the Land of Bob

delete as appropriate... I see a [tall/short], [young/old], [dark/fair], [handsome/ugly]....

Yesterday was of course Chinese new year (happy new year!) and a few of us took a train to Yokohama which has one of the largest China towns in the world. There was a parade with several dragons and lots....

It's fun playing around with these images in the GIMP. I've got lots of them now, but....

With all his talk of marriage, I dedicate this shot to Dan! I want to take more photos like this. They are so unpredictable but hopefully I'll end up with something like....

There was between 6cm and 10cm of snow in Tokyo yesterday depending on who you believe, and also which area of Tokyo you were in. It started snowing during the night and continued....

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of ramen it is a thin soup with noodles in, often with some seaweed, a boiled egg and some thin pork slices on top. It is very filling, very delicious and is the food most salarymen have at 3am after a night's drinking. Basically a more meal-like doner kebab. Since it is....

This is one of the comparison shots I had in mind. I'm guessing most of you will be able to tell which is the London Underground station at Canary Wharf and which is the Yamanote....

I was going to go with a shot that wasn't so obvious what things were, but in the end I preferred this one. I'll refrain from describing it precisely until....

One of the many extravagant buildings in Omotesando. This one belong to a chap named Christian....

The art of caligraphy practised on a wooden post. I think this is the kanji for the number 5, please....

The cigerette, perhaps the universal litter, as it rested in what looked to be like a set of tracks in stone that could be used for divining....

I'm pleased with how this one turned out. It seems to be as if the cyclists....

Omekuji (pronounced oh-meh-koo-ji) is essentially a fortune paper which are normally found around shrines and temples. The way to select your fortune is to shake the hexagonol metal....

It is unusual for a festival or event of any kind not to have a gathering of food stalls nearby and....

The following day at Asakusa was just as busy despite the rain. As always the Japanese are serious about their events and are not afraid of a sea of....

On the approach to the main shrine the crowds were a little thinner. I'm assuming this area was also swarming with people earlier in the....

This shot gives a better idea of the number of guards that were at Meiji shrine on new years day. I hope....

As promised we're back to Tokyo now. At the start of a new year many Japanese like to visit a shrine to pray and donate a few coins to bring luck....

Since it is bad luck to still have decorations up after the Epiphany I'd better post this one today to be sure to not....

The new Spitalfields Market in the heart of the city has several new and varied sculptures. These large size letters fit well with yesterday's image, so I posted them even though I didn't get a shot of them....

Other passers-by seemed incredibly non-plussed by the towering Christmas tree complete with decerations and topped with a lethal looking star....

Perhaps this innocuous little sign in a London shop front was the cause of the entire iPod revolution. Or perhaps the artist meant something entirely different. What do you think?....