come together today from all over the world, bridging countries and cultures, to witness the next chapter in an ongoing Okayama love story.
Indeed it was here at this lovely farm that Ryoko and Dave first met. Like all true love, there’s is a completely unique story / this Okayama love story features a drifting painter slash poet and a sunny arborist slash jazz singer finding each other at a friend’s farm at the exact moment that they were both ready to begin this new life.
Since then, the relationship has flourished into one of mutual respect, shared interest, many laughs, and sparking more love each day. Love stories are all different, but the great ones always share a foundation of working together with common interests and passions. In this case, a mutual love of art, music, nature, creativity, compassion, living slow and simple, and building a community of friends.
Continue reading Wedding Speech / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki
Shinto Wedding Vow / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki
Shinto wedding vow, Read by Dave and Ryoko in Unison at Munetade Jinjya (shrine), April 20, 2019
Phoneticized from Japanese by Ryoko (Fujita) Olson Note: copy provided for shrine for convenience of any future non-Japanese literate marriage candidates.
Continue reading Shinto Wedding Vow / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki
Collection: Payphones (vol. 6) – assorted varieties / Japan, etc.
Hello to the people in the future,
What follows are public telephones created in a time when phones did not roam freely and in pockets.
To make a call, one would either enter a specially-created booth (or box), or simply stand close by as the receivers were tethered to the phone unit by a short cord, then insert a variety of coins depending on the location called (local, domestic or international) or in some cases, use a purpose-made phone card, or even a credit card (though doing so often exposed one to fraudulent actors).
Perhaps you have already imagined the unsanitary nature of sharing a phone handset (placed next/close to ear and mouth of course) with strangers – though perhaps this increased “herd immunity” despite being rather unpleasant. Note that oftentimes the coin return slots were checked for forgotten change but the miner was surprised to find discarded chewing gum, or even-less-savoury items, instead.
This gallery is primarily Japan phone – both current working payphones, hotel house phones, house landlines, antique non-working artifacts and one from Indonesia, captured “in the wild”.
Additional volumes of similar collections provide additional examples – both international and domestic (to Canada / USA), as well as additional examples of hotel “house” phones. Continue reading Collection: Payphones (vol. 6) – assorted varieties / Japan, etc.
Thank-you Postal card / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki
Thank you card for guests wedding party and gift-givers everywhere – design by Dave and Ryoko
Continue reading Thank-you Postal card / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki
Destinations, passed and stayed / Shinkonryoko Ramble
On this Shinkonryoko (honeymoon) ramble, we ventured from our home in Okayama to various locations, most of which are noted on the accompanying map.
Note: Japan consist of 43 prefectures (県 ken) proper, two urban prefectures (府 fu, Osaka and Kyoto), one “circuit” or “territory” (道 dō, Hokkaido) and one “metropolis” (都 to, Tokyo). Overall, we visited (either passing through, transferring, staying) in the following jurisdictions.
- Okayama / start finish
- Hyogo / pass
- Osaka-fu / transfer
- Kyoto-fu / pass
- Shiga / pass
- Fukui / pass
- Ishikawa / stay, various
- Toyama / stay, various
- Nagano / stay, various
- Niigata / stay
- Gunma / pass
- Saitama / pass
- Tokyo-to / pass
- Kanagawa / stay
- Shizuoka / pass
- Aichi / pass
- Gifu / pass
Continue reading Destinations, passed and stayed / Shinkonryoko Ramble
Back to Tsuchida cottage / Shinkonryoko Ramble — Template
So many trains, various accoms, pals, museums & kisses. Back where we started at Tsuchida cottage, Okayama.
Next up: spouse visa application, so many thank you cards & documentation (scrapbooks, photos, archiving), and fixing up our lil home (and more kisses)
Update: May 24, 2019
Spouse visa underway! Immigration office was well… an immigration office and not very pleasant but we jumped through appropriate hoops, scribbled necessary information, turned in various photos and the like and celebrated with a burger.
Continue reading Back to Tsuchida cottage / Shinkonryoko Ramble — Template
Back to Tsuchida cottage / Shinkonryoko Ramble
So many trains, various accoms, pals, museums & kisses. Back where we started at Tsuchida cottage, Okayama.
Next up: spouse visa application, so many thank you cards & documentation (scrapbooks, photos, archiving), and fixing up our lil home (and more kisses).